Guerrilla Thumb Box Capacity

[Trikist]

I have been looking at pochade boxes for plein air and travel. Weight is a concern to me. I sometimes pack my supplies, easel and camp stool and walk to where I want to paint. Any pochade box - tripod will be some increase in weight.

I have been looking at the Guerrilla Cigar Box; but as most paintings that I do now are 6X8 inches, I wondered if the Thumb Box might be better, saving me a little weight and allowing for a lighter tripod.

What I am unsure about is the capacity of the Thumb Box. I need to carry 8 - 60ml (2oz) tubes of acrylic paint. I have laid out a mocked-up space and stacked the tubes in. It was tight; and, that is not the same as having the box in front of me.

Has anyone carried a similar load in the Thumb Box? Any other suggestions about what I should consider?

Of course, many of the folks here own several boxes. Maybe, I should just consider this the first tentative step. Don't tell my wife.

Regards, Gary

[sidbledsoe]

I only have a few tubes of 60 ml acrylic paint, here they are in my box and I placed them where 8 would be and they fill up the bottom and leave some room above for other stuff about 1 inch deep or 1 inch of space left, above the tubes. I got a golden try out set with 22 ml tubes and the same for oils for a small box like this one. You can also see two mods in my box, I ground down the clips to an angle instead of flat and sealed up the thumb hole which I really hated:

what is your wife's email? just kiddin'

[boomerbeach]

A more pricey, but better solution might be an 8x10" pochade box from OpenBoxM.com .. It weighs only 1.25lbs! If you carry your paint, brushes, etc. in a pochade box bag, you can also get by with a smaller tripod supporting less overall weight-load. My own 9x12" OBM pochade and lighter tripod has substantially reduced my overal plein air weight factor. I luv it, so does my back!

[Trikist]

Thanks Sid. It looks like perhaps I better plan to carry at least some of the paints in a bag. I have wondered about the thumb hole.

No thanks to you Boomerbeach trying to lead me astray with a very nice "Panel Holder" as Open Box M describes their pochade. It does look great but I can see the costs escalating for each add on. Maybe in the future. The Thumb Box only weighs 1/4 pound more than the Open Box M but of course the OBM seems to have more potential use. Thanks for the reference.

Regards, Gary

[stapeliad]

My 6x8 box is from allaprimapochade... The Belly River box. I use this box more than any of my other boxes combined. I can fit everything in-panels, a few brushes, small turps, palette extension, oily rag, knife and 4 maybe 5 paint tubes depending on how used they are. if I want to take more than that ( and I usually do) I have to pack it separately.

I think it might hold 8 acrylic paint tubes but you would def. need to pack everything else separately. 8 tubes is a lot.

Since I always have to walk to wherever I paint, and deal with stairs, packing light is a huge big deal to me. I normally put my box in a backpack anyhow, so it isn't a big deal if everything doesn't fit. But I have taken it out before and fit everything inside.

[Trikist]

Stapeliad. Between Open Box M and now Allaprimapochade, I will have trouble sleeping tonight. I was already drooling about your rig in this thread.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/show....php?t=1174242

I assume that, if I stick with this, I will want a slightly larger pochade box in the future. Before I do that, I would like some experience on which to judge the merits of different boxes.

When arthritis ended my running and upright bike riding, I bought a recumbent - by a chance, a poor one for mountain climbing. I live in the mountains and finally bought a different model. It was all worth it as I logged over 10,000 miles on them before I had to give up biking. Still, I wish that I could have learned my needs without sinking the bundle that I did on the first bike.

I am going into plein air painting with a little greater care. I started with a cheap easel. Now I would like a inexpensive, reputable pochade box. Who knows where it will lead.

Thanks again for reply and for your previous post, "Gapstow Bridge".

Regards, Gary

[Barkar]

I use the pochade box you mentioned (6x8) and love it. I use my camera tripod.

Here is a picture of my setup.

[jacasteel]

Just saw the Guerrilla Thumb Box on Amazon for $49.76 I think I might have to buy one for that price.

I use a Utrecht 6X8 Thumb Box and I use .75 oz tubes in it and I can carry six tubes in it along with brushes and medium. I currently do not use a tripod with this box.

[Trikist]

Barkar Thanks for the photo.

jacasteel I saw that price on Amazon and it looked very good. I will probably still go to Judson's. They have answered some questions for me by email. Plus, I also want a few accessories. Amazon gets enough of my money already.

Thanks, Gary

[MChesleyJohnson]

Hey, Barkar, I love the fact that the 6x8 box also accommodates a pipe and some tobacco.