Discussion: How do you organize your toys?

There's a lot of little stuff involved with orienteering - compasses, description sheet holders, e-punch sticks, tape, whistles (?), etc. I've been keeping all of this gear in a pencil-case type box for years now, because it was easy. The problem is that I am continually and pugnaciously disturbed by the lack of order. It's all mixed together! It's a rectangular box for a round duffel! Everything is TOUCHING!

So, any better ideas? Individually sock-wrapped items in a stuff sack? Customized cloth baggies? Counseling?

I think you need kids. Then you won't have time to let stuff like this bother you! :-)

Mine is all dumped together in a small stuff-sack and what I find amazing is it's always there and never gets lost. Contrast this with trying to keep all my cross-country ski waxing equipment organized. That's a nightmare by comparison.

My old "briefcase" (nylon/canvas-like thing) got replaced when I bought a new laptop that wouldn't fit in it, and it became my orienteering bag. It has enough little pockets for all of the little things you mention, plus places to hold maps and meet info without crumpling them, and the middle part has enough room for clothes. It usually contains everything I need except for shoes.

And yeah, compare that with my hang gliding paraphernalia...

All in a fishing tackle box. All thrown in, no organisation, but I know its there. For me the comparison is with musical paraphenalia. For that the preferred container is... house... or car... either car.

I put all my o-stuff in the zipper pocket of the device that is despised by so many water-jug-licking orienteers: MY CAMELBAK! ;-)

(Thumb compass, flat safety whistle, ForeRunner, clue sheet holder, car key, $5 bill for entry fee, Honey Stinger packet.)

WWMD - What Would Monk Do?

That's exactly the question I want answered!

I was browsing the internets last night and it occurred to me that maybe one of those little toiletry kit bags would work well - compact size, lots of little pockets, not hard and square. Anyone tried that?

How about something like this ?

Well Cristina I notice your not signed up for the North West Forest Frenzy...
If you were i would say you should try to place (which for you i don't think would be too hard) as the awards are an attempt to help solve this exact problem! We as Juniors wanted to be different and make this event really stand out. So we decided NO to the medals and just for people like you Cristina that need a place for their "toys" we are getting small drawstring bags to put your compass, e-punch, whistle ect. in.

So those of you that need a place for your "Toys" should come on out to the NWFF Junior a-meet for a chance to win a great bag! (and to support the juniors!) ....(oh yeah 12 more days to register before late fees kick in)

I usually have no problem to keep my toys organized - but what do I do about the smell :-(
(...Captain Baggallini?)

Yes, bubo, I totally agree! I went to my O kit today looking for a croakie (cloth thing to hold your glasses on). My kit is also a plastic pencil box similar to what CB described, and man, it sure stunk when I opened it!

I have a small drawstring bag that holds my compass, e-punch, whistle, headlamp, and other small items. One drawer in my dresser is entirely devoted to orienteering and contains this bag as well as my o-suits and other equipment. I have a set of stacking plastic drawers that keep all my old maps, educational materials, magazines, and other orienteering related papers orgamized.

When I go to a meet I take out what I need and bring it with me in a small duffel bag -- that I won at my first ever A-meet :-)

I use some kind of tupperware, not too tight so that everything take place easily, not too loose so that once closed, most important things do not move and get scratched (like my FR and my compass).

Should upload a picture of the thing to satisfy my uber-geekiness on this one.

I have a dedicated duffel for O, acquired at the last NAs from Axis. It has a small zip pocket at one end for the essentials - compass, whistle, clue sheet holders, e-punch, O-glasses, FR (if I'm going to take it). Those are always stored there. A side pocket contains clear packing tape (for punch cards that we sometimes use), clue description cheat sheet, pens, hole punch (for the punch card), gu/energy bar, cell phone maybe. The other end has a pouch for shoes, and the main compartment gets O clothes, changes of clothes, maybe a liter platypus jug, spare map cases etc. The duffel travels well and is usually my only luggage, and is the only piece that we recovered from lost baggage heaven last summer.

adventure racers store their toys in (and on) Subarus.

Whistles, compasses, SI stick, control/ clue card holders, pins, tape for laces, etc, they can all fit in an old map case.
But what's this about smell? If you worry about the smell of orienteering gear you will not have wanted a season of your hockey gear every week going from your car trunk to the arena and back and then down to the basement for the summer.

I traded in my stuff sack for one of these:

http://www.rei.com/product/658663

I'm not 100% satisfied with it, though -- I don't like that it opens from the bottom. Makes it too easy to spill things.

I'm bewildered about the smell comments. Just what exactly do people keep with their compasses and e-punches and clue sheet holders that develops a smell?

I checked out a variety of small pouch-like cases (mostly Eagle Creek) today. I wasn't convinced. Clearly I need to have something custom-made.

I'm bewildered about the smell comments. Just what exactly do people keep with their compasses and e-punches and clue sheet holders that develops a smell?

The strap from my thumb compass, croakie, and the epunch smell. I guess I don't always dry them out before throwing them into the plastic bin. But, no, it isn't as bad as the hockey gear, or the bag of 200 epunch cards thrown into a plastic bag wet and left to dry.

I checked out a variety of small pouch-like cases (mostly Eagle Creek) today. I wasn't convinced. Clearly I need to have something custom-made.

I looked at the Eagle Creek too, and I didn't see one I was sold on. Here is one which may have possibilities. Though something custom made is a good idea.

I have a small flat fanny pack. I keep in it the stuff I need at the starting line. Compass, dibber, clue sheet holder. Sometimes a forerunner (my old old one), a HRM, or a spare compass.

I almost never take it out on the course with me, but I have done that for certain remote starts. It has a little snap hook for attaching car keys which I use once in a while. As I said, it is flat, and that makes it very bounce-proof, as long as it's mostly empty. It will take a 1/2 liter water bottle, but it bounces.

bbrooke's $5 idea is awesome. I always end up going back to my car. That is going into the pack.

In addition to the fanny pack, I have a bunch of small backpacks and an Ikea bag. I'm bad about putting stuff back into everything except the fanny pack, which has been really habitual for me. I tend to use a backpack more for A-meets, and the Ikea bag more for walking out the door for local events.

I won't claim to be organized, but I'm a lot more organized than I used to be.

adventure racers store their toys in (and on) Subarus

Hammer is correct. A Subaru might seem a little large compared to a stuff sack or a Tupperware container, but the advantage is that you only need to clean it out (including the used gel wrappers) when you're ready to trade it in.

Just what exactly do people keep with their compasses and e-punches and clue sheet holders that develops a smell?

So either Boojums thumbs don't sweat, or it's so dry in Tuscon that every dries out quickly even inside a plastic pencil case.

Well, a boojum is a tree, and trees don't have thumbs. So a boojum's thumb does not sweat.

Idria columnaris? And all this time I thought it was a dangerous kind of a snark (which probably doesn't have thumbs either). Or maybe a rock near where I work (and the eponymous O map on which it is located). But I will say that you won't be doing any sweating at 0.002491 Kelvin.

I was also assuming the snark interpretation, which seemed right in character with the one named.

The only logical explanation for the Boojums name is botanical (fnord).

Somehow, that makes me feel uneasy...

Boojum = Fouquieria columnaris, Idria is an invalid, however widely (mis)used, synonym. Still doesn't give them thumbs though... Can't think of any trees with thumbs either. Have to keep working on that one...

I do have a plant that sweats though....

I like the Dodder vine. It sort of like a plant vampire.

If I was named Boojum, I would want to be superfluid through the forest rather than rooted in place (like usual).

Some of the trees round here have an abundance of fingers, but again thumbs seem in short supply, sorry...

We use a small toolbag sold by Sears. We have the $10 type.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_10153_12605?keyw...

Inside we have some nylon bags we won at O meets, and some plastic bags.

I like the Dodder vine. It sort of like a plant vampire.

Got that too... :-)

Nothing like hijacking a thread, eh?