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| A Tenkara Survival Kit |
I'm kind of an organizational neat freak. Always have been, always will be. I love to find ways to make small compact kits for any purpose such as survival, first aid, hobbies, etc. My ideal container for constructing these kits are Altoids tins of various shapes and sizes. In addition, I sometimes like to use old camera or eyeglass cases. The main requirements for whatever kind of kit I may be making is that it has to be functional, small, and portable. One of the last kits I made was a portable fly tying kit from an Altoids tin that would allow me to tie sakasa kebari and other flies where ever I might find myself. One of tenkara's main appealing characteristics is it's simplicity. In keeping with this mode thinking I decided I wanted to come up with the smallest and simplest tenkara fishing kit possible that would allow an angler to have everything needed for an afternoon out on the water. It would be a "survival kit" of sorts.
After some consideration the kit pictured above is what I came up with. I originally wanted to use a Altoids tin but I couldn't quite get the necessary components to fit right without a lot of modification or constructing new parts to fit them into the tin. I happened upon the red case above at some office supply store the other day and thought it would be handy. It's slightly larger than an Altoids tin but would still easily fit into a pocket. I can also fit in all the necessary components for a day of tenkara fishing. These components would include a spool of 5x tippet, a pair of nippers for cutting line, a small Altoids tin for holding 12-20 flies, and another old tippet spool to hold my tenkara level line.
Normally, I use a BW sports bag that my wife got for me for all of my tenkara needs. I will still use this bag because it holds more flies, fly lines, hemostat, and many other things I always use. But in a pinch I can have this kit with me anywhere any time, as long as I have a rod with me.
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| Size comparison between BW sports bag that I normally use and my new Tenkara Survival Kit |
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| Side profile of the two kits |
Over the last couple of years I have seen some interesting ideas, in terms of simplifying tenkara gear for a day out on the stream. This is my contribution and I hope some other anglers out there may find this useful. Even if it's not adopted by many I like the "challenge" of making such little kits and am sure it will come in handy some day.
That's great.
ReplyDeleteYou managed to put your necessities in a small pouch.
Thanks Brk Trt. Making kits like this are a kind of obsession with me.
ReplyDeleteI think such kit would be great just to have around in your car, backpack, messanger bag or so along with a tenkara rod to be prepared should you have 10 mins free time to cast a fly between whatever you are doing.
ReplyDeleteKarel... That was my intention. Usually I keep my BW bag and a rod in the car all times through the spring till fall. Sometimes when I go to visit my parents upstate I don't bring all of my gear. I thought it would be convenient to have the necessities when I find one of those "thin blue lines" to explore.
ReplyDeleteI like that small pouch for the items. I think it is very appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI stopped bothering with bags, and now carry everything in my wader pockets - though Jason and Karel joked (or not) that I looked like a pregnant kangaroo, a claim I can agree if I take off my jacket and don't have a pack on.
Two items I absolutely carry with me and like to recommend to anyone else:
- Fire starter (usually a lighter since my inner pocket is relatively waterproof)
- Whistle
If you can fit these two items in, they can come in handy! A whistle, especially, in case you get your feet stuck between rocks one day.
Thanks Daniel. I agree with you on the other two items. I have used the same EMS whistle for over 20 years for emergencies (fourtunately I have never had to use it). Most of the fishing I do is realatively close to "civilization" but if I venture farther I always have several methods of starting a fire with me. Going with less should not mean going unprepared. I look forward to meeting you in person in Somerset later this month.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas here. I'm always looking to downsize.
ReplyDeleteGreat thinking :) I manage to lose something every time I head out, so packing less and neatly seems like a good idea to me. Less to lose :) I love the altoid tins. The mints are just the bonus! Tight Lines.
ReplyDeleteThat is an awesome idea and having seen that I just might go out and see what I can find that would do the same thing. I would really like to have that permanent lunch break kit in my car. Now if someone can come up with a tiny can of beer that still gets you to feel good that fits in my pocket then even better> LOL.
ReplyDeleteMoveitfred, Trout MaGee, Graham Moran....Thanks very much for the compliments! I aappreciate them very much.
ReplyDeleteTo speak the truth this is a nice post concerning this topic. I got a pure solution from here. Also I can refer to you all bulk office supplies here to get educational helps. Nevertheless will wait for more posts from the blogger. Thanks a lot…….
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