Tree Shelf

[schrader]

I have been thinking about making a tree shelf that would allow me to cook standing up or at least give me a flat sturdy surface so I could quit trying balance my stove on a curved rock or log. Problem is, I could not find a suitable material to build a tray sturdy enough without the weight offsetting the benefit of carrying the tray along in a backpack.

Then , I found out a friend of mine has a CNC machine and had some kind of material made of a thin piece of plastic sandwiched between two thin pieces of aluminum.


So I drew out my design and left the rest to him. Here's the end result.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160522/cc6ef9d1c31a157734df94da5d99bf28.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160522/a58e38b7a9e06d7cc11bb8d65fd4da02.jpg





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[shelterbuilder]

Oh, man, THAT IS SWEET!!! When do they go on sale?

[Trailweaver]

I hope you got a patent on that before you posted the photo! I'd buy that tomorrow. . . I couldn't make one. Clever idea, and good luck to you with your first million $$$'s.

[illabelle]

Brilliant! Here we were thinking that WB posters are just recycling the same old discussions over and over. Wow, something new and original!!
:banana:clap

[Hikes in Rain]

Now that's almost as cool as the stump, complete with checkered tablecloth and candelabra, Bugs Bunny always manages to find. So, what's the going price for one? I want one!

[daddytwosticks]

We are backpackers. You'll have to market it as being multi-use. What other functions other than a cooking/prep shelf can it perform?

1. Camp fire fanner
2. Sit pad
.... :)

[perrito]

Tim at 2QZQ has a nice tree table here:
http://www.2qzqhammockhanger.com/page22.html

[Huli]

I was just thinking of somthing that t could be multi use for! If you can make I at custom widths and a material that would spring a bit. it could be used to protect the water blader from crushing and punctures.

[schrader]

Don't know about multiuse, but it is reversible....

[zelph]

Ticks like trees,

Smokeeater made different sizes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiCEDdVOfAc

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[rocketsocks]

I think it's great and would sell at a redo able price point. One critique though, make the bungee tree connection bomb proof to avoid the famed "McDonalds hot coffee lawsuit" from chuckle heads that shouldn't be cooking anyway and eating only pbj's on a hike. Other than that...start the presses. Good luck!

[Lnj]

We are backpackers. You'll have to market it as being multi-use. What other functions other than a cooking/prep shelf can it perform?

1. Camp fire fanner
2. Sit pad
.... :)

Shower shelf for soap/shampoo
End table for drinks
Absolutely anything that requires a flat surface where there is none.
Brilliant! I want one.

[schrader]

so, at what point does weight offset utility?

i'm not a long distance/thru hiker. my backpacking trips are usually 1-2 nights. my call to action on this project came to me on a frosty january morning while sitting 20 foot up a tree in a climbing tree stand and i thought how great it would be to have a tray clamped on to the rail of my deer stand that would allow me to prepare hot chocolate and perhaps a pack of mountain house sweet and sour pork. the most remote spot on the property i hunt would require no more than a 4 mile round trip to the stand and back, so 11 more ounces is not a deal breaker for me.

when i was "designing" this thing i wanted enough surface space to hold my canister stove and pot, as wells as the container the food would be in (such as the mountain house packet). as of right now, my prototype is approximately 105-110 in. (8.5" x 13") of shelf space and weighs 320 grams(not including tree straps). it will slide neatly in my bladder pocket in my pack.


i'd like it to be lighter, but i'm concerned that removal of too much material would have a negative effect on rigidity.

is 320 grams a deal breaker?

[Malto]

"At what point does weight offset utility?"

Anything above zero. I have yet to find a case where a rock or flat spot on the ground doesn't work. This is another thing to fiddle with regardless of the weight. But I am also way to the extreme on a simplistic gear setup. But based on the reaction from folks above there may be a more mainstream appeal.

one suggestion, kill the slot for the trekking pole, replace with small hole for tent stake or nail to be insert into the top of the trekking pole handle. I would also but the trekking pole tip against the tree to make a triangle. More stable and less likely to get hit.

[Malto]

Just saw your 320g. That is WAY to heavy.

[shelterbuilder]

Okay, here's a sheet-metal worker's take on the weight "problem": whereas a flat piece of metal is fairly flimsy, the moment you put any sort of crease or bend in it, the bend creates rigidity. So, if you add a short flange that runs around the edge of 3 of the sides (exclude the side that faces the tree), THEN you can proceed to PERFORATE the entire shelf (or just a part of it, as needed, to get down to your target weight). I'll expect my first check for, say, 20% of your total sales, within a few months!!!:banana

[Dogwood]

We are backpackers. You'll have to market it as being multi-use. What other functions other than a cooking/prep shelf can it perform?

1. Camp fire fanner
2. Sit pad
.... :)

Tree stand for hunting deer? Um squirrel jumping off platform? Hey, that trekking pole grip looks like it's melting.

Pretty ingenuous. Can I get one made from titanium and carbon fiber? :cool:

[Dogwood]

"At what point does weight offset utility?"

Anything above zero. I have yet to find a case where a rock or flat spot on the ground doesn't work. This is another thing to fiddle with regardless of the weight. But I am also way to the extreme on a simplistic gear setup. But based on the reaction from folks above there may be a more mainstream appeal....

LOL. he he he. Can have printed on each side 'Hiker to Town' flipped over to read 'Hiker to Trail'....of course in UL paint.

I'd also, like to say, never not once was I not able get along with what was already naturally there... flat ground, stump, log, flat rock, beach sand, tree crotch...but I will not. Let Malto be known as the enemy of unnecessary but innovative trail invention gadgetry. :D

Zelph, that's a lot of work, wt, complexity, and bulk for a muffin. :D

[Dogwood]

Fabricators at ZPacks are rolling on the floor right now in laughter. Glen VanPeski is in a tirade. BPL wonks are wondering how to make it lighter and measuring the coefficient of friction of various table top materials to construct this from.

Is there a winter version to take up to Mt Everest Base Camp? Was there are no tress at based camp. Never mind.

[Malto]

LOL. he he he. Can have printed on each side 'Hiker to Town' flipped over to read 'Hiker to Trail'....of course in UL paint.

I'd also, like to say, never not once was I not able get along with what was already naturally there... flat ground, stump, log, flat rock, beach sand, tree crotch...but I will not. Let Malto be known as the enemy of unnecessary but innovative trail invention gadgetry. :D

Zelph, that's a lot of work, wt, complexity, and bulk for a muffin. :D

IT shall be known from this point forward.

[zelph]

Zelph, that's a lot of work, wt, complexity, and bulk for a muffin. :D

We see it happen time and time again.;)

[Connie]

We are backpackers. You'll have to market it as being multi-use. What other functions other than a cooking/prep shelf can it perform?

1. Camp fire fanner
2. Sit pad
.... :)

I made one with a somewhat thin plastic cutting board, so I can use it as a cutting board before I put it on the tree.

[rocketsocks]

We are backpackers. You'll have to market it as being multi-use. What other functions other than a cooking/prep shelf can it perform?

1. Camp fire fanner
2. Sit pad
.... :)spose you could cut out the middle section making it double duty, despite its constitution ;)

[illabelle]

"At what point does weight offset utility?"

Anything above zero. I have yet to find a case where a rock or flat spot on the ground doesn't work. This is another thing to fiddle with regardless of the weight. But I am also way to the extreme on a simplistic gear setup. But based on the reaction from folks above there may be a more mainstream appeal.

one suggestion, kill the slot for the trekking pole, replace with small hole for tent stake or nail to be insert into the top of the trekking pole handle. I would also but the trekking pole tip against the tree to make a triangle. More stable and less likely to get hit.

For me, this is true. I'm quite happy to just sit on the ground and set up the stove. In fact, I'd prefer it, because I have the ground to spread stuff out. On the other hand, my husband is somewhat inflexible, and finds sitting on the ground - even on an inflated pad - to be very uncomfortable. So for some people, maybe this is a problem-solver.

[12trysomething]

I have a tree shelf made by Klaussinator. Over the 3 years I have owned it I have brought it on about 8-12 trips. It is a luxury item to at the least. There is a clip of it a short ways into my latest trip report. https://youtu.be/m8aSAgGJaw0

[brianb2]

I love the idea of a tree shelf. I've made a couple of them and they seem to work well, but I've never taken them on a trip with me. Maybe when the family comes out with me again. I know the 20 or so things I need to bring, and on the short list of extras the tree shelf never makes the cut. But again, I think it's a cool solution to a problem I'm not sure I need to solve.


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[Damn Yankee]

Don't forget a rolling tray for the Rec's

[ElDuderino]

I want one. Can you make me one heavier than 320grams?

[zelph]

I want one to put my tablet on while I cook on another one. Cook and surf LOL

[ElDuderino]

Will it hold my beverage, man? White Russian.

[saltysack]

I have been thinking about making a tree shelf that would allow me to cook standing up or at least give me a flat sturdy surface so I could quit trying balance my stove on a curved rock or log. Problem is, I could not find a suitable material to build a tray sturdy enough without the weight offsetting the benefit of carrying the tray along in a backpack.

Then , I found out a friend of mine has a CNC machine and had some kind of material made of a thin piece of plastic sandwiched between two thin pieces of aluminum.


So I drew out my design and left the rest to him. Here's the end result.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160522/cc6ef9d1c31a157734df94da5d99bf28.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160522/a58e38b7a9e06d7cc11bb8d65fd4da02.jpg





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Interesting....my problem with your design is that my trekking poles are supporting my tent(solong6)....always set up my tent first as it's usually dark...I recently saw one on s YouTube video...seems interesting but I prefer to sit and cook/eat after a long day...


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[Hikingjim]

that's a very cool design.

Realistically, I would never carry it though. I'm ok to just have a seat and do my stuff. I like to cook on rocks, at a shelter, or just plunk down on some soft ground. Don't need to stand next to a tree

[rocketsocks]

Don't forget a rolling tray for the Rec'ssurface roller :cool:

:)

[schrader]

Interesting....my problem with your design is that my trekking poles are supporting my tent(solong6)....always set up my tent first as it's usually dark...I recently saw one on s YouTube video...seems interesting but I prefer to sit and cook/eat after a long day...


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i can see where poles pulling tent duty would not be available for setting this shelf up. i can set up my tarp in porch mode with one pole, or a limb could work in a pinch.

in my mind, i can see it coming in handy after a rain has soaked everything around me that I may not want to sit or squat on. i tend to prefer hammock camping and do not find myself on the ground very often.

although i'm not an ultralight hiker, per se, i can appreciate not wanting to haul an extra 11 oz. for 2100 miles. my hiking trips are usually no longer than a weekend.

[ElDuderino]

in my mind, i can see it coming in handy after a rain has soaked everything around me that I may not want to sit or squat on. i tend to prefer hammock camping and do not find myself on the ground very often.




yeah, well, you know, that's just like, your opinion, man.

[schrader]

yeah, well, you know, that's just like, your opinion, man.

It's like Lenin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin) said: You look for the person who will benefit, and, uh, uh, you know...you know what I'm trying to say?

[Wise Old Owl]

Brilliant! Here we were thinking that WB posters are just recycling the same old discussions over and over. Wow, something new and original!!
:banana:clap

crap - I thought I saw this before like a bad case of deja-vue..... Now I have to scratch my noggin....

35022

[Wise Old Owl]

Hey yes I have seen this before.... no biggie... glad you got one that was lightweight.


http://hikinghq.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-7432.html

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[ElDuderino]

I am the walrus