Gear is half the fun

[Tchinski]

For me, all the cool gear that I get to buy and organize is half the fun of backpacking. Is it this way for anyone else?

[swoosh]

i indeed am a gear guy and share your sentiment. i love using stuff out on the trail - most especially cooking :D

[hikingsocal]

i just hate putting everything away after the trip

[bdavison]

Gear junkie here too. But on the opposite side. I look at the stuff in the store, and try to figure out how to make it myself...cheaper, lighter, and smaller.

[Tchinski]

bdavison wrote:

Gear junkie here too. But on the opposite side. I look at the stuff in the store, and try to figure out how to make it myself...cheaper, lighter, and smaller.

OOO, I definitely don't have that type of ingenuity. I'm happy when I can follow step-by-step instructions for making something out of Outside or Backpacker magazine.

[bdavison]

You'd be surprised. Even a little creativity goes a long way.
When you look at a product, reduce it to its bare components.
For example...the self inflating thermarest pads.
Reduced down to its basic components...its foam, and a airtight bag. They rip you $70+ for one of them.
So I decided to see if I could make my own for less.

Spacebags, and some loose core foam. Presto....$12 thermarest. If you line the spacebag with some of that reflective emergency blanket stuff, it will even hold in heat like a thermarest.

[Tchinski]

Hmmm, is your real life name John? You sound like my dad.

I love my Sierra Designs sleeping bag, however, its doesn't have the nifty pillow pocket. I have the pillow that is supposed to go in said pillow pocket, but it always slips off the nylon bag. Also, when I din't need the hood, it was getting on my nerves. Last night, I pitched my new tent in the living room and wanted to see how it looked with my sleeping bag and Thermarest:whistle: pad in it.

Voila! I tuned the hood inside out and put the pillow under it. Now no more slippy pillow and annoying hood in 70 degree weather. That's about the limit of my imaginiation.

[Tchinski]

<br><br>Post edited by: Tchinski, at: 2008/06/25 12:59

[swoosh]

i think i'm going to eventually end up at jacket's anonymous. it's really the only gear area where i consider myself out of control. and i'm about to buy a used precip from someone just b/c i don't have one :blink:

[natchez]

that was a genius idea, tchinsky B)

do you guys actually carry a pillow with you on hikes? :unsure:

[Tchinski]

I have the Sierra Designs small sleeping bag pillow. It's worth the tons of comfort for the few ounces it weighs.

On another note, boy did my last post have a lot of typos.

[swoosh]

i have a little pillow i picked up at walmart. it's got a little piece of memory foam and then an inflatable pillow thingy. it's very low weight and i love a good night's sleep

[natchez]

inflatable seems like a good thing :)


for a minute there I was thinking about regular pillows :blush: :blush: :blush:

[swoosh]

yeah it's like 3 oz or something like that. well worth the weight for sleeping comfortably. i've heard of guys using fleeces and rain jackets for their pillows, but wtf do they do if it rained all day and their jacket is soaked or if it's cold that night and they need to wear that fleece to bed? :o

[natchez]

I could probably sleep without a pillow :)

[bdavison]

I use my sleeping bag stuff sack as a pillow. Just stuff it with spare clothes, your fleece, jacket, etc. If your spare clothes stink or are wet, just wrap them in a plastic bag before you stick em in the stuff sack.