New bushwalking forum ? Frugal walking

[Moondog55]

maybe we should blend in the Op-Shop find thread with this one Because I find a lot of my fabrics in Op-Shops and on the side of the road in piles of stuff people leave behind when moving house. I have 2 lots of excellent canvas here that came form old Roman blinds and window awnings.
I'll be making my mukluks from the Suntuff canvas [ the Roman blinds] for instance

[rurik]

Polytarp. I hadn't seen that brand name before. It's just a thick painter's plastic sheeting with some sort of reinforcement fiber. Kind of a poor man's Cuben.

I have a couple bags from IKEA made from that sort of material. They're sewn together and are surprisingly robust. I dragged one of them up a big wall in Yosemite for use as a rope bucket. Over the years it has mostly served as a container for gear (cams, carabiners, rope) at home and on numerous trips. Eventually it got chewed up enough that duct tape repairs weren't as satisfactory as they had been originally and I sewed a copy of it out of 1000d Cordura (dragged that one up The Nose). The 1000d cordura version will last forever, but I still have the polytarp one, filled with metal toys. I think I spent $8 on it?

The looser IKEA polytarp bag that I have, the kind that people use as shopping bags in IKEA stores, cost me about $2. It is a pretty standard rope bag for indoor climbing. I've seen people using them outdoors too.

I think you could sew a pack with that fabric which, given a little care, would hold up for some period of time.

That said, decent cloth isn't that expensive. A yard of 1000d Cordura costs $10-$12 and there are cheaper fabrics too. If it were me, spending the time and effort to make a pack, I'd also spend at least a little money on the fabric.

Yes but I have a 10x15m tarp sitting there which is going to be going to the bin soon. It is also a good practice for doing other things plus it is program development for my scout group. Another thing is in Australia fabric is not as cheap or readily avalible as in the US.

[Moondog55]

Don't bin it, recycle It is after all simply polyethylene and easily remelted to substrate

[Orion]

Yes but I have a 10x15m tarp sitting there which is going to be going to the bin soon. It is also a good practice for doing other things plus it is program development for my scout group. Another thing is in Australia fabric is not as cheap or readily avalible as in the US.

I thought Simon was helping with availability and cost in Australia? Well anyway, if it makes sense to you then do it. It is certainly sewable. And if it doesn't make sense, use the tarp for something else. I've got several tarps made of that sort of stuff; I've always got one in the back of my car. Or recycle it.

[rurik]

When someone quotes prices by the yard I assume US, Liberia or Myanmar as they are the only people who use imperial.

[Orion]

Yes, I live in California. I usually try and convert to metric for you guys but I forgot.
Right now 1 USD/yd = 1.2 AUD/m, so it's pretty close to the same thing.

Anyway, Simon aka Tier Gear sells at least a couple of different fabrics that would be suitable for making a pack:
- a 210D ripstop for AUD $11.50 per meter
- a more burly 420D pack cloth for $16/m.

[Mark F]

Sorry Orion, your maths are not correct.

1 US$/yd = approx 1.5 AU$/m
1.0936 yards/metre and a buy exchange rate around 0.73

[Orion]

You're right! I did it backwards. I'm happy someone actually checked my math (or maths, if you prefer). Thank you!

Of course rurik's point, I think, was actually the source location and not the numbers per se. Is fabric less expensive when ordered in California than in the ACT? I really don't know. But I'll bet it's cheap enough there to make it worth buying some to make a pack, at least for most people.

There's frugal and there's stupid frugal, not to say that rurik is being stupid. Just that it would have been really dumb for me to have made the pack I'm just about finished with out of spare tarp material from the back of my car instead of the fabrics that I ordered online.

[Nuts]

I saved an article on using car airbag material for making a backpack: http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Bag ... -Backpack/
Great idea, the stuff is 'bombproof'!!

But then there's sourcing and removing the bags, imagining all the build options imaginable even before the work and possible mistakes. Servicing the machine (breaking the odd needle?). All that work only to then discover that the material is designed with inbuilt vents (lol).

Recycling is one aspect of value, but for some of us 'frugal' is going to be relative to income. All my DIY projects probably cost more, even in dollar terms, and then there's the growing pile of off-cuts horded and their ongoing storage..

PS I do admire the DIY aspect though, and those who fuss over little things rare in these throw-away days.

[peregrinator]

. . . I'm happy someone actually checked my math (or maths, if you prefer). . .

Or arithmetic.

[Lamont]

Probably already well known but download "OSM FREE" from play store and be rid of Google maps. No internet connection required as most probably know, works off satellites, convert your smart phone to a basic GPS device. Nice to turn on away from the towers and see where you are. Nice big screen on your smart phone equals nice big(ish) map.

[davidf]

What frugal person owns a smart phone? I certainly dont.

[Moondog55]

I do as of 5 weeks ago when I got my first one. Works out cheaaper for us to have 2 mobiles rther than the landline. So far I've not taken a single picture of a kitten

[Neo]

Recently had to buy water so went for the 5lt & 10lt Pureau brand in a cask. Now used one to cart water into a walk-in campsite.
Those pricey STS ones are just a goon bladder in a tough bag, could reuse one of these 'free' water ones in a drysack or other, if you didn't want to drink all that wine!

[crollsurf]

I like the idea of a Frugal forum. I'm always looking for cheaper options.
Camping in my eyes is way cheaper than other forms of holidaying. You wont see any change from $2000.00 taking the family for a cheap weeks holiday up the coast. You should be able to kit up close to UL for that price.

Just last night I bought a 76g 12L Collapsible sink for $8.00 http://www.kmart.com.au/product/12l-collapsible-sink/1551816 so I'm into Frugal for sure.

[Moondog55]

At 76g I think it qualifies as UL into the bargain.

[Neo]

Cheers for the sink tip. Let us know how it is in use.

[crollsurf]

Hi Neo, Quick Kmart Active 12L sink review
http://www.kmart.com.au/product/12l-collapsible-sink/1551816
Costs $8.00 and double lined with some kind of ripstop material.
In the pouch it weighs 76g and is 18cm long by 7cm round but compresses down to 11cm x 7cm if you use the cord for compression (loop draw cord back over pouch)

Observations:
Holds 12L but barely holds 10L seated, 8L comfortably.
Carries single handed 8L but I think you'll lose another 0.5-1L getting from the creek to camp.
Inner liner showed minor seepage over a 30 minute period but outer was still dry.

Wont get to test properly until I go on a 2 week hike in a couple of months. Really just want it for bathing and washing cloths but I'm sure it will work fine as a sink as well. I might even get tempted to dirty my pot with some real food now I've got it.

[Neo]

12 litres is massive!!
Living on the road ive got a 5lt dish but only use about 1lt water.

[Neo]

This is my new cup.
Accidentally shrunk the bottom end with boiling water but was the perfect result. Seen here with Margaret River sav blanc...
I used a bic lighter to soften the sipping rim.

[Neo]

I'm making a stick stove out of a double ardmona tomato tin.
Drilled a symmetrical pattern of holes in the top.
Used a can opener that retained the thick edge.
Made the top holes with a 3mm bit then some of them to 6mm.
On two sides with a cordless grinder cut slots 30mm up to feed twigs into.
Next is to do a test then probably drill draft holes on one side.
This tin fits nicely inside my 1lt companion pot and was cheap/free-frugal.

[Neo]

Here was the first drillling with opposing 3x4cm side slots for sticks.

[Neo]

Here it is in action. Breeze helps, gotta start with a fist full of gum leaves and the tiniest of twigs. Awesome!

[Neo]

A ul stove cost next to nothing, suitable for 9mths of the year (yet to boil water)

[Neo]

Ok first fire was a fizzer even for this practiced pyro. Turned the tin upside down and load with sticks then a gum leaf pine needle mix. Tip to the side to get started then stoke with small twigs.

[Neo]

Worked well when I blew in it so need to add some holes down low so the fire can breathe.

[crollsurf]

Yeah a bit more Oxygen will do the trick.
I'm guessing you've seen these before Neo
http://www.bikepacking.com/gear/hop-can-stoves-how-to-make-5-ultralight-bikepacking-stoves/
I've made the Tom's version a few times and works well on a flat rock or bench but tend to fail placed on dirt. I think the dirt sucks the heat and stops the Metho from boiling. Still at 15g they make a good free UL stove

[CasualNerd]

Neo you might be interested in the wood gas stoves, a slightly more efficient design, and only $15 usd in stainless steel. The middle section is double walled so unburnt gasses circulate, get heated, and reburn in the top.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Folded- ... 0.0.7PXXEi

It nests together and is 13cm diameter x 7cm high. I don't think you'll get water to a rolling boil and it obviously takes a small amount of fuel at a time, but it's a decent little stove.

[Neo]

Cheers for those links, I'm wanting to try a mini metho stove too.
Will tinker a bit more with my tomato tin soon.

[mulberryk]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Folded-Outdoor-Cooking-Picnic-Camping-Stove-Portable-Stainless-Steel-Lightweight-Wood-Stove-Solidified-Alcohol-Stove/32695643003.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.7PXXEi

It nests together and is 13cm diameter x 7cm high. I don't think you'll get water to a rolling boil and it obviously takes a small amount of fuel at a time, but it's a decent little stove.

They can also burn hexamine solid fuel tabs, according to the sales pitch - I'm now eyeing one off as it would fit neatly in the pot I own instead of getting one of the rectangular style hexamine ones.