You can cut down the Graham Flexair pillow (which you can buy lots of places for about $2) using your home vacuum bag sealer to make a 10 gram hiking pillow (as shown). My sealer will only handle a seal of a little over 11″ (28cm) so my pillow (sealed area) is approx 11″ x […]
I have posted about this chair before but I have to admit I had never made one myself. Well now I have – and I’m sold. This is the perfect chair for the backpack hunter, and anyone else. I made this chair out of a scrap of (approx) 2 oz/yd2 ripstop nylon from Spotlight I
You can dismantle a cheap $20) tripod stool which you can buy just about anywhere to scavenge the top cover (which in this case weighs less than 100 grams) to make an ultralight hiking stool – with the aid of your new Pocket Serra saw I wrote about here: Ultralight Tent Poles If you are
Tent poles can’t get any lighter than if you don’t carry any – which is what I do/don’t. This is particularly weight-saving if you are young and don’t need to carry hiking poles, something which I simply did not need until I was nearly 65! Perhaps when I finally get my new knees I will
This is a guide to making your own ultralight tent stove out of cheaply available materials using simple hand tools. The stove is intended to take up practically zero space in your pack and weigh as little as possible (250-300 grams total – about half a pound) cost less than $50 and take maybe an
I have a Montbell Super Spiral Down Hugger #3 which will take me comfortably just below freezing (-1C) but on my/our Everest Base Camp hikes it was likely to get down to maybe -14C ( or worse eg at Gorek Shep) so I needed a little more warmth. In this post I will be adding
I tend to buy a lot of tent pegs because I am always making new tents/tarps and I like to have them all complete against need. I have found Aliexpress to be a good source (if you can wait for delivery). The ‘Tito’ brand there is quite satisfactory, for example. I favour a Shepherd’s hook
I have recommended that you always carry a metal trowel particularly as an aid to procuring survival water. A hatchet or machete is also vital for this if you ever travel in dry country – as who does not? Such a trowel is also a powerful tent anchor in sand or snow or other loose
I am over carrying heavy stoves – and fuel. This one will do me. I will produce a version in titanium which will weigh about half what this one does in stainless steel, so under 20 grams! And no fuel to carry. Good enough? This is an update of an aluminium flashing stove I made
Fire lighting is a profound ‘secret’ which if you do not master, you might come to a time when you do not survive at all because of your ignorance. Take the time and patience to learn to be its master. Prometheus the Titan has a lot to answer for – but Boy, have we ever
