Lock Field Journal, Venture Pouch, Tool Roll and Travel Pouch: A Field Kit That Works Together

Introduction

If you sketch outdoors, you eventually run into the same problem: your gear is fine individually, but carrying it all is clumsy. This kit of four Lock pieces, a field journal, a Venture pouch, a tool roll, and a travel pouch, tries to solve that as a system rather than as four unrelated bags. After spending time setting up with all of them at an outdoor sketching spot, the standout impression is build quality: everything is double and triple stitched, the fabrics feel water resistant, and the pieces clip into each other in ways that genuinely simplify packing.

Here is what each piece does, who it suits, and where the trade-offs sit.

Lock Field Journal

The field journal is the centerpiece of the kit. It is a water-resistant cover with a cloth finish that feels like the material you would find on a rain slicker or an outback jacket. It comes with a Lock dot card journal inside, but it also accommodates a homemade sketchbook if you bring your own. Strings on the inside are designed to tuck into the spine of the book to hold it in place, ribbon page markers keep your place, and the internal binder clip is adjustable so you can clamp the book in securely.

There are small internal pouches for pens or pencils, a loop for a pen, and a carry handle. In practice, if you also carry the tool roll, you will probably leave the internal pouches empty and let the roll do that job. The cover closes up nicely with the book inside, and the whole package feels compact and secure. It is available in different colors; the brown feels understated, while the blue is a sharper look.

Lock Venture Pouch

The Venture pouch is the small, grab-and-go layer of the kit. Its job is simple: hold the little things you want at hand, and it does that without adding bulk or complexity. Paired with the field journal, it covers the everyday-carry side of a field sketching setup, and it slots naturally into the wider Lock system if you expand later.

It is a sensible pick if you want one compact pouch for the essentials rather than a full kit, and it works especially well for sketchers who move light and often.

Lock Tool Roll

The tool roll is one of the most likeable pieces here. It opens flat to reveal rows of slots for pens, pencils, and other tools, and it is finished with what Lock describes as aircraft-grade aluminum hardware. The clever part is the clip system: the roll buckles right into Lock’s other bags, so instead of loose pencil cases rolling around inside your pack, the whole roll attaches cleanly and stays put.

Construction is the same story as the rest of the kit, with double and triple stitching throughout and a feel of high quality throughout. The design is genuinely smart because it keeps your tools organized and mobile at the same time. If you carry more than a couple of drawing tools, this is arguably the piece that ties the whole system together.

Lock Travel Pouch

The travel pouch is the largest piece, built around zippers with a three-quarter zip opening into the main compartment, plus a smaller interior pocket. It has D-rings on the outside, so you can attach it with MOLLE straps or wear it as a fanny pack on a belt, which makes it genuinely mobile. A carry handle on top makes it easy to grab and move around.

The discovery that surprised most: a watercolor pouch kit, specifically a Schmincke palette, fits absolutely perfectly inside. There is no way to know whether it was purpose-built for that, but the fit is spot on. You could certainly fit a larger palette or, in the other direction, something smaller like a whiskey palette, but a standard compact watercolor kit slots in with no effort.

For traveling sketchers who paint as well as draw, that accidental compatibility is a real point in its favor.

Overall Buying Advice

The obvious question is whether you need all four pieces. If you sketch outdoors regularly and want a coherent system, the field journal plus tool roll combination is the heart of it, and the travel pouch adds real value if you paint. The Venture pouch is the easiest way in if you want to start small. The clip and buckle system across the bags is what makes the kit more than the sum of its parts, and the stitching and water-resistant fabrics suggest these are built to last. All of them are made in Vietnam, and the different color options let you pick a look that suits you.

Conclusion

As a coordinated field kit for sketchers and painters, this Lock lineup is well thought out: water-resistant materials, serious stitching, clever clip-in organization, and a travel pouch that happens to hold a compact watercolor palette perfectly. Start with the pieces that match how you actually work, and the system grows from there.