I made a sub one ounce hand saw for this purpose, but this is even easier than sawing a branch to length: You can cut approx 10″ (25 cm) of 1″ (25mm) poly pipe to join two hiking poles like this. I used standard ‘rural C’ grade poly pipe because we have it lying around all over the farm, but the kind that is used for press-fit garden irrigation (eg from Bunnings) is lighter and would work just as well at under an ounce (28.5 grams) I would guess.
Sub 1 ounce saw
I am working on making my 10 x 10 tarp in silnylon – the one which doubles as a hammock tarp. Even with a floor it will weigh less than 500 grams including guy lines and pegs. We tried the Tyvek prototype out in the garden yesterday and there is plenty of room for Della and me both.
I added three extra tie-outs to keep the tent material off our feet so our sleeping bags will not get wet there. I may make a hoop out of some super-light (approx 3 mm) carbon fibre tube I have which might perform this chore even better (and be lighter).
I am thinking that one of Tim’s tiny (sub 500 gram) stoves probably this one might warm this tent enough for both of us. The chimney would exit right next to the pole. It would be a convenient spot right at the front door where either of us can pass it on our side when exiting or entering the tent, or help to stoke it. A 1000 watt wood heater right in front of us ought to make us quite cosy and there would only be the need to collect a few kilos of twigs for an evening.
If we used it for all of our cooking as well it should just about weight the same as a stove and fuel – over a week long trip anyway, and you can use the stove to dry out the wood (as Tim does) if you strike a particularly rainy patch and are a bit tent-bound. It will certainly be no added weight if I can make a Peltier for the top of the chimney to provide light and charge our devices – as we could leave our ultralight power banks at home too.
The pole is well over 6′ long, tall enough for my tipi when I finish it.
The poles just slip inside it. Has a nice solid feel. These are the ultralight 135 grams each US$76 per pair ‘Naturehike’ carbon fibre ones I recommended here.
If you have different poles you may need to add a small bolt blocking one third of the pipe at each end. A cable tie would be just as effective – and much lighter!
It weighs only an ounce:
Like this:
Prototype Tipi
One of Tim’s Tiny stoves – it’s so clever the way the wood just feeds itself in. The other vertical pipe is the chimney. The horizontal pipe is the air intake with can controller.
My 10 x 10 Tarp seen here at The Valley of the Deer:
This guy has some interesting Peltiers (and circuits). It seems to me that with them one ought to be able to construct a USB battery charger warmed by one’s chimney and cooled by the winter night air: https://customthermoelectric.com/
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/09/how-to-carry-a-saw/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/25/seamless-tyvek-tipi/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/22/naturehike-carbon-fibre-walking-pol-135-grams/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/?s=tim+tinker
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/24/10-by-10-tarp-update/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/24/the-valley-of-the-deer/
Other DIY Ideas here: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/07/60-diy-ultralight-hiker-ideas/
