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View Full Version : Making your own gear, your thoughts.



AjR
10-11-2012, 21:37
So I was researching ways to go lighter, with things such as bags, tents, sleeping bags, food, etc. and I came across this guy on YouTube ChemicalCraig. Apparently this guy decided that the market was not up to par with light weight gear. I was quite frustrated at this point, because as you can imagine, trying to find a two person tent under four or five pounds, is not easy. My wife hikes with me every where, so coming up with light weight gear is really challenging sometimes. Now this guy threw a totally new concept at me; just make your own gear! Apparently, with decent sewing skills, you can make everything from tarp tents, backpacks, to stuff sacks for your clothes that doubles as a pillow! In my opinion, this is the right way to go, I even made my first successful alcohol stove. Now, what I want to know is the hiking communities general thoughts on this. Do you fabricate your own gear? Have you before, and did it work out right? What are some ideas that ya'll are willing to share? I think this is a great concept, as you get the option of full customization, and the innovation would give me a sense of pride.

AjR
10-11-2012, 21:45
Oh yeah, my wife and I have a page on facebook that if anyone has any good advice, or just wants to get in touch with other hikers, is more than welcome to like, or post, or send a message. It is https://www.facebook.com/aaatth?ref=hl. Thanks for any advice, and all your thoughts!

jakedatc
10-11-2012, 21:59
" because as you can imagine, trying to find a two person tent under four or five pounds, is not easy" why? there are tons.

BA fly creek 2, BA seedhouse 2, BA copper spur 2 Tarptent double rainbow, Tarptent squall, tarptent stratospire, Lightheart Duo, Black Diamond Mirage 2, Black diamond HiLight 2

to name a few..... can also look up Bilgy for a home made pattern.

I sewed my own summer synthetic quilt.

if you want to see really light MYOG stuff.. http://www.lytw8.com/My_Gear.html

many threads here too for UL stuff
(http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/display_forum.html?forum=38)http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/display_forum.html?forum=38

swjohnsey
10-11-2012, 22:01
Finding a two person tent under four pounds ain't hard at all. Try Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2. I make some of my own gear, I think the last was a coozy for my cooking pot, infinately superior to anything I have found on the market.

AjR
10-11-2012, 22:03
" because as you can imagine, trying to find a two person tent under four or five pounds, is not easy" why? there are tons.

BA fly creek 2, BA seedhouse 2, BA copper spur 2 Tarptent double rainbow, Tarptent squall, tarptent stratospire, Lightheart Duo, Black Diamond Mirage 2, Black diamond HiLight 2



Sorry, I meant affordable for my pay...lol

jakedatc
10-11-2012, 22:06
Some MYOG is cheaper... sometimes it is fairly equal. good fabric costs $ and you need pretty big pieces for tents, quilts/bags etc. plus you need to know what you are doing when constructing them to be usable. I plan on buying a 20* down quilt because the materials cost almost as much and i'd rather have someone that has far better skills put it together.

cabbagehead
10-11-2012, 23:06
I haven't found any store blindfolds that meet my durability and light resistance standards. That's why I came up with this.
You will want one of these if you're hiking in a hot desert. It will allow you to sleep better during the day. I also wear mine at night.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZRYn8yAj2c

Theosus
10-11-2012, 23:17
Some MYOG is cheaper... sometimes it is fairly equal. good fabric costs $ and you need pretty big pieces for tents, quilts/bags etc. plus you need to know what you are doing when constructing them to be usable. I plan on buying a 20* down quilt because the materials cost almost as much and i'd rather have someone that has far better skills put it together.

Agreed! Made my own synthetic under quilt. It was fun but cost me around $130 for materials and took me a while. Then there was the $30 stuff sack. For a little more money I could have gotten a down quilt. I was considering making a down top quilt, but with material costs and sewing time and down apparently being a PITA to work with and measure and get all over you, I think I'd rather just buy one from hammock gear or somewhere.

jakedatc
10-11-2012, 23:34
My synthetic was less than i could buy it and only weighs 12oz. my gf is crafty and helped out some and we got it done in a few hours. down is more labor intensive and down itself is pricey. I'm hoping to get a Enlightened Gear 20* at some point. he makes quality stuff

Slo-go'en
10-12-2012, 00:55
DIY is good if you got the skills and the tools to do a proper job. Just like camping it's self, there is some minimum amount of equipement (tools) you need and it will take some time to learn the skills to do a good job. Then there is also the problem of finding the proper matterials in small quanities. However, the biggest problem is with design and making patterns. That will make or break the project. When you buy something, a lot of what your buying is someone's design efforts.

With the idea that I might make my own tent, I bought a little "toy" Singer sewing machine at the local trift store for $9.00 the other day. First I'll try making some scale models and see how it goes. I have an idea for an unusually shaped tent and want to see if it is actually a practical design.

AjR
10-12-2012, 01:13
DIY is good if you got the skills and the tools to do a proper job. Just like camping it's self, there is some minimum amount of equipement (tools) you need and it will take some time to learn the skills to do a good job. Then there is also the problem of finding the proper matterials in small quanities. However, the biggest problem is with design and making patterns. That will make or break the project. When you buy something, a lot of what your buying is someone's design efforts.

With the idea that I might make my own tent, I bought a little "toy" Singer sewing machine at the local trift store for $9.00 the other day. First I'll try making some scale models and see how it goes. I have an idea for an unusually shaped tent and want to see if it is actually a practical design.
My wife come from a long background of sewers, so I don't think the pattern will be hard. As far as the proper materials, we've already found them, and it's just going to be cheaper to make everything from the backpack, tent, stuff sacks, and possibly a quilt or bag. As we speak, we're drawing up the 'blueprints', and possibly about to start cutting out the pattern. If anyone needs help getting started with this, we'll keep you up to date, just like our page on face book, so that you can follow our progress.

Blackbeard30
10-12-2012, 11:29
I made a down quilt that I use in the summer. I gutted a few down jackets and used that (I am aware that the quality may not be as good as the kind you can order). Total cost was about $55. I even got a few stuff sacks and a food bag out of the material.

If your going to start making your own stuff, start with simpler things and work up from there. I'm thinking of making my own tent. I just have to figure out if will be cost effective.

Rocket Jones
10-12-2012, 12:22
My daughter is a professionally trained seamstress (theater costumer), so I have a ready and *free* resource that some don't. Most of my stuff sacks are made to order, but I also use the 3-bag set WalMart sells because you can't beat the price - period. Ziploc makes a gigantic double seal bag that I use for clothes, it's nice to be able to see what you're looking for inside.

We made one of the Jardine synthetic quilt kits and I'm very happy with it. Took us a day, her experience was invaluable. I have an enlightend equipment down quilt on order right now. Very good price, about a pound lighter and much more compressable.

For summer use, I made a flannel quilt. Works great.

I also used a modified field jacket liner as my insulation layer, thanks to Sgt. Rock's excellent "dirtbag" instructions. That is being retired this year because I got a great deal on a down jacket. Again, a little lighter and much more compressable.

I use a SuperCat stove and a custom FBC cozy. Most of my 'kitchen' is homemade.

Home made gear definitely has its place. It's not always the end-all, be-all, but it can be perfectly serviceable. Don't be afraid to upgrade though, even if it means you have to buy a piece of gear. Look for deals.

HooKooDooKu
10-12-2012, 13:14
If you have the skill, DIY can result in products that are far superior than store bought stuff because you can customize the gear to your exact needs. By contrast, store bought products have to be made for the masses and appeal to a wide audience to be commercially viable.

However, don't under estimate the possible "cost" of an education trying to learn some of the skills that might be necessary. You have to be prepared for the cost of trying to make something, making mistakes, throwing away your mistakes, and trying again.

A rather mundane personal example was my recent construction of a 6.5 oz. monopoly game. I had taught my son to play monopoly and he loved it. So I wanted to be able to take the game with us camping. But a standard monopoly game weights around 2 lbs with paper that wouldn't enjoy the humidity. My 6.5 oz. game cost me over $100 and 40 hours of labor to construct. But that includes the things I made, tested, and had to throw away because it just wasn't going to work. With what I know now, I could rebuild that monopoly game for about $25 in 15 hours from scratch, or $7 in 7 hours reusing templates and left overs from making the 1st one.

AjR
10-12-2012, 20:02
This is all great insight. There are some things that i have my doubts making right now, like a sleeping bag for example, but I have faith in my wife and I. My mother, who sews for everybody and makes her own patterns, has agreed to help us, so I'm not too worried. The hard thing right now, is measuring out and cutting out all the patterns for our backpacks, so that we know how much fabric we're going to need for it.