Taking Time To Keep Gear Organized
Kevin Felts 03.19.18
Ok guys and gals, I have a confession to make. A few days ago I was looking for a couple of items. These were a single burner propane stove, and a water filter bag. After looking for almost two days, they were in a box not more than six feet behind the computer chair.
The water filter bag is a small nylon bag that contains a Sawyer PointOne, platypus bag, cord for hanging the platypus bag from a tree limb, and some rubber tubing. This is a gravity setup for the Sawyer PointOne.
No, my room is not that messy that the box could not be seen. The bag and stove had been placed in the box, then other stuff had been put on top. This was totally out of character.
Usually, the most used gear is stored in a couple of backpacks – such as a medium ALICE, medium MOLLE, three day assault pack, or large ALICE. The logic is: there is no reason to store the most used gear in boxes, because it is likely to be used.
The stuff that rarely gets used, or used from time to time, is stored in clear totes, with each tote being dedicated to certain gear.
For example, one tote has cold and weather weather gear. This includes rain ponchos, gloves, balaclava.
Another tote has military surplus and civilian MOLLE gear. Examples include old ALICE canteen pouches, ALICE belt and harness, MOLLE canteen pouches, MOLLE pouches and other various odds and ends.
While another tote has various odds and ends for camping. This one has parachute hammocks, fleece roll up blankets, safety harness for the climbing stand.
Knives are stored in wire racks in the closet. AR-15 magazines have their own tote next to the ammunition.
The problem arose when the water filter bag and the stove top were placed somewhere they should not have been, and that was a random box. When the filter bag was needed, it was not in its usual place. The same thing with the single burner stove. It is usually kept in the radio pouch of one of the ALICE packs. Guess what, it was not there.
Rather than keeping the most used items in various backpacks, maybe get a wire bin,like what goes in the bottom of a freezer? When the day hike is over, take the gear out of the pack and put it in a bin where it is clearly visible?
Question to the reader, how do you keep your gear organized?
