Homemade Wet Panel Carrier that Can be Assembled in Less than 1-Hour and Less than $50.

Have you ever wished you had an inexpensive, sturdy, flexible and reliable system for carrying your wet plein air panels after a painting session? If you are like me you may have researched various solutions and felt confused, overwhelmed or skeptical about the various wet panel carrier alternatives out on the market.

Don't get me wrong, some of the wet panel carriers are GREAT! Some are not so great. Before you lay out your hard earned money to buy a panel carrier you may want to give this a try...

I assembled my wet panel carrier in less than one hour and it cost me less than fifty dollars (important: I used a recycled binder, 5/8" plywood, glue and crews that I already had - left over from prior projects).

Here is a materials list:

1. Two Ring Accounting Binder (11 1/5" x 10")

2. TRYMAG 12 Pack Rare Earth Magnets

3. 1 Inch Hook and Loop Tape

4. 5/8" Birch Panels (10" x 8" (X3))

5. 5/8" Birch Panel Strips (1" x 10" (X4)) +1" x 2 1/2" (X8))

6. Wood Glue

7. 1/2" zinc flat head wood screws

8. Duct Tape

9. Centurion Deluxe Oil Primed Linen

   
   

Other materials and tools that may help:

Sand paper, circular saw, screw gun, drill bit, a tape measure and pencil.

I had the opportunity to take this panel carrier on a test run and it worked great!

Improvements & added features I am considering for future versions:

1. Reinforced pockets to hold blank linen, paper and panels

2. Grommets and wider holes for the boards to move more freely in the binder rings

3. Explore added straps to help with connections to backpacks for longer hikes

4. Fitted waterproof bag/cover

5. Quick release attachment to allow book to connect directly to a tripod (could serve dual purpose as easel).

6. Larger format version (this version will easily accommodate a painting surface up to 6" x 8"

   
   

Here is a video showing my first test run in the field with this panel carrier. I was able to conveniently and easily hike around and transition between three separate paintings in the field.

I am really optimistic about this idea and think it could be used by a lot of artists who are operating with limited resources (or those who just like experimenting with new tools and saving a buck!).

If you try pulling together your own binder-style wet palette carrier please let me know what your experience is like. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me.

Cheers!