As you put together your welding kits, you’ll find yourself looking for a handy way to store and transport them.
We recently got a message from Brad asking about the right welding tool bag to get. With so many on the market, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly the right one.
I thought I’d do Brad – and everyone else – a favor by looking into what welding tool bags there are on the market, and sorting the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.
So Brad, before you go wasting your money – here are the best welding bags on the market. For the actual list, scroll down.
A Question From A Brad
Tommy, I need a rigid tool bag that can carry my tools and welding equipment. Can you help me find one that can hold my mask, gloves, and jacket?
It might seem like an easy request – you just need something large enough to cram everything into, right?
But a welding tool bag actually needs to tick a few boxes (see my criteria below). It can’t just be the right size.
It has to be sturdily built, so the seams don’t burst under stress. Zips, clasps, and other closing devices need to not break under continuous use.
The bag needs to offer the tools inside some level of protection.
And lastly – but certainly not least – the bad needs to make carrying all of this gear somewhat convenient.
So my goal here was to find something that was going to be of good value and increase (or at least maintain) the longevity of the items inside.
Hoo boy was that easier said than done. I put in a good few hours of research to look into this and was surprised by the amount of rubbish there was available.
Bags that would never last more than a week, never protect anything from any sort of jostling.
Just cheap, mass-produced junk that would probably do more harm than good.
So after culling about 80% of the items, I found in my searches, I was left with 5 bags I’d happily recommend to readers.
I spent a lot of time on this so you don’t have to.
While I can’t claim this is an exhaustive list – I have deadlines, you know – these bags present a reliable selection for welders of all skill levels.
From the enthusiastic hobbyist to the seasoned professional, everyone will find something to love on this list.
How Did I Choose Them?
So how did I go about sorting the wheat from the chaff? Here are the selection criteria I applied:
Brand: I always try to go for brands I recognize as having a good reputation. It’s very easy to find attractively-priced non-brand items online
But these usually lack the quality of their branded counterparts.
Known brand companies with reputations to uphold have it in their best interest to ensure consistent quality.
Reliability: You’re trusting these bags with your gear and equipment – you want them to do their job well, and for as long as possible!
An unreliable bag could cost you more than just the cost of replacing the bag itself. You could end up needing to replace all of the gear inside it, too.
Portability: A bag that’s not portable isn’t terribly helpful, is it? One of my major criteria was how portable the bag is, especially when loaded up.
Price: There’s a sweet spot between not breaking the bank and not spending so little you buy junk that I always strive to hit.
You get what you pay for, definitely – but sometimes brands mark up their items a little more than they’re really worth.
Finding that pleasant point in the middle, where you ensure quality but aren’t blowing your budget, is always a priority for me.
Extra features: The bags have to store and port the gear, this is a given.
But if they can throw in a little something extra on top – without compromising the quality or functionality of the bag – far be it from me to say no.
And as always, these items are intended to be suitable for both professionals and hobbyists of any level.
(In my opinion) Five Best Welding Tool Bags
A quick preview.
Revco Industries Revco GB100 BSX
The Revco GB100 BSX is a handy, stylish little backpack that will make transporting your gear a breeze.
It’s made of durable nylon with dimensions 19”x12”x9”, giving you adequate space to store your personal protective equipment, grinders, and tools.
It even comes with a helmet catch for your welding mask. This allows you to use the interior storage space of the bag more efficiently, as the helmet actually rests outside of the bag.
This thing obviously isn’t designed to transport any tanks. There’s some padding, but it’s best used for smaller gear and PPE.
In terms of portability, nothing much beats slinging a bag over your shoulders and heading off to work.
Of note; this bag unfortunately isn’t waterproof, or water resistant. It’s about the only thing I think really lets it down.
Get a waterproof cover if you need to transport gear in this bag from a car to a workshop in the rain.
Tip: Don’t use the included lunchbox to store lunch. There’s no hard shell; it’s just going to flatten whatever’s in there.
Instead use it as a convenient compartment for any small, loose bits and pieces you might be worried about rolling around in the bag and getting lost.
Husky Rolling Tool Bag
Rounding off the list, I thought it’d be a good idea to add at least one rolling bag – and here it is!
This is the most expensive bag on the list, but if you’re going to be carting your kit around a lot, it’s definitely worth the price.
It’s also especially good for those who have bad backs and shoulders, and need something they can pull along rather than wear.
The bottom is reinforced, and there are a generous 18 pockets – 7 inside, 11 outside.
There’s really not much you can’t fit in this bag, and with the wheels, weight isn’t much of a limit.
Tip: Keep an eye out at Home Depot, they sometimes have these bags at ridiculous savings!
TILLMAN – 520 Welders Bag
This is really more of a welding helmet bag than a welding tool bag. It’s a cheap, no-frills polyester sack with ample room to store your welding helmet.
There are mesh pockets on the side which are advertised as being useful for your welding gloves and tools, and a zip-up pouch for personal belongings like wallets and keys.
Obviously, your welding helmet won’t take up the entire interior space, so you can store some things, but you’re going to be fitting it in around the mask.
Really this would be ideal for someone who just wants to chuck their gear in a sack and head into work without forking out a fortune on something.
Which, hey, is most of us at least some days.
Tip: Again, not waterproof, especially with the drawstring closing. Get a waterproof cover to protect your gear in poor weather.
Miller Arc Armor Welder’s Toolbag
Another Revco entry on the list. Rather than a backpack, this is a large over-the-shoulder bag with generous interior storage capacity.
What I like about this bag, in particular, is the large opening – basically, the whole top and front peel away to expose the contents.
This is great for getting bulky items like your helmet and jacket out quickly, without struggling to get them through a slim opening.
It also means you’re not going to strain the zipper as much as if the opening was smaller, keeping up the longevity.
Besides the generous main compartment, there’s a mesh side sleeve, a zipped side pocket, and smaller compartments within the pack for smaller items. It’s a great, no-nonsense bag.
Tip: The side pocket is great for students who need to fit books along with their welding gear.
Carhartt Legacy Gear Bag
If you’re after something incredibly tough with a generous carrying capacity, this is for you.
Touted as being made out of “military grade” material, this one’s built to last.
The dimensions are 14”x14”x3’, making it the largest bag on the list. It’ll fit all of your PPE and tools, with room to spare for lunch – literally.
The bottom of the bag is rigid, although not solid – it’ll do the trick of keeping the bag in shape, but would’ve been nice with a fully solid base.
Tip: There does seem to be some contention over the bag’s weight limit. Some claim that loading it up to the advertised 50lbs caused the strap to tear – others say it holds up just fine.
My experience was positive, but I never recommend loading anything to capacity if you can avoid it.
Welding Bag FAQs
How much can these bags carry?
That really depends on the bag. As mentioned in the article, the industrial bag with “military quality” material is rated for 50lbs but seems to struggle a little if you actually put that much in.
The other bags will hold slightly less. If you want to put a lot of weight in, the Husky bag is the best bet – with the wheels and reinforced base, it can carry around 100lbs of gear.
Why do you need a welding bag?
Not everyone’s lucky enough to keep all their gear where they work. Some people have the personal gear they talk to at a workshop, a school, etc.
Why you’d need a welding bag specifically, rather than just a normal bag – well, you don’t, strictly speaking.
There are plenty of bags that can store your gear. But welding bags are designed with the needs of welding gear specifically in mind.
Welding helmets are awkwardly shaped and large, and your welding bag is designed to take this into account.
You could shove everything into a regular duffel bag – but you might as well get something designed for the task for the best results.
Are there side pockets for gloves, respirators, etc?
Yes. All of these bags – even the basic Tillman bag – have side pockets for extra storage.
Final Thoughts
Welding tool bags are the perfect way to store and transport your welding gear.
They’ll keep everything neat, easy to transport, and most importantly, safe.
