Battery Bandolier

Because of our interest in photography, we have lots of sets of rechargeable batteries. Our system for keeping the same four batteries together and knowing which sets were charged and which were in need of a charge hadn’t been working very well. Inevitably, one of us (usually me) would put them in the wrong pocket; leaving us with a jumble of charged and uncharged batteries.

My boyfriend came across this tutorial. We decided to improve on the idea a bit by sewing instead of using staples (which could stretch apart and/or scratch gear). The basic idea is a strip of elastic sewn together at intervals. At the top, you make indicators telling you if the batteries are charged or not based on which direction the battery is stored.

To make your own, follow these simple steps to make a battery bandoliers that will hold 4 AA batteries:

Materials:

9 inches of 3/4 inch elastic
sewing machine
a charge indicator label

Directions:

I like to attach the label first. As you can see, we had labels made specifically for the battery bandoliers. You can hand stitch +/- symbols or make red and green dots. As long as you know what each means. Take the 9 inch piece of elastic and measure 7/8 inch from the top. This is where the top of your indicator should rest. I recommend not making your indicator label larger than half an inch.
Taking the bit of elastic from above your label, fold the top down towards the back so it is half-way to the top of your label, but on the opposite side. Take the other end of the elastic and match it up to the top. Take the top fold and fold it over the bottom end. Check out the photo for an example. Stitch across the middle of the folds to secure in place.
Measuring from the bottom of the large elastic loop (opposite end from the label), sew across the elastic every 3/4 inch. Depending on the size of your label, the fourth line of stitching should be just under the label. I also recommend stitching back and forth to really lock in the stitches.
If you are so inclined, the small loop at the top is perfect for a D-ring, key chain ring, or a clip of some sort.

For those of you less inclined to attempt this project on your own, we are also offering them for sale. We can make accommodations for five and six battery models if anyone is interested. I know some of the Nikon flashes have that extra battery deal, and who knows where else these would be useful… video games, remote controls, that pile of extra batteries in your junk drawer, etc. We can also make them to hold AAA batteries.

We plan on selling them for $2.50 each plus $0.50 shipping within the US for each order up to 4 (we will figure out the shipping for larger or international orders if anyone is interested). If you are interested, you can email me at battery@64colorbox.com and we will hook you up.