Measuring tape on your belt?

[Bruce Darrow]

When I was a carpenter, I wore a tool belt and had a leather tape holder as part of the rig. I never wear a belt anymore - even when I'm doing carpentry work - and don't miss that thing for a minute!

As an aside, I remember as a young buck how bitchen I felt sporting that thing - two double bags, waffle headed Vaughan hammer, smooth faced hammer on the other side for whacking on a cat's paw or something similar (one never hit anything but nails with one's waffle!) and all the other small tools in pockets - 4-in-hand, utility knife, combi square, speed square, cat's paw, nail sets, big carpenter's pencil (red and black hard only!), chisel, etc. etc.

With all that weight, not to mention those bags full of 8's and 16's and whatever the day or hour called for, it's no wonder I now refuse to wear one......

Anyways, I have never gotten over having my tape handy at my waist. The problem now is having my leather belts eaten away by the tape's belt clip - see pic:

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Does anyone have a recommendation on a practical belt mounted tape holder?

I've seen the magnetic one in catalogs - I'm suspicious.

My criteria are as follows: easily removable without having to undo one's belt and rethread one's belt loops, secure tape holding ability, and the ability to accommodate multiple tape case sizes.

Whatcha all got that you like?

[Don Alexander]

i hook mine on the pocket of my pants but i also use a 3/4" wide 12' tape in the shop
so its fairly light

[Doug Colombo]

I have not used this (I hook mine most of the time to my pocket as Don does) but it looks like it might work well - like a mini tool belt
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2083429/33910/ToughBuilt-Tape-Measure-Pouch.aspx

[Don Jarvie]

Shop apron from Rockler with the tape in the pocket. The Rockler version with the criss-cross straps is very comfortable.

[johnny means]

Rotate for more even wear.:D

[Aaron Berk]

Use one of the magnetic holders, clip one to your belt and the mating pc to the tape. Then you reduce the amount of "on/off" that you get from sliding the tape clip. This is the 1st example I could find, but I know I've seen different types of these.
http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&cId=SEARCH&productId=3362720&cm_mmc=SCE_gps-_-gps-_-gps-_-MagnoGrip%20Magnetic%20Tape%20Measurer%20Holder&CAWELAID=1023566878

[Tony Zaffuto]

The OP spoke of me some 30 years ago (although I only had a single smooth faced 20 oz. hammer). I rarely wear a belt anymore, even when tackling carpentry projects. I fixed the "tape on belt" problem by moving to a "folding rule in pocket"!

As an aside, any of you "belt wearers" do damage to your knees by having the hammer handle constantly hitting the side of your knee? I remember it happening and like most youngsters, paid it no heed, but today I feel it it my right knee.

[Kent A Bathurst]

i hook mine on the pocket of my pants but i also use a 3/4" wide 12' tape in the shop
so its fairly light

I use 1/2" x 12', and it fits comfortably in my pocket. Plus - I have a half-dozen of them, so I just leave them scattered around the shop.

[Paul Incognito]

I still wear a tool belt when working in the field, but I've always called it a "nail bag." In the shop I generally have my Fastcap tape clipped to my pocket.

Yes, Tony, I got tired of my hammer handle hitting the side of my knee. Went to a shorter hammer and never looked back.

Paul

[Rich Engelhardt]

Bibs....
Nice deep pockets & lots of them.

10' tape fits easily in one or the other front pocket.


I'm old and married for >30 years, so I don't give a rat's patoot about looking goofy ;)

[jeffrey bailey]

It's usually laying where I used it last. Doesn't wear out any belts or pockets.

[Cary Falk]

It's usually laying where I used it last. Doesn't wear out any belts or pockets.

Mine too, but I can never remember just where that is exactly.:D

[HANK METZ]

Here ya go, the best of both worlds, no belt to wear out and a handy way to both measure and hold your pants up. ;)

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- Beachside Hank

[Chris Hester]

I usually clip my tape on my pocket, whether I'm using a 12' or 16' tape in my garage/workshop, or if I'm using a 25' tape for framing and home repair. I have a couple of tool belts, but they rarely get used anymore because of the weight. However I hate not having my tape, speed square and pencil handy at all times on a job. I found a small leather pouch at Lowe's that clips onto my belt and has a good sized pouch for nails and screws, two pencil holders, and a convenient little strap inside the pouch that holds my speed square nicely. I combine that with a clip on hammer loop and I have all the essentials in a lighter, easier to tote all day package.

[Charlie Ross]

I clip my tape on my belt quartered away, on my back side. I buy new belt when i need it. and i keep my pencil in my hat, by my ear.
And everything else is scattered around the shop to hunt for!!
That's my story, and i'm sticken to it LOL

[Jerome Hanby]

I usually carry around a Fastcap lefty-righty in the right hand front pocket of my short pants and just pull them up from time to time. I'm down enough weight that I could actually wear an apron without having one custom made (which I did, and good lord was it huge and heavy!) so I may try that.

[Dave Cav]

Shop apron from Rockler with the tape in the pocket. The Rockler version with the criss-cross straps is very comfortable.

Same here only Lee Valley apron. 8' x 1/2" Stanley in the right pocket; since 99% of what I do in the shop is furniture, 8' is plenty long enough and there are 12' and 25' scattered around the shop.

When I'm doing construction (pretty rare any more) I have a full meal deal tool belt with two leather bags, suspenders (actually GI web gear belt and suspenders) and a leather holster for the tape.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Bibs....
Nice deep pockets & lots of them.

10' tape fits easily in one or the other front pocket.


I'm old and married for >30 years, so I don't give a rat's patoot about looking goofy ;)

I'm old & married for 32 years+. I took my bibs and cut the pant legs off to make shorts for working when warm, and they do look goofy!

[Bruce Darrow]

Lots of replies here. Thanks for chipping in.

Doesn't seem as though anyone's found my holy grail, though. The woodcraft unit might fit the bill, and at $10, wouldn't hurt too much if it doesn't......might pull the trigger on that, as I just dropped off one of those belts - the one with the really nice old brass buckle - at the local leather shop so as to have a new one made. I intend this one to last 'til I drop. Silly, but there you go.

For those who clip it onto their pocket - doesn't the top of the pocket wear out even before the right knee?! (Or left, for those lefties) Considering what my tapes have done to two thick leather belts, my frequency of on/off would, I believe, make me look ratty (er!) before the rest of the pants reached their natural lifespan.

I do find I leave it lying about in random places more and more as time goes on, but inevitably, I find myself clutching at my belt and the cursing when it's not there......old habits are hard to break. Similarly, even after a good 20 yrs, when I now wield a hammer, I find myself fumbling for the hammer holster that always used to be there. Har!

For some reason, aprons don't interest me. Can't say exactly why.

To tell the truth, the suggestion I like best is a dozen or more scattered about - howzit go? "He who dies with the most toys...."

[Frank Drew]

For shop use, I consider stick, or other rigid, rulers more accurate than tape measures.

[Frank Drew]

For shop use, I prefer stick, or other rigid, rulers to tape measures.

[John Coloccia]

To tell the truth, the suggestion I like best is a dozen or more scattered about - howzit go? "He who dies with the most toys...."

This is my preferred solution. Well, maybe preferred is the wrong word. Despite that I KNOW FOR A FACT I own at least a dozen tape measures, anywhere from 10 to 12 of them are lost at any given time. Just a few days ago, I literally could not find even ONE tape measure anywhere. It's times like those that I go down to Woodcraft and pick up another Fastcap. So now I have at least 13, I guess.

Here's an interesting math problem for you Ramsey theory experts out there:

Given X square feet of horizontal surface large enough to hold a tape measure, what minimum number of tape measures N guarantees

1) There exists a tape measure that is visible and within arms reach of anywhere in my shop

OR

2) There exists a large pile of tape measures that is visible from ALL areas of my shop.

No one knows the exact number, but Coloccia et al. have found counter examples for N<14.

[Bobby O'Neal]

I'm a clip it on my pocket user as well. Really only wear it when I'm roughing things out though. Usually have it nearby but just not on me.

[Tom Hargrove]

In the shop I use either a 12' of 16' tape. I removed the belt hooks from both, and keep the one I am using in my pants pocket, or apron pocket when I wear an apron.

I have an older version of the magnetic tape holder. It is designed for a 25' or longer tape, so it has a fairly substantial magnet on it. This sometimes makes removing the tape a challenge, (twist and pull works best) but still allows the tape to get knocked off if you brush by something at a building site. I don't think it would be practical in a workshop setting.

[Matt Cook]

...I KNOW FOR A FACT I own at least a dozen tape measures, anywhere from 10 to 12 of them are lost at any given time. Just a few days ago, I literally could not find even ONE tape measure anywhere...

Interesting. I, like you, KNOW FOR A FACT that I own 10 - 12 tape measures but...I moved the entire shop a little while ago and wanna know something? I didn't find any tape measures. I anticipated having a drawer in the new garage with a pile of measures but it didn't happen so I'm starting to wonder what actually happens to a tape measure once it's introduced to a garage.

AND, no matter where you go, if you ask if they have a tape measure, they always, always, always have problems finding one.

So I doubt if a tape measure will stay on my belt if I put one there. Until the mystery is solved, I'll just buy a new one each time I go to the hardware store. It has worked well thus far.

[Alan Schwabacher]

Here's the ideal solution:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=53927&cat=1,43413,45992

Make sure you click on "view" to see it in use, and don't be too shocked by the price.

If that one is a problem, you could try this one:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32556&cat=1,43513

[Greg Portland]

Get a thicker belt... I like the stuff that Graber makes (I think Lee Valley sells their stuff). Graber also sells a nice tape holder but it's a thread-on (i.e. undo the belt, etc.).

[Derrell W Sloan]

211195I love this thing.

http://www.shop.irondogtoolgear.com/Tape-Clip-with-3-Pockets-70016.htm

[Jay Maiers]

Most of the folks in our shop wear one of these (http://www.amazon.com/CRL-Glass-Cutter-Pencil-Pouch/dp/B000KWVLV0) on their belt.
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You're still stuck with removing it at lunch or the end of the day, but it does save your belt. Having a place for a pencil, pen, and sharpie is a nice bonus too ;)

[Carl Beckett]

I think all my lost tapes are playing poker and drinking beer with all my sock singles.....

[Thom Porterfield]

I removed the stupid belt clip and now carry my tapes in the made-for-it bucket on my tool belt (when I'm in the field), or in a pocket of my shop apron when I'm in the shop.

[John M. Johnson]

To further address the minimum number for N, I have found that 24 is sufficient. Harbor Freight has free 25ft'ers and I have been stocking up on them all year. They are on my way home from work, so I stop off and buy something like the $.99 roller ball bearing for the outfeed table I am building, use the 20% off coupon and get another tape measure. I test them against my Fastcap and they have all been dead on.