Homemade Gear Forum?

[SGT Rock]

Do you guys think we need a homemade gear forum?

Please comment.

BTW, I'm working on my new stove LOL!

[slabfoot]

sgt. rock,

It would be useful to me. So far I've made three alchohol stoves, primaloft quilt, backpack and all my stuffsacks and dittybags. TLB homade gear site, Ray J's site and the Hiking HQ have been very useful. Nothing is as gratifying as testing out your homemade gear onthe trail. right now I' trying to find if someone near Harrisburg PA has a Hennessy Hammock I could take a look at. Nothing quite like a good project come winter and cold wx.

[Hammock Hanger]

I'm currently working on a homemade pack, to be called the Pax Wrap. My take on a geasr skin only different. Hammock Hanger

[Dan Bowen]

I am a big person,my sleeping bag is a very large mummybag.I can not find a bag liner that will fit(or that I can fit in)I am going to make one.Any suggestions on what to use and where to get ? I know some are made of silk.Will that last long?I want it to last a thru-hike.
I also think a homemade section would be very helpful.

[Minerva]

Dan,
Give a look at the site thru-hiker.com

Good instructions on how to make your stuff sack. I suggest using silnylon over silk fabric.

[ez-does-it]

Slabfoot,
I don't know if this will help but did you try the outfitters in Port Clinton Pa. they are on Penn Stret and called the Appalachian Outfitters
# (610) 562-9343 M-F 12-8, Sa 8-8
I hope in some small way this will help you out.

[SGT Rock]

I tend to agree about making your own gear. Another thing I've found is this: I sometimes get ideas about what would be a better way to do something and instead of shelling out $100-$200 on a new piece of gear, I can make something and try it out. If it works, then I can improve the design or buy a better one later.

I just love the looks I get when I pull out my tiny little stove tho. Stoves facinate me. I'm working on getting the fuel/weight efficiency to the point where they are better than esbit. I'm almost there.

I've got a homemade silk liner, pretty easy stuff even without a pattern. I found it about as expensive to make as just buying one though.

I've modified some clothing. Best thing I can reccomend is field jacket and pants liners. As light as the best fleece, as warm as that fleece, stuffs better, but $5 to $10 for each piece. Just a little sewing to customize it.

I've made a pack but prefer the Moonbow Gearskin.

I've also done stuff like combined my stake bag and food sack so that I can use my stake bag to throw a rock over a tree limb to hang my bag.

It's all about making the gear fit your style.

Anyway, I'll see if I can get admin to add a forum for that.

[Hammock Hanger]

I am a big person,my sleeping bag is a very large mummybag.I can not find a bag liner that will fit(or that I can fit in)I am going to make one.Any suggestions on what to use and where to get ? I know some are made of silk


I made my silk liner last year and used it every single day. It is great because you can wash it when you wash your clothes. Use it as additional warmth when cold or alone on hot summer nights. I use 100% silk which I brought at Joanne Etc. Which is a nationwide fabric store. They are also online. Any fabric store should have 100% silk. It is not cheap but if you watch for sales you can get a deal.

Did you check the Salt Design liner site? (www.designsalt.com) They sell liners of all types, silk, silk/cotton, CoolMax, cotton/fannel. I used a CoolMax on a few years back, it was great but my daughter stole it.

Good Luck, Hammock Hanger

[slabfoot]

ez-does-it

thanks for the response. I know if I can see one and note the way the netting is hemmed in and the support lines are hemmed and bundled I can reproduce a usable hammock for field testing. Of course if I wasn't such a cheap-skate I would buy one as the prices seem very reasonable. I did buy a go-lite breeze for $69 dollars to study some very solid design. It was a bit too small for me but it provided a good pattern and example of commercial stitching. I tried a pepsi stove and it did not compare favorably to my cat stove. After shrinking it to about 3/4 in. total ht. and using 32 pinholes on the burner with 1/2 in. ht of a fairly good pack on the insulation, that bugger cooks like crazy. A pot cozy of blue closed cell foam finishes off the kitchen very handily. 200 degrees takes 20 minutes to drop to 150 degrees. the little bugger will cook about any backpack meal I can imagine short of brownrice. And the entire kitchen weighs only 8 1/2 oz. I just went to wamart and bought the fleece bag. Only $15 dollars and I have 240 grams of garment grade fleece to make winter caps, mittens and socks out of. My God, a sewing machine pays for itself in no time at all in gear and pleasure!