Odds and ends gathering gear.

tonym

tonym

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Mar 18, 2008
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I have this habit of collecting things like Birch bark, cedar bark, Tinder fungus, wild edibles, etc.. while I am out and about in the woods. I usually just end up stuffing it in one of me cargo pockets. Anyway, it's damn near impossible to get every little scrap out of my pocket and my wife is always complaining about picking little bits of crap out of the washer machine and dryer...

So I just went and ordered a Maxpedition mini Rolypoly. Does anyone use one for this application. It looks as if it is small and compact enough when not in use to sit on your belt and not be bothersome. It also looks like it is easy to open and can fit a fair amount of stuff.

I'll be back with my opinion once I get it and use it, but what do you all think?
 
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Don't own it, but it's huge, once opened. I guess I've never tried to gather that much, just what I need at a given time. It would be nice to gather fire materials, foods, etc, and not be using a shirt as a bag.
I've been using my old chaulk bag, from rock climbing. It holds a 38oz Guyot/Nalgene bottle as well. It has two webbing loops that attach to a carabiner, belt, or anywhere you want. It holds plenty of tinder for a fire, or my slingshot/ammo. But, I use it, because I have it, I'm cheap like that.
 
Thanks for the reply Fox. I hope it's not that big, in a youtube review it says the mini is just big enough to fit a 32oz nalgene. I definately need something, the last time I gathered some crawfish I just stuffed them in my field jacket pocket. I then used that jacket as pillow that night, as you can imagine it didn't smell all that good..
 
I just use a zip-lock bag, where i stuff all my birch bark, which is all i collect. Thats if i remember to bring it along, if not, then it all goes down in my cargo pocket. It helps that ive got one set of pants marked for hiking.
 
You will like it. They are nice. I use a skeeter headnet in a GI compass pouch for foraging.. Lightweight and takes up almost no room. I also have a cigar tobbaco tin that I use for cedar bark, ovumes, thistle, etc...
 
Yep, ziplock or small nylon stuff sack. For awhile, I was carrying a can of sucrets (tin) for stuffing things in, but it wasn't much more than tinder needed to start the next fire. Oh, and even if you have a bag and think you are all neat like, you'll still be stuffing crap in your pockets and the burrs on your wool sweaters will piss your wife off to no end. Tis life...

They find a way to get you back. When I went camping last weekend, my wife decided, time to paint the kitchen. Now, she didn't actually paint the kitchen, she just sort of removed everything useful out of the kitchen and taped up the cabinet. When I got back, I had no choice but to finish the painting job or live with a kitchen with everything moved out. I think next time I'm up north, I'm filling a pocket full of balsam fir sap :D
 
I have the nalgene sized roly poly, they have a different sized one, six by eight or something that sounds to me like it may be better for foraging (just my opinion though). But yes, the nalgene sized one does sit on the belt well while empty, although rolling it up when empty is a little tricky while its on the belt (depending on where ont the belt you wear it).
 
Thanks for the input fellas. I figued the nalgene sized one will be big enough for all my needs in gathering, and long enough to drop a few small trout or panfish during my little fish hiking I am known to do.

Uncouth I was thinking about the next size up, I just went for the smaller one though. If it's too small I will get the larger if I like the whole idea of it. Thanks for the info!
 
Reading with interest as I need something myself. Several months ago I had a job at a home with three pear trees. I was speaking to the owner about them and she wanted me to take all that I desired as she hated them anyways. Despite carrying a small pack with just about everything you could desire, there was nothing to put the pears in. I had to laugh at myself as I used my ballcap. Lesson learned.
 
I usually have a small nylon or plastic baggie for a lot of the things you guys are talking about gathering up, but I was feeling lazy a few weeks ago and ended up ordering the TAD RDDP1. It's great having something tiny hanging off the side of my bag within reach so I can just rip it open and put stuff straight in without taking my bag off, especially if I'm just walkin along and see some dry grasses or anything like that I can scoop up as I walk past. I only picked that over the RollyPoly cuz it looked like it folded up neater and smaller :)

I may end up getting a mini RP just to compare the two (and to add to another bag anyway)

JW
 
The Maxpedition Rollypolys, however it is spelled, are excellent! There are so many different applications. It's fairly popular to say that, but in this case, they really are very versatile pieces of gear. Just doing the Naturalist thing, collecting rocks to shark teeth, wild edibles, the whole nine yards. Being Maxpedition, they are just about bombproof, too.
 
tonym said:
I have this habit of collecting things like Birch bark, cedar bark, Tinder fungus, wild edibles, etc.. while I am out and about in the woods. I usually just end up stuffing it in one of me cargo pockets. Anyway, it's damn near impossible to get every little scrap out of my pocket and my wife is always complaining about picking little bits of crap out of the washer machine and dryer...

So I just went and ordered a Maxpedition mini Rolypoly. Does anyone use one for this application. It looks as if it is small and compact enough when not in use to sit on your belt and not be bothersome. It also looks like it is easy to open and can fit a fair amount of stuff.

I'll be back with my opinion once I get it and use it, but what do you all think?
Click to expand...

It works great I use one all the time and my little hiking buddy here has a 5.11 VTAC dump pouch that he uses.

trail5.jpg
 
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