I have always found need for the following basics:
8" wrench (for lighting; a special skill I love to work with)
scale ruler (necessary if you still tape floors)
glow tape (multiple rules b/c they always seems to "mysteriously" disappear)
Those are my tri-fecta. I have a scrapbook kit my aunt gave to me as a gift. It is a miracle organizer that can be set up (by folding back a couple flaps) to be a little organized desk place (minus the hard surface). And it hold multiple binders and legal pads and everything else I've managed to come up with. It also has a separate roller box to put it in for easy moving.
As for the tape debate: Duck tape is only acceptable for quick fixes that have to hold up for a long run and nothing that shows (like that damn hanging cord). As for masking tape, I agree, it is EVIL. I know some who use it on props tables, but the only time I do that is if butcher's paper is laid down first. Many an hour has been wasted on someone having to pull up that crap. I guess in high school that would acceptable, but in the real and/or college world the theatre is in constant use and has no time to be peeled.
"Peel your sunburn, not your table."