Hey everyone, here are my top 10 everyday household items that help keep my base weight down. These items often do the job of costlier and heavier gear specialized for the task, and they all are either free or very cheap. Not all of these even have a DIY component to them, and the rest involve just the simplest of “projects.” I’ve learned about many of these here on BPL, so not claiming credit by any means. Just a conversation starter. Here ya go:
10) Rubber bands.
Handy for organizing things that otherwise come unfurled – sleeping pad, headlamp, Instaflator, etc – and they weigh nothing.
9) Single-edge razor blade.
For a long time my inner caveman clung to “needing” a real knife in the backcountry, but on trip after trip I simply never used it. So I went through a progression of increasingly smaller/lighter knives, but still found I never used them. So even as the weight of my knife got to be under 1oz it still was dead weight. I don’t hunt, fish, chop food, build shelters or fires, and I came to realize I really don’t need a knife, period. For most of my cutting needs in the backcountry – cord, baggies, etc – a small UL pair of scissors works better. But a sharp blade can be handy on occasion, such as some first aid needs. So I carry a simple single-edge razor blade for that and only a gram or so of weight.
8) Drinking straws.
A drinking straw can be cut to different lengths and then the ends melted and sealed to create an ultralight, water-tight, just-right-size container for ointments and emergency fire starters, and they also can serve as tip protectors for sharp scissors and tweezers. Some fast food places have different diameter straws that work better for different needs. Weightless, and free at restaurants, convenience stores, etc.
7) Fedex envelopes.
A great, free source for small pieces of Tyvek and an easy way to re-purpose what essentially would otherwise end up in the trash bin. I have a couple of Fedex envelopes cut open to lay flat, approx 16×24”, which work well as a doormat or a groundcloth for my pack or small items. I’ve also made stake sacks, which is a really easy project especially if you use the corner of the Fedex envelope so that it’s already sealed on two sides. Free, durable, ultralight material.
6) Piece of sponge.
Dale Wambaugh had a great idea for a pre-filter for the Sawyer Mini, to use a piece of sponge. If it gets clogged you can easily rinse it out at the water source. The kind of sponge you want is more like little cellulose champagne bubbles rather than the more cloth-like typical kitchen sponges. Cheap to buy, one sponge makes many pre-filters, and the typical size piece I’m using literally does not register on my scale so easy to carry a couple of spares. Dale’s sponge idea:
5) Hardware cloth.
For my kitchen I use a Caldera Cone with a Foster’s pot and a Starlyte stove. Great, ultralight, super-efficient kit. The Starlyte stove is not the same height as the 12-10 stove the kit is optimized for, it’s 3/4” shorter. So I built a little stove stand out of hardware cloth. Weighs 4 grams and holds the Starlyte at the right height for maximum fuel efficiency. I made the stove stand slightly wider than the Starlyte so they will nest for packing, and they both fit inside the pot along with the cone, mini Bic, and DIY cozy with room to spare.
4) Visine-type eye drop bottles.
Perfect for repacking hand sanitizer, insect repellent, water treatment drops, liquid soap, etc. If you ream out the hole you can use it for thicker ointments like sunscreen. Typical sizes are 1oz and 0.5oz, store brands of eye drops are cheaper and if you catch a sale you can buy them for about a buck just to get the bottle. Or, order in quantity on the internet. Eye drop bottles are lightweight and allow you to carry only the amount of contents you need. The Visine-style bottles have a flatter profile and so sit in your pocket better.
3) Windshield sun reflector.
I have cut up a reflectix-style windshield reflector to make cozies for rehydrating FBC meals and also to make a cheap and easy case to protect my camera from minor bumps. One reflector costs under $10 and is enough for several projects.
2) “Disposable” water bottles.
I use these instead of heavier – and more costly – bladders and Nalgene-type bottles. I use a 0.7L bottle with a squirt nozzle top for my clean drinking water (I think it was originally a Deer Park bottle) that weighs only 0.6oz, and a SmartWater 0.7L bottle (weighs 0.9oz) as a dirty squeeze bottle that fits the threads on a Sawyer filter. I also use a smaller water bottle to carry alky fuel (either 8oz or 12oz, depending how much fuel I need), and I’ve found bottles in these sizes that weigh less (0.31oz and 0.35oz, respectively, incl cap) than the “lightweight” 4oz squirt bottles designed for fuel carry (so compared to 0.67oz for the one I got from Trail Designs).
1) Ziploc bags.
The amazing zip-top bag is super lightweight, relatively air- and water-tight, somewhat durable, somewhat heat resistant, reusable, and cheap. Plus, they are clear, so you can easily see inside. With all these qualities they can do so many things:
-  While I have shunned stuff sacks as dead weight, I do still need some organization of ditty stuff. So I keep my FAK, repair, etc. in zippies. Also before backpacking I’ll take from my wallet only the ID, health insurance card, credit card and cash I need and put that in a zippie as my “wallet” for the trip.
- They handle messy things well, so they make a good garbage can on the trail, sack to hold your muddy groundcloth, bag for collecting used tp, and spill barrier for fuel bottle, EVOO bottle, etc.
- Works well to use freezer bags for freezer bag cooking. ;-)
- They are good extra protection from moisture for camera, cell phone, notepad, permits, map, etc.
- I bought some tiny zippies (used for jewelry etc) to organize medicines, toothpaste dots, spare camera batteries, spices, etc.
- They come in different sizes and thicknesses so you can find the right zippie to use only the weight you need.
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So there you have it. FYI for this list I was looking only at things I definitely use each trip and was not including other things I carry for “just in case.” So I purposely exclude things I carry in the repair kit like duct tape, safety pins, zip ties, etc.
What’s on your list of top 10 household items??
