DIY backpacking Gear - what do you use

DOSS

DOSS

out
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
292
What DIY backpacking gear do you use to keep your weights down on the trail and pocket book happy :)

I personally use 3 different alcohol stoves (depending on length of trip and food that I am going to be eating each has its own traits), I also have a couple of DIY pots such as the Fosters Beer can pot and bottom of a SS water bottle pot that mate with said stoves, DIY windscreens out of AL oven trays, DIY food cozys for re-hydrating zip-lock meals, I have also modified a multi layer mil spec sleeping bag into a comforter with a foot box (cut down all of the zipper weight as well as a good portion of bag as sleeping bag underneath doesn't actually do much good).

so what are you rolling?
 
Nothing DIY here but how about you post some pics of your homemade stuff?
 
I will have to take some pictures today then :)
 
I've got a DIY gravity water filter system(all except the filter). I have a couple of alcohol stoves that I made as well as wind screens made from aluminium. The cozies(bubble mailing envelopes) that I use for my freezer bag cooking aren't really DIY but they are dirt cheap and not really sold as a cozy. I'll have to get some pics of them.
 
I don't really DIY, but I also don't use much in the way of stoves & the like. I am really bare bones. Up until recently, unless I was snow camping, I wouldn't bother with any hot food at all. Now that I have a Jet Boil stove, I have hot drinks, and I'll make the bagged dehydrated stuff - the things where I can pour boiling water in the package and then eat it. I'm all about not cleaning anything. Dry it out, pack it up, and go.
 
I want pics of the stuff you backpack with and why you chose that. I want recipes for backpacking. I want to learn!! Had so much fun I want to go again but seriously I am intimidated. I know that sounds odd she who will throw herself off a cliff on a mountain bike but I am so there! I said it.
 
cirrus2000 said:
I don't really DIY, but I also don't use much in the way of stoves & the like. I am really bare bones. Up until recently, unless I was snow camping, I wouldn't bother with any hot food at all. Now that I have a Jet Boil stove, I have hot drinks, and I'll make the bagged dehydrated stuff - the things where I can pour boiling water in the package and then eat it. I'm all about not cleaning anything. Dry it out, pack it up, and go.
Click to expand...

I am the same way, any of my food that is hot (when I have hot food) is the dehydrated stuck in a ziplock stuff.. My different alcohol stoves are for when I want just coffee, coffee and other under 1.5 cup water meals and for when my wife joins me and I am needing to cook for 2 :) - note for those not familiar with Alcohol stoves they are poor cold weather tools... Hmm this might be leading towards a Backpacking 101 set of posts..hmmmm
 
DOSS said:
Hmm this might be leading towards a Backpacking 101 set of posts..hmmmm
Click to expand...

I am really liking this idea! Last year I started building a section to the blog site called 'Backpacking 101' but I never got it going and it would have just been my ways of doing things. Much better to do it here in the forum!
 
Here are some photos of a pop can alcohol stove. Mmmmmmmmm Mt Dew!!!!!
I have never used it to cook anything. I think I would need a pot stand to give a little space between the top of the stove and the pot bottom.

I built it using the info/plans from here: http://zenstoves.net/

Pop Can Stove 1.JPGPop Can Stove 2.JPGPop Can Stove 3.JPG
 
ibenick said:
I am really liking this idea! Last year I started building a section to the blog site called 'Backpacking 101' but I never got it going and it would have just been my ways of doing things. Much better to do it here in the forum!
Click to expand...

That's a wonderful idea! Being a total noob, I would really appreciate such a section.:)
 
A year or so back I traveled with a pop can stove that I made. Loved it. I cooked Fajitas, spicy tuna and rice etc. Point is, regardless of what has been said on the web, These aren't limited. You can really cook on these, not just heat water. It does take getting your stuff prepared and organized though. Depending on fuel etc. you get about 15 minutes of burn time so you got to think about the sequence of what you're cooking to maximize the burn time.
Sometime last summer I switched over to small vargo stove that works on the same principle of pop can stove but is more durable.
 
pixie1339 said:
That's a wonderful idea! Being a total noob, I would really appreciate such a section.:)
Click to expand...
Can't find the original thread for the backpacking 101 thread. I would very much like to see everyones ideas. I have a lot of experience hiking and car camping but I am just begining to backpack. So far I have only done 2 true backpacking trips.
 
Waynee-ack said:
Can't find the original thread for the backpacking 101 thread. I would very much like to see everyones ideas. I have a lot of experience hiking and car camping but I am just begining to backpack. So far I have only done 2 true backpacking trips.
Click to expand...

We haven't actually done the Backpacking 101 threads. We did start quite a few about different topics like water filters, stoves, etc. Perhaps one of these days we'll refine it into something more readable. In the meantime, if you don't find the answer to your question, just start a thread on the subject. Plenty of experienced backpackers willing to share around here. :)
 
Some of my DIY gear consits of a cat food can stove, and I made tyvek bivys for my boys ages 4 to 9, they love sleeping out under they open sky or under a tarp. Not really a DIY but I took my sons Mountainsmith youth pack that weighed in at 3.9lbs and took a razor blade to it and made some modifications and droped the weight down to 2.3lbs. Also made ultra light camp sandles out of elastic cord and foam from a sleeping pad.


Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2
 
Took an old cheap "kmart" tent that had broken poles and re-purposed the rain fly. I cut it up in to various ground cloths.
 
stove 1.jpg
HomerJ said:
Here are some photos of a pop can alcohol stove. Mmmmmmmmm Mt Dew!!!!!
I have never used it to cook anything. I think I would need a pot stand to give a little space between the top of the stove and the pot bottom.

I built it using the info/plans from here: http://zenstoves.net/

View attachment 43View attachment 44View attachment 45
Click to expand...
View attachment 8442
View attachment 8442stove2.jpg

I saw the comment and thought I would upload something my son and I did to kill time over Christmas break. We just made the stand from stuff we found in the hardware isle at Wal-Mart.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top