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The last year or so I've become obsessed with storage bags, backpacks, bins and all other kinds of containers. It's hard to walk by the backpack section of a sporting goods store without taking a look.

I think this is related to my recent interest in prepping. Also, I'm getting older and frustrated with all the crazy possessions piling up around our place. Add to that the natural human tendency to classify and categorize things, and I'm well on my way to becoming that shopping cart guy on a random corner, collecting trash and empty cans, etc....

I confessed as much to my friend yesterday when we were at the indoor range looking at all the range bags, Molle gear and tactical bags, and... and....

Give me a moment to clear my head....

Where was I? Oh yeah, I confessed to my friend that I'm not so much interested in getting new things, as I am in acquiring things to put my things in.

Weird.
 
You need some shelves for all of your bins bags and boxes. I recommend 1 more than you think you may need...

55d373b7-4f3a-4baf-9419-0adcb55ba0b0_zpsf6ytoltn-jpg.354030.jpg

...several more would be better.
 
How bout something like this for a range bag.?. outer pockets fit standard capacity mags, keeps things nice and organized, and the carry handle will double as a rest.
Best of all you can get one under $20! 17CBD683-2CC8-4397-A11A-31FB343434B6-4859-000008F5B943157C_tmp.jpg
 
There is nothing wrong with being organized. I am in the same boat. Wanting to put shelves up and know where everything is when you need it. NO WASTED STEPS!

The one thing that I am starting to do is get rid of stuff that I don't need. That makes it way easier to find the stuff that you do need.
 
....in 'becoming organized beware the hazards of shopping local thrift shops for various bags....I now have an entire box full of previously semi-useful bags that no longer fill that role and have to be returned to the source for another re-purposing cycle.

Got a deal on new 'Craftsman' tool bag pair similar to above photo. Works great for sale price of $12 a couple years ago.

My 'hard case' phase ended years ago with discovery 'soft cases' work better for my purpose.
Then the 'soft cases' got over stuffed with extra range gear, requiring sturdier 'soft valise' type tool bag.
Then they began taking too much space.

Then my original plan of using the old Bulls Eye hard case with fold-up door as a scope mount worked for a while, but just too heavy for geezer back despite 'carry all I need'...or 'BECAUSE of carry all I need'....

In SASS we resorted to wheeled carts of various designs for the 4 guns/ammo/lunch/spare dentures/extra memorial anvil collection/umbrella/stool/photos of the last tractor pull/etc.

So that's out now.

Got a bunch of the low-end Gl*ck bags, one for each pistol/mags/ammo/ and a tool pouch to carry a couple...wait...didn't I just go through all this?????:rolleyes:
 
I love the idea of re-purposing items for different uses, storage or otherwise. The more uses you can get out of something the more valuable it becomes. It's fun to come up with alternative uses for something, and it can often save you money.

I used to be interested (and still am but just don't have the time) in model ship building, in particular the old sailing ship models made from wood, either carved or plank-on-frame. Those involved in that craft often come up with amazing alternative procedures for shaping wood, and metal, and forming string and cloth using objects and tools that are just lying about. It was a competition of sorts to see who could come up with the simplest and most unorthodox methods of, say, creating ratlines or crows nests. I loved reading about that stuff.

My old man was the same way when it came to fixing stuff – he lived through the Depression and learned the value of coffee cans, used nylons (not his, of course), and all the other every-day things we toss without thinking. Me, I'm always saving containers (hot sauce bottles, sour cream containers, pill bottles and such) for something useful down the road.

I'm not a hoarder (yet), but because of the above experiences I have a bit of that tendency sort of built-in and ready to go at a moment's notice.
 
I love the idea of re-purposing items for different uses, storage or otherwise. The more uses you can get out of something the more valuable it becomes. It's fun to come up with alternative uses for something, and it can often save you money.

I used to be interested (and still am but just don't have the time) in model ship building, in particular the old sailing ship models made from wood, either carved or plank-on-frame. Those involved in that craft often come up with amazing alternative procedures for shaping wood, and metal, and forming string and cloth using objects and tools that are just lying about. It was a competition of sorts to see who could come up with the simplest and most unorthodox methods of, say, creating ratlines or crows nests. I loved reading about that stuff.

My old man was the same way when it came to fixing stuff – he lived through the Depression and learned the value of coffee cans, used nylons (not his, of course), and all the other every-day things we toss without thinking. Me, I'm always saving containers (hot sauce bottles, sour cream containers, pill bottles and such) for something useful down the road.

I'm not a hoarder (yet), but because of the above experiences I have a bit of that tendency sort of built-in and ready to go at a moment's notice.

Interesting how depression era folks were! My grandparents both sides lived thru it well, and both sides had there different "frugal" ways. One side more "business" based urban Pennsylvania (hold over from there kin rum running during prohibition), the other side similar to homesteading, yet in a suburban New Jersey setting.

Both sides would repurpose/re-use any number of things.

My brother and I would summer between the 2 households when we were little, helping tend garden & such in New Jersey and being small ears at the "business" table on occasion at the other...both great learning experiences.

Funny looking back. My gram in NJ would have us shower outside if it was raining using the fresh piped rainwater run off...with extra stored for the garden. Brilliant!
 
My clan settled the NorDakota Plains circa 1900.....I learned a lot about 'use it up/make do/do without' survival mode no cash farm life. I've still got the old milk can they sent to the creamery for a little cash now & then. It was a 1/2 day wagon ride to town; granny & her cousin did laundry/mending to make a little cash as well.
 
The last year or so I've become obsessed with storage bags, backpacks, bins and all other kinds of containers. It's hard to walk by the backpack section of a sporting goods store without taking a look.

I think this is related to my recent interest in prepping. Also, I'm getting older and frustrated with all the crazy possessions piling up around our place. Add to that the natural human tendency to classify and categorize things, and I'm well on my way to becoming that shopping cart guy on a random corner, collecting trash and empty cans, etc....

I confessed as much to my friend yesterday when we were at the indoor range looking at all the range bags, Molle gear and tactical bags, and... and....

Give me a moment to clear my head....

Where was I? Oh yeah, I confessed to my friend that I'm not so much interested in getting new things, as I am in acquiring things to put my things in.

Weird.

Store it like you stole it!;)

Brutus Out
 
I like bags but they have to have a use:

*Large game hunting pack
*Small game hunting canvas satchel
*Small day pack in realtree (it was my edc bag but I just recently swapped it out for a larger bag)
*Large EDC pack - bigger to accommodate my work junk too
*maxpedition fat boy for heavy guns or no pockets on me
*laptop bag/video-audio gear for convention content I run
*2nd laptop bag I have been creating as a BOB for my wife or kid if they should need it

Other then that I have a fetish for those black bins with yellow tops that hold 750lbs and stack well.

A thing for ammo cans of any size (prefer metal but have some plastic ones).

Annnd tool boxes - Kennedy or good old metal ones
 
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How bout something like this for a range bag.?. outer pockets fit standard capacity mags, keeps things nice and organized, and the carry handle will double as a rest.
Best of all you can get one under $20!View attachment 362580
That is exactly what I've used for years. Side pockets hold 3 mags for the Glocks, CZ75s or whatever. One end pocket will hold a fist full Ruger Mark II mags. Other end has Marlin 22lr rifle mags and misc.
 
The last few years I've really been fighting my human urge to pile up crap. There are a few things I just can't bring myself to get rid of quite yet, but it's mostly out of a desire to go out and use them but not having the opportunity.... my snorkeling gear.

When it comes to shooting stuff, depending on what range I'm going to, I've really tried to condense it all as much as possible. I have a rubbermaid 1191 container I use as a trunk locker (normally it just sits in the garage with the rest of my misc-shooting-camping-hunting gear in it. It's large enough that my AR's can fit in it, either whole, or broken down (for the SPR). That, and a british ammo "grab bag" is really all I take to the range most of the time. The range I've been going to lately is a private club, and I can camp on-site, however it's about a 2hr drive from home. So sometimes I'll go out there camp the night before shooting, other times I'll shoot late and camp before heading home in the morning.

Over-all, I've owned too many of the cheap chinese type bags (voodoo, condor, etc) that have zippers blow out, stitching fail, and are just made of crappy materials, in addition to being very expensive for what they are. I currently have, I think it's a voodoo bag I use for my laptop bag for work. I've slowly trashed all the crap and bought either milsurp, sewn my own, or replaced it with a higher quality bag.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, stop thinking of prepping as having a mound of stuff you'll "need some day" and cut it down to what you need now. The big thing for me is whenever I can going on a trip and living out of my bag. Even if it's just a weekend in the mountains, or out in the desert or whatever.

I used to carry a rather complex system that included batteries, battery chargers, radios, flashlights, all manner of complicated junk. I never used it except for very rare occasions, but I was still carrying it around in my bag EVERY DAY, my BOB weighed over 50lbs and didn't really have any food to speak of in it. Now my bag is <35lbs and includes a weeks worth of food, a means to cook it, a good water filter, and a few days worth of clothes. Plus a small duffel that goes with it that had all the things I put on (pistol belt mainly) when I get out of the city.

All in all, I don't really care to store enough stuff to live for a few years while the world collapses around me, personally I think that's a fools errand as one of the most likely things to happen is you're going to have to move. At which point why worry about all that stuff? Instead spend the money on a place to go, or spend that money living life, taking your wife and kids camping, going hunting with your buddies or your wife. The most practical "prepper" thing out there is having skills, and skills are acquired by doing, not by reading about it on internet forums or blogs.

Unless you're the absolute most terrible hunter on the face of planet earth, chances are good if you can line up a shot, and kill an animal, you will be able to feed yourself well enough that you will live for months. Hopefully during that period you can at least get your garden going, assuming you have the skills to garden, and a place suitable for gardening (if not, you should have spent the previous several weeks walking out of there).

Anyways, stop collecting crap, spend more time going out doing things and assessing what you actually need. I've been sending a lot of crap to the goodwill lately that I have no clue why I ever bought it.
 
I love the idea of re-purposing items for different uses, storage or otherwise. The more uses you can get out of something the more valuable it becomes. It's fun to come up with alternative uses for something, and it can often save you money.

I used to be interested (and still am but just don't have the time) in model ship building, in particular the old sailing ship models made from wood, either carved or plank-on-frame. Those involved in that craft often come up with amazing alternative procedures for shaping wood, and metal, and forming string and cloth using objects and tools that are just lying about. It was a competition of sorts to see who could come up with the simplest and most unorthodox methods of, say, creating ratlines or crows nests. I loved reading about that stuff.

My old man was the same way when it came to fixing stuff – he lived through the Depression and learned the value of coffee cans, used nylons (not his, of course), and all the other every-day things we toss without thinking. Me, I'm always saving containers (hot sauce bottles, sour cream containers, pill bottles and such) for something useful down the road.

I'm not a hoarder (yet), but because of the above experiences I have a bit of that tendency sort of built-in and ready to go at a moment's notice.

My grandfather raised a family during the depression and he made a lot of homemade stuff and tools, from a drill press to several different handcarts - they weren't impressive, made from odds and ends, but they worked. He also made his own radios (he was a Merchant Marine radio operator in WWI and WWII) and repaired/restored antique radios and cameras. Kind of a jack of all trades.
 
"cheap chinese type bags (voodoo, condor, etc) that have zippers blow out, stitching fail, and are just made of crappy materials, in addition to being very expensive for what they are."

rare to find satisfactory bags....came up with a surprise entrant a few years ago, fit my needs perfectly, small enough for pistol in main pocket, ammo pocket plus magazines on end pouches plus handy carry handle. After truck carry for a few years and really damn little use other than periodic checks, one of the end-bag/pocket pouches was tearing loose with no way to repair it.

Material is a sort of part nylon material that seemed otherwise indestructible in the body...yet the sewn edges frayed enough it literally fell off.

Bag 2 another exact same pattern made from different material, seems to be some form of 'canvas duck' material. Now looking for suitable replacement of Bag 1.
 

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