Hi Folks,

Yesterday I returned from a very enjoyable first outing of the season with the youth group I instruct. It was an event focused on leadership training in a remote enviroment (rugged hiking, improvised camping, canoeing) for our senior (teenaged) kids. The trip was a big success and much more relaxed with the small, more mature group.

My garage is used as the equipment pick-up/drop-off point and as always happens after I inventory the gear I end up with a pile of "misplaced kit". The trouble I have is that often the found personal equipment is not labled with the owners name so it is difficult to return.

If I am able to determine the owner they have to perform in front of the group to get the item back (short song, dance, joke, anything).

I have been involved in outdoor adventures/employment since I was a scout (many years ago) and to this day still identify all my equipment. I often take some teasing about this from my partners but I do not often misplace my stuff and when I do I usually get it back.

Who on ETS identifies there equipment and if you do what method do you use?

Mike

I use a Sharpie marker on everything. Black on light colored equipment, and silver on dark colors. My gear always comes back to me.

I don't mix my gear with others or have somebody else carry it.

If in your situation, any gear left behind would go onto a "community" shelf and would be available to anyone who needed it. I would make zero effort to return gear to the original owner and I'd let everyone know that up front. If they think so little of their gear that they won't keep track of it, I wouldn't obsess over its ownership either.

We put gear that's been left behind in with the patrol box and stow it with the rest of the group gear. Eventually either someone claims it ... or not.

I also use Sharpies or scribe names with a Dremel engraver. Sharpie wears off pretty easily, so where possible I put some clear tape over it.

Don't label everything, depends on the situation. But the labeling methods are, sharpie marker, Dymo labeler (the old non-electric version), and laminated business cards.

I use industrial formula sharpies and various engraving methods.

I used to label just about everything I didn't want to loose, but now that I rarely let anyone else use my gear I've been slipping with labeling everything. I really should start doing it again.


Along the same lines, what do you guys write? I used to write just my name or initials, but I was thinking last name and phone number might be more usefull.

I often camp with family so about half the group has the last same last name, some even have the same initials.

The valuable stuff I put my name on in an obvious place then an ID number (DL #) or telephone # in a less seen place. A thief may scratch off your name but may not notice the # hidden elsewhere.

After the NE Ice Storm 10 years ago on a CF military base I was removing a 2-way radio from a rental truck and left my original Leatherman in the vehicle. A soldier found it, saw my engraved name and returned it to me just before I boarded my plane home, good guy!

My teenage son lost his i-pod at camp this summer, I gave it to him last Christmas and offered to have it engraved with his name, but that was not "Cool". He is now finding it is "not cool" to not have an i-pod. Hopefully a lesson he will remember.

I like the tape over the Industral Grade Sharpie idea and the laminated business cards, Thanks.

Mike

Some friends of mine were driving back from an Arkansas River canoe trip and found boating gear on the outside curve of a road. I think there were three paddles, two flotation vests, and a gym-type bag with 'stuff' in it. Nothing was labeled. They guesstimated it was several hundred dollars worth of equipment, and none of it junk. A single phone number on ANY of it would have gotten it returned.

And I agree with RAS about not returning the unlabeled gear. Learn it now or learn it later.

Regular Sharpies are not fade-proof, and will rub off with continued handling or abrasion.

What are 'Industrial grade Sharpies'? Where can you get them?

Sue

I like return address labels, covered with clear tape.

TRO

I habitually mark my stuff. I use "Stuffbak" on expensive stuff like PDAs and cameras, sharpie markers or an engraver and return labels I print on my computer's printer on just about everything.

Jeff