I have made an ultralight bathtub floor for my Siligloo tent in preparation for a trip we are soon taking. It replaces the piece of spinnaker fabric we have been using, adding less than 70 grams. You will remember that the Siligloo Tent weighed 385 grams when I made it. I have added some extra […]
A DIY Sleeping Quilt for the Budget Hiker: A lightweight sleeping bag is one of the most expensive pieces of gear that the novice ultralight hiker will need. Lots of folks have suggested using/modifying the Cosco quilt which seems like a good idea if you are on a budget. You can buy them for about
More Bird Brained Things! I have been making Della a non-fouling pigeon waterer. Given the huge number of people who are pigeon fanciers you would think such a thing would be widely available from pigeon suppliers but we have never been able to find one. I have made up two here out of some PVC
I posted this back in 2013 but somehow it did not make it to theultralighthiker It is a self-cleaning pet water bowl. It is a modification of a small animal watering ‘trough’ which you can buy at many rural supplies stores in Australia. As you can see a timer empties the bowl (as often as
It is possible to bait European wasps (with readily available products eg Permethrin, Fipronil – sold as ‘Frontline’) in such a way that it does not harm anything else (bees, birds). The wasps take the poison (from converted milk bottle traps) back to their nests and kill the nests. Every wasp for 200 metres will
This is the simplest and cheapest way to make sure you don’t lose your hearing aids on a hiking or canoeing trip (such as this). Works with any BTE (Behind the ear) type hearing aid. Bulldog clip, (dyneema) string, two simple slip knots. Attach clip to back of shirt collar. Cost: cents. Cheers. 3 grams
‘Zelph’ is clearly a genius (like Jim Woods who made the original of the Super Cat Stove – if you have not made one yet, do so today!). He has taken the ‘Super Cat’ to a whole new level – and I’m definitely impressed. I hit upon his website yesterday, saw that he doesn’t ship
Over the years I have made many projects out of this wonderful material, particularly tents but other things besides (see below). I use the 3 metre wide ‘Homewrap’ version which I source by the 30 metre roll from Bensons (Home) Hardware in Morwell nearby at about A$200 per roll. Each roll is enough to make
Or welded fabric construction. You too may not have encountered this newish method. My new shoes, the Topo Terraventure are made this way, and let me say they are excellent. There is not a seam in them to come undone or fray. I have by now walked several hundred kilometres in them (as has Della
These will come in handy on the trail. Be patient…Pythagoras: This astonishing Pre-Socratic was a brilliant mind. I guess everyone knows his ‘Theorem” about right angle triangles. The saying below might not be quite so well known (or his enjoiner, ‘Eschew beans’! I think I know why!), but we can use some of the proportions
