bdcochran
09-09-2011, 09:36
I am older than most people in this forum and have experienced a technological revolution in how you can keep track of your gear, easily.
I have a computer and an offsite back up.
I set up a subdirectory called "Gear". I date a gear file with a revision date when I make additions or corrections. All of my numbered gear boxes are in this file.
Typically, a gear box is given a number. The standard gear box is a banker's box or Bekins storage box available at every office supply store. The contents of each box is recorded. I get free large stickers from UPS. I put a sticker of each side of the standard box and on top.
The boxes store easily.
The first problem is protecting gear like scopes. A secondary problem is having items that would shift between boxes. For example, you start off with one size box and then you have an overflow and want to go to a larger box.
So, I buy clear plastic snap on brand containers.
I have separate containers for light bulbs (no more having them fall out of cupboards), scopes, dental supplies (gee do I need to buy more), computer software, rubber bands/paper clips, post-its, computer accessories - and the list goes on. I switched the beef jerky from heavy metal 20 mm cans to large snap on containers.
I store some gasoline. My experience is that it will last a year without danger of spoiling. I used rotate everything in December because marking the rotation dates on a label like a fire extinguisher label doesn't work. Today, I coded each gasoline container with an arabic number applied with a marker. Now, I simply have a gasoline file and record in the computer when I last rotated a particular gas can.
Incidentally, I had to start doing the storage thing because of the IRS wanting records stored. I have a file box for each year. When the returns get good and old, I simply throw out the back up and keep the return and put it in a different box with the other achieved returns.
I have a computer and an offsite back up.
I set up a subdirectory called "Gear". I date a gear file with a revision date when I make additions or corrections. All of my numbered gear boxes are in this file.
Typically, a gear box is given a number. The standard gear box is a banker's box or Bekins storage box available at every office supply store. The contents of each box is recorded. I get free large stickers from UPS. I put a sticker of each side of the standard box and on top.
The boxes store easily.
The first problem is protecting gear like scopes. A secondary problem is having items that would shift between boxes. For example, you start off with one size box and then you have an overflow and want to go to a larger box.
So, I buy clear plastic snap on brand containers.
I have separate containers for light bulbs (no more having them fall out of cupboards), scopes, dental supplies (gee do I need to buy more), computer software, rubber bands/paper clips, post-its, computer accessories - and the list goes on. I switched the beef jerky from heavy metal 20 mm cans to large snap on containers.
I store some gasoline. My experience is that it will last a year without danger of spoiling. I used rotate everything in December because marking the rotation dates on a label like a fire extinguisher label doesn't work. Today, I coded each gasoline container with an arabic number applied with a marker. Now, I simply have a gasoline file and record in the computer when I last rotated a particular gas can.
Incidentally, I had to start doing the storage thing because of the IRS wanting records stored. I have a file box for each year. When the returns get good and old, I simply throw out the back up and keep the return and put it in a different box with the other achieved returns.