Makepost 002 - Crafting a Case for My Compass Out of Trash

So I've been gradually teaching myself map and compass skills, and before my last backpacking trip I bought a nice entry level Suunto baseplate compass.

It's made of extremely chippable and scratchable acrylic, and has moving parts on the outside, so it made me extremely nervous to have it just loose in my bag, even in a pocket!

suunto a-10 compass in an aesthetically pleasing white box. the compass is clear and rectangular, with a dial at the bottom in red and black

I have been meaning to buy some neoprene to make stuff like this, but never get around to it. (I have been meaning to make a case for my little field recording mic for a while for similar reasons, but have just been carrying it around in a conveniently-sized wrist brace since I got it a few months ago)

ANYWAY, I realized I had a couple of old beer koozies that I am not even sure where they came from. One was from an Indiana pest conrol company and the other was from a weed beverage company I'd never heard of. These were just about exactly the right height, and the foam even had some protective lining fabric on the inside.

I also had some forest green poly blend twill from an old work jumpsuit that I cut the legs off of. Most of my outdoor stuff is aggressively color schemed in orange/grey/black/white, but I think the green complements the red lettering well. I seam-ripped the koozies, laid them flat on the backside of the twill, and spray mounted them to the fabric. Thankfully this didn't end up being a foam/adhesive combo where the latter eats and liquifies the former!

me and atomly in a parklet eating pizza. i'm wearing a dark green jumpsuit with legs cut off above the knee (the jumpsuit's legs, not mine) — The jumpsuit in question, and some personal pizzas with Atomly

brown kraft paper on the floor, with two squares of green fabric with deconstructed koozies adhered to them. there are koozie-shaped prints on the paper from where i spray adhesive'd them — Mmmm yum yummy VOCs!

I wasn't sure what the form factor should be, and I was starting to plan out some kind of overcomplicated wrap situation. But then, I noticed that the hem of the pants would actually work great as a drawstring channel, and I knew I had some thin elastic and a little plastic cord lock that would be just about the right size.

At the last minute, I decided to add a little loop on the side for a carabiner, so I sewed some scrap fabric into a little tube and then sewed it into the seam as I was closing up the pouch.

The thick polyester and foam were predictably a pain in the ass to sew (by hand, btw!), and I broke two needles in the process. But I think it turned out great! It's a snug fit that should keep all the moving parts safe, and the drawstring top lets the neck cord that came with the compass stick out the top, so it can be worn and still protected.

compass next to a dark green twill pouch, with a drawstring on top and a little fabric loop near the top on one side

compass peeking out of the top of the pouch

green pouch cinched closed, hanging from a strap via carabiner