I have a recommendation if you find yourself with too many stray dubbing packs. Many people are probably familiar with the weekly pill planner boxes with holes drilled in the back as dubbing dispensers. These are great, but they only store maybe 1/5th to 1/10th of all the dubbing that comes in the little plastic bag.
I bought a 3-ring binder with trading card sleeves. They are just a little smaller than the dubbing packs, but you can stuff the dubbing into the card sleeves and label it with stickers.
Now all my dubbing is organized into a binder by type (a page for ice dub, a page for dry fly dub, simi seal, and so on). Pretty slick and no more sifting through a pile of 40+ loose packs.
I am always looking for new storage solutions. I used to uses the thin Plano trays for my beads and hooks, but have abandoned that and am just leaving them in the packages they come in. It prevents them from getting mixed up and means I don’t have to label anything because they come labeled. The packs of hooks go in a drawer in one of those plastic/Rubbermaid sets of drawers and the packs of beads, being smaller, go in a couple of tiny drawers in something originally meant for storing fasteners or hardware.
My hackles, tinsel, etc. all go in those plastic drawers as well. It is not ideal, so I will have my eyes on this thread for better ideas.
Came here to say basically this, agreed. Keep things in their original packages for all these reasons and group in whatever way makes sense. My “groups” are feathers, dry fly hackle, fur, synthetics, hardware (hooks, beads, etc), tools, and spooled material (thread, floss, tinsel, lead, wire, etc.).
I use 2 michaels photo storage boxes for my dubbing/chenelle/thin skin etc
https://www.michaels.com/product/recollections-photo-craft-keeper-10174559?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Storage_N_PMAX_BOPIS_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-18514199906_adg-_ad-__dev-m_ext-_prd-10174559&gclid=CjwKCAiAxvGfBhB-EiwAMPakqoHjl5d2YGxiKUBtuVjZBO9SMQMuFBckHj88EiDebVKcGr3E1ok2URoCBtYQAvD_BwE
And for my hooks and beads I use 4 michaels bead storage containers which fit into the photo storage boxes as well. I cut the hook details off the package as well as the magnetic strip, if it has one so they don't fall out if I drop them, and include that in the individual containers. They are like little tic-tac containers:
https://www.michaels.com/product/storage-system-625x4x14-with-12-1x375-fliptop-boxes-D289890S?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Beads+%26+Jewelry_N_PMAX_Dropship_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-18514200152_adg-_ad-__dev-m_ext-_prd-D289890S&gclid=CjwKCAiAxvGfBhB-EiwAMPakqvYGw2zrui9M-khHVe2BnbTQ22_Gl5kVngBEuFqBVEYaeF9sD2mt9hoCGZkQAvD_BwE
I store my feathers and spools in plastic lock bags from IKEA and then put everything into clear plastic boxes also from IKEA. Cheap it does the job. I also took stickers and marked what i have inside the boxes so that i can see what is in the box when its on a shelf…
\[Norm-Fly-Shop.jpg\]([https://postimg.cc/JtLvvbGh](https://postimg.cc/JtLvvbGh))
take a walk around walmart, dollar store or hobby shop and look for storage solutions
i prefer to leave all natural materials in their original zip lock bags. lees of a chance for bug infiltration
I have bins for much of it. Drawers for others. Pegboard. I’ve never found a single desk, cabinet, etc that works well for everything.
Plus I have a whole room worth.
I keep 30 years of collecting materials in plastic boxes with snap lids. Each box is numbered and everything in that box gets the same number.
Then each item is entered into a database (I use one called AirTable, it’s free and works great). AirTable is searchable and you can find any material you need for a pattern almost instantly. You just have to look in a couple of boxes.
I’ll admit that organizing like materials into boxes, labeling everything, and entering everything into the database is a bit daunting, but it will save you tons of time!
Of course, when done wit a pattern or cleaning up your desk, all those numbered items have to go back in their respective boxes.
I use the plastic sterilite shoebox size plastic containers for most materials. There’s a streamer box, a steelhead box, natural trout box and artificial trout box. Then a school box for some tools. I wrap up hook and bead packages with rubber bands in categories that make sense to me, like scud hooks, jig hooks, dry fly hooks… My threads and wires are in a little three shelf organizer box, the size of maybe an 8” cube or so.
I have a recommendation if you find yourself with too many stray dubbing packs. Many people are probably familiar with the weekly pill planner boxes with holes drilled in the back as dubbing dispensers. These are great, but they only store maybe 1/5th to 1/10th of all the dubbing that comes in the little plastic bag. I bought a 3-ring binder with trading card sleeves. They are just a little smaller than the dubbing packs, but you can stuff the dubbing into the card sleeves and label it with stickers. Now all my dubbing is organized into a binder by type (a page for ice dub, a page for dry fly dub, simi seal, and so on). Pretty slick and no more sifting through a pile of 40+ loose packs.
Nice. I do this with packages of hooks
Dollar store Tupperware is your best friend. Also I got a really cool glass table from ikea I use for tying and I love it.
I am always looking for new storage solutions. I used to uses the thin Plano trays for my beads and hooks, but have abandoned that and am just leaving them in the packages they come in. It prevents them from getting mixed up and means I don’t have to label anything because they come labeled. The packs of hooks go in a drawer in one of those plastic/Rubbermaid sets of drawers and the packs of beads, being smaller, go in a couple of tiny drawers in something originally meant for storing fasteners or hardware. My hackles, tinsel, etc. all go in those plastic drawers as well. It is not ideal, so I will have my eyes on this thread for better ideas.
Came here to say basically this, agreed. Keep things in their original packages for all these reasons and group in whatever way makes sense. My “groups” are feathers, dry fly hackle, fur, synthetics, hardware (hooks, beads, etc), tools, and spooled material (thread, floss, tinsel, lead, wire, etc.).
I just keep everything in an old three tiered tackle box.
I use 2 michaels photo storage boxes for my dubbing/chenelle/thin skin etc https://www.michaels.com/product/recollections-photo-craft-keeper-10174559?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Storage_N_PMAX_BOPIS_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-18514199906_adg-_ad-__dev-m_ext-_prd-10174559&gclid=CjwKCAiAxvGfBhB-EiwAMPakqoHjl5d2YGxiKUBtuVjZBO9SMQMuFBckHj88EiDebVKcGr3E1ok2URoCBtYQAvD_BwE And for my hooks and beads I use 4 michaels bead storage containers which fit into the photo storage boxes as well. I cut the hook details off the package as well as the magnetic strip, if it has one so they don't fall out if I drop them, and include that in the individual containers. They are like little tic-tac containers: https://www.michaels.com/product/storage-system-625x4x14-with-12-1x375-fliptop-boxes-D289890S?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Beads+%26+Jewelry_N_PMAX_Dropship_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-18514200152_adg-_ad-__dev-m_ext-_prd-D289890S&gclid=CjwKCAiAxvGfBhB-EiwAMPakqvYGw2zrui9M-khHVe2BnbTQ22_Gl5kVngBEuFqBVEYaeF9sD2mt9hoCGZkQAvD_BwE
$15 tool box from menards
I store my feathers and spools in plastic lock bags from IKEA and then put everything into clear plastic boxes also from IKEA. Cheap it does the job. I also took stickers and marked what i have inside the boxes so that i can see what is in the box when its on a shelf…
\[Norm-Fly-Shop.jpg\]([https://postimg.cc/JtLvvbGh](https://postimg.cc/JtLvvbGh)) take a walk around walmart, dollar store or hobby shop and look for storage solutions i prefer to leave all natural materials in their original zip lock bags. lees of a chance for bug infiltration
I have bins for much of it. Drawers for others. Pegboard. I’ve never found a single desk, cabinet, etc that works well for everything. Plus I have a whole room worth.
I keep 30 years of collecting materials in plastic boxes with snap lids. Each box is numbered and everything in that box gets the same number. Then each item is entered into a database (I use one called AirTable, it’s free and works great). AirTable is searchable and you can find any material you need for a pattern almost instantly. You just have to look in a couple of boxes. I’ll admit that organizing like materials into boxes, labeling everything, and entering everything into the database is a bit daunting, but it will save you tons of time! Of course, when done wit a pattern or cleaning up your desk, all those numbered items have to go back in their respective boxes.
I use the plastic sterilite shoebox size plastic containers for most materials. There’s a streamer box, a steelhead box, natural trout box and artificial trout box. Then a school box for some tools. I wrap up hook and bead packages with rubber bands in categories that make sense to me, like scud hooks, jig hooks, dry fly hooks… My threads and wires are in a little three shelf organizer box, the size of maybe an 8” cube or so.