Mama's got a brand new bag

I have something I have to admit, something a woman hates to ever have to admit. I have bag envy.

See, I spend several days a month working out of the office on how-to project shoots with our technical editor, Mark Powers, and I'm always jealous of the two large tool bags he takes with him. They're full of slots and pockets and everything has its place, neatly organized in a manner only a control freak like me could truly love. I, on the other hand, have been slinging everything into an old messenger bag. Nothing fits, it's all rattling around at the bottom of the bag, and I constantly stab myself in the side with the pointy end of a combination square as it telegraphs through the thin mesh.

Then Mark showed me this bag, from Duluth Trading Co. It's made from a heavy canvas, sits compactly, but has lots of narrow and wide slots all around the outside for perfect tool hyper-organization. I took it on a project the other day, and I never had trouble digging my utility knife out from the bottom of a bunch of hammers and chisels. And for the same reason, it's really protective of all the tools stashed in its pockets.

The best part is that it's not too heavy when it's full, which is an issue when I try to pick up some of Mark's fatter, more rigid bags. It even has room for my sunscreen bottle, which is very important when you're outside digging and building for two days straight. Which gives me an idea: I really need a new beach bag for the weekends. Hmmm…

Canvas Rigger's Bag (item #22653), from Duluth Trading Co., duluthtrading.com, $26.50