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So you have returned from a bushcraft outing, how do you store your kit?
Do you keep your backpack ready to go?
Or do you keep your stuff in locations/containers so they're easy to reach and you know where they are?
Do you have a special room/cupboard/shed?
What are your tips and tricks for stowing away kit?
Or is it all in a pile on the floor?
(Tell all! The confessional is open... :-))
TheViking
13-07-2004, 15:23
Hi...
Normally I pack my bag/rucksack out and lay all the items next to it. If I need something on a daytrip or anything, I'll just take what I need. Very easy! :wink: If you keep the items in a pack, you won't be able to look after them and if they are stored different places all over the house, it will take hours to gather! (well, almost....) :-D 8-)
Well, that's my opinion....
I have several kits,
I have a courses kit which I have set up ready for when I'm running courses.
I have my leisure kit
and I have possibles.
Courses kit is unpacked cleaned and packed away everytime. Leisure pack the same.
Possibles however are generally cleaned and then repacked ready to go as this is the kit I carry with me the most and it rarely changes.
MartiniDave
13-07-2004, 15:45
I'm quite lucky in that when I first met the woman who became my wife I was into scuba diving, and was allocated what became known as the "dive cupboard". After getting a type 1 bend I gave up diving, the cupboard is now the "Dave cupboard". Between that, the shed and my secret stash under the bed, that takes care of stowing my kit.
I can't leave a rucksack packed, because I tend to use my ruck's for different things on different days.
Although, being a bit of a jackdaw, I tend to have spares and duplicates of some things kept in the stranges of places! And you've never got too many matches! :-D
Dave
RovingArcher
13-07-2004, 16:03
I keep multiple kits as well and when I return from the field, everything in my kit is cleaned, replentished if needed and repacked for the next outting.
jamesdevine
13-07-2004, 16:03
Both of the first two options.
Hammock, Poncho, boots, pack etc. are usually seperated as soon as i get back to air them and clean them etc.
Then once all is Ok they are tidied away in a box just in side the Attic for easy access.
But I am always pulling on bit or another down just for random checks and maintance. :wink:
James
We are lucky enough to have a spare room to hang, dry and store kit.... I pack (what I need according to what I'm doing and where I'm going) the night before a trip.
The only exceptions are 'food' which goes back into the kitchen and my 'poachers kit' which lives in the garden ;-)
:-)
Ed
tenbears10
13-07-2004, 21:07
After getting a type 1 bend I gave up diving, the cupboard is now the "Dave cupboard". Between that, the shed and my secret stash under the bed, that takes care of stowing my kit.
Although, being a bit of a jackdaw, I tend to have spares and duplicates of some things kept in the stranges of places! And you've never got too many matches! :-D
Dave
I know those secret stashes under the bed Dave and I agree on the match point. :wink:
My kit is kept in several boxes or bags but none packed ready for a trip unless i've planned it. Normally start a couple of weeks (sad I know) before and start a pile which grows and is added to or sometimes reduced when it gets too big ready to be packed the night before so nothing is left behind.
As for cleaning and storing kit I can't believe how many people don't bother. I'm not talking about mud covered stuff but boots which never see a tub of nikwax in their life and then people wonder why the leather cracks and they don't last. A bit of proofing and care and things last and work so much better. Anal I know but if you spend the money some of us do on kit it is a crime not to look after it.
Bill
I chose "everything in my pack ready to go" as I tend to use the same 20l pack as a day pack and for short away missions. I keep that packed with most of my kit, but excluding everyday items like petzl, surefire, flint, EDC etc which live in my handbag.
Everything else I tend to store separately so they're easy to grab (bashas/bags/bivvis/water bottles/sleeping bags/rat packs/replacement fuel).
Bear in mind I'm usually packing at least four backpacks ... :burnout:
Hmmmm, mine is currently on the floor! :banghead: :banghead:
When I get back the whole lot gets dumped on the floor, that which requires cleaning gets cleaned, if it needs sharpening it gets sharpened and oiled.
The sleeping bag is left out to air so that it maintains its loft, the various sharp objects that I own are stored seperately, everything else once it is clean and dry gets packed, but not into my daysack.
I normally have two Ortlieb bags and a bergan liner. My kit gets packed into these and stowed, when I require it the kit gets dumped into my pack in three parts and I am ready to go. :-)
I got a few of those transparent stackable boxes from Wilkinsons (or was it Ikea?) and split everything up into various groups (cook kit, edged items, shelter, sleeping, first aid, etc) whenever I get back. All gear is checked over to make sure it works when I next use it and I just put together what I need based on what I'm going to do.
Sounds a bit anal but the methodology hasn't let me down yet and I know pretty much where to find everything.
Hmmm....am I obsessive-compulsive?
All my gear is cleaned and stored.
There's a saying The excercise aint over till yer kit's away :-)
RAPPLEBY2000
14-07-2004, 23:35
i try to organise my gear, as i type some is in a wardrobe, some is in a chest of drawers, i seperated into
cooking/fire
hygine/first aid
food/water
some i class as:
"ain't gonna use soon", others are classed as "every trip" sorted like this it's easy to lay your hands on any kit at a moments notice!
....well that's the theory anyway :wink:
bushwacker bob
15-07-2004, 00:19
but excluding everyday items like petzl, surefire, flint, EDC etc which live in my handbag.
:You_Rock_
Kath, Adi is a lucky lad.
I didn't fit very well into the poll.
I have a drawer where all the bushcraft kit goes, then clothing just goes into the ahem clothing pile, usually my desk.
Ranger Bob
27-01-2005, 18:49
Whenever I return to 'civilisation', my kit is all cleaned and packed right back up, ready to go at a moments notice.(bar food and water, obviously!)
p.s. Civilisation is evil!
arctic hobo
27-01-2005, 19:58
p.s. Civilisation is evil!
YES :biggthump
Squidders
27-01-2005, 20:14
Mine is rapidly expanding so storage is a bit of a problem... my computer shed takes the brunt of my climbing gear and the top of one of our wardrobes houses my pack but it can't support the growing weight.
It's all being shuffled around at the moment, a short while in each place until I get nagged to move it. This rotation is working so far as Eloise and I are still on speaking terms :wink:
Most of the new or expensive kit usually just floats around getting played with and fondled so technically doesn't need any storage space.
I'm a 'hybrid'...
I keep basic kit ready to go but hang up all my clothes (after airing/washing), and put everything else away. For the first time in my life I'm actually pretty organised.
Its scary!!!!:smiley-fa
PurpleHeath
27-01-2005, 21:14
i am a real slob unlike you guys, all the kit that has to come out when i get back does but the rest i usually leave in there for a day or two before i do anything with it, i am terrible! for that! i do clean my kit but it takes a while before it gets done!:oops:
SquirrelBoy
27-01-2005, 23:32
My kit lives in 3 rucksacks, 8 plastic boxes `borrowed` from work :roll: and generally put on a stacking system from Argos.. too much gear in all!
Will get around to sorting it out one day and have just one pack with all i need, ready to go... yeah right ! :o):
I have a room dedicated to my kit storage because my better half complained so much about it being stored all over the house.
PurpleHeath
28-01-2005, 10:30
thats a lot of kit!! how big is the room? :?:
bothyman
28-01-2005, 10:45
I keep away from Civilisation so don't bother putting anything away. :yikes:
:wave:
When I get home my wife cleans the clothing and the cooking gear/utensils, I hang all the basha gear in the garden to dry, all my sharps get cleaned and oiled and locked away in the shed, And once that is all done it gets packed away ready for the next outing(except the sharps of course)
I do have a dedicated full wall cupboard that I use for all my gear that doesn't always go with me on trips, but the wife, Bless her! wants me to put it in the attic out of the way and where I will probably never see it again!
And thats about all really!:)
I am terribly disorganized. Not only is my rucksack a mess when I am on a trip, but when I get back, I unpack only the things that will start to smell too bad (that doesn't include dirty clothes) if I leave it.
My equipment is also at any given time mostly scattered around. What is not laying around the house is probably hidden in the stack on my desk. :D
http://gaaren.no/desk.JPG
janiepopps
10-03-2007, 18:24
Wow Torjus, that is some seriously bad Feng Shui... :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
j ;)
Wow Torjus, that is some seriously bad Feng Shui... :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
j ;)
Being disorganized is a little sexy, eh? :naughty:
Or have I gotten that completely wrong.... :confused: :lmao:
Torjus...love the style :lmao:
Coming back from an outing, I unpack everything, dry and maintain it (clean? - only when necessary) then I pack it away in areas where it's all easy to find.
I keep clothes at one end of the wardrobe, kit in a four drawer cabinet, belt, possibles pouch and neck sheath is hung up near the cabinet, rucksack on a chair ready to be packed and thermarest laid out on the floor. Food is packed in a ration bag and hung up near the kitchen.
All I have to do is go in in a systematic "circle" to pack the kit when I'm ready to escape again :D
Pablo
Bit of both. Generally when I get back from a camp everything gets dumped. Over the next few days things are aired/washed/dried and stored. My 'usuals' (rather than possibles) bag is always packed, and I have a couple of locking cupboards in the garage where everything else is stored.
Odds'n'ends like my Mora, firesteel and Cegga axe are stored in various places around the house as I use them on a regular basis.
Various cupboards around the house have bits of camping gear in (plates, billys etc.) and bushcraft books and magazines are dotted around the house as well.
I try to keep everything together, but it all seems to migrate on it's own! :D
Nathan Sturgess
11-03-2007, 10:03
I take everything out, clean what needs cleaning and then pack the essentials that go on every trip back into my bag and store everything else.
w00dsmoke
11-03-2007, 17:40
Because I use my gear a lot, it's generall multi use gear it's always available. I have dedicated drawers for sharps and small kit like survival gear and these are generally bagged and stored ready to grab n go. There always the basic in my car for emergency anyway. Tents and sleeping bags are stored loose in massive bags in the loft or under the bed. I've got plastic storage bins for the other gear like winter clothes, gaitors, bivi's n tarps. Some of my gear is hung up on the walls inside my house like reindeers skins, canoe paddles, throwbags/ropes etc...Stoves are stored in the shed with lots and lots of fuel incase of civil emergency and cooking gear stored dry in a shelf in the kitchen in dedicated canvas bags. I have alarge dedicated medical kit kept in the house-drugs rotated regulary but it is in a grab bag ready to go...Flares are stored in fireproof damp and explosion proof boxes in hut, 10 days worth of rations for a family of 4 are stored under beds and rotated regulary. Respirators/suits are stored inside the house (We are not far from Faslane!) The other non essential but nice to have gear in an emergency is stored safe underground in a plastic drum in a stash.
Essentially the whole family is catered for with tents and sleeping bags and food n tools for a bit of self sufficiency when and if the need arises so they are all mostly familiar with it all and where it is.
bambodoggy
11-03-2007, 18:23
Because I use my gear a lot, it's generall multi use gear it's always available. I have dedicated drawers for sharps and small kit like survival gear and these are generally bagged and stored ready to grab n go. There always the basic in my car for emergency anyway. Tents and sleeping bags are stored loose in massive bags in the loft or under the bed. I've got plastic storage bins for the other gear like winter clothes, gaitors, bivi's n tarps. Some of my gear is hung up on the walls inside my house like reindeers skins, canoe paddles, throwbags/ropes etc...Stoves are stored in the shed with lots and lots of fuel incase of civil emergency and cooking gear stored dry in a shelf in the kitchen in dedicated canvas bags. I have alarge dedicated medical kit kept in the house-drugs rotated regulary but it is in a grab bag ready to go...Flares are stored in fireproof damp and explosion proof boxes in hut, 10 days worth of rations for a family of 4 are stored under beds and rotated regulary. Respirators/suits are stored inside the house (We are not far from Faslane!) The other non essential but nice to have gear in an emergency is stored safe underground in a plastic drum in a stash.
Essentially the whole family is catered for with tents and sleeping bags and food n tools for a bit of self sufficiency when and if the need arises so they are all mostly familiar with it all and where it is.
Wow! :eek:
Matt Weir
11-03-2007, 19:47
Sharps live in the house hidden and out of reach of small hands. The rest is either car or shed depending on if I use it day to day or just on a camp.
Matt.
I am terribly disorganized. Not only is my rucksack a mess when I am on a trip, but when I get back, I unpack only the things that will start to smell too bad (that doesn't include dirty clothes) if I leave it.
My equipment is also at any given time mostly scattered around. What is not laying around the house is probably hidden in the stack on my desk. :D
http://gaaren.no/desk.JPG
:yelrotflm :yelrotflm :yelrotflm
I have two main bags, Rucksack for overnight and Daysack for bimbles.
Some stuff stays in the rucksack, mug, plate, cutlery, inflatable pillow etc, but the rest gets stored back in my wardrobe or garage. This is because I need differrent kit each time I go out, it could be hiking, bushcraft camp, sailing, weekend course etc..
Sleeping bags ALWAYS get hung up. ;)
Boots live in the boot of my car.
The Daysack always has my SAK, LED Maglite, Crusader cup and cooker, Binoculars, field guides, matches, noodles, bog roll and for some reason my DC4 stone! :)
The only bit of kit that stays with me is my 58 Pattern water bottle and that even comes to work because the water at home tastes better, is somehow more "alive" and reminds me that there is a real world out there. (I have no windows in the office, its really crap) :(
Because I use my gear a lot, it's generall multi use gear it's always available. I have dedicated drawers for sharps and small kit like survival gear and these are generally bagged and stored ready to grab n go. There always the basic in my car for emergency anyway. Tents and sleeping bags are stored loose in massive bags in the loft or under the bed. I've got plastic storage bins for the other gear like winter clothes, gaitors, bivi's n tarps. Some of my gear is hung up on the walls inside my house like reindeers skins, canoe paddles, throwbags/ropes etc...Stoves are stored in the shed with lots and lots of fuel incase of civil emergency and cooking gear stored dry in a shelf in the kitchen in dedicated canvas bags. I have alarge dedicated medical kit kept in the house-drugs rotated regulary but it is in a grab bag ready to go...Flares are stored in fireproof damp and explosion proof boxes in hut, 10 days worth of rations for a family of 4 are stored under beds and rotated regulary. Respirators/suits are stored inside the house (We are not far from Faslane!) The other non essential but nice to have gear in an emergency is stored safe underground in a plastic drum in a stash.
Essentially the whole family is catered for with tents and sleeping bags and food n tools for a bit of self sufficiency when and if the need arises so they are all mostly familiar with it all and where it is.
Do you know about something we don't?! :eek:
Silverback
13-03-2007, 19:56
Because I use my gear a lot, it's generall multi use gear it's always available. I have dedicated drawers for sharps and small kit like survival gear and these are generally bagged and stored ready to grab n go. There always the basic in my car for emergency anyway. Tents and sleeping bags are stored loose in massive bags in the loft or under the bed. I've got plastic storage bins for the other gear like winter clothes, gaitors, bivi's n tarps. Some of my gear is hung up on the walls inside my house like reindeers skins, canoe paddles, throwbags/ropes etc...Stoves are stored in the shed with lots and lots of fuel incase of civil emergency and cooking gear stored dry in a shelf in the kitchen in dedicated canvas bags. I have alarge dedicated medical kit kept in the house-drugs rotated regulary but it is in a grab bag ready to go...Flares are stored in fireproof damp and explosion proof boxes in hut, 10 days worth of rations for a family of 4 are stored under beds and rotated regulary. Respirators/suits are stored inside the house (We are not far from Faslane!) The other non essential but nice to have gear in an emergency is stored safe underground in a plastic drum in a stash.
Essentially the whole family is catered for with tents and sleeping bags and food n tools for a bit of self sufficiency when and if the need arises so they are all mostly familiar with it all and where it is.I know I should be impressed but instead I find myself a bit freaked out :eek: Can never remember where all my gear is and my contingecy plan if it all kicks off involves bending over placing my lips on my own buttocks and kissing my ar*e goodbye :lmao:
"The other non essential but nice to have gear in an emergency is stored safe underground in a plastic drum in a stash."
Whats that then w00dsmoke? The guns 'n' grenades for when the feds come a' knocking? :lmao:
w00dsmoke
13-03-2007, 20:26
Do you know about something we don't?! :eek:
Ayeee maybe I do and maybee I don't! :cool:
Remember...if it goes pear shaped in our time, leave the cities, head for the CENSORED-CLASSIFIED INFORAMATION
Good ole UK gov aint gonna look after us and that's a dead cert. If anyone has ever been directly involved in civil emergency planning within the UK here in the last 40 years or so you will already know that. And no man there's nothing dodgy in the barrells that I'll admit to or imply here!
Most of my kit will stay in the pack. The exceptions to that are;
Sleeping bag, tarp (tent on those very rare occations), underblanket and hammock get hung up in the loft to air until I need to re pack for next time. This way they are dry, aired and the loft of the sleeping bag and underblanket are not over compressed.
All cooking and eating and wash gear is washed again then stowed away.
First aid kit re stocked if needed
Fuel bottles re filled
Herbs and spices re stocked and packed.
I do like to check stuff over and make any repairs needed as well.
Most of the time I enjoy this as it gets me close to understanding my kit and reviewing how it's performing. There are times when everything is wet and covered in mud that I have to force myself in to doing it.
The advantages is that it only takes me 20 minutes to pack for a trip.
david
sandsnakes
14-03-2007, 10:35
Every thing is washed, oiled, cleaned and repacked. Sleeping bag and bivvi bag hung next to rucksack, as is goretex. All hung in a corner of my studio and draped with a sheet. In gerneral principle i try to keep out the spiders, of which bushcraft has cured me of my phobia! Takes up very little space that way and is ready to roll in about 5 mins.
Dehydrated food is stored in mess tins and plastic box in sack. If the mood hits me and the day has been ****ty, I can be in the woods in under an hour and just spend the night getting my head straight. :umbrella:
S :)
Ayeee maybe I do and maybee I don't! :cool:
Remember...if it goes pear shaped in our time, leave the cities, head for the CENSORED-CLASSIFIED INFORAMATION
Good ole UK gov aint gonna look after us and that's a dead cert. If anyone has ever been directly involved in civil emergency planning within the UK here in the last 40 years or so you will already know that. And no man there's nothing dodgy in the barrells that I'll admit to or imply here!
I gather I'll have enough time to find my gear without all that organization when it starts going pearshaped...
CENSORED-CLASSIFIED INFORAMATION = Outer Hebrides? :confused: :D
Axe Catcher
16-03-2007, 13:32
I have a habit of packing up messily after an outing, so back in civ I unpack everything, air it out, make sure it's dry and mud free (I attract mud like a mud-magnet) and then once everything is clean and dry I re-pack it ready for the next outing. I have a spot on top of my wardrobe that just about fits my packed ruck and I can just pull it down, stick my tin box in the back of my car, and away I go next time. No fuss, no muss and most importantly, nothing gets forgotten.
AC
Big Bad Stu
16-03-2007, 14:35
I have a couple of large rucksacks in the corner of the office which are known affectionately as the kit monsters! All of the kit is stored in them and items are then selected from a set of kit lists I have for each type of outing (Winter Day Walk, Spring/Autumn Overnighter etc.).
This works well for me, in the past if kit is not ordered well it ends up all over the place and gets mislaid. There is nothing worse than buying a new piece of kit to replace a mislaid item then finding the original the next day!
Stewey. :D
bambodoggy
16-03-2007, 18:06
Remember...if it goes pear shaped in our time, leave the cities, head for the CENSORED-CLASSIFIED INFORAMATION
Blimey...that sounds very secretive.....you're not some kind of Free Mason are you! lol :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: Funny handshakes and trousers rolled up before we're allowed into you NBC bunker ;)
(and I am pulling your leg a bit about the nbc shelter...no offence meant :) )
Bam. :D
w00dsmoke
16-03-2007, 18:48
Blimey...that sounds very secretive.....you're not some kind of Free Mason are you! lol :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: Funny handshakes and trousers rolled up before we're allowed into you NBC bunker ;)
(and I am pulling your leg a bit about the nbc shelter...no offence meant :) )
Bam. :D
I hope you are being on the level with me brother... :p no offence taken pmsl
Just don't believe everything that the government tells you that you should do in a civil emergency :rolleyes: I'll just leave it at that.
Firebringer
05-10-2009, 20:06
Boot of the car for most of the stuff. I typically pull my multi-tool and knives out and take them into my flat.
All a bit ad hoc, sometimes take some of the stuff in an leave it lying about but predominantly keep it in the car.
Man of Tanith
05-10-2009, 23:40
mine all gets cleaned and then repacked.
allows for spontaneous trips away (or anything potentailly unpleasent happening)
only thing i dont repack is meths as i have a fear of mehts flooding my bergen and being a fire hazard
mind you i have assorted bits of kit lying around the house too
Cheers
Sam