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Fly Tying
Fred H.

Traveling w/ tying equipment

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Materials and makers are easy to stow and go. But how do you transport your tying station and tools?

Someone has surley found a better way.Any suggestions?

Fred

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I have an actual Fly Tying bag that has ziplock compartments for all my materials and tools. Everything I need fits right inside the bag including my extra vise and base.

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Thanks guys. At tying events I can slim down what I need to bring by what I intend to demonstrate. But when traveling to new waters and not knowing what I'll tie opens the possibilities of trying to bring everything. Tool caddies offer the biggest problem. Although they are probably not an esential item , I have become accustom to having one or two with in reach when I tie keeping eveything in its place.The two I have are custom made out of wood and are heavy and cumbersome. Is there a lightweight travel option ?

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I have a travel kit I use that contains tools only. In it is a vise with a clamp base that is as basic as it gets, non-rotary. There is a dubbing needle, two inexpensive pairs of scissors, a small container of head cement, a tube of zap-a-gap, a bobbin, and I used to carry a whip finisher, but I have taken that out now, just faster to do with my hands. The entire thing is actually light enough and small enough to fit in my coat pocket. The vise is a cheapee that came in a fly tying kit from some years back.

 

I have tied streamside with this setup many times, the hardest part for me is not having the right hooks/materials I want, the tools I find are easy.

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Fred

 

I utilize the following for home storage, and it has been an invaluable means to organize a considerable amount of fly tying materials. It cost me about $40 for the basic system from the following retailer a few years ago, and $12 for three additional storage bags so you might be able to find a cheaper source. This topic has come up a few times so certainly do a search.

 

http://www.flyhatch.com/xq/ASP.product/p.P...FEC/product.htm

 

Ron

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Good Day,

 

I mostly pack for shows/classes seeing as my shoulders are blown out... doh. Sometimes I bring extra stuff, but generally I try to put together small pattern kits of just the materials for said pattern. (Those cheap plastic food storage boxes from the grocery store work great for this.) Really makes it easier at shows. Depending on the event, I will choose the appropriate means to bring materials and tools. For the larger shows I have a lovely wooden mechanics tool box with lots of drawers and a top that opens to several compartments. Vice, tools and thread go here and pattern specific materials to each drawer. Then I might bring some other boxes of materials depending. For classes I have a smaller aluminum tool/brief case. It has pockets for all the tools you could need and keeps things in order. Lastly, I use a rollaway tool bag for extension cords and lighting.

 

Steelie

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If you want a light weight compact tool caddy, the Renzetti Tool Caddy isn't my favorite but does the job for traveling. Made of dense foam it doesn't weigh much and holds lots of tools. Prices for it are all about the same. Cabelas.com and jannsnetcraft have it for $19. I couldn't find it on the J. Stockard site.

 

I bought knitting luggage from Michaels to carry tying materials like hackles and fur, but my best purchase was a plastic tool chest from Wal-Mart that has a removable shelf in the top that can carry all my tools and a large space underneath to store materials. It's yellow and black and I think it cost under $15 and weighs practically nothing.

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Hi Fred, I was working on this a few years ago. This is what I came up with. I have since built a few and changed things each time. The design is simple and works very well once you customize it to your needs. The pictures are of the prototype design. The unit is heavy enough for a base and just hangs over your table etc. a bit to allow a clamp vise to attach. I have since moved the holes for the tools to the left side, added a couple compartments for special items, put in spool dowels at the back, a wire bobbin hanger on the right side. Your material and all tools can be placed inside the case and hackles etc. left in the elastic straps on the holder when it is shut. There is also elastic on the back side of the lid. Anyway, maybe this is kind of what your after or may inspire something.

post-13329-1231957595_thumb.jpg

post-13329-1231957605_thumb.jpg

post-13329-1231957619_thumb.jpg

post-13329-1231957632_thumb.jpg

post-13329-1231957647_thumb.jpg

 

Carl

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Hi Fred, I was working on this a few years ago. This is what I came up with. I have since built a few and changed things each time. The design is simple and works very well once you customize it to your needs. The pictures are of the prototype design. The unit is heavy enough for a base and just hangs over your table etc. a bit to allow a clamp vise to attach. I have since moved the holes for the tools to the left side, added a couple compartments for special items, put in spool dowels at the back, a wire bobbin hanger on the right side. Your material and all tools can be placed inside the case and hackles etc. left in the elastic straps on the holder when it is shut. There is also elastic on the back side of the lid. Anyway, maybe this is kind of what your after or may inspire something.

post-13329-1231957595_thumb.jpg

post-13329-1231957605_thumb.jpg

post-13329-1231957619_thumb.jpg

post-13329-1231957632_thumb.jpg

post-13329-1231957647_thumb.jpg

 

Carl

Wow . Now thats cool.

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Hi Fred, I was working on this a few years ago. This is what I came up with. I have since built a few and changed things each time. The design is simple and works very well once you customize it to your needs. The pictures are of the prototype design. The unit is heavy enough for a base and just hangs over your table etc. a bit to allow a clamp vise to attach. I have since moved the holes for the tools to the left side, added a couple compartments for special items, put in spool dowels at the back, a wire bobbin hanger on the right side. Your material and all tools can be placed inside the case and hackles etc. left in the elastic straps on the holder when it is shut. There is also elastic on the back side of the lid. Anyway, maybe this is kind of what your after or may inspire something.

 

Carl

 

Wow, Carl that is very similar to something I made many years ago when I first started tying. (Great minds think alike.) I didn't have a tying area at the time so I'd set that thing up on a TV table in my living room. I kept everything in it except the actual materials. I screwed a multi-compartment plastic box to the underside of the lid to keep tools and various small items in. I had a series of 1/4" dowels next to the left and right sides and would put all my thread, floss, and tinsels spools on these. It worked great. Wish I'd kept a picture of it.

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I use the Plano 652 Deep Grab N’ Go tool box. I got it at a local hardware store for ‘round $20.00 and it came with a smaller tool box as a set. The Stowaway Utility Boxes hold thread and small stuff and attach to the outside of the lid. I put tools in the lift out tray and store supplies and my vice in the deep box. I drilled some holes in the handle of the lift out tray to hold tools when tying. It holds a decent amount of supplies and travels well in the back seat or bed of the truck.

 

plano

 

The link only takes you to the products page. Click on Grab N Go Tool Boxes.

 

-D

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I have the Fly Hatch also and take it wherever I go. I picked up a few small soft sided bags at Wal-Mart that I carry any extra materials I may need. The only problem with the Fly Hatch .. unless they've changed their mind .. the company is no longer making them.

 

 

Mike

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