What's Your Set Up

[Lindsay Olson]

This summer, we have our young adult children home and we only have one car so I wanted to make sure I can indulge in my new found love of plein air painting.
Here is my bicycle set up and I can take this on rapid transit.

I can also bike to our local forest preserve and use the collapsible cart to walk the trails and set up.

Anyone else want to post there set up?

[Hank Buffington]

WOW! Thanks for all the info Barry.

Why the bags on the Soltek legs?

Barry John Raybould said:

I did this comparison of weights of different pochades and lightweight systems a couple of years back: ...

[Lindsay Olson]

Thanks Barry and John for such informative posts.

John, I just wanted to clarify something. Your palette goes into that home made box? The box is rigid enough so it wont squish down on the loaded pallette? Do you have to hold it flat?This seems too good to be true!
Also, I wondered if your stretched canvasses were on wooden bars. This must get a bit weighty too. no?

[Zan Barrage]

	I have been asked to share my plein air setup and gear several times now, so I thought I would post a few pictures of my setup with some explanation. What you see below is my pochade setup. The whole kit fits perfectly into my backpack and is light enough to walk with for those out of the way spots. I built this pochade to fit my Mijello Artelier Peel-off Palette. I like this palette so much, I have one for acrylics and one for oils. My acrylics stay wet for weeks in this palette and of course the oils are fresh for weeks as well. I am not sure about the peel off idea. It doesn't work for me, but that is a minor issue. I can always scrape my dry paint off. The palette fits perfectly inside the pochade when open and sits snugly in the back when closed. This saves me space in the backpack. The gear that I carry for painting is listed in the first image above. One thing that is not listed and that I find I really need is a bubble leveler. I really like to have my painting level so I can avoid a tipped horizon line. Aside from a folding chair and an umbrella, there is nothing else I need to paint. When it comes to carrying my wet panels (paintings), the carrier below (I built it today) is a must have if you are painting in oils. It took me less than an hour to build this carrier using a miter saw, wood stapler and a screw driver. It holds up to seven panels for those long trips that I hope to go on soon.

[Terri Miller]

I use an Open Box M pochade box, a light tripod, and carry only as much gear as will fit into a daypack. I've hiked around my local haunts as well as Glacier Natl Park with it. What makes it work is the canvas panel carriers that I use, made by Champion Art Mate:
http://www.champion-artmate.com/products/wettotes.htm
These are made of corrugated plastic, and they weigh almost nothing -- and they're not expensive, so I always have a few around. I carry either an 8x10 or an 11x14 carrier when I go out, and I can strap it onto the backpack if I need my hands free for scrambling.

[Jerry Campbell]

Interesting thread, Lindsay. I've been using the same old rollerskate box for twentyfive years.
The easel is a converted watercolour easel, very light weight.

[June O. Underwood]

I use the Sun Eden set up and like it. It's really quick and easy to set up (flip controls for the telescoping legs, rather than wing nuts, which I have trouble tightening). I also have a rolling cart, the Austin Roller Crate. I think I got mine at Jerry's Artarama http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discount-art-supplies/Hand-Trucks-and...

I use the Raymar wet canvas container (they come in sizes up to 18 x 24" and are made of heavy duty cardboard, rather like the (much more) handsome wooden one described above). I set them on top the cart to use as a table once I've gotten the rest set up. That's easier than attaching the paint box to the Sun Eden set-up. I have an old backpack that contains all the extra goodies -- sun hat, gloves, medium, poncho, etc. that stays in the cart. I can take everything out of the cart and carry it (easel and folding stool in addition to the back pack), but seldom have to. I've gone some ways across open desert to paint, using the cart, which seems very sturdy. It fits into the trunk of the car if I put the easel and stool in separately -- they stick up too high. And I've painted with 18 x 36" boards on the easel (horizontally) without too much hassle.

The Sun Eden has tent stakes to secure it, but they pull out easily in the wind. A weighted rock or gallon jug of water attached to the center of the easel works better, but I usually forget to carry one. I hang onto the canvas with one hand and paint with the other; it doesn't help my painting, but makes me feel heroic :-)

[Judy Fischer Walton]

Sorry it took so long to post this. This is my set up and it is lightweight and fits in the messanger bag. It is basically a form holder that the extra "page" has been removed and made into the holder. The holder page has been bent at the bottom to hold the open form holder and bent opposite at the top for stability. It has a hole in the middle where a camera "nut" is welded and a tripod can be attached. The form holder clamp can hold the canvas which is taped to a piece of cardboard. The left side of the form holder is the palette which I put down clear contact paper. I save the sheet that comes off the contact paper to place on top of the palette for carrying to protect the painting. For larger than 8x10 I put the painting in a porter. The holder for the form holder looks like a music stand without the form holder on it. If you make one of these the nut really needs welded with and extra piece for stability.

[Terry Storzieri]

Hi Lindsay! I like your mobile set up. It looks fast and easy. Terry

[Terry Storzieri]

Hi Judy. I like your set up too. My problem is keeping my watercolor paints upright, so they don't spread out on me. Slowly, my undersea green will ooze all over the place. If it is given the chance. Terry

Judy Fischer Walton said:

Sorry it took so long to post this. This is my set up and it is lightweight and fits in the messanger bag. It is basically a form holder that the extra "page" has been removed and made into the holder. The holder page has been bent at the bottom to hold the open form holder and bent opposite at the top for stability. It has a hole in the middle where a camera "nut" is welded and a tripod can be attached. The form holder clamp can hold the canvas which is taped to a piece of cardboard. The left side of the form holder is the palette which I put down clear contact paper. I save the sheet that comes off the contact paper to place on top of the palette for carrying to protect the painting. For larger than 8x10 I put the painting in a porter. The holder for the form holder looks like a music stand without the form holder on it. If you make one of these the nut really needs welded with and extra piece for stability.

[Terry Storzieri]

Hi Jerry - How lightweight is your easel? I've been thinking about switching to something lightweight. I was afraid that the wind might knock it over. Most of the time I just use my little 6x8 Thumbox from judsons. With paint and water, it weighs maybe about 3-4 lbs. What's your thoughts? :) Terry

Jerry Campbell said:

Interesting thread, Lindsay. I've been using the same old rollerskate box for twentyfive years.
The easel is a converted watercolour easel, very light weight.

[Robert A. McMillen]

I use a Judson 9x12 box with a heavy duty tripod and the Judson backpack for the setup. The pros are that I can carry everything I need, the con is that it ends up pretty heavy with the tripod attached. I found a collapsable cart at the Sam's Club that works really well if I am painting where there are walking paths, sidewalks, etc and I can pull it. I only paint watercolor and the paints do tend to get a little messy when the pallet is vertical. I use a pallet with a sealing top that helps. I just learned to live with it. I also have a seperate homemade nylon flat carrier that I have a larger paint board and paper. I can attach it to the box lid with a light weight bungy cord. It will let me use paper up to 10 x 14. Terry Storzieri said:

Hi Jerry - How lightweight is your easel? I've been thinking about switching to something lightweight. I was afraid that the wind might knock it over. Most of the time I just use my little 6x8 Thumbox from judsons. With paint and water, it weighs maybe about 3-4 lbs. What's your thoughts? :) Terry

Jerry Campbell said:

Interesting thread, Lindsay. I've been using the same old rollerskate box for twentyfive years.
The easel is a converted watercolour easel, very light weight.

[Barry John Raybould]

The only problem with the Soltek easel is that sand will block up the retracting mechanism on the legs. I called Soltek up about that and they replied saying I could solve the problem by 'putting plastic bags on your legs". This really made me laugh, until I realized they meant the legs on the easel!!

Hank Buffington said:

WOW! Thanks for all the info Barry.

Why the bags on the Soltek legs?

Barry John Raybould said:

I did this comparison of weights of different pochades and lightweight systems a couple of years back: ...