I find I am carrying in my vehicle various field guides and speciatly reference books, mostly hardcover, but a few paperbacks. I use them to review plant and fungi species I am trying to identify, plus a few other things. Occasionally I remove the books to a nearby outdoor site for perusal.

How best to protect these 30 or so volumes, weighing in total about 20 pounds or so, in transit and out-of-doors, from dust and water, while keeping them relatively handy to get to?

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Plastic tote with close fitting cover?

Get the ereader versions?

Keep them dry but allow air circulation and a way for any water that makes it in to get out. Plastic bags are good but they can backfire if water, humidity and condensation, collect inside and can't get out. Humidity can be an issue and cause the paper and covers to warp. In earlier times no southern home that had books was without a book press.

A field expedient version can be made by using two still pieces of plywood and using light rope to form a Spanish windless on each side to draw them together and keep the books flat. The books can be stacked together inside your press and the press can be used as a handle to move the stack. Books tightly pressed closed are resistant to moisture, insects, and fire/smoke damage. The covers of cheap hardbacks and paperbacks can bond together if moisture and pressure are combined but this can be stopped by using wax paper between books.

I am working on this, but then you have to power and protect an ebook reader - the problem just morphs a bit. However the backup potential is sweet: if you lose stuff just download another copy to whatever reader.

I have not yet found many reference and field guide ebooks but hope this will change soon.

I was thinking about this while the dog and I were out for a walk. It is actually much easier to bring a leaf, fruit, etc. to the book than the other way around. The problem is that that can be hard on the plant, unless you are really isolated.

Better would be copious digital photos of the plant, which are even lighter. With current cameras and a decent chip, you have essentially unlimited photo capacity.

My current point and shoot, a fairly cheap Canon model, is the most capable camera I have ever handled, and this includes film cameras from subminiature to 35mm to 4x5s. It easily handles macrophotography, which can be quite useful in this application.

Thought # 2 - make good friends with a botanist....

Two helpful strategies, thanks for putting in thought time!

I do both limited foraging of plant parts and some digital photography. However, upon reading the books I often find I missed something that is critcal for identification. Often no big problem - I just return to the plant when I can. However, I am in the field so the books are often with me in the field.

I have joined foraging and plant walk groups who include some plant savvy folks, including a botanist, retired mycology professors, etcetera. I am cozying up to these folks as the opportunity presents itself, but do not want to be a pest. Several folks are amenable to the email route as well.

Smart phone with Google Goggles app installed. take picture of plant, Google tells you what it is

Super cool! Thanks Eugene! We could have used this on our hike last weekend. DH is finding and installing now.

How thorough is it? Would you use it for finding edibles or stick to things to observe?

Its as thorough as information on the internet, sometimes you find the answers sometimes not.