Best toolbags 2025
We test 10 bags for tools to see which has bragging rights
If you need to carry tools, a bag is often a better bet than a box, because its soft edges are kinder to car trim and your legs. They are also a better choice for keeping emergency and get-you-home kit in the car, because a bag can be squashed into places a rigid box can’t.
So which is the tool bag to keep your car kit safe and handy? We packed 10 top sellers and tried them out to sort the heavy hitters from the dead weights.
How we tested
We split our samples between smaller designs for get-you-home kit and the larger versions that could house a more comprehensive selection of tools.
Our selection included a compressor, jump pack and multimeter, plus common automotive hand tools, including a small torque wrench. For the bigger bags we added a full-size torque wrench, cordless impact wrench and drill, plus larger tools.
Divide and conquer is the mantra when storing tools to keep them separate and easy to find, so we looked for plenty of pockets, preferring internal and covered ones, because kit can get lost from open external pouches. Loops were factored in, while we favoured solid plastic bases, comfortable handles and carry straps, plus we assessed practicality and build quality. Price was the final consideration.
Forge Steel 18’’ Tool Bag
- Price: around £15
- Rating: 5 stars
- Contact: screwfix.com
Used - available now
2021 Hyundai
Ioniq electric
31,484 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £9,300
2018 Nissan
Qashqai
47,278 milesManualPetrol1.3L
Cash £13,525
2021 Skoda
Kodiaq
38,572 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L
Cash £21,500
2020 Hyundai
Tucson
53,200 milesManualPetrol1.6L
Cash £12,200The least expensive bag on test, but you still get a lot for your money. Outside there’s a covered pocket, plus another zipped pouch among the 10 storage slots. Inside, the Forge Steel has 14 pockets that are deep enough to take anything from an adjustable wrench to tape or a box of fuses. Our compressor, jump pack and multimeter neatly slotted into the base, alongside the longer tools.
Magnusson 17’’ Tool Bag
- Price: around £16
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: screwfix.com
The Magnusson is a fiver more than our winner and you can feel that in the thicker padded fabric, while we preferred its tough, rigid plastic base. There are similar external pockets, but the zipped pouch was usefully larger. Inside, the Magnusson concedes to our champ because it has just five pockets. There are also five loops, but they hold most hand tools too loosely, allowing them to easily fall into the bottom.
Silverline Tool Bag Hard Base 263598
- Price: around £25
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: silverlinetools.com
This 600mm option from Silverline is our pick of the larger bags, thanks to its price. You still get a lot for your cash, though, with a large covered external pocket and a thinner zipped version. The other external pockets are narrower than some and hold tools more securely. The plastic base isn’t as rigid as other rivals we tested, but the bag was alone in this test in having a removable partition in the bottom
Stanley 16” Open Mouth Tool Bag
- Price: around £24
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Contact: halfords.com
This Stanley bag could be for you if you often work outside, because it has a 5cm-deep plastic base to keep moisture away from tools. The downside is that the three internal pockets are that much higher and, as a result, are shallower than some rivals, limiting what they can hold securely. While more internal pockets would be better, three of the external ones have a hook-and-loop-secured cover, so there is little risk of tools getting lost.
Draper 600mm Open Mouth Tool Bag 40755
- Price: around £42
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Contact: drapertools.com
Draper’s 600mm bag had several neat touches. We like the three large covered external pockets and shallow zipped item. The three outside pouches topped with mesh pockets give added storage. Inside, there are eight large sections to help keep hand tools out of the base, which easily accommodated our impact wrench, drill and large torque wrench. The fabric base impacts rigidity and this is particularly noticeable when the bag is heavily loaded.
Sealey Heavy-Duty Bag 500mm AP513
- Price: around £45
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Contact: sealey.co.uk
If money is no object, this is the bag to have. While most rivals share a common design theme, each side of the Sealey opens to reveal a mix of loops, straps, deep pockets and a document holder. It’s more compact than other big bags, but we still got all our test kit inside, with no hand tools in the base and all neatly separated. There are further external pockets and the thickly padded sides and tough, plastic base add to the overall high-quality feel.
Draper 420mm Open Mouth Tool Bag 87359
- Price: around £24
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Contact: drapertools.com
This Draper design covers a lot of bases, thanks to its clever interior-pocket layout, which sees two wide side pouches located behind three narrower ones. Opposite these are another five slots, plus there are also two pockets at one end and one at the other. The result is a range of sizes to suit a variety of tools and kit, with very little ending up in the base. There are more pockets on the outside, but none are covered. It lacks the rigidity of some rivals and needs to be held open when the pockets are full, but the versatile Draper is worth considering at this price.
Silverline Tool Bag Hard Base Wide Mouth 268974
- Price: around £17
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Contact: silverlinetools.com
A former winner, this compact bag was squeezed out of the top spots, but still merits four stars despite a small price rise since our last test. While the tough, plastic base helps when the bag is loaded, the sides fall in when the 12 internal pockets are used. These come in a range of widths, but the plastic base’s sides mean the pouches are shallower, making them unsuitable for longer, heavier tools. We would also have liked to see more covered pockets among the eight on the outside.
Stanley 16” Tool Bag
- Price: around £27
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: halfords.com
Rigid sides made this easy to use, but a limited number of pockets meant too many tools ended up in the base.
Sealey Tool Storage Bag with Multi-Pockets 300mm AP301
- Price: around £28
- Rating: 3.0 stars
- Contact: sealey.co.uk
Smallest on test with the most pockets, it struggled with our test kit, but would work well with smaller technician-style tools.
Verdict
With so many similar designs and prices, picking a winner was difficult and the results were very close, but the Forge Steel is our choice here. Its low price and usable layout secure the victory from the other Screwfix offering by Magnusson. The keenly priced Silverline just edged the win among the larger bags we tested.
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