Huge list of tools you need for living off the grid. If you’re going to live off grid you’re going to need the right high quality tools and equipment to get the job done. No playing around. Tools and equipment are investments in your off grid homestead. Your tools and your labor is what improves the value of your off grid homestead over the years. This will pay off 100 fold over the years you will be living on your homestead, so it pays to invest the money in high quality tools that will last you a lifetime.
PRO TIP: DO NOT BUY CHEAP TOOL “KITS”!
I can’t stress this enough. Don’t buy cheap sh*t! Sorry, but it needs to be said.
Too many people will go to Walmart, pick the cheapest toolset they can find for $30-$50 and think they’ll be ok. Worse, what they don’t realize is that those tools are made to break so you’ll go back and buy another one later. Planned obsolescence is a thing.
Cheap tools are made with cheap materials and they will break. Then you’re spending more gas money, wear and tear on your vehicle, time, energy and labor going to the store AGAIN to buy more cheap tools, when you could have just spent $250 on a quality set of sockets and wrenches and been done with it.
I won’t get too deep into brands here, because there’s a lot of personal preferences and opinions on what tools are better and this and that. The point is Ford and Chevy both make good trucks, and so does Dodge…but now everyone is arguing and…you see what I mean?
DISCLAIMER: I will however mention some brands I think have the best quality (made from the best steel) and the best warranty and customer service.
Craftsman, Snap On, Dewalt, Klein, Kobalt, whatever. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the quality of the tool and the warranty. If it’s covered by a lifetime warranty then all the better.
This list is copied and modified from our main article Off Grid Living: 13 Things You Need To Move Off Grid Now, which focuses more broadly on the main categories of things you need.
This list of tools and equipment is a deep dive into the details of the tools and why you need good tools.
This is a massive list of tools you’re going to need on your homestead. But don’t worry, you have years to build your collection of tools and equipment. My dad always told me, “Boy, you always gotta have the right tool for the right job!” and he was right, and wow, did he ever have a bunch of tools.
I can’t ever list all the tools there are because there are literally thousands types of tools. This list consists of all the main tools your going to be using the most on your homestead.
Don’t Freak Out!
You’re not going to need to buy all this at once, unless you want to and have the cash in the bank. This list consists of tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools, not including the heavier equipment that will run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years and decades you’ll be building and maintaining your off grid homestead.
LIST OF HAND TOOLS
A Good Pocket Knife – EDC (Every Day Carry) pocket knife. You’re not a homesteader, farmer, rancher, mechanic, or construction worker if you don’t have a good pocket knife in your pocket. This is probably the most used tool you will have and carry with you at all times. Benchmade, Case, Buck, Gerber, CRKT, round off the top 5 in my opinion. THere are a lot of other great pocket knives made by other good brands, but as I said, these are the top 5 in my opinion.
Multitool – Not a Swiss Army Knife. We’re talking about a multitool folding pliers, with wire cutter, and knife blade. Leatherman, hands down is the #1 multitool in my opinion. Gerber #2. Both a great pocket tools. These are EDC (Every Day Carry), meaning you will have these on you at all times while you’re on the property, going into town, to Walmart, to get gas, etc. They go where you go when you go. Always at the ready to fix something. A good pair of pliers in your pocket, an extra blade, and some strong screwdrivers, both flathead and phillips. The Leatherman Wave is good. There’s a good assortment of tools all-in-one tool that fit in your pocket.
Fixed blade knife – You won’t be carrying this everywhere, but it’s good to have on you if you live in a remote area of the country way out there in the middle of nowhere. It’s good to have a larger fixed blade knife on your hip. The larger handle gives you a better grip and more leverage for tougher cutting jobs that maybe your EDC pocket knife or multitool isn’t up for.
Boxcutter – For the tool box. Get a few of these and put them in various drawers in the house and workshop. Maybe put one in the truck too.
Saws (lots of them) – I can’t tell you how many kinds of saw there are, but there are a few you’re going to be using a lot if you’re going to be building things from wood and steel. Hand saws of different sizes, carpenters saw, coping saw, hack saw, all the hand saws. These are relatively inexpensive, so get an assortment of sizes to different job sizes. Make sure to get multiple replacement blades for the hacksaw and coping saw if you work with wood a lot or have to cut metal pipe or PVC. Don’t buy the cheap blades! Again. In the long run you’ll end up spending more money on the cheaper blades when you make all the trips to the store spending your money, time and energy dealing with all that.
Ax & Hatchet – Get yourself a 2-3 nice axes and a couple hatches for the barn/workshop. You’re likely going to be cutting firewood so you’re going to need a good solid well built ax. Don’t scrimp on either one. The steel makes the ax. A good carbon steel blade will last a long time if you take care of it. Some axes have fiberglass handles and will last a lifetime.
Wood Splitter & Wedges –
Hammers – Claw hammers (buy a few of them; Eastwing makes a good hammer), ball-peen, various sledge hammers from small to large.
Wrenches – Get a good wrench set
Crescent wrench (adjustable wrench)
Pliers
Channel Locks – Look it up if you don’t know what they are.
Pipe Wrench
Wire Cutters
Side Cutters
Wire Stripper
Socket Set – A good set with lifetime warranty!
Wrench Set – Open and Closed End – Lifetime warranty!
Screwdrivers – Various screwdrivers, small and large. I would suggest Klein tools, or Craftsman.
Crowbars – small roofing flat pry bar and a good heavy duty 6’ Pry Bar – for moving heavy duty things.
Files and Rasps – A good set of all kinds. Get the good ones or they won’t last.
Post Hole Diggers – You’re going to be doing a lot of this if you’re putting up fencing. Buy a couple good sets.
Vice – A good heavy duty large vice mounted to your workbench
Various wood and C-Clamps – You’re going to need a bunch of these in lots of different sizes.
Anvil – Yes, you will have a use for an anvil later, at some point.
Tongs –
Hydraulic Jack (bottle jack) – Buy a few of these 3-4.
Floor Jack – You’ll need to get under your powered vehicles and do maintenance in your workshop/garage. Get a good floor jack.
Lumber Jack (Hi-Lift Jack) – This will help you get unstuck if you ever get stuck, but we all know, you’d never get stuck, right?
Come-Along (hand wench) – Have a couple of these lying around the homestead, one in the barn, on in the UTV, in the workshop. You never know when you’ll need one. And trust me, you’ll need one.
Chain! (Miscellaneous sizes and lengths) – You’re going to to dragging, towing, and moving large heavy objects and things like logs, and other equipment and vehicles, so you’ll need chain, and a lot of it. Small medium and large links, short, long and very long pieces needed
Cable (and fittings) – You’ll need cable to pull things with a wench, whether hand operated or electric wench
Rope (different sizes and strengths
Tow Straps
Ratchet Straps
Bungee Cords (assorted sizes and strengths; don’t buy the cheap ones, they’re dangerous and could snap and cause injury)
LIST OF POWER TOOLS
Saws (and lots of them) – circular saw, jig saw, table saw, all the saws.
Chainsaw
Hand drill (screw gun) –
Sawzall (reciprocating saw) –
Welding Machine (and the knowledge to use it) – You’re going to need to weld things on your off grid property. If you don’t want to do this, then just know you’re going to pay professional welder hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to do welding around your property over the years. It pays to know how to do basic welding. Spend $500 to $1000 on a good quality welding machine, and learn how to use it. (you will likely need a 220V electrical service installed in your workshop! This requires a lot of electrical power so plan for this when you build your solar power system)
Cutting Torch
Circular Saw –
Table Saw –
Drill Press –
Band Saw (vertical or horizontal, depending on your preference and needs)
Bench Grinders
Angle Grinder
LIST OF GARDEN TOOLS
PRO TIP: If within your budget, get a couple of each garden tool and place them around the homestead in various places, of course inside the garden shed, but in the barn and workshop too. Tools break. Have multiple backups just in case. It’ll save you time and money from having to run into town anytime something breaks.
Tiller
Shovels (all kinds) – Small, medium and large, flat/square and spade point.
Hoe –
Potato rake –
Garden Rake
Leaf Rake
Hand Rake
Pitchfork –
Trimmer/Edger – Trimmers can be used as edgers
Wheelbarrow –
The list goes on and on.
EQUIPMENT LIST
You’re going to need to be able to move things around your property.
Portable Generator (preferably diesel powered) – Diesel powered generator give you the option of using veggie oil to produce fuel. So if you have a diesel generator you have electricity, as long as you have veggie oil or can produce it.
Air Compressor –
Farm Tractor –
Lawn Tractor/Mower – If you’ve got a big yard you don’t want to mow with a push mower
Push Mower (self powered) – Yeah, you’re going to need one for those hard to reach areas.
UTV or ATV (utility style with lockable rear storage and/or racks) – This will help you move things around easily and you can store some hand tools. It’s a lot easier and faster to get around your property on a UTV.
Electric Golf Cart – Surprisingly cheap and you can charge them from your solar power unit.
Utility Trailer (open)
Cargo Trailer (covered)
Horse Trailer – If you’re going to have horses
You get the idea.
There are a lot more tools I’m forgetting, these are just the ones off the top of my head from the article I wrote titled Off Grid Living: 13 Things You Need To Move Off Grid Now.
To be continued…
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