[bdcochran]

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.

[quake]

Originally Posted by bdcochran

..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...

+1. Over time I've gradually ended up doing similar, but admittedly not to the extent you've done as far as documentation goes.

Our battery storage, in the pantry. Three small plastic three-drawer units from walmart or target or such. Clear fronts allow a quick glance at stock levels, all in one location but still separated by size & type. You can tell we tend to use more AA's than anything else:


Similarly, I carry three of these divided plastic carriers in my toolbox. One with batteries, one with connectors (wirenuts, gelcaps, walldogs, screws, etc), and one with different types of security switches. The sections that appear empty in this one actually contain different sizes of individually-bagged coin-cell batteries like 2032's, 2016's etc:

[RED64CJ5]

You could have taken those photos at my house or shop, quake.

[quake]

Originally Posted by RED64CJ5

You could have taken those photos at my house or shop, quake.

I don't think I did, but I did used to drink pretty heavily...

[thejellster05]

Sweet battery set up there sir!

looks good

[TangoFoxtrot]

QUAKE, Whats the shelf life of those batteries?

[Raiden]

I have a database mapping a lot of my supplies, tools, books, and miscellaneous goodies. I have it saved on all my computers, my phone, on an offsite backup, and I print copies fairly regularly. It all makes sense to me, but to most people, it'd probably be more confusing than helpful (particularly since I abbreviate heavily) - which wasn't an accident. It'll help out a lot in an emergency, but it's just helpful in general when my roomie or I need a particular tool for a project at home. It's also helpful in keeping me from buying too many duplicates of stuff. I enjoy moderate redundancy, just in case, but eventually one can have WAY too much stuff for their own good.

[WacoGlock]

Originally Posted by TangoFoxtrot

QUAKE, Whats the shelf life of those batteries?

I use Panasonic Evolta.Shelf life is 7 to 10 years.Very good batteries.

[quake]

Originally Posted by TangoFoxtrot

QUAKE, Whats the shelf life of those batteries?

They’re just normal alkaline batteries for the most part, except the CR-123’s & some few others which are lithium. Claimed shelf life of alkalines is something like 5-7 years iirc, but can be much greater if stored in a decent environment. The D-cells in our kitchen maglite are the old black & gold rayovacs; rayovac went to their new blue/black color scheme quite a while back and these predate that change. Don’t know exactly when they were made, but they had an “expiration date” of 2001 or 2002 on the package when I opened them last year; still running fine.

Lithiums have a listed shelf life of ten years or so. One lesson I’ve learned is that with lithiums I don’t buy the bargain-basement brands anymore – I stick with name brands, usually energizer, but others - duracell, surefire, and some others - are probably just as good.

We keep our pantry (where these are kept) between 45 and 65 degrees, along with a dehumidifier in there set at 35% humidity; so the cool & dry environment is probably a part of why we have good luck with battery shelf life.

{edit - I found this pic from an old "candles" thread that seems to have been lost. This is the old-style rayovacs in the maglite, with a 'use by' date of July 2002. The sales flyer from Academy has a date of March 2011. Obviously, I can't prove that these old batteries are still working this far past their use-by date, but I'd have no reason to lie about it - I'm not connected with rayovac, and fact is, most any non-bargain brand has performed about as well for us.}

[jdavionic]

I try to label everything! I also try to keep it all in the same general area. But buying containers and labeling them...it's almost an obsession as I get older...and I'm not one of the younger individuals here either.

[Stevekozak]

Now motivated to get more organized!!!