My Mobile Mapping Kit

I recently finished assembling and buying things for my mobile mapping kit, and I thought I'd share. Between this kit, the Noteboard I just picked up, and the RPGs on Cards projects that are stewing in my head, I can jam a few games unobtrusively in coat pockets and pull them out as the mood strikes me.

I have become a Stealth Mobile Tabletop Game POWERHOUSE.

Editor's Note: We apologize for the outburst. The marketing department has just been sacked.

Since I'm mainly mapping on 3x5 inch cards, I started with a card case. Something funky.

I have an affinity for peace signs, as does my daughter.
Besides, I picked it up for a buck on sale at Staples.

I decided to fit everything I might need into that one card case. The smallest useful template I have doesn't fit, so I keep it at home and just stick with a straightedge. Here's what I use at the moment.

Meanwhile, inside the kit...

For a straightedge I found a student kit with 2 triangles, a protractor, and a 6-inch ruler for about $3.50 at Blick. The protractor and the 45-45-90 triangle fit well, though I doubt I'll ever have the room to use the protractor on a map. I picked up a Sakura Micron 05 for the road, and I had the mini gel pen as part of a 12 pack for fifty cents on clearance at Staples.

I've got both graph ruled and lined index cards tucked in there to write on, and the cheesy little dividers that came with the box keep the completed maps from printing all over the blank cards if I need to pack up in a hurry.

Equipment List
$1.49 - Index Card Case (Staples, or $11.05 for 4 on Amazon)
$1.99 - 100 Graph Index Cards (Staples, or $3.72 at Amazon)
$3.77 - 500 Lined Index Cards (Staples or $7.37/1000 blank at Amazon)
$3.95 - Student Drafting Kit (Blick or $6.07 w/compass at Amazon)
$2.50 - Sakura Micron 05 pen (Blick or $8.74/3 pack at Amazon)

These are the mini gel pens I got for cheap, but they're no longer listed at Staples, and $10.55 is not cheap. Scrounge up a short pen to make notes with if you don't want to waste your Micron's ink.

My total cost with sales and smaller bundles of cards was about $10, but your mileage may vary. I still have half a pack of both types of index cards to go through, and another 11 gel pens if this one runs dry.

Now all I need is a table and some free time, and I can crank out a quick map anywhere.

Happy mapping!