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A case for backpacking quilts

January 23, 2012 DIY, gear 0

This one is for all you out there that sleep like a log. A log that doesn’t roll around.

In the pursuit of lightening the pack load and saving my back while carrying my kids’ backpacking gear I’ve been doing a lot of reading on backpacking quilts. They’re lighter and smaller, but just as warm. And here’s why.

Insulation


We’ve all heard talk of loft. We’ve all seen the puffy Michelin man jackets and there’s some logic to it all. A lot  in fact. It’s trapped air and loft that prevents your warmth escaping and prevents the cold from entering. The more loft you have, the warmer you stay… in theory.

Think about all that insulation in your roof.  You go into your attic or loft and find lots of the stuff lying around. The thicker it is, the less money you spend on heating in winter. They try to sell you more expensive insulation that you need less of because it insulates better. That’s the same thing that happens with sleeping bags.

Your cheap sleeping bags do a good job as they use tons of cheap insulation. They also weigh a ton. Or at least 4 or 5 pounds for a good winter bag. Your expensive bags use less, but higher quality insulation and that saves you weight, allowing for a lot of weight savings. To give you an idea, I have a cheap 40 degree bag that has a list weight of 3.7 lbs. I have a down bag with the same listed temperature that has a weight of 1 lb 6 oz. The down bag is also about a third of the size when uncompressed.

If weight and space is an issue for you parents or you UL backpackers it may be worth forking out a bit more to buy a good down bag. There’ll be less grumbling at a sore back and more time to enjoy the scenery.

How to effectively use insulation

Vaude’s down bag design

But how can you save more weight? As has been shown, insulation insulates when it has loft. When you lie on it, it looses most of its insulating properties. That means, that all that weight of insulation that you’re lying on is practically useless; especially if you use a sleeping pad that will do that job for you.

That’s why people have been turning to quilts. They save you that weight by not having a zipper or the extra fabric and insulation that you would normally lie on. It allows you to shave off weight and save space for other stuff in your pack.

To give you an example, Golite has been making quilts and sleeping bags for a while now. Comparing their Adrenaline 800+ goose down bag with their Ultralight 800+ goose down quilt shows a significant difference in weight.

Golite ultralight down (800+) quilt – rating 20°F / -7°C Weight: 1 lb. 8 oz.
Golite Adrenaline down (800+) mummy bag – rating 20°F / -7°C Weight: 2 lbs. 3 oz. 

By cutting down on materials and insulation, the weight drops over half a pound on an already very light sleeping bag.

Do It Yourself

Making my own sleeping bag scares me. I’m not a stranger to a sewing machine, but making a down quilt seems like a big project. However, converting a sleeping bag into a quilt doesn’t scare me, just my wife. It’s doable. I’m working on a project now that copies the Big Agnes idea of replacing the bottom insulation of a sleeping bag with a sleeping pad. I’ve cut out a couple hundred grams and a bunch of space.

The other benefit, especially for down bags is that you can take all that bottom insulation and put it on the top to make a warm weather bag take you further into the winter season.

If you’re looking to do some DIY, why not check out the following links for some ideas?

Purebound.com’s mummy bag to quilt conversion
Thru-hiker’s down quilt project (for the brave (or bold) seamster/stress

May Survival Trip Update

January 15, 2012 gear, survival 0

Not to long ago I asked for advice on what to take on a survival trip in May in the BC mountains. Keep the ideas coming! We’ve had some great ones.

One thing that I picked up from Sierra Trading post and am considering taking a long on a trip is the Adventure Medical Kits SOL Survival pack I got it on sale for $8.97, so I bought two! It’s a simple, prepackaged kit. It could be a good test of what one of these kits can do.


Here’s what is inside:

  • Ideal for backcountry skiing, backpacking, boating and hiking
  • Waterproof pouch with items that address top priorities in survival situations
  • Pack intended to supply one person with survival needs
  • Waterproof, windproof Heatsheet survival blanket reflects 90% of body heat back to you and provides shelter from the elements
  • Mini Rescue Flash signal mirror is visible from over ten miles away
  • Slim rescue howler whistle can be heard over one mile away
  • Waterproof, windproof matches in watertight vial with submersible striker
  • Tinder-Quick waterproof tinder burns for two to three minutes so you can start a fire
  • Survival fishing and sewing kit includes fishing or sewing line, fishing hooks, needle, snap swivel and safety pins
  • Accurate, liquid-damped and fast-acting 20mm survival compass
  • Weight: 5.8 oz.
  • Material: Includes 1 – 2×50” duct tape 1 – Liquid-filled button compass 7- Waterproof matches 1 – Fire Lite fire striker 1 – Fishing gear in vial 1 – Heatsheet survival blanket 1 – Mini rescue flash signal mirror 1 – Mini rescue howler whistle 4 – Tinder Quick pieces

I will probably add a couple this as was suggested to spice it up (like paracord), but I don’t want to bring too much.

What do you think? have you had any experience with AMK products?

Gear Review: Fold-A-Cup

January 12, 2012 gear, review 2

I’ll be honest. When I first bought this, I was NOT thinking about taking it hiking. To me, the Fold-A-Cup fell into the category of dollar store gifts. The concept was cool and I figured that my kids would love the idea of a cup that folded up very small and that they could use on camping/hiking trips. However, when I ended up using it it became upgraded to a must bring, and not just for the kids.

I’m a DIY guy at heart. I’d rather recycle something or make it myself if it’s going to be cheaper and will occupy my afternoon. I don’t like spending money if I can make something of the same (or better) quality. Yes, time is money, but free time is well… free money! But after making my own DIY mug (made of an old shaving cream can) and burning my lips on a backpacking trip last summer (despite a silicone ring around the top) I coughed up a few bucks and bough myself the “Original” FOLD-A-CUP.

I’m glad I did. Not just because it made a permanent residence on my desk as a therapeutic toy, but eventually because of how great it is for what it does. After getting over the gimmic status, I started to try it out. Not only was it less weight than my DIY cup, but it packed down smaller and wasn’t a danger of burning my lips when a hot drink was in it.




Just the facts:


Let’s look at the facts:

  • It’s a cup. What did you expect?
  • Oh, and it folds.
  • It’s made of rugged plastic.
  • It holds 7 to 8 oz of coffee
  • Guaranteed not to leak
  • crush proof plastic (also makes julian fries*. it will not break!) sorry for the cultural reference. *Does not actually make julian fries.
  • It weighs in at just under an ounce.
  • Folded dimensions: 27mm x 70mm x 90mm (1.1″x2.8″x3.5″)
  • Price: $4-$7
What I like:

Honestly, I was afraid of how it would handle hot water. I’ve seen thicker plastics fare much worse. This seems just as rigid with boiling water as with cold. It doesn’t burn the lips and even the dinky little handle is easily used and doesn’t get floppy with hot water.
After giving it to the kids to play with and after fiddling with it for a few months, I doubt I have the fear of it breaking on me. It’s easy to fold and unfold and you don’t have to be gentle with it.
Finally, I was worried about a plastic-y taste with hot beverages, but I haven’t noticed any. It could be that my coffee is too strong though ;).
Room for improvement?

There are two things that could improve this cup. The first is increasing the size and the other is offering a different color.
8 oz is sufficient for a cup of coffee, but increasing it to 12 ounces wouldn’t cost too much. It does show that we have been conquered by the coffee industry in the expectation of more beverage.  The downside obviously would be a (slightly) heavier cup that was a bit larger.

This cup comes in olive drab (dark green) and also in a yellowy model. I could see this being a problem for the lazy camper. Put it down somewhere and you might just loose it. Something with higher visibility like florescent yellow with florescent green polka-dots would guarantee that you’d be able to find it (if not raise a few eyebrows). OK, so maybe the color suggestion is extreme, but you get the idea.
Conclusions
I know many are snowpeak users, but for those hiking in small groups where a 2nd or third cup is needed, this is a very practical mug that is light and packs up small. You probably won’t even notice it there. It’s cheaper and lighter than a snow peak and keeps the coffee smell out of your mac and cheese! I’ll be looking out for more.

Buy it?

Gear Review: Katadyn Hiker backpacking filter

December 26, 2011 gear, review 0

In the search for good gear, more than anything we trust our friends. Even better if they’re family! My brother-in-law has had his Katadyn Hiker for some time now and so I asked him to write me a review of it. Here it is and it definitely looks like something worth picking up! Thanks Graeme!



The Katadyn Hiker
by Graeme A.

Not long after getting hooked on backpacking, one of the first items I purchased for my kit was a water filter. After comparing a number of water filters, I settled on the Katadyn Hiker. After 3 years of using it on 2-3 backpacking trips per year, it has proven to be a durable and reliable filter.
In its raw statistics, the Katadyn Hiker has all of the filtering ability you would want while out in the back country, filtering out common disease causing organisms with a 0.3 micron filter. What sets the Katadyn Hiker apart from other filters is that its specifications seek a balance of weight, size, and output at a reasonable cost.


At 11oz weight, it is not suited for an ultra-light kit, but still not too heavy for a serious backpacker.

It is not the smallest filter out there, but can easily fit into a normal backpack and daypack.

It pumps a respectable 1 liter per minute which is not the fastest out there, but can handle the water needs for about 3 people without delaying the trek too much.

It makes this highly respectable showing at a cost which is generally about 10-25 % less than other filters, which for a backpacker who desires reasonable quality without having to hand over a lot of money, is a definite bonus.

Using the filter is mostly comfortable. The pump handle is comfortable and has sufficient range of motion to keep your hands comfortable. Pumping a liter of water is not difficult, but it does get tiring once you’ve filtered 1.5 liters. The trick with this filter is pulling on the handle only sufficient to draw in water. Pump too quickly and you need extra strength to maintain the vacuum to draw in the water, and you will likely not capture the full output.

This filter has a number of extra benefits which the core statistics don’t mention. The Katadyn Hiker has both input and output hoses, which can give this filter quite a bit of reach. This is very handy when travelling in a group as the extra hose can easily extend to the person managing the water containers. On the outlet hose the Katadyn Hiker has an attachment designed to fit on most water bottles and hydration packs that are on the market today.

This filter is not without its issues though. Having a lot of extra hose as well as both input and output hoses can create quite a challenge preventing cross contamination of the output water and the input water especially while in the bag on the trail. I store my outlet hose in a Ziploc bag, which adds a bit of time to the process, and takes some getting used to until one gets into the habit.

While the upfront cost is relatively low, the cost of replacement filter elements is on par with other filters, none of which are especially cheap. A single trip pumping from very murky silty water can easily reduce your filters life to zero. If you must use water that is silty, put the water in another container and let the silt settle a bit before pumping.



In a recent 3 day backpacking trip to the Ozette Triangle near the Washington State coast, the Rangers passed on handy trick to add a bit of extra mileage to the filter, a trick that the Katadyn Hiker is especially suited for: When hiking in areas where the water have a bit more particulate or tannins, wrapping the prefilter with a coffee filter and securing it to the input hose with a rubber band can help extend the filter’s life by acting as a pre-pre-filter.

In Summary:

Advantages:

  •          Decent weight, size and output
  •           Lower cost
  •           Input and output hoses makes for great reach when backpacking in a group.

Disadvantages:

  •           Not the lightest or smallest filter on the market.
  •           Takes longer to filter water when filtering for 2-3 people.


The final verdict:

The Katadyn Hiker manages to produce a respectable weight, size, and output at a very good price. This filter is best suited to backpackers who don’t mind carrying a little bit extra weight and volume in order to have a solid, good quality filter for their backcountry adventures.

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Gear Review: Etón Clipray

December 13, 2011 gear, review, video 3

It’s winter and more than any time of year you need to be prepared for emergencies. A piece of gear you shouldn’t be without is a flashlight. I’d been eyeing a dynamo powered flashlight for a while and dropped the money on one by Etón corp. I’ve been aware of Etón for a while, I knew that they were partnered with the American Red Cross, but there was something else that caught my eye about one of their products.

About a month ago, I decided to add a Clipray to the cart when I bought a new backup harddrive for my computer. Why a Clipray? Well, not just because it was a dynamo powered flashlight, or it’s durable housing and components, but because it also includes a USB charger. First impressions were good and now that I’ve had a bit of a chance to play around with it and try out the features I decided to put together this review (along with a video).

The Clipray (one of their American Red Cross branded tools) is marketed as a “Hand Crank LED Flashlight with USB Cell Phone Chargers and Carabiner clip, excellent for Emergencies & Outdoors”. Let’s put it to the test. (Video at the end of the blog post)

Just the facts
So here’s the low down:
Features
  • Powerful LED flashlight
  • Crank powered
  • USB cell phone charger
  • Hands free carabiner clip
Specs
  • 2.25”x 6”x 1.25”(W x H x D) or
  • 57.15 x 152.4 x 31.75 mm (W x H x D)
  • Weight: 4.9 oz. (138 g)*
*Mine was 134g woohoo! (I love products that are more than honest with specs.)
Reviewing the Features
 
Well let’s look at the features one by one on the product.

 

Powerful LED flashlight LED flashlights are always guilty of have great visibility (you can see it) but can suffer from providing great visibility (what you can see with it). Add to that the fact that this is a hand cranked flashlight and you need to be extra careful on how much energy draw your LEDs make. Well as an emergency flashlight this is more than adequate. The visibility was good with it, providing both width and distance. Don’t mistake it for a headlamp or maglite, it’s not that, nor does it claim to be. It’s good at what it meant for.

 

Crank Let’s analyze this one. It has a crank that feels tough. They didn’t cheap out on materials and put the effort into making something ergonomically pleasing. There’s no bumping of the fingers while you crank and while the knob for your finger could be a millimeter or two bigger, it is very easy to get a good grip on. When you’re not using the crank, it stores away nice and securely.
Powered The cranking functions well,  but a sacrifice in putting in better LEDs is that the battery drains more quickly. It’s no problem to charge, but you will get a work out if you need to use it for long periods of time. I found it best to charge when you don’t need it so that it’s ready to use when you do.
My son wanted to help out. “It’s so easy, even children can use it!”

 

USB cell phone charger I won’t lie, this feature was what made me buy the flashlight. Dynamo flashlights are incredibly common and the technology is pretty well proven, but the ability to charge a USB device was something new to me. This part gave me mixed emotions (as you’ll see on the video) as I forgot that it was an emergency device. If your phone or MP3 player is dead then you’ll need to put in some work (1 minute of steady cranking gave me 3 1/2 minutes of audio with the screen set to turn off after 10 seconds.) I haven’t tested it with a cell phone yet.
Oh, one more thing, the USB only charges while cranking, there’s no ability to charge from the battery unfortunately.

 

Hands free carabiner clip I assume by hands free they meant that you can slip it on without needing to open the spring loaded carabiner. A bit of pressure does that for you. You’d need to use your hands to open it though. It’s an ok carabiner for the purpose. I don’t see it breaking in the near future, but don’t do heavy bushwhacking with this hanging off your hip. In normal situations it should be fine.
Conclusions




Well, as a emergency device, this is a great tool. I definitely would keep this in my car glove box and in an easy to reach place at home.
The USB charger is a great feature that works, albeit with a bit of work. I bought this with a dream of thru-hiking the AT, PCT or CDT and using the USB charger for charging a cellphone/MP3 device. I think I will first do some weekend tests to see how it works out on those before committing myself to this and giving up my headlamp.
Over all? I’m very happy with it, the kids love to play with it and I’m not afraid of it breaking. Plus, at only $15 on amazon, how can you go wrong? I would tell friends it’s great to keep on hand for emergencies, but to be realistic about the USB charging. I’m also considering this as a gift to friends for their glove box.
Video

Gear Review: Vaude Ice Peak 150 37 degree down bag

December 9, 2011 gear, review, video 6

A few months back I entered to win my choice of gear up to a $150 value on one of Sierra Trading Post‘s 25th Anniversary giveaways (@sierratp on twitter). I had been looking for a down sleeping bag and when I saw the specs on the Vaude Ice Peak 150 Down bag I had to choose it. Luckily I won! I have been meaning to do a review for a while and so I finally got out the camera and put together a video (see below). But before that I want to show a bit more about this bag.


Specs

  • 650 fill European Goose Down 90/10 down/feather
  • Lightweight fabric with water-repellent treatment
    • Shell material: 20 denier polyester ripstop Lining material: 20 denier polyester
  • Body-contoured mummy cut
  • Warmth collar and pillow compartment inside hood*
  • Long side zip from collar to foot section
  • Temp rating: 37°F
  • Girth (shoulder/hip/foot): 59/56/40″
  • Fits to: 6′ Length: 79″
  • Stuff size: 11×5″
  • Compression sack with pocket
  • Weight: 1 lbs. 6 oz.
  • Made in China

What I like about it

As a 1 to 2 season bag I’m quite happy with this. My favorite aspects of the bag are weight and compressed size.

The listed weight on this bag is 1 lbs 6 oz or 700 grams. Mine was actually a bit less (650 grams) and that is probably because it lacks a bit of insulating power.  This weight can easily be dropped half an ounce by cutting down the compression straps.

When I ordered the bag I was surprised at the stuff size (11″ x 5″) and I assumed that was compressed. It wasn’t. That’s right, when you tighten the compression sack you can get this thing down to 7″ x 5″. I fit both this and my shelter (a golite cave) in my daughter’s school backpack and the size and weight combination meant it was easy for her to pack around! I might get her to carry them on the next backpacking trip!

I’m working on getting my base weight down for backpacking so I assumed that I would be adding a few degrees by wearing warm clothes inside the bag. I got a shock when (after ordering the bag) I saw a review saying there wasn’t any space for that! Well fortunately for my 5′ 10″, 170 lb frame I had plenty of room to spare and my puffy vest fit well on top of me inside the bag (see video for more details).

The sleeping bag boasts a trapezoidal baffle system, which means that you get the benefit of all that down without any cold spots.

There is an additional baffle across the zipper that prevents heat loss. A very nice feature.

What I would improve

As I said before, my bag was a bit underweight. While that would be nice for a tent or backpack, when it comes to a sleeping bag I’d rather have an ounce more of down fill and sleep a bit more comfortably. As well, the rating on the sleeping bag itself says 7 degree Celsius limit, which isn’t the 37 degrees advertised.

The name “Ice peak” covers the whole line of bags, but to me I would never consider this something worthy of an “ice peak”. Perhaps “cool summer peak”, but not Ice peak.

The material, although light have allowed a few pieces of down to escape already in its limited use.

There is no “warmth collar” as advertised. Unless they are referring to the pull string that tightens the mummy top. There is no neck baffle like there is for the zipper.

The bag temperature rating is not accurate. It rates the limit of temperature at 2 degrees Celsius (35 F). At 7 degrees (45 F) I was getting quite chilly in my tarp tent. At that point I added my puffy vest and fleece sweater around my ankles and slept comfortably. It is advertised online as a 35-40 degree bag and I can’t imagine being out in that weather without extra layers.

The zipper works well but to save a couple grams they used one that tends to get stuck when you zip it. It doesn’t look cheap though, just light weight.

The Conclusion:

Ok, I’m very happy with this bag as a 1-2 season bag. It is compact and light and keeps you warm down to the recommended warmth rating. I bought this to be used with insulating clothing layers to bring the temperature up without being pack weight up. It will do for that.

I was hoping for a couple more degrees on the bag (the 37 degrees F (3 degrees C) advertised on all websites) which would have made below freezing nights comfortable with extra layers.

Expect a long term review sometime in the long term.

Where can I buy this or other Vaude Ice Peak bags?

At the Sierra trading post starting at $144. 

2012 Tenkara USA flies: winning a Tenkara giveaway

December 6, 2011 gear, review 0

Jason Klass’ Setup

For about three years I took Japanese lessons in high school. I would have kept going but there weren’t enough students. We dabbled in culture as well as the language, but they never told me about Tenkara fly fishing.  I’ve been intrigued with the simplicity and effectiveness of Tenkara fly fishing, especially being a lover of small stream fly fishing since I was a kid. If you’re new to the blog a while ago Jason Klass wrote up a 101 on the subject for me so take a look. But this post isn’t about the 101 it’s about a recent giveaway by Tenkara USA’s founder Daniel Galhardo that I managed to win.

Daniel’s package arrived yesterday via first class mail and after a quick photo session I thought I’d show you what he sent.

There was a fabric Tenkara USA patch, Tenkara USA sticker, a very beautifully laid out color guide book giving the history of Tenakra, as well as information on the rods and how to choose one that will suit you. And most importantly, there were the six flies promised. These flies are new to Tenkara USA and will go on sale in 2012.

I thought I’d show you a few of them to see how amazing they are and the quality of workmanship.

Thanks again Daniel! I can’t wait to try these out!

Take a look at Tenkara USA, their blog and of course their gear shop.

DIY: Winter Projects – Helle Knives

November 28, 2011 DIY, gear, review 2

Well it’s winter time and it’s getting dark early. It’s time to retire to the shop/work bench and get busy on those projects that you’ve been wanting to try.  In spring I posted an article about working with Helle knife blanks and it’s about time for a follow up.

I always wanted to make a forge and start hammering away at high carbon steel until I could produce my very own knife. Although it is still on my list of to dos, I know that it won’t happen for some time. Never fear, with my limited skills and tools I was able to get a hold of Helle’s high quality blade blanks (just the metal blade and tine) and work away on nice hardwoods and other materials to produce a completed product that while not completely original is still completely unique.

Since that article I’ve completed 3 knives and have a couple more in the works. I thought I’d show what I’ve gotten done with only a power drill and a couple hand tools.

Knife 1: Helle Triple Laminate, stainless steel Harding Blade. A combination of Ecuadorian hardwood that I salvaged from a piece of hardwood flooring, Ecuadorian leather and Ecuadorian Tagua (Vegetable Ivory).

All the pieces prepped for gluing.
Glued and ready for sanding

Sanded, oiled with linseed oil and next to the hand stitched sheath that I made.

 Knife 2: Triple Laminate high carbon Helle Tollekniv Blade with Peruvian Olive wood, leather and Tagua.

Sanded, oiled and next to a WIP sheath that I’m making.

Nice and snug in its sheath.

Knife 3: Helle Triple Laminate, stainless steel Harding Blade. Oversized handle of Peruvian Olive wood, tagua and leather.

This is a special WIP project that I hope to explain in more detain in the future.

The work so far is average, but one thing I’m really satisfied with is how the grain travels through each piece of olive wood. Quite beautiful.

So, what do I use?

  • 2 ton, 2 part epoxy.
  • Helle blade blanks
  • Hardwood
  • Leather
  • Tagua
  • Power drill
  • Hand saw
  • sand paper
  • Sanding wheel
  • Vice
It’s a pretty straightforward project, but wrap the blade while working with it so you don’t damage it or yourself. The blades come extremely sharp and hold and edge pretty well so personal injury is possible.

How do I feel about the Helle blades? The laminated blades make them harder to break, but also mean that the outside is softer and easier to damage by scratching or scraping. The downside of the softer outer shell is that it makes it nigh impossible to spark a ferrocerium rod without using the sharp edge. They hold a very good edge; Enough to shave the hair off my arm, although I try not to make a habit of it. The blades are also thicker. The harding is a good 1/8th of an inch (3 mm) and the Tollekniv is 4mm. I’m happy with them, but am still looking for a solid high carbon blade blank so that I can spark a ferrocerium rod with it, but that is a minor benefit.

On a budget: Revisited a $3, 2 cup coffee maker

November 23, 2011 cooking, gear, video 0

A week or two ago I posted an article about the backpacking cookset on a budget where I mentioned some cheap cooking pots. I just wanted to show one of them in this post / video and how these cheap options don’t mean a sacrifice of creature comforts.

In Bolivia I picked up a 2 cup teapot with coffee maker attachment that weighs under 4 oz. Take a look at the following video to see the setup and a boil test with my fastest stove from the previous post’s video comparison.

If there is interest, I’ll look into getting a few more, but it could take a while.

DIY resource: Make your own Snowshoes

November 16, 2011 DIY, gear 4

Ok, the snow has started falling and the outdoorist in you has probably already started thinking about various modes of winter travel. Because a dogsled team probably is out of your reach and you’re not expecting anyone to buy you what you really want, why not put together a pair of snowshoes? The concept is straightforward although time consuming. It is a great project for cold evenings in the garage (or the kitchen table if the household permits ;)).

The best resource I’ve come across is a reposting of what looks like scouts book articles on the subject. Ben hunt has several different options on his blog to get you going and see what you want.

I won’t be able to complete one of these projects before next year, but I have decided to test the concept by making a scaled down sized pair for a lark. I’ve started soaking and bending 35 cm (1 foot +)  pieces of wood in frames and will next start building braces and binding them.

It’s got my kids excited to have their own pair and I can’t wait to take them out on some winter hikes.

If you’re new to winter hiking like I am, stop by Ray Anderson’s blog where he’s started a series of articles on the subject:
Winter Hiking part 1
Winter Hiking part 2

Are you a snowshoer? What’s your favourite part?

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Other Resources:
Gil Gilpatrick Snowshoe making maestro
Easy PVC Snowshoes

On a budget: shelter, packs, sleeping bags and trekking poles

November 13, 2011 blog, gear 0

I remember my first backpacking trip when I was a kid. My dad took me out for 3 days to a beautiful, spring fed lake in the mountains. We packed a 10 year old A-frame tent, garage sale, used external frame packs and low end, big box store sleeping bags. We had a great time, I have great memories and we didn’t dish out a ton of cash on gear.

Our first backpacking trip with our 1 year old daughter. Note the old pack that carried our gear.

When I started my own family, I though back to that experience years earlier. Could I still go out on a budget so we could enjoy ourselves without spending a ton of cash? We planned and did a hike with our 1 year old and decided to try it without spending much money on new gear. We had a ton of fun and proved it possible.

Because there was a lot of interest on the “on a budget – backpacking cookset” post last week I decided, as a challenge to myself, to put together a list of major gear items that can get someone into casual hiking as cheaply as possible.


Obviously, there is lighter, more expensive gear and you should buy the best you can afford within the budget you have, but if you’re just looking to join in on a backpacking trip and you’re missing a couple pieces of gear, don’t think that you have to break the bank or waste your retirement fund just to get into the woods for a few days a year!

Here we go:

Shelter:
Traditionally we go with tents, but a good tarp can do most, if not all of what a shelter can do.

These coated nylon tarps are what is considered “Durable Water Resistant” It will keep the rain off, but the waterproofing is not impregnated like a silicone coated nylon is.

6×8 foot coated nylon tarp from campmor: $27 Wt.: 22.5 oz
8×10 foot coated nylon tarp from campmor: $34 Wt.: 15.2 oz.

Want to save even more money but carry a bit more weight? Why not try a polyethylene tarp:
8 ft. x 10 ft. Ripstop Woven Polyethylene Tarp from campmor $5.50
6 ft. x 8 ft. Polyethylene Tarp from campmor: $3.50

If you’re not a tarp fan and want to dish out some more take a lookysee at these options:

What about sleeping bags? In this category I specifically chose bags between 15 and 35 degrees to handle 3 seasons. With sleeping bags you want to consider size and weight. Some bags are cheap but the cost is that it will take up half your backpack and weigh you down. Speaking of down (from birds) down bags are nice, pack smaller and are lighter.But be careful, when wet they don’t insulate. It’s like sleeping in a wet duck.

Here’s a few options:
Slumberjack Ultimate 30 degree $30 –  3 lbs 11oz
Slumberjack Super guide 30  $40 – 2 lbs 9 oz
ALPS Mountaineering 20 degree $44 – 3 lbs 12 oz
ALPS Mountaineering 0° degree $50 – 5lbs 4 oz
Coleman Cresecent 15 degree $50 – 4.2 lbs

Or take a look at these slightly more well known brands. A bit more expensive, but in some cases smaller and lighter:

And of course you need something to lie on.

Like the Pack-Lite Closed Cell Foam Pad for $12 – 8 oz
The thermarest ridge rest for $17 – 9 oz
Or maybe one of these:

Next a pack to stuff it in:
For Packs on a budget I usually check the Sierra Trading post as they frequently have discounts on listed prices. Stock varies. If you were to splurge on anything, I’d recommend finding a good pack. You’ll have to carry everything in this so it should be comfortable.

A couple packs that caught my eye for under $100 were the following:

Vaude Brenta 38 Backpack $89 at the STP
Vaude Rock Ultralight 35 Backpack $69 at the STP

Another good option is Golite. While they’re a lightweight backpacker’s choice, at times they have great sales. Check their clearance section for all sorts of good deals.


Trekking poles, although not essential, do help with stability and for holding up your tarp if you can’t find sticks at your camp site.

Mountainsmith Trekking Poles $25
Easton ATR-50 Adjustable Trekking Poles $37
Cabelas Trekking poles for $40

On a budget: The Backpacking Cookset

November 10, 2011 DIY, gear 0

My first cook setup


Ok, I’m going to start with something that has bothered me. In the forums there are at least a handful of people that, on the subject of backpacking gear say things like, “well you’re prepared to spend XXX on YYY so why aren’t you prepared to spend XXXX on backpacking gear.” Quite frankly I don’t have XXX to spend on YYY and if I had it It’d probably get allotted to my kids’ education or their feet or some other expense that came up. I can sometimes spend X, on rare occasions XX and maybe for my birthday 1XX every couple years.  Apart from people without financial responsibilities and Yuppies (young urban professionals) with cash to burn, the majority want to enjoy nature and do so within their budget.


That’s why I’m a DIYer and always keeping my eye out for a bargain. I just finished reading “The Outdoor Survival Handbook” by Ray Mears and on the topic of gear he says you should always buy the best you can within your budget. I definitely agree. Just because you can’t afford a sub 2 pound goose down sleeping bag for $350, that shouldn’t stop you from getting outdoors and enjoying yourself. The outdoors is not exclusively for the rich, neither should they be limited to those who choose to carry less than 10 pounds of gear. We can all share them and enjoy and do so within our own budgets.


What I want to consider today on this topic is cooking systems. Frankly, cooking isn’t essential on backpacking trips and there is many a post that looks at cold food for the trail, but for those times when you want something hot to drink or a nice cup of soup you might want to turn to a cook system. You can drop a lot of Xs on an expensive system like Jet boil, the MSR reactor, or other similar setups and frankly you’d probably be happy. But if you’re not ready to do that yet, let’s say you’re experimenting to see if backpacking is for you or maybe you’ve just got a budget of X or XX then never fear here are some ideas.


The stove. Your best option is going to be to make your own. With just a few used cans, tin snips and push pins you can set yourself up for success with an alcohol stove /use yellow HEET brand gas line antifreeze). Feel free to check the growing DIY section for idea or take a look at one of the videos below. There are a multitude of different ideas, zenstoves.net is a good site to check out. Once you understand the concept of how these stoves work you can start designing your own.

A Couple links:

Not a DIYer? Don’t worry there are a number of premade options that will work just fine, like esbit style solid fuel tablets, military surplus stoves and the good old trangia. None of these should break your budget.

The pot. How many of us have seen the titanium pot and spoon, like the snowpeak line? They’re pretty slick, but even on steep and cheap dot com you rarely see the pot by itself for less than $20. There are other options out there. Lots of people will dumpster dive for or simply buy a large 24 oz foster’s or Heineken beer can and use that for their cook pot. It’s simple and recyclable. With a simple can opener you can pop the top off and with sand paper smooth out the sharp edges.



Not up for DIYing? Check out the IMUSA aluminum grease pots. They’re light, aluminum and sturdy. If you go traveling in South America, look in the markets (watch your pockets). I’ve scored a couple sub $5 deals on aluminum pots and lids in sizes from my 2 cup coffee maker (with aluminum filter) to a 1 liter pot to a 2.5 liter pot.

The point is this: You get creative. For many a year people have used bean cans to boil water over a fire without spending a penny on costs. It wasn’t pretty but that wasn’t the point. If we go backpacking in the woods just to stare at our shiny new titanium spork then we’re missing the point. Gear is a means to an end. If we can do that on a budget and enjoy ourselves outdoors then I think we’ve accomplished what we’ve set out to do.

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