Alright, so some of my regular followers might have noticed that I have a silly tag system (or they’ve just noticed random tags that don’t seem to make sense). For general theatre posts, often tech, I tag “techrider.” For resources and references, I tag “pencilcup.” And for most of my own posts, I tag “smkit.” You know, to be cute. But this time, I’m actually posting about my SM kit, and I’m pretty stoked, so I might just tag all three ‘cause what the hell, it’s my blog and I can screw with the system all I want.
Samson is a product of Artbin, made of a durable cloth material with (I discovered) luan siding. Notice the sweet rolling luggage-style handle and the nice big snaps keeping the two pieces together. The top has its own carrying strap, and the bottom (wheels attached) has two comfortable handles for hauling this beast in and out of my trunk when moving spaces. Hopefully won’t have to move him much this summer, he’s not light.
First glance does not do it justice–it is quite deep. But let’s check out that neato zipper-pocket on the top flap:
That pocket is basically the size of the entire flap, but for now I’m just storing my headband and desk/clip/LED light. ($10, Barnes & Noble, super sturdy bright light, I highly recommend it!)
Alright, and as for the rest of the top bin…
Bubba Zips, my stage management buddy, is coming along for the ride. He loves the upgrade.
Here’s everything that fits comfortably in the top:
1. Huge 4″ D-ring trapper keeper (regular binders are typical in stage management, but keep in mind that we’ll be in the elements this summer).
2. Ruler, protractor, scale rule.
3. Hole-punch.
4. Spare water bottle.
5. Bubba Zips.
6. Umbrella.
7. Clean rags.
8. Main tape supply (spike, gaff, drafting, glow).
9. Spike stick with scissors attached (thank you, Techblr!).
10. Tape measure.
11. Electric pencil sharpener.
12. Gerber tool.
13. Stun-gun (told you, public park).
14. Personal medical kit.
15. Outdoorsy things (bagged).
16. Craft/sewing kit (bagged).
17. Extended medical kit (bagged, large).
18. Shakespeare reference book.
Moving on to the bottom, because we have a long way to go…
Electronics/etc. (shoe)box, office supplies box, office supplies bag, hardware box, toolkit, hygiene box, feminine hygiene bag, three packs of gum.
The pink-tab boxes (Artbin or something similar, I shopped around quite a bit) are fantastic. Deep, sturdy, very strong. The bags are nice as well, waterproof, clear-ish, and they smell awesome.
…with more hardware-type things. I’ve got rubber bands, glues, flashlights, lighter, spare screwdrivers, clips, a boxcutter, and one of those cool marker/cutter combo things. Also a pen light, because you can never have enough little lights at the park.
This here is my electronics/et cetera box. It includes (pictured above) another damn flashlight, spare scissors, fishing line, “other” tape, a table-clock, an AUX cable, and an iPhone cable (I don’t even have an iPhone…). Pictured below, we have a box of batteries (AA, AAA, D), a speaker (compatible with the AUX cable), a Master Lock & keys, headphones, a USB-power adapter, and a flashdrive.
Next, we have a plethora of office supplies. Post-its, tacks, sticky-tack, staples, clear and double-sided tape, eraser-heads, more rubber bands, tabs, paperclips, binder clips, page protectors, pens/pencils/highlighter, pencil sharpener, erasers, and a stapler.
Let’s see if I forgot anything…
Oh yeah, that quick-flick finger-moistener and the gluestick and white-out.
Next, the bag: It contains less-used office supplies, like Elmer’s glue and a spare stopwatch, plus lots of stickers/labels. Also a pack of notecards, and a pack of thank you cards, because you never know when you will owe someone a proper thanks!
Next up, hygiene…extra important when you’re working in nature!
Basic feminine hygiene is in an easy-go bag. Here, we have Carmex, Wet Ones, Gold Bond, lotion, powder-scented antiperspirant, Colgate wisps, make-up wipes, facial tissue, a pack of bobby pins with hair-ties and barrettes wrapped around it, a scrunchie, a pack of Q-tips, Tide to-go sticks, and a brush/mirror combo. Now let’s look under some of these things:
There’s also hand-sanitizer, baby powder, Listerine tabs, toothpaste, floss, a pencil-sharpener for makeup, a nail-clipper, tweezers, a lint-roller, and some cotton balls.
That’s all, folks! Thanks for taking the tour. Oh, and you know that tiny box of brads I forgot to pack yesterday? Well, I packed away all the stuff again after these pictures, and realized I forgot that stupid little box again…so here it is, all alone. Bubba is so disappointed in me.
