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Super Light Weight – Make Your Own for an AT Thru-Hike


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Home Forums Gear Forums Make Your Own Gear Super Light Weight – Make Your Own for an AT Thru-Hike

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  • #1339732
    Ken Helwig
    BPL Member

    @kennyhel77

    Locale: Scotts Valley CA via San Jose, CA

    i actually own the montbell trowel and it does a wonderful job digging cat holes. sometimes the dirt is so hard in the sierras that it is hard to dig and this tool does the job. it is small and lightweight. remember folks LNT.

    #1339734
    Tim Cheek
    BPL Member

    @hikerfan4sure

    One of my tent stakes is wide for soft soil; it can do double duty as a cathole shovel.

    #1339735
    Bill Fornshell
    BPL Member

    @bfornshell

    Locale: Southern Texas

    I finished my SUL Ti Trowel. It is 0.32oz. I creased the handle and just a little of the spoon area. This makes the Titanium Trowel very ridged and should work well in all but the hardest soil.

    The last picture shows what I did use for a trowel before I made the Ti Trowel. The tent stake weighed 1.15oz. Heavy next to the Ti Trowel.

    Image hosted by Photobucket.com
    Image hosted by Photobucket.com
    Image hosted by Photobucket.com

    #1339739
    Jim Colten
    BPL Member

    @jcolten

    Locale: MN

    Bill,

    1) what gauge/thickness Ti stock did you use?
    2) What did you use to cut and drill the Ti?

    #1339740
    Bill Fornshell
    BPL Member

    @bfornshell

    Locale: Southern Texas

    Jim Colten asks:
    Q – 1) what gauge/thickness Ti stock did you use?

    A – 1) I use 0.016inch – 6A14V -This is military grade titanium sheet and is extremely strong. It combines a high strength to weight ratio with corrosion and heat resistance. I buy it from Thru-Hiker.com The piece for the Ti Trowel is some scrape from my Ti External Pack Frame.

    Thru-Hiker.com Link

    Q – 2) What did you use to cut and drill the Ti?

    A – 2) I cut the Ti to shape with a pair of WISS Tin Snips. These work really well for Titanium. I Punch my holes with a "Hand Punch". This is also easier than drilling in Titanium. You can drill Ti but where the punch will work it is easier to use. The forming is done by what I call my primitive "'blacksmith" skills. Heat and pound. File and sand, a lot.
    Image hosted by Photobucket.com

    #1339741
    Ken Helwig
    BPL Member

    @kennyhel77

    Locale: Scotts Valley CA via San Jose, CA

    looks great Bill!!

    #1340238
    Bill Fornshell
    BPL Member

    @bfornshell

    Locale: Southern Texas

    I have ordered one of the UltraLight Outfitters Ebsit Stoves for a Fosters Beer Can Cook Pot from BPL.com. I am also glad I waited to cut the lid off.

    I hope I am high enough up on the list to get one in the first go-around.

    I found one of the can openers that they UltraLight Out….. recommend at my local Walgreens and now have a Fosters Beer Can Cook Pot.

    The “good cook.com” (Safe Cut) can opener works great. It took the lid off and left no sharp edge.

    I want to see what they use for the “silicon rubber lip guard”. I also will weigh the stainless steel windscreen and see if my Titanium or what BPL.com sells might make the set-up lighter.

    So for now I have my Fosters Beer Can Cook Pot and my cozy for it and I wait.

    Image hosted by Photobucket.com

    #1340240
    D G
    Spectator

    @dang

    Locale: Pacific Northwet

    Bill,

    Love looking at your projects! Do you know how much the fosters can weighs?

    I’m curious how much the ESBIT stove weighs. The weight listed is 3.8oz, I would assume including the beercan pot.

    Thanks!

    #1340244
    Bill Fornshell
    BPL Member

    @bfornshell

    Locale: Southern Texas

    I weighed my Fosters Beer Can Cook Pot and it weighs .9oz.

    From the web site it looks like the 3.8oz is for:
    1 – the stove (my guess is that the wire used for the stove is stainless steel).
    2 – the windscreem – the wind screen is stainless steel and might make up most of the 3.8oz. This is what I will check first when I get mine and see if something else might weigh less.
    3 – the lip guard made out of silicon rubber. It will be interesting to see just what this is and if someone can figure out where it comes from.
    4 – from the web site picture and wording seems to include the beer can cook pot in the 3.8oz weight.

    With -9oz from the 3.8oz total you end up with 2.9oz for the stove wire thing, the windscreen and the lip guard. That 2.9oz isn’t much but still more than my Cuben fabric PACK weighs.

    I will post the weighs of each item that comes with my stove when I get it.

    #1340754
    Bill Fornshell
    BPL Member

    @bfornshell

    Locale: Southern Texas

    Something interesting was posted in a message at the backpackinglight yahoo group today that gave me an idea for a name for my Ti Potty Trowel. My name for it is now the “DueDue 23”. The name comes from a really early reference to LNT potty-ing.

    Image hosted by Photobucket.com

    #1341166
    Jim Colten
    BPL Member

    @jcolten

    Locale: MN

    Not being a gram weenie (yet, anyway) I’ve used, really like and will continue to use thru-hiker’s timtex.

    But if that’s too heavy you might try fiberglass window sceen material. At my nearest hardware store, $5.00 bought a roll large enough for about 10 full hat brims.

    The stock I bought weighs slightly less than 60% of an identical sized piece of timtex. It’s not as stiff a timtex but it’s the stiffest I’ve found at less than timtex weight.

    #1342295
    Tim (Slowhike) Garner
    BPL Member

    @slowhike

    Locale: South East U.S.

    bill & others… i recently used a new idea (new to me anyway) to make a belt pouch more user friendly. the pouch holds a compass, waterproof wrighting pad, & mechanical pencil. these are a few things i like to keep handy on the trail, but i`m more likely to use them if i don`t have to struggle to access them. if someone`s interrested, i`ll give more details but simply put, i made a pouch about 6 1/2″ wide. that`s just wide enough to accept a circle cut from a 2 liter soda bottle. the pouch (& plastic stiffener) are about 3″ tall. i also used the same plastic in a fabric belt loop. the home sewing machine sews it to the fabric easyly enough. the stiffened belt loop holds the pouch in place so it dosen`t flop around, making it easyer to use. i also taped a section of plastic a (straw-like) sleve to the inside of the plastic circle. this holds the pencil, making it easy to slide in & out. the pouch w/o compass, pad, & pencil weigh 2 3/4 oz. this is a prototype & could be done lighter. ANY WAY… i began to think of other ways to use this light weight, ready avalible plastic for other uses. one idea i`ve been thinking on is a layered (or shingled), warm-weather rain hat. the very thin plastic from bottles or flat desposable food containers might make an effective lightweight stiffener for a hat. mabey it could in some cases be slid into a fabric sleve & there fore be replaced or removed & used for other purposes? just a thought or two. thanks…slowhike

    #1342298
    Bill Fornshell
    BPL Member

    @bfornshell

    Locale: Southern Texas

    Tim, That is a great idea. I did cut up some 3 Lt soda bottles once to see if I might be able to use it but decided it would not fold up/roll up very well if I wanted to pack it away.

    Using the plastic material for a pouch or maybe some other things that don’t need to be folded/rolled up, however is a great idea. I will have to save a few of my 3 Lt Diet Coke bottles.

    I have cutup a few of those light weight cutting boards and used them for a few things. The soda bottle plastic would be lighter.

    I have found a very thin foam material that one of these days will turn into my hat. The thin foam with Cuben material might, I do say, might work. It should be very light.

    #1344052
    Bill Fornshell
    BPL Member

    @bfornshell

    Locale: Southern Texas

    Moved from the thread about Ryan’s Winter SUL Hike:

    Roger Caffin Said:
    (rcaffin ) SUBJECT NEW re #3 coil zips ON 10/31/2005 02:46:59 MST POST REPLY
    > I have some light YKK 2-way separating zippers 26″ long but want
    > some 35″ long. I am on hold waiting for a phone call to see if I can get
    > them. They would be #3 coil YKK zippers. Very light.
    Bill – you can buy #3 YKK coil zip in 100 yd lengths, with sliders, from OWFINC. I use it; works well.

    POSTED BY
    Jim Colten Said:
    (jcolten ) SUBJECT NEW Re: re #3 coil zips ON 10/31/2005 03:28:15 MST POST REPLY
    This might be better located in the Make Your Own Gear section ….

    But Thru-Hiker carries #3 36 inch separating zippers. Except that they are one way, not two. He carries #3 continuous coil and slides too.
    ===============================

    To both Roger and Jim:
    1st. I moved this post over here to the Make Your Own Gear Forum.

    2nd. Unlike other kinds of zippers you can not make a 2-way separating zipper without special equipment. YKK makes this kind of zipper but only in Japan and DOES NOT distribute them in the US. They can be special ordered and they don’t cost much per unit but if I order them through one of the YKK dealers they require 100 of each size or each different zipper and then they want a lot for shipping them from Japan.

    3rd. I have the continuous zipper stuff but you can not make your own 2-way separating type of zipper. I can buy all the #5 tooth 2-way separating zippers I want but they are way to heavy.

    #1347260
    David Plantenga
    Member

    @indianadave

    ( We need to start a SUL Think Tank and create the absolute lightest AT Thru-Hike Gear Set that can be “home-made”.)

    Bill, I’ve been following your threads for about 6 months and am fasinated with your genius. THANK YOU for sharing.

    Have I missed your suggested thread of starting a AT Thru-Hike LiteGear ? I’m planning a 2007 attempt and have my Base Weight under 12 pounds that can see me thru a tested 25 degrees(F). No feathers,cotton or air. Way comfortable, warm and dry.

    I’m currently attempting to create pack with a lite external frame and a sylnylon container. Your pix are a super motivator … Thanks again!

    I have a bunch of inovations and would share if I knew how to submitt photos on BPL’s super service. The visuals really work for me. Like a picture is worth a thousand words?

    If the AT T-H LiteisRight is up and going please share where?

    Thanks again …

    #1347270
    Vick Hines
    Member

    @vickrhines

    Locale: Central Texas

    David,
    Just an amateur’s suggestion on photos: http://photobucket.com

    Log in, follow the directions to download your pics – into albums if you want – , then copy the ‘tag’ to the BPL posting window. You can shrink pics that are too big by adding into the tag, after the words
    Photobucket.com” and before the > the following, adjusted for the height and width you want:
    width=”150″ height=”150″
    so it looks like:
    something/” width=”150″ height=”150″>

    #1349384
    Bill Fornshell
    BPL Member

    @bfornshell

    Locale: Southern Texas

    Vick:
    Hiking again? When my treatment started in Nov of 2004 I was told to expect about 2 years till I could get back to doing the things I used to. I didn’t want to believe them and have tried to push that time table. For somethings I am ahead of that time table and for others I am not. Some of the side effects will never go away. I am learning how to live with them.

    What I am is still alive and the cancer is dead. I am still in a lot of “follow-up” but the time between those visits get longer apart with each one. Some exams will last forever but go to 1 every 3 months and 2 a year. I had cancer in two different parts of my body at the same time so I am on a very pro-active exam program.

    This is my first full week on my post recovery fitness program. I am doing 3 MPH on a treadmill (1 hour) a day this week and will ramp that up and add several exercise machines next week and more mileage and more exercise machines each week.

    I know that isn’t much right now but I haven’t been able to do much of anything out of my yard since Nov 04. My fitness center even has treadmills that can be set to walk/run downhill 3%. Never saw one like that before. After about 30 days I expect my program to get real intense.

    I really hope to be ready for a hike of a week or two in March or April. I want to do it on the South end of the AT but might have to settle for a trail closer to home.

    So now it is sweat time and get back in shape.

Viewing 17 posts - 51 through 67 (of 67 total)
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