WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Page 2 of 5 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 100
  1. #21
    Registered User
    Join Date
    09-06-2008
    Location
    Andrews, NC
    Age
    65
    Posts
    3,672

    Default

    Children's inflatable water wings in a stuff sack as a cheap sleeping pillow. Supplement with a tee shirt or two for the proper level of softness. Very cheap and does the job.

  2. #22
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-16-2015
    Location
    Chaumont,Ny
    Posts
    1,036

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by daddytwosticks View Post
    Children's inflatable water wings in a stuff sack as a cheap sleeping pillow. Supplement with a tee shirt or two for the proper level of softness. Very cheap and does the job.

    And they make water crosing much safer !! ;0)

  3. #23

    Default

    A cool whip container, a bowl, wash basin, carry crushable food items.

  4. #24
    Garlic
    Join Date
    10-15-2008
    Location
    Golden CO
    Age
    66
    Posts
    5,615
    Images
    2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by scudder View Post
    The super ultralite version of this cheap hack: two balloons inside an onion mesh sack(commonly known as The Kardashian)
    Man, I wish this forum had a "like" button.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  5. #25
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-13-2012
    Location
    Mid Atlantic
    Posts
    1,047
    Images
    9

    Default

    Safety pins. Use them to repair your clothes, as clothes pins on a piece of line between two trees and to hang my laundry off my pack while I hike. And to drain blisters.

  6. #26

    Default

    Rubber bands - free without being greedy.

    Long handled Dairy Queen plastic spoon - free, cut notches in it to make it into a long handled spork

    Chopsticks - free, wooden, UL, found at any grocery store that sells sushi, makes me eat slower

    Ziplocs - found 30 count XL Sandwich size box for $1 at Dollar Generals, double seal color changing seal when locked, thicker mil plastic not as prone to seam splitting as the cheap Walmart/Great Value(???) sandwich
    sized bags

    Tuna packets in safflower oil at Wally World for .79 cts each

    Occasionally note Lipton/Knorrs Sides 3 packs for $2(.67 cps each)

    Polyester Champion and assorted other brand tees with side mesh panels for $4-8 each at Wally World

    Carbon fiber golf clubs found at a Atlanta area Goodwill for $1 each. Nice synthetic or leather grips. Cut heads off and installed a rubber cap with epoxy. Caps were $1.29/two at HD. Epoxy I already had. Make fine trekking poles. They don't collapse but not hard to do that if wanted. Total cost for two trekking poles - under $5. 5.8 ozs each trekking pole. Find the thicker but slightly flexible shafts for this application.

    Tarp poles made from same carbon fiber golf clubs. Four clubs made nice collapsable dedicated tarp poles. Interior ferrule aluminum insert tubes glued in with a bit of epoxy joined the sections. Bungeed the poles with caps on the two far ends. I was about to purchase 3 carbon fiber tarp poles for $135 total from two UL cottage gear manufacturers. These three cost me less than $15 total. Bought tent pole hardware from Tent Pole technologies. http://tentpoletechnologies.com/?page_id=671 Quest Outfitters also has many of the same tent pole components. - http://www.questoutfitters.com/tent_...m#TENT%20POLES

    Found Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket, one of the earlier versions, for my nephew for $35 also at a Goodwill.

    Recycled down also can be found at Goodwill stores that can make a nice DIY apparel or sleeping quilt/bag piece. Or, used for repairs.

    On $10 inflatable pool toy raft got across the Colorado River twice - in a calmer area. Weight was 10 oz. Some could make an inflatable sleeping mattress in a pinch.

    Tulle or nanoseeum fabric can be bought at various outfitters that specialize in components or at JoAnn Fabrics that make great bug tents or bug hanging screening at a fraction of manufactured versions.

    $2 Dollar store flip-flops for camp and water shoes. These were bought for others as I don't need separate camping shoes. Jelly ones were a hit with the nieces.

    Makes up some for the $$$ cuben fiber, Icebreaker, Smartwool, Pataqonia, Western Mountaineering, Valandre, Katabatic and especially shoes money I've spent.

  7. #27
    Registered User
    Join Date
    05-02-2014
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,264

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jimmyjam View Post
    Safety pins. Use them to repair your clothes, as clothes pins on a piece of line between two trees and to hang my laundry off my pack while I hike. And to drain blisters.
    And to hold a wound together long enough to get to rescue and have stitches...just sayin...

  8. #28
    Registered User Christoph's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-18-2015
    Location
    Valdosta, Georgia
    Age
    51
    Posts
    596

    Default

    My pack (old Kelty Santa Fe 4000) weighed in just over 5 lbs. removed hood, 3 metal inserts, and the hard plastic and extra padding. It now weighs about 2 and I still have a bit more to go without sacrificing the strength/integrity. It's actually even more comfortable. Not bad, bought it for 50-ish (I think) a while back.
    2 razor blades to cut open packages/slice and dice food - no knife.
    small Bic lighter
    Mess kit is a Walmart aluminum mess kit pot and lid, plastic cup, bowl and a plastic spork. That's all I need and worked great! $6 bucks total!
    - Trail name: Thumper

  9. #29

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Studlintsean View Post
    Cut the bottom off of a 1 liter water bottle 4-5 years ago and have been using the same piece for my spring water dip cup.
    I forgot about that. I did the same thing but with the bottom of a narrow gatorade bottle. It's perfect size to hold my filter

  10. #30
    Registered User
    Join Date
    08-27-2015
    Location
    Parkersburg, WV
    Age
    50
    Posts
    522

    Default

    The $1.00 T-Shirt I bought at the Pearisburg Goodwill after LASHing up from Damascus in six days last July. I brought zero extra clothes on that hike other than a Houdini jacket. Just that and the shorts, socks, and shirt I was wearing (actually hiked mostly shirtless). Anyway, it's a really nice synth blend "Hinton Railroad Days" shirt that fits just right and is super soft and comfy. It's my favorite t-shirt now!

  11. #31
    Registered User Maineiac64's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-09-2016
    Location
    Woodstock, GA
    Age
    60
    Posts
    688

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by scudder View Post
    The super ultralite version of this cheap hack: two balloons inside an onion mesh sack(commonly known as The Kardashian)
    I see what you did there.

  12. #32
    Registered User Moosling's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-04-2015
    Location
    Burlington, North Carolina.
    Age
    38
    Posts
    201
    Images
    7

    Default

    Cut the sleeves and legs off of a tyvek suit, and use them as stuff sacks, also use 1 sleeve as a rock bag for my bear hang.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  13. #33
    Registered User colorado_rob's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-20-2012
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Age
    67
    Posts
    4,540
    Images
    3

    Default

    Not trying to be preachy, but my #1 dirt cheap (actually free, and no way to make it lighter) piece of "UL" gear (in my case, perhaps lighter than many others) is my brain and with it the ability to realize what you just plain don't need on the trail (knives, guns, extra shoes, pots and pans, tons of clothing, etc, etc).

  14. #34

    Default

    McDonald's McFlurry spoon...can be made into a McSpork!

    "To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - T.S. Eliot

  15. #35
    Registered Offender
    Join Date
    01-12-2015
    Location
    Displaced/Misplaced/Out of Place
    Posts
    359

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by colorado_rob View Post
    Not trying to be preachy, but my #1 dirt cheap (actually free, and no way to make it lighter) piece of "UL" gear (in my case, perhaps lighter than many others) is my brain and with it the ability to realize what you just plain don't need on the trail (knives, guns, extra shoes, pots and pans, tons of clothing, etc, etc).
    True this, hardheadedness weighs a lot. (Or emptyheadedness does, anyway.) So too does extra body fat, but we won't get into that for now.

    I like some of the dirt cheep ideas here! I only ever shop at thrift stores, so my entire get-up remains dirt cheep.

  16. #36
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-23-2006
    Location
    Melbourne,Australia
    Age
    68
    Posts
    2,851

    Default

    if you double up the "clothes line" and twist it you don't need clothes pegs.
    Something like this (without the mitten hooks...)
    clothes line.jpg

  17. #37
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-30-2016
    Location
    North Augusta, SC
    Age
    48
    Posts
    23

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ScareBear View Post
    And to hold a wound together long enough to get to rescue and have stitches...just sayin...
    I would love to know how much of an expert you would be trying that bit of "wisdom".

  18. #38
    Registered User
    Join Date
    02-14-2011
    Location
    scottsville,va
    Posts
    233

    Default

    Trash bag can be : Ground sheet, stuff sack, rain wear, emergency bivy

  19. #39

    Default

    IMG_25600115_074509.jpg

    My son brought one of these home from school.
    They call them "Finger flashlights" here in Thailand.
    Very bright and can be attached to a stick or any small item.
    I think it will replace my photon II microlight as it is easier to attach it to something in the correct direction.
    Weight? I don't have have scale but it is probably less than a quarter of an oz. (about the same as the Photon II)

    What else? I have an aluminum spoon that has a handle that is knifelike that I also found in Thailand.
    They also have tiny containers of tiger balm here that I carry for mosquito and other insect bites.
    Also dried mango and fairly big dried shrimp. (I dried a lb of elk burger before I left PA also last month)

    Just bought a "Burn" backpack.
    I'll be dropping close to a lb for my upcoming hike!
    Yay!
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  20. #40
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-13-2012
    Location
    Mid Atlantic
    Posts
    1,047
    Images
    9

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 2EZ View Post
    I would love to know how much of an expert you would be trying that bit of "wisdom".
    Yeah I would some crazy glue before I used a safety pin.

Page 2 of 5 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 LastLast
++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •