Slideshow: Ridgid ProPack Vacuum

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See the accessories, filter, storage, and more.

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This article originally appeared on the TOOLS OF THE TRADE website.

I’m not sure if there’s some universal practical joke being played on me when it comes to vacuums. Maybe I’m just more prone to being tangled up than other people. Maybe I’m just overworked (I primarily work alone so there’s that). Maybe it’s a conspiracy.

Whatever the reason, it seems like the nano-second there’s an R2-unit pot-belly tank vac on a jobsite, I’m instantly in its clutches. Whether its infuriating little plastic wheels won’t roll over a cord or drywall scrap or I tug the hose off the thing or its accessories are un-put-away-able after the first use it…it always seems to be something.

Ridgid, however, seems to have answered my howls of frustration with what I consider the near-perfectly designed ProPack Vac.

Basically, it should be a rule going forward that all vacs have this design because some genius decided to make this one a box (20-inches long, 13-inches tall, 12-inches wide).

All the tentacles and little pieces and parts store either on-board or inside it. YESSSSS! It all closes up neatly and stores sensibly in the shop or truck. And for the 80-bucks it cost me it has more than paid for itself in saved frustration.

In-Use

Wet. I bought the ProPack because I was building a deck (see a top tool rundown from DeckExpo here) and the footing holes were kind enough to hold all the rain in them. Three-feet deep and full-tilt full I decided a wet-dry vac would solve my immediate problem of mini-swimming pools and be of use to me later (unlike a pump).
At 4.5-gallon capacity this wet/dry vac (more wet-dry vacs here) is definitely small for big spill clean-up and there’s no squeegee type head as I’ve seen with tank-style vacs but it hogged out at least a hundred gallons of water with nary a burp.

Dry. I put it to work again on an interior remodel setting dual flush headers to open up a kitchen-living room (check out this innovative kitchen-opening technique in JLC). While the unit balked at chunks of drywall it served other masters: It got the dust just fine—I used the little brush attachment the most for this--and was eminently stowable in a corner when not in use. The amount of time I didn’t spend wrestling with it was money in my pocket. Most of this was isolated vac work, like managing small piles and messes, lots of it from my hands and knees. Its short hose that stretches to 5-feet and recoils to 3-feet was perfect-o for working around all the nooks and crannies of exposed framing, the stairwell and the stuff of an occupied home.

Next, I used it prepping for a Schluter System Ditra Heat Duo and tile floor project in a basement reno where more typical stand-up-and-vac process was in order. The short hose and small wand head made that kind of vac work a little less efficient than with larger units, but still, not having all the other problems larger units pose me was totally worth it.

With a 5-hp rating, it had plenty of power for most tasks I threw at it.

The filter is the typical pleated paper deal and clogs up just as quick as any other. Its fit to the motor housing is with a gasket on the filter body rather than a wing nut. Excellent.

Storage. One of my favorite aspects of the ProPack is when it’s not in use. Just like any other box or bag I have, it stores completely and neatly without stuff dangling out of it. I have a special place for it in my service body truck—and now my heart—for it and it’s great.