The first half of this post was included to help out those new to backpacking.......it answers the 'why'?
Getting geared up for backpacking, even at a basic level, means you will have to fork out a good wad of cash. Any money saving tips are usually a compromise....the old adage about quality, weight and cost relate directly to backpacking, especially if you are of a mind to cut weight. In almost every instance out of the three you will only get two that you are happy with...
Light + good quality = expensive
Heavy + good quality = not so expensive
Light + poor quality = cheap
Heavy + poor quality = free
You get the drift.
Part of a good gear system is being able to partition your gear and access easily when needed. Some packs come with a multitude of pockets which are fixed in size and make the pack heavy, better packs have a larger main compartment leaving details on how and where the load is stowed to the user to determine. The best way to do this is via lightweight bags holding things of similar type....aka dry bags, pouches, pull outs etc. These are used to stow food, water treatment, clothes, cooking gear and other essential equipment.
EXPED FOLD DRYBAG UL XS
KUIU Zip Dry Bags Articles— byland.co
Ultralight Pullouts – Kifaru Intl. Online Store
You can blow a hundred bucks just on a few pouches. I have a DIY tip that can meet the quality, cost and weight equation for gear stowage......the final quality level will be down to how good the sewing is, but it is a simple job that won't tax anyone who has a passing understanding on how to operate a sewing machine. The measure for me here is functional quality, it has to do the same job and provide the same, if not better, durability. I have had a couple of dry bags just crap themselves with the liner de-laminating, for the price you would expect them to last more than a couple of years.
Many guys will either have access to, or know someone who uses Tyvek overalls as part of their job, the key part in the cost equation is you get them for free. Tyvek is highly water resistant and can be sewn on a home machine, the seams wont be waterproof but this is of little concern, they will be showerproof and will keep gear dry in your pack unless you decide to repeatedly dunk it under water.
Looking at the suit you can see that after a few judicious cuts with a pair of scissors you will have an array of semi finished bags that just need a minute on a sewing machine before they can be pressed into service.
I made these back in 2013 and they are still all perfectly serviceable and repel water.
The long skinny on in the middle weighs 22g, there are no off the shelf bags that match that....it's actually 20cm wide when not scrunched up.
I twist the top and wrap the cord around it, once stowed in a pack they will not undo.
Cheers,
Dinger
Getting geared up for backpacking, even at a basic level, means you will have to fork out a good wad of cash. Any money saving tips are usually a compromise....the old adage about quality, weight and cost relate directly to backpacking, especially if you are of a mind to cut weight. In almost every instance out of the three you will only get two that you are happy with...
Light + good quality = expensive
Heavy + good quality = not so expensive
Light + poor quality = cheap
Heavy + poor quality = free
You get the drift.
Part of a good gear system is being able to partition your gear and access easily when needed. Some packs come with a multitude of pockets which are fixed in size and make the pack heavy, better packs have a larger main compartment leaving details on how and where the load is stowed to the user to determine. The best way to do this is via lightweight bags holding things of similar type....aka dry bags, pouches, pull outs etc. These are used to stow food, water treatment, clothes, cooking gear and other essential equipment.
EXPED FOLD DRYBAG UL XS
KUIU Zip Dry Bags Articles— byland.co
Ultralight Pullouts – Kifaru Intl. Online Store
You can blow a hundred bucks just on a few pouches. I have a DIY tip that can meet the quality, cost and weight equation for gear stowage......the final quality level will be down to how good the sewing is, but it is a simple job that won't tax anyone who has a passing understanding on how to operate a sewing machine. The measure for me here is functional quality, it has to do the same job and provide the same, if not better, durability. I have had a couple of dry bags just crap themselves with the liner de-laminating, for the price you would expect them to last more than a couple of years.
Many guys will either have access to, or know someone who uses Tyvek overalls as part of their job, the key part in the cost equation is you get them for free. Tyvek is highly water resistant and can be sewn on a home machine, the seams wont be waterproof but this is of little concern, they will be showerproof and will keep gear dry in your pack unless you decide to repeatedly dunk it under water.
Looking at the suit you can see that after a few judicious cuts with a pair of scissors you will have an array of semi finished bags that just need a minute on a sewing machine before they can be pressed into service.
- Turn the cut sections inside out and run around them, preferably a synthetic thread, although mine had what was ever on the machine at the time and are still doing after 4 years.
- There are guidlines for sewing tyvek that you can find on the web, but I just copied the same stitching that the suit came with, straight and spaced about 1 to 2mm apart.
- Roll the top over and stitch around it so that you can add a drawstrings
- Turn it right side out and add the drawstring
- Job done
I made these back in 2013 and they are still all perfectly serviceable and repel water.
The long skinny on in the middle weighs 22g, there are no off the shelf bags that match that....it's actually 20cm wide when not scrunched up.
I twist the top and wrap the cord around it, once stowed in a pack they will not undo.
Cheers,
Dinger
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