Someone I know is about to send their daughter off to college. This seemed like a good time to explore what could go into a compact college tool kit.
Several readers asked for updates over the years, but this was the lightbulb moment that got me thinking and shopping. It’s easy to have some boundaries when shopping for a specific person in mind.
Here’s what I picked out, with links via Amazon (where I ordered everything from):
Komelon Touch Lock Tape Measure
It’s a compact magnetic-backed tape.
Unfortunately, you can’t pick the color online, and I don’t know any physical retail store that sells these. I ordered 2, one had a translucent yellow/orange housing, the other was opaque black. I’m keeping the black housing version for myself.
I see this as a tape measure for people who don’t use tools often, and also for those that do.
Victorinox Classic SD Swiss Army Knife in Pink Camo
My wife still uses her Victorinox keychain-sized multi-tool. These have climbed up in price over the years, but I think the tool’s utility still makes it a good buy.
There are colors and patterns for everyone. I went with pink camo, because it seemed like a safe bet.
I used the same box opener, with a coated serrated blade, to open the boxes all this gear arrived in. Everyone orders tons of stuff from online retailers these days. It’ll surely get used.
Lumintop EDC Flashlight in Pink
Lumintop EDC Flashlight in Blue
I have the same flashlight, and found it to be well-made, reasonably bright, and compact. I figured I’ve give them a color choice.
Energizer AAA Lithium Batteries
I went with a flashlight that takes AAA batteries, and bundled in lithium AAA cells. Why? Because you don’t have to think about it.
USB-rechargeable flashlights are great for frequent use. For intermittent or even rare use, an AAA flashlight requires less hassle since you don’t need to keep an eye on the charge level. When the battery is depleted with use, replace it.
I thought this would be one less thing to have to recharge.
The lithium cells are long-lasting, shouldn’t leak, and handle cold weather well.
They’re a little different from my usual EDC scissors recommendation – less expensive, but also a little larger. I bought a pair for myself and will report back at some point.
Rickshaw Bags – Customized Zippered Pouch
A plastic tool box didn’t seem fitting, and so I went with pouches from Rickshaw Bags.
The small plastic tool boxes I went with in the past are bulky. A pouch is easier to pack into a suitcase, and can serve other purposes.
There are 2 sizes and styles here – medium-sized flat-style pouches in digital camo colors, and Rickshaw’s “hero” pouches in hot pink and purple colors, with expanded bottoms.
Rickshaw Bags’ pouches are a bit pricey, but you’re paying for the quality, color customizations, and USA manufacturing.
The person picked one of the hero pouches, and I gave away the others for testing and feedback.
Some Other Options
If you want a rechargeable keychain-sized light, I’d consider the ThruNite Ti or RovyVon A3. I ordered the ThruNite to give to someone, and will likely order one for myself.
MagLite has AAA LED flashlights for less than the Lumitop, but I thought the Lumitop was worth the couple of dollars more. There’s also the Olight i3T, or updated Olight i3T 2, but the Lumitop is more keychain-sized and the i3T more pocket-sized.
Klein Tools zippered tool pouches are a good value. There are other brands as well.
Would I buy a Rickshaw bag for my general purpose tools or parts? Probably not. Would I use them for everyday gear or personal items? Absolutely. It’s like spending a little more for a watch that you enjoy looking at. Gear aesthetics can sometimes bring a little extra joy to one’s day.
I went with an option that can be used for school supplies, phone accessories, makeup, hobby supplies, whatever, and it’ll look fitting, or at lease more so than a pouch meant for construction tools.
But there are also plenty of utilitarian products that can help keep the cost of a college tool kit more manageable.
You can get a Milwaukee zippered tool bag from Home Depot for $10. Or a translucent PVC bag from Blick for $3 and up.
Is there a good substitute for the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife? Not really. There’s also the Leatherman Micra at a higher price point, but I think the Victorinox is the better choice.
What I Left Out
My choices closely mirror those I made when putting together college tool kits for my cousins 13 years ago.
See: 5 Essential Tools for College Students
For this kit, I didn’t go with duct tape since it would take up too much space or cost too much to ship.
Maybe a screwdriver would have been a good idea, but I’m thinking back and I didn’t need one until I started to build a desktop PC. I had one, of course. I also bought pliers for cutting and stripping speaker wire. But I certainly didn’t need those tools my first year.
I included most of the same tools in the tool kit I put together 8 years ago.
See: Minimalist College or New Apartment Tool Kit
That kit was also for a back-to-school college student, rather than someone straight out of high school.
You don’t need a screwdriver or pliers in dorms.
Maybe I should have included a screwdriver and pliers-based multi-tool for this kit, but for this particular person I wanted to focus on the essentials that stood a greater chance at being used.
If you shop for college or dorm tool kits, a lot of them have all kinds of crap that you don’t need when moving into a dorm or on-campus apartment.
Here are travel tool kits from Pottery Barn that come up in searches for college dorm tool kits.
Amazon answers searches for college tool kits with all-in-one types of household tool kits, such as this 142pc set.
If a college student moves to an off-campus apartment after a few years, sure, they can buy something like that to assemble furniture and hang stuff on the walls.
But if you’re moving into a campus dorm, they’re typically furnished with a bed, dresser, desk, and chair, with no room for anything else.
So I focused on what I thought they could use now, and will still be able to use later should their needs move beyond furnished dorm living. At that point, they’ll buy what they need.
Basically, for this type of user, I think it’s good to go with fewer tools that are more likely to be used, rather than more tools that are likely to be left behind to save space. If they need something else, a lot of dorms have tools you can borrow from the RA office. Or, there’s Amazon, Home Depot, or Walmart with same-day delivery.
Thoughts?
I guess this could also serve as a starter EDC tool kit. Except maybe the scissors – they’re not suited for pocket carry. And for pocket carry I might have went with a different tape measure, such as the Milwaukee 6ft keychain tape measure from Home Depot.
My wife still has and uses the keychain-sized flashlight I gave her 16 years ago. And the Swiss Army Knife keychain I gave her at roughly the same time.
That’s what I was going for here – tools for now, but also tools that would last.
I know many of you would want to add to this list. But what do you think of my choices, given what I was going for?
