Hasta La Ideas

A tool roll sounds like a nifty way to organize and transport all sorts of tools. But in my perception, there’s really only one proper application for it.

That application isn’t woodworking. I know woodworkers use them to transport chisels and such, but the form factor doesn’t make sense to me for several reasons. First off, look:

Woodworkers do their work on workbenches, and to me, the wide spread of a tool roll takes up too much of that valuable benchtop space.

Secondly, while this configuration here…

…looks convenient for organizing by blade width, having all of the handles on one side means that when you roll it up, you get an odd-shaped cone, not a roll.

On the other hand, if you pack the tools with the handles alternating, as with these carving gouges…

…you can fit a heckuva lot of tools, and it looks very attractive, but 

1) Selecting the precisely tool you’re looking for seems it would be time consuming, and 

2) A klutz like me is definitely going to slice a finger open at some point.

I think the perfect application for the tool roll is this:

If you’re riding around on a motorcycle and it breaks down, it’d be nice to carry every tool you might need to fix it. The form factor is perfectly appropriate to a bike (whereas with a car you can just throw a toolbox in the trunk).

This tool roll here is the best-looking one I’ve ever seen and it unfurls to a whopping 1.3 meters long:

Since it’s meant to be laid by the side of the road, there is no bench space for you to run out of, and I think it’d be helpful to see every tool at a glance. The tough leather is a good materials choice for something that’s going to be sitting on asphalt or dirt.

Sadly this particular roll, which was carried by German brand Manufactum, appears to be no longer made.

Anyways that’s my two cents. Do any of you carry tool rolls, and if so, for what application? Do you find the form factor useful?