Your best gear hack/mod/invention/alternate use/improvisation?

Jerry: I agree wax has more BTUs/pound (kJs/mole; troyouncemass-furlongs^2-fortnight^(-2); whatever) than cardboard.

Your egg-carton based solution is a wonderful low-price, disposable mini-cooker. Or a fire starter in really bad (wet, cold, frozen-wood) conditions. I'm going to try some out in my next round of experiments.

My practice of scavenging waxed cardboard produce boxes is better suited to fire starting only, not cooking. But, if cost or time were an over-riding factors, dumpster-diving trumps MYOGing.

Someday I'll try posting a zero-dollars gear list.

There's a variation out there that involves cutting strips of cardboard (width depends on depth of end container), rolling it up and stuffing it, edge up, into some type of can/metal container. Then pour melted wax to fill the spaces in the cardboard and the rest of the can. Light like a candle & use it like an alky stove.

Lots of vids on youtube, they're called survival candles.

That's like Davids's and the spiral and circle stoves in that article

In the article they perfected that a bit – cross wick – basically just two pieces of cardboard in "cross" shape – much less wick which makes it consume less wax

You have to read the article

I remember making the spiral cardboard in tuna fish can version in boy scouts aeons ago. Maybe it was a product we sold to people that bought it just to be charitable?

David, you wrote:

>> Someday I'll try posting a zero-dollars gear list.

That's the BEST idea for a new thread!!! It would be unseemly for me to start it, since it's your idea — so let me be the first to HIGHLY encourage you to develop this! It would be fun, AND it could be really helpful to those who are interested in camping/backpacking but who truly have very little disposable income… (not to mention issues of ecology, etc.).

Edited to say: Perhaps we could have one rule — no stolen stuff (scrounged is fine)?

thrift stores are close to zero dollars

the roll of Tyvek left over from a construction project cost something initially, but is now zero dollars

I like zero dollars, just for the fun of it, not so much that I couldn't buy something

Improvised gear or the fine art of "Applied Junque. " Not my ideas by any means, but the best I have used:

Trash compactor bags for pack liners

Report cover spines for knife edge covers

Tyvek and window film for ground sheets

Recycled water bottles

Turkey roaster pans cut up for pot lids and wind screens

Milk jug bottoms for bowls or sinks