Favorite/most essential piece of homemade gear?

[shortridge]

A simple query for all the DIYers and dirtbaggers out there ... what's your favorite or most essential item of homemade/repurposed gear?

[prairie]

A queen size flat bed sheet I sewed into a sleeping bag/sack, sleep in it most nights and slip it over the air mattress on real hot nights. Easy and cheap enough to make youth sized, helps to check that area of big box stores often for sheets that are clearance priced.

 

Made a spork out of a Lexan serving/soup spoon.

[dg98adams]

I picked up an old BSA rucksack/frame for cheap several years ago.

 

I leave the frame at home, but I keep all my small camping goodies in the ruck.

 

* Mess kit

* Steel Cup

* over-stuffed 1st aid kit (contains other things like cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly, water proof matches, pieces of fire starters)

*song book

* plant/Tree ID pocket hand book

* Native American pocket story book - or BP book

* Small leather craft (laces)

* uncarved neck slide

* head mounted LED for reading at night

* whatever book I'm reading

* flint & steel (I'm terrible at it, but can do it

* glovers needle and some sinew

 

(This message has been edited by dg98adams)(This message has been edited by dg98adams)

[SSScout]

Nice topic. Two things:

1) Plastic bags. Specifically, that wrap up bread loafs. Pack your clothing, towels, foodstuffs. Seperatre, organize. Waterproof, collapsable, reusable, put dirty stuff in'em for collection (rocks, bones, ) for home taking.

2) Popcorn cans. (or christmas candy tins). Waterproof, noncrushable, modular, stackable. Depending on the size, shapes out your pack and helps crush proof stuff adjacent. I have one from 20plus years ago that holds my sew kit, matches, firestarter, small ducktape roll, goop tube. Don't want to crush goop. Another one is used to pack eggs, in carton fragment. Perfect fit.

[qwazse]

Not essential in terms of survival, but for paperwork ...

 

I carved my own rubber stamp out of an eraser. (It has various totems related to a club I'm in and my hobbies.) When boys ask for a sign-off in their books, I try to have the stamp and pad in my pack's top pocket or in a plastic clipboard. I now carve one for my SM's every summer camp.

 

If you look up websites about letterboxing, you'll come across the essential "how to's" for carving your own.

[red feather]

Ditched the shaving mirror and use the compass mirror instead.

 

Added clips to fanny pack and pack to hang the fanny pack in front as a 'belly bag' to store daily needed things and basic survival gear while hiking. Unclips and can then be worn as a fanny pack.

 

Well identified plastic sports drink bottle to prevent the winter late night tree trips.

 

Lanyard that carries whistle, compass, fire starter and ID tag. Made out of 100 foot of paracord with cotton cord center as tinder.

 

Metal shower curtain hooks instead of d rings. They also hold fish. Make good zipper pulls in winter. (do not have to take gloves off)

 

Oversize muslin triangular bandage as head scarf, face scarf, hotpad, bandage etc.

 

Cut down 6" elastic bandage as neck wrap, head band and even as an elastic bandage.

 

yis

red feather

[CRK7376]

All my rucks, internal frame and external frames have a clothes line and clothes pins on the ruck. I use about a 3ft loop of parachute cord, then clothes pins for socks or wet tshirts etc....For my climbing gear rack I cut and taped together a homemade "Crack tool" for cleaning placement/recovering chocks/nuts/Tsquares.

[SeattlePioneer]

Boy Scout Secret Spices

 

 

Equal amounts of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and chili powder. This is an excellent mild spice that can be shaken on top of pretty much any meat or vegentable dish.

 

Pretty much all boys find it a tasty addition to their usually usually negligible experience with spices.

 

Personally I use an old salt shaker as my spice dispenser and drilled out the holes to make the spices come out easier. Putting a little plastic sheeting between under the cap keeps the spices inside on camping trips.

 

But Shhhhhhh! Don't tell this to the Girl Scouts! They win too many camporee cooking competitions as it is!