Blue Ridge Overland Gear – Tool Bag Review

All tool bags are not made equal, and the Blue Ridge Overland Gear Tool Bag leaves the rest of the competition in the dust.

If you’ve spent any time off road or you’re a Land Rover owner, you’ve probably dealt with your fair share of breakdowns in the field. Luckily, you’ve also probably prepared ahead by packing a tool bag or renewing your AAA membership.

Previously we’ve discussed tool storage in the form of foam cutouts for ARB’s drawer system and tool rolls, both of which we’ve used with success in the field. The only problem with these two systems, is not everyone is as fancy as Ben Jones, and while tool rolls are great for wrenches, they really suck for socket storage. So after searching for what felt like an eternity, I finally discovered the Tool Bag from Blue Ridge Overland Gear.

Now unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years or you’ve been Overlanding via Conestoga wagon (we hope you didn’t die of dysentery), you’ve probably heard of Blue Ridge Overland Gear. They’ve become known for their innovative storage solutions that include an assortment of gear bags and MOLLE accessories. The best part is all of their equipment is made in the USA (the great state of Virginia to be precise) and each item includes a tag which is filled out by each team member involved in the build process. Needless to say, the team at Blue Ridge Overland Gear really care about producing a high quality product that will last almost as long as a SnowPeak titanium spork.

So what what makes this bag so great? It comes down to design, the team at Blue Ridge Overland Gear really gave this product a lot of thought and I’ll tell you why. On the outside it looks like your typical MOLLE bag, but it has deep mesh pockets on the front with Velcro closures and a MOLLE panel on the back. The back panel also features a large Velcro patch that gives you plenty of real estate to attach a label, patch, or other cool swag you’ll pick up at events.

Nine times out of ten, when you’re performing a recovery or working on your truck, you’ll probably be wearing gloves. Small zipper pulls can be a problem in a situation like this, so they’ve included large loops that are attached to the zippers to allow easy access to the interior of the bag. How strong are these pulls? I was able to hold my fully loaded tool bag using just one and it didn’t break, but my finger didn’t make out quite as well.

Their attention to detail doesn’t stop there, when you open the tool bag you’ll immediately see 6 more 12″ bags made of string reinforced vinyl that are rated to -20 degrees Fahrenheit (that means you can forget about this bag in your dead man freezer and not worry about it). These bags are attached to the main tool bag via Velcro so they can be pulled out for individual use, or easily re-ordered inside the bag when filled with tools. Although the best feature about them is they are prefect for fitting 1/2″ SnapOn deep wall sockets, and MATCO 3/8″ and 1/4″ sockets on their storage rails (you’ll have to slightly modify the rails). All too often I run into guys that throw all of their sockets into a bag and have to sort through them on the side of the trail, with this tool bag, you’ll never have to deal with that crap again.

So what can you fit into this bag? I’ve managed to store the following:

• 1/2″ Deep Wall Impact 20 Socket Set
• 3/8″ 15 Socket Set
• 1/4″ 15 Socket Set
• 1/2″ Ratchet
• 3/8″ Ratchet (Long Handle)
• 1/4″ Ratchet
• 3 Phillips Head Screwdrivers
• 3 Flathead Screwdrivers
• Pliers
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Chanel Locks

There’s still plenty of space for more equipment in the bag and something to note is you can easily pull out one of the vinyl bags and replace it with a standard wrench roll. I still prefer a tool roll when it comes to wrenches, so this tool bag gives me the opportunity to have the best of both worlds.

Overall I consider the Blue Ridge Overland Gear Tool Bag to be the best option on the market for anyone who wants to have a portable tool kit in their rig. It’s built like a tank, and 80 years from now your kids will probably still be using it.