I been carrying a carpenters belt for going on 27 years and am looking for other options and ideas. I presently have a pro framer belt from Occidental. I have tried their beltless system and don’t like it. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas?
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A desk chair - with wheels. :-)>
In all seriousness, I found that adding a pair of heavy duty suspenders to my already familiar and worn in bags made an incredible difference in comfort.
Well, that and spending the majority of my days in a cushy office chair putting buildings together in virtual reality now...
Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
I second what Kevin said. I've gone to the nylon (lighter weight) bags with suspenders. It helps alot, and this old body needs as much help as it can get. I have to admit that I try to wear my belt as little as possible. I mainly do trim and small jobs, so the belt is sometimes a nuisance.
Have you tried their stronghold suspenders, I've got apair and I'am real happy.
i too am a big fan of dropping the bags every chance i get, it will slow you down some, but i'm the boss, so i don't chew my a55 for it too much!
I went to nylon with misgivings last year (worried about durability), but found I like it a lot. I respectfully retired the old Cadillac and went with a Kuny's nylon belt system. I had always worn mine apron style so it took some getting used to everything in back, but the jump in comfort is amazing. The padded belt is 5" wide and has a 2" webbing belt threaded over it that actually carries the load. The pockets are far, far larger than the Caddy had and I found at first I was carrying a ridiculous amount of fasteners and tools. I used to wear suspenders but have taken them off with no appreciable effect. Finally, not only is this system bigger but lighter than the old leather pouch, it was less expensive to boot. After almost a year I don't see any sign of stitching or material failure yet. This is far and away the most comfortable pouch I've ever owned. Made in Canada so not sure of availability elsewhere. But the nylon pouches have come long way, check them out.
Bucket boss has a vest system that eases the pain a bit but it is less usefull for real working, haas small bags and fewer locations for tools. It depends what you are doing
My main setup has suspenders which helps the hips. If you are cinching up too tight to keep the bags from sliding down your sexy hips, you are cutting off the circulation which is probably why you chose the word 'tired'. I was there. The suspenders really help.
So do some situps and stretches in the morning
Excellence is its own reward!
Like others, I leave my bags off if I can. Sometimes I frame and basically have to wear them if I want to get anything done. Mine are Occidental and have the suspenders--can't do without those. If I'm doing trim I often wear an apron instead. I think it's a Bucket Boss but not sure. Enough room for a pencil, a small square, a few other things, and it weighs nothing.
I just remebered, their vests are called Skillers.
Excellence is its own reward!
I have recently purchased a set of Diamondback tool bags. You should check out the site- toolbelts.com- I spoke to the owner for 30 min. (1-800#) and it appears that he has a great product. They also have a couple of belt widths you can choose from. The testimonials clearly state that the back support is second to none. Its a hefty price to pay@ $200+ but I use bags more often than any favorite tool in my box. Bobby
suspenders does help quite a bit, but... also transfers that weight to your sholders and start another whole host of problems (neck and sholders). suspenders and some exercise ought help big time. i've had two back operations and the bags do get heavy at times(trim, siding) because of all the crap you end up putting in 'em. excerice helps me big time.... stay well ...bear
Hey, i been dealing with lower-back stuff for the past year or so --and it`s better on days when i do work on strengthening my stomach muscles. Suspenders are great, but i`m curious about sly karma`s not missing tjem with a Kuny`s belt - and about getting used to stuff on the back, instead of apron-style.. (isn`t that `California`style?)
yeppers, definately cali style. all us californians snicker when we see you people from the third world states wearing your bags backwards.
I have a set of the "Builders Rig" belt from Bucket boss..I love them..light..tough..and cheap..paid 39.00 for the set..including suspenders..the thing that sold Me was they have handles on the pouches..so the whole set can be easily carried and used as an open type tool bag...I did switch out to different suspenders but I love the belt and bags..
JC
For years I have been using the Occidental Lights - excellent bags. Recommend them. They keep everything in place and ready to grab. Tired them without suspenders. Good way to show plumber's bum and shock the crew. So I started wearing logger jeans with suspenders to keep the bags up. This lead to suspenders on the bags.
After years of using those $10 suspenders - and always adjusting them, I broke down and got the Occidental suspender. Broke down is right. They cost as much as a set of Home Depot high end bags. However, they
work very well.
Currently I am wearing the rig gunslinger style. Got a belt one size larger so it belts on the hips, below the pants belt. That, plus the Occi. suspenders is working well - but the real trick is offloading what you don't need at the time.
the real trick to offloading is to distribute the load amongst your co-workers without them knowing about it at the time. i'm especially fond of foundation bolts, they work great-just toss em in your partners bag one at a time while they're not lookin, and hey what about a new thread for jobsite pranks?
I use the old military 'fanny pack' suspenders....a wide leather belt........one leather bag/with a smaller one attached to it...... a hammer loop on the other side......and a tape holder on the front........that's it............plus I keep the pockets empty as I can.
Having your belt too tight can cause nerve damage and your skin will hurt like it does when you have the flu.
The best part of framers ache is a hot tub at the end of the day.