BPL “Readers Rag” Monthly Magazine

[Bill Fornshell]

I decided to re-post this on a new thread to get it away from the other topic.
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1-We should start/I may start our own Internal “Son of” BPL Magazine if the interest is out there. Nothing to stop us as long as we keep it within Ryan’s Rules of ??

2-I think some would find out fast it isn’t easy but could be done.

3-Start out by deciding what the normal “Contents” might be and go from there. I don’t buy many magazines but I do get Backpacking Light and their “Contents” format could be used and adjusted more or less as we see fit. The “BackpackingLight.com READER GEAR REVIEWS BETA” might be a workable format with a few title changes. Keep the “Look at” rules similar to these and maybe have each item in the “Contents” listed like they list the different gear areas. That way new content could be posted as it is written. I don’t know if BPL would make the changes but it would seem to be a word change and not a software?? change. Add a second topic – The Magazine to the READER GEAR REVIEWS topic. I think the smart computer guys/girls could do that easy. Adding new topics/new “Content” items would be locked but changeable by request if necessary. New content would be sent to me. I would review it and give it a yea or nae. Do only a spell check and it to the proper content area. I would also suggest that comments on the articles not be posted in with the content area. This gets real confusing fast and makes finding things harder and harder as time passes. Somewhere in the Contents could be a “Readers Reply/Comments” area.

4- With a commitment for certain types of articles from a few of you that:
– test gear
– hiking techniques
– MYOG
– have good insight into the subject
– trip-photo reports
– etc
and have an interest in sharing that with others we have about all we need to get a good start.

5- I don’t think Ryan would have a problem with something like this. Communication and education about Ultra-Light and now Super Ultra Light backpacking is how the sport will grow. Going lighter for me years ago was a no-brain-er. I know that for some it isn’t that easy.

[Ryan Faulkner]

if you want to be in charge of it, I think its a great idea.

people could send you articles they write and you or someone organize it all.

are you talking about an online thing or print mag?

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi Ryan, On-line here. With Ryan’s permission.

[Ryan Faulkner]

well, you got Ryan F’s permission, now we need Ryan J’s. :-)

have you tried e-mailing him with the idea?

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi Ryan F, Thanks for your support. I sent Ryan J, a CC but haven’t heard back. Maybe he is “hope-hope” out on his “Winter Challenge”

I think the first thing necessary is to define what we think should be the weight bracket/cut-off for:
– Ultra Light
– Super Ultra Light
and
– Snow Flake Light – as in – Cuben Snow Light

[Ryan Faulkner]

Bill,

mabey different weights for different sections,

mabey,

under 5lbs 3season no exception.
4lbs summer backpacking
under 10 winter backpacking mabey?
uner 6 or 7 for 3season hammock camping
under 5 summer hammocking
under 10 for winter, hammocking as well
and mabey a whole other section for XUL hiking.

so we got SUL 3season
XUL summer
UL winter
and featherlight summer-4season

mabey break it up into sections:
summer, 3season, and winter, and within each section there are gear reveiws, trip reports, techniques, and other stuff for both ground and hammock camping
and also include MYOG sections and places for unique gear lighter than aything else.
including both hammock and traditional UL backpacking is important I think.

what do you think?

there has got to be something I missed

or break it up into gear reveiws, trip reports, techniques ect.
and within that, break it into witer summer and three season, hammock and ground

or probably better, divide it by hammock and ground first, then by winter, summer, and 3 season, but then you could not compare ground and hammock winter, summer or 3 season gear side by side.

I dont know, I am just thinking out loud :-)

[Bill Fornshell]

Ryan, I would rather see it broken down by item:
Packs
Tarps
Tents
Etc
This is done more or less during the selection of a gear list for a hike anyway. Then apply something like you outlined.

I like that you added a group for hammock camping as that is my prefered way to go. When I put away the stoves I am working on a SUL Hammock Set-up is next.

[Ryan Faulkner]

your idea may be better, it is easy to find something specifc in case you are looking for a tarp reveiw or something. but there should also be sections for trip reports and techniques ect.

Bill, I have gotten interested in hammocking in the last few days, I have had an eagles nest hammock for a while but never used it for backpacking, but today I finished modifying it, it now weighs 13.4oz, loosing 5.5oz or so from origional, I have been looking hard at all theJRB products and am planning to buy an ultralight travel hammock to replace my eagles nest, and then of course modify it a little. SUL hammocking I think is the way to go, comrt of a light pack on the trail and at night

[Bill Fornshell]

Ryan, Look back at the first post. I numbered the paragraphs. Look at #4.

My hammock is made of very light silk. I sent the silk to Ed Speer and he made it for me. The bug net is also silk. The hammock complete with straps and bug net weighs 16.9oz. This counts full length 1″ web straps and 17 foot of velcro for the bug net. My new hammock will use a lighter silk, no velcro, mostly spectra line and a short set of 1″ web tree-huggers. The bug net will not be attached to the hammock like the one I now have and will not be a part of my winter set-up.

The weight might be as low as 6oz complete ready to hang-in.

[Ryan Faulkner]

Ok, you already got that thanks.

mabey a large bug bag like the one sold at minibulldesigns.com modified a bit, it looks larger than it needs to be. do you think air core plus will work for hammock suspension? it has a breaking strength of over 1000lbs, is this what you are using? I plan to modify an ultralight travel hammock down to mabey 10oz ready to hang, with spectra lines it could be lighter.

for your next one, will you send it to ed speer or do it yourself? just from looking at my own hammock, I think with the right materials I could make one myself, you just need to get a 9x5ft peice of cloth and either tie a knot at each end(easiest) or sew over a vew inces at each end and feed some cord thorugh the sleeve and tie tighlty so the ends bunch up (this is kind of how the UL travel hammock and eagles nest hammocks are made) and tie cord around knot like speer hammock also, what silk are you going to ues? also I will ask again about what spectra cord? sorry, I have seen your hammock and you may have posted this before, but I cant find it.

[Bill Fornshell]

Ryan, I will make my next Speer style hammock. If you fold the material like a bunch of w’s aka wwwww then tie a careful knot in each end you are done with that part. Then you just tie the tree rope whatever around the knot. It works real well and is very easy. You can play and make hammock’s all day with cheap $1 a yard stuff from Wal Mart to practice with. The width is only important a little. I have one hammock that the material is only 36″ wide. It is OK. Wider is nice to a point.

The cord I will use on my next Hammock is from West Marine. They call it T100 and the product number is 3474665. The stuff is 3/32″ – 950 lb test and costs $0.41 a foot. The stuff is really hard to cut but only weighs 0.004oz per ft. I haven’t used this stuff so I don’t know how it will knot.

West Marine is a National Chain. Check your phone book for a local dealer they can order it or you can buy it on line at
Hal, take me to the T100 cord please

[Ryan Faulkner]

thanks Bill, that cord looks good because it is only spectra core and will hold knots better than sliipery spectra.

sorry to change you thread into how to make a hammock, I will get off this subject and focus on the magazine subject, but could you post your silk source on vick hines materials sourcing page? thanks

[Mark]

This is a great idea. My thought would be to just make it into another separate forum called “Readers Writing” or something similar. BPL readers could put out a ‘call for papers,’ something like…

-“I’d like to put together a massive gear-sourcing list. I’m looking for 4-5 DIYers to share their experience and group-write a piece.”
or
-“I’d like to write an article about lightweight family camping, focusing on recommended gear and approaches to make short trips with 4-6 family members away from the car. I’m looking for 2-3 writers with families to look over what I have written, and share their comments and ideas.”
or
-“I just went on a fantastic trip on the JMT. I’m looking for 2-3 other people to share their top photos in order to make a ‘best-of’ collection, a collaborative JMT thru-hike photojournal. Write me at [email protected]”

And so on. Those writers could convene off-site, share, and post back the finished article in the appropriate already-existing forum for comments. The main idea I’m trying to get across is creating an easy avenue to foster collaboration [i.e. a new forum for that purpose], without all the infrastructure and bureaucracy.

-Mark

[Author]

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