I'm still rockin' it old-school, with fine-point sharpie markers on Avery 1" x 3/4" marking tags. They're paper tags with fine cotton string.
Product #Avery 12207
There's no fading, and I only write the name of the pod parent when I actually harvest a pod, so they're reusable for about 6 tries, unless you can re-use already marked tags with the same pollen. If you're organized enough to be able to designate a wire color for a certain pollen, then they can be re-used many more times. I get three seasons out of most of them.
The disadvantages are; they're not exactly inconspicuous, they occasionally get moldy, and slugs/earwigs sometimes enjoy munching on them.
My summers are dry—the mold might be more of a problem in your climate, but many hybridizers use these paper tags throughout the country.
