Great info, tips and advice. I’ve purchased some stickers, oil-based Sharpies and puffy paint. Not much of an artist but I’ll see what I can do!
I have a strange story about our experience with using paint to mark our gear. I am sure that the paints and materials available now for marking gear are much superior to the old days, but years ago I picked up a small bottle of blue, water-proof, paint at the dive shop. It was glass and similar to a bottle of nail polish, with a small brush inside.
We used it to mark a few items and for some reason I stuck the bottle in with our gear and took it with me on a trip to Bonaire. At the end of our trip, we were flying ALM back home and we hadn't been in the air long when the pilot suddenly announced that the plane was being diverted and we would be landing in Venezuela shortly.
We were on the ground in the airport in Venezuela for just a few minutes and wondering what was going on, when suddenly the doors opened and armed guards came on board! Imagine our surprise when they asked for my husband by name! He responded and then they told him to come them and hustled him off the plane without any explanation! We were both shocked and scared and they wouldn't let me go with him.
Some time later they brought him back and let him re-board and said that the plane would be taking off soon. He was looking scared and sheepish and everyone was starring at him. I was just glad to see him safely back in his seat!
It seems that the little bottle of paint had broken inside the gear bag and set off some kind of (chemical?) alarm. The authorities kept asking him what was in the bag and the poor guy had no idea what could be causing the alarm. They x-rayed the bag and didn't see anything dangerous. Finally they let him open the bag and they all saw the broken bottle, the glass, and blue paint all over our stuff - what a mess. They were satisfied and released him. I can assure you that he wasn't very thrilled with me or my little jar of paint at that moment, but mostly he was just relieved!
Anyway, I am sure that today's products are better but I would advise you NOT to pack a bottle of paint with your gear!