DIY that saved you the most *Money* *Weight*

[Codea1991]

Hi all,
I'm all about shaving weight by any means necessary aside from comfort. I don't mine using high quality materials, but I don't buy them. I make them. What's your best weight and cost savings (not necessarily mutually exclusive) from a DIY? Mine has got to be my DIY 0* Quilts. They are made from Membrane 10 with 900 fillpower hyperdry down. I made them for about $130 with wholesale materials and saved a ton on cost, not to mention weight over my 700 fill sleeping bag!
I love seeing new projects. Let's see what you have!

[GilligansWorld]

Hi all,
I'm all about shaving weight by any means necessary aside from comfort. I don't mine using high quality materials, but I don't buy them. I make them. What's your best weight and cost savings (not necessarily mutually exclusive) from a DIY? Mine has got to be my DIY 0* Quilts. They are made from Membrane 10 with 900 fillpower hyperdry down. I made them for about $130 with wholesale materials and saved a ton on cost, not to mention weight over my 700 fill sleeping bag!
I love seeing new projects. Let's see what you have!

I can sew but Down scares me so hat off to you - by far biggest *Money* savings out there.

Mine was 1.1 sil nylon tarp diy I just did - upgraded from my 1.9 poly tarp - huge weight savings for me. Also my 1.6 hyper DIY hammock was some weight savings but comfort - I had originally made the 1.9 poly hammock and tarp due to cost - got materials sub $3.00 a yard at time. I made hammock a double layer originally to insert a pad to keep pad corralled but really never used it after aquisition of the UQ.

A TQ can save some weight but we are talking ozs which really is only the hardware like zippers and also the "mummy" style construction. Real weight savings comes from the super charged down that is 750+ powerfill.

Polycro ground sheets are a) dirt cheap and b) super light weight vs tyvek.

Lastly look at your cordage/strap selection and hardware. Dyneema 2mm ridge lines or Zingit, umhwpe type rope tie outs and straps, etc. cuts some oz off of traditional Paracord/straps cordage/straps. And finally hardware - I have retired all my buckles, and other Tarp fleaz etc, for old fashioned knots in the cordage I carry - fyi dyneema takes some extra care and research to find knots that hold as it is slippery. I use titanium toggles from dutchware and carry 10' whoopies in conjunction with his hybrid grey/black straps to really bridge any circumstance I find. Disclaimer - I have hit what I call the intermediate stage of hammock camping in that I have 1/2 dozen outings in about 3-4 different configurations.

Cheers

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[BrianWillan]

Your best weight savings is losing that extra weight/inches from your midsection. You're carrying that with every step you take along with the load on your back.

Cheers

Brian

[kitsapcowboy]

What's your best weight and cost savings (not necessarily mutually exclusive) from a DIY?

I made a 90-gram Cuben Fiber asym tarp that I think is as good or better than any current commercial equivalent at about half the weight and cost of buying something similar.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...rp)-*-90-GRAMS!

[MikekiM]

Thinking back to all the DIY projects... I think most have saved me weight, all have save me money.

DIY hammocks.. both have been a savings in weight and cost over the commercial hammocks I was using (Warbonnet Blackbird).

Tarps... both have been a savings in weight and cost over the commercial tarps I was using, and gave me a longer ridge line, arguably better fabric and features the commercial equivalents didn't have (Warbonnet Mamajamba and Superfly).

Caldera Cones... Saved me money but not weight because the TD Caldera Cone I use with my MLD 850 is Ti and my knock offs are aluminum. That said, I made a cone for an MLD 475 pot and there isn't available commercially.. so I call that a win. Once I get the venting on target I'll replicate it and Ti.

Costco quilts... Saved me money, not weight. In the end, I replaced them with commercially available quilts so I guess in the long run, they cost me money. Hmmm..maybe not. I sold them for far more than the original down throws cost me, so yeah.. saved money.

Tree table... Saved both money and weight. While not an exact copy of the only commercially available table I know of (2QZQ / $56 / 7.6oz), my tree table performs the same function and is basically the same size. Mine weighs 3.03 oz and cost me $4 ($18 if you count the step drill bit I bought from Harbor Freight for the deck holes). Actually it cost me $2 because I made two tables from the materials I purchased for $4. This is one of my favorite comfort items..

Headlamp strap... I DIY'd a strap for my headlamp that saved me a boat load of weight over the one that came with it.

I'm sure I have more DIY projects I am not remembering...

[West michigan]

My Diy hammocks and my winter covers I made saved me a lot and I learned new tricks along the way

[jeff-oh]

Your best weight savings is losing that extra weight/inches from your midsection. You're carrying that with every step you take along with the load on your back.

Cheers

Brian

Defiantly this. Dec-2016-April 2017 I lost 70 Lbs. Best DIY for a number of reasons.

For saving money, I cook all my own dehydrated meals. Almost every meal I make is one presented on the Hungry Hammock Hanger Channel on YouTube.

This is my all time favorite dish.


Meals run around $2-$3 instead of $8-$10 each.

Another money saving DIY is smart shopping. I picked up my gear for under $5.00 each. Hammock $4.90, Hex Tarp $4.80, and BSR3300T Titanium Stove for $4.41. The stove is currently available for that price right now.

[MikekiM]

...
For saving money, I cook all my own dehydrated meals. Almost every meal I make is one presented on the Hungry Hammock Hanger Channel on YouTube..

Visited his YouTube channel and my first thought was.... oh boy, these aren’t going to be low calorie recipes. then I saw his latest vid having lost some weight and talking about Paleo, which I am a fan of. In his vid he says he would be doing new vids every month or month and a half. That was like two years ago and no other vis were posted... sad. I was looking forward to them.

Did he start a new channel?



Sent from somewhere east of Montauk

[jeff-oh]

Visited his YouTube channel and my first thought was.... oh boy, these aren’t going to be low calorie recipes. then I saw his latest vid having lost some weight and talking about Paleo, which I am a fan of. In his vid he says he would be doing new vids every month or month and a half. That was like two years ago and no other vis were posted... sad. I was looking forward to them.

Did he start a new channel?
Sent from somewhere east of Montauk

Actually I was concerned for his health and if he is still alive. In the beginning of his last video he talked about surgeries and no longer glowing... along with the dramatic weight loss. My concern is he had a bout with cancer and had radiation treatments. I do pray he is alright. He still has his facebook page, but has not commented there for 40 weeks. Has stated he will not be doing anymore videos. He said he has used up all his recipes.

[HandyRandy]

Headlamp strap... I DIY'd a strap for my headlamp that saved me a boat load of weight over the one that came with it.

I really need to do a DIY headlamp strap! I have an Olight H2R and I LOVE the light itself, but the strap is another story. What did you end up doing exactly?