Keep pencil leads from breaking during transportation? I sharpen my drawing pencils the "proper" way, with a knife. This leaves a large portion of exposed material (graphite, colored pencil, charcoal), usually 3/4 in. to 1.5 in. long.

My issue is finding a way to keep the leads from breaking while I'm taking them from place to place. When I'm just working from home, I keep them point-up in a cup, or laying flat in a tray.

Putting the pencils in a hard case hasn't helped exactly how I want, because I still feel the need to be overly gentle so that the tips don't get smashed into the side.

Is there a more reliable way to get my pencils from place to place without sweating about breaking the leads and needing to resharpen them?

If possible, I'd like to be able to transport them in a backpack, so long as I'm gentle about setting it down.
A colleague of mine carries her 100+ colored pencil collection in a fabric pencil roll. The pencils slot into little rectangles or elastic along a rectangle of fabric, and then the rectangle is rolled up. It ends up about the size of a water bottle, and fits easily in purse, shoulder bag, or backpack.

While most of these I've seen are for colored pencils (due to the large number that are often transported at once), they should also work for graphite or charcoal pencils. For more delicate exposed tips, a layer of reinforcement or padding can be added to further reduce chance of breakage.

These are available commercially made:


Image from Blick

You can also find a number of tutorials online to make your own (or ask a crafty friend with a sewing machine to help you out):


Image from Love me Sew pencil roll tutorial