Sponge with a scrub pad on one side. I use nylon brushes to avoid metal transfer on monuments. Geology pick for asphalt and hard pan. I can uncover pins under overlay faster than most guys can find the hammerdrill.
I always keep a probe handy, which I mostly use for areas where the metal detector is not much help. I also like having a tripod stabilizer for urban setups on concrete or asphalt.?ÿ?ÿ
Found a 12? spike which has a home in my vest now for probing around metal fence corners and general scratching around.?ÿ
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
plumb bob with long string gammon reel?ÿ
A Fold-It utility cart.?ÿ I work solo, often in urban or campus environments where parking close to an instrument station isn't possible.?ÿ I park as close to the jobsite as I can, then put everything I need for most boundary or topo jobs into the cart and roll it all from setup to setup.?ÿ The cart also serves as an unwieldy object to which I lock my robot when there aren't any fixed objects close by (I loop the cable through a wheel to prevent a thief from just rolling everything away).?ÿ The cart folds nearly flat and sits in the bed of my truck for transport.
I've been using my Fold-It for 11 years now, and it's held up well.?ÿ I did rivet some stainless D-rings to the sides to make securing things easier, but otherwise it's unmodified.?ÿ I also sprung for the foam-filled tires, which have been trouble-free, and the optional back panel, which overlength objects (e.g., prism pole, tripod) rest upon.
Like @hpalmer said-- google earth/maps.?ÿ #1 thing, imo.
Right angle prism.?ÿ Makes quick work of clearing limits.
https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/products.php?mi=58081&itemnum=59012&redir=Y
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The field book and a fiberglass tape have saved me time after time... a rudimentary sketch of site amenities in a clustered area with a few dimensions to located points, and you're done.?ÿ Saves time in the field AND office if you know what you're doing.?ÿ
Tire iron.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174805216367?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=H3C4Koj3SZW&sssrc ="2349624&ssuid=Nhr_pEw5RI-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY"
They are very hard. Very stiff. And, can dig out deep monuments, in very hard ground. Use a sledgehammer, and pry dirt sideways. Clean out with tuna can.?ÿ
Small intense flashlight (mag light) to see down into manholes and into culverts. They also come in handy when trying to squeeze out that last bit of daylight in the late Fall/early Winter.?ÿ
Selfie Stick - I keep one in the truck to use for photographing the inside of manholes or an obscure culvert opening that I can only reach from above. Mine has a BT remote and converts to a tripod. I use that feature for family photos.?ÿ
Manhole Cover Hook
Loppers - for gentle pruning in landscaped areas. They also come in handy around my yard.
Hard-sided rotomolded cooler- I have a Pelican version. I picked it for its durability and Pelican style latches. Keeping water and food cool in the blazing heat of summer is a must for me. These coolers make it easy by requiring much less ice and therefore more room for what you need. This also has dual use.
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Masonry Hammer - great for reconn and control points. Can dig down a few inches through asphalt and hard ground with ease.?ÿ
Disto are cheap now. Great for building dimensions and distant/distant offsets for GNSS location under obstructions.
I bought a small boat bilge pump, wired it to use my RTK base battery, makes short work of emptying mon wells, then use the turkey baster for the last bit to expose the mon. Scotch Brite pads to remove corrosion and grunge on the cap is useful too. For mon wells, I bought a hay hook, makes it much easier to lift them.
I carry a small limb saw and loppers, rarely use the axe or manchette as I rarely have to clear line, but small pesky branches are sometimes selectively removed, my compound loppers will accommodate up to about a 2" diameter stem.
@bruce-small mirror compass is multi use, use it as much for the mirror as I do for bearings, plus straightedge and ruler on base plate.
SHG
@jim-frame I need to get one of these for the crew when I go out. Do they carry 260ish?
An old-fashioned plumbing wrench (the longest one you can find) will inexpensively pull pins (i.e. the occasional screwup); screw the teeth down on the top of the pin and use the handle and the torque it gives you to rotate the pin. Once you've gone full circle the pin will usually come out with just a bit of wiggling and won't throw your back out.
I have an all steel small one hand pick axe I bought years ago that has been so usefull.?ÿ It can also be used as a hammer to drive in a guard stake.?ÿ ?ÿ for wood handled tools, I use Goop glue on the shaft to the head, and the head never loosens.
The longer the better.
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The problem with the wrench is the diameter of hole you have to dig when you find a rebar a foot down and would like to raise it to, say, 2 inches (5 cm) subsurface.