Heres a way to make rubber catch mat:

[Tom_in_CA]

Here's a way to make rubber catch mat:

Here's what I do to make a rubber catch mat for turf hunting. I go to a truck and tire place (the type that service big rigs and heavy equipment). Fish in their dumpster for a large diameter inner-tube. Then cut a dinner plate sized square-ish portion out. You must cut it in such a way as to where the concave interior side (the rounded dish shaped interior) creates a slightly cupped shape. By cutting open an inner-tube, and observing how it naturally bends/curves, you can see where you are going to need to cut.

Then cut to shape, wash it up, and there you go

The benefits of this type mat are:

1) the rubber resists dirt (doesn't absorb like a cloth towel would, for instance), & cleans off easily.

2) It folds up tight to put in your apron (see the pix), yet pops out to full size with a "spring-out" action of the pre-formed inner-tube slight concave shape it was originally in.

The quarter and chordless phone are for size comparison.

If anyone would like one of these, I just made a bunch up (a single innertube will make 5 or 6 of these). If anyone wants one of these, PM me and we'll work it out to send one to you. There's a big-rig tire place just down the street from me that my company does business with. So.... they turn a blind eye when I waltz in their yard and snoop in their dumpster

 

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[Joe hunter]

Very nice I have a friend that works in a bus garage I'm going to try that thank you Tom

 

[thrillathahunt]

Tom, that's a good idea! It is cupped so the dirt will stay in it until you dump it back into the hole.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Tom, that's a good idea! It is cupped so the dirt will stay in it until you dump it back into the hole.

Thrill, yeah, you're right. If you look at that first pix, you can see a little bit of that tendency of the mat to taper upwards at the edges (a slight concave). That aids a bit at keeping the dirt in the center (as opposed to clods rolling off, etc...). And when you go to get ready to deposit the dirt back in the hole, you're right: That concave form tends to make it want have a natural crease that means the dirt flows out like a funnel back into the hole. Rather than wanting to flop out every which way.

When I get ready to put it back in my pouch after each dig, I just roll it up, and fold it once. The net result is that 2nd pix. And when I get ready to use it, you pitch it out on the ground, and it practically unfolds it self in a spring action. Again ... d/t to the factor shape and type rubber it is has that sort of "memory" shape.