Lightweight Cheap Gear Alternatives

B

bearthedog

Joined
May 17, 2006
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Just wanted to share with you guys a few ways that I have cut weight and saved some money in the process over the years.


Water Bottles
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Nalgene type bottles weigh 6 ½ oz and cost $5-$8.
US Issue Canteens weigh 4.25 oz and cost about $2.
Gatorade plastic bottles weigh 2 oz and cost $1 (if you look in the right places), and you get a nice tasty drink. They are easy to replace and can be frozen multiple times.

Cook Pot
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US Canteen Cup (steel) weighs about 8.25 oz and cost about $10.
MSR Titanium 1 qt (without lid) weighs about 3.5 oz and costs about $50.
Rockstar 24 oz aluminum can has a lid that holds water pretty good especially for standing upright for boiling. It makes a good superlight weight 1.25 oz pot and it comes with a fruity punch flavored drink to start with. Price, $2.99.

Man Made Tinder
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The quick tinder was tested in the jungle and only lasted about 1 minute. They actually cost money too.
The home made cotton balls with Vaseline burned about 3 minutes.
Dryer lint takes a spark easily and also burns fast.
Steel wool (0000) takes a spark easily and can be lit by a cell phone battery. The cool thing is that most of this stuff is my price, free-95!
 
Great stuff, i swear by the GI canteen and cup and still use one.

For tender I use cotton covered in vasaline. I stuff it into a straw cut into 3rds and melt the ends and squeeze them shut with pliers to make them water proof.
 
I am Cotton ball vasoline guy. Keep about 5 in a small ziplock bag in my pocket when I am out in the bush.

-RB
 
Some more:

Best cheap water bottles I've ever used, saline solution bottles from the hospital. Unlike other free alternatives, these don't get brittle when cold or break when dropped, and are better sealed than many expensive bottles.
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Rain gear, army surplus poncho. Doubles as emergency shelter and a ground cloth that can be snapped around sleeping bag.

Cooking: #10 coffee cans. Take two, one for cooking food and one for heating water. Throw away at end of trip.
 
There is great comfort in having a giant bag of cotton balls and a role of jute twine in the house. :thumbup: Good call with the gatorade bottle, not so much with the rockstar. :barf: Maybe a keg can instead? :thumbup:

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eta: by the way, I use my keg can with a W.W.R.D. silicone bracelet that may or may not have been wrapped around a fistfull of "martital aids" and possibly Ren's scrotum.
 
In New York I taught the local inner-city kids backpacking
We went up to the Catskils by bus

They had no money to spend
Almost nothing was purchased, most of their gear came out of their house.
Small cooking pots, blankets and clothing, and work boots
The exception was they purchased inexpensive frame backpacks and an Army surplus poncho
 
Good Thread Bear.

Another good tinder is twine soaked half in melted beeswax. Fray the non-coated end and catch the flame with it, and the wax burns a long time. Not free (have to usually buy the wax), but they are light, small and a block of wax lasts a long time.
 
Good thread!

I like cheap, as long as it doesn't fail.

I got a couple of golf clubs from a thrift store, a graphite driver and an iron. I removed the clubs from both, and took the handle off the metal shaft of the iron. Then I put a carbide hiking pole tip on the end of that, to make my own version of a trekking pole. I made this about 10 years ago and it's still kicking ass.
It is very strong, the steel shaft protects the graphite, and helps support my body weight. I can lean my entire weight on it, it flexes but hasn't snapped. When contacting the ground it vibrates, great shock absorbtion. I have used it as a whip, a limb clearing tool, and to prop up a tarp.
It doesn't collapse, but it's lightweight, I've never weighed it, but it's weight is all in the carbide tip.
 
ya'll buy $50 Maxpedition Nalgene bottle carriers...I go to Goodwill and find generic one for $1.50.

Ya'll buy $25-50 mess kits...I go to Goodwill and buy a SS bowl, and a small SS pot w/lid that perfectly nest inside the bowl. Total cost- $5.

seriously though, I do love to shop Thrift stores, flea markets and yard sales...it's like a treasure hunt and you never know what you'll find.
 
foxx said:
Good thread!

I like cheap, as long as it doesn't fail.

I got a couple of golf clubs from a thrift store, a graphite driver and an iron. I removed the clubs from both, and took the handle off the metal shaft of the iron. Then I put a carbide hiking pole tip on the end of that, to make my own version of a trekking pole. I made this about 10 years ago and it's still kicking ass.
It is very strong, the steel shaft protects the graphite, and helps support my body weight. I can lean my entire weight on it, it flexes but hasn't snapped. When contacting the ground it vibrates, great shock absorbtion. I have used it as a whip, a limb clearing tool, and to prop up a tarp.
It doesn't collapse, but it's lightweight, I've never weighed it, but it's weight is all in the carbide tip.
Click to expand...


Above is genius. My hat is off to you.

I replaced my heavy surplus canteen cup and canteen with the 1 quart gatorade bottle shoved into the SnowPeak Trek 700 cup. They git together like they were made to go together. The cup was "cheap" because it was a dented display model for $20
 
Some real cool ideas here.
Heck yes, Steel Wool 0000 can take a spark and dryer lint was just used in camp a few mornings ago.

-RB
 
foxx said:
Good thread!

I like cheap, as long as it doesn't fail.

I got a couple of golf clubs from a thrift store, a graphite driver and an iron. I removed the clubs from both, and took the handle off the metal shaft of the iron. Then I put a carbide hiking pole tip on the end of that, to make my own version of a trekking pole. I made this about 10 years ago and it's still kicking ass.
It is very strong, the steel shaft protects the graphite, and helps support my body weight. I can lean my entire weight on it, it flexes but hasn't snapped. When contacting the ground it vibrates, great shock absorbtion. I have used it as a whip, a limb clearing tool, and to prop up a tarp.
It doesn't collapse, but it's lightweight, I've never weighed it, but it's weight is all in the carbide tip.
Click to expand...

I'd love to see pics of this if you have them. I'm always nervous about breaking my trekking poles when I use them to thwack my way through blackberries. This sounds like a great idea.

Thanks
 
Bob W said:
Best cheap water bottles I've ever used, saline solution bottles from the hospital. Unlike other free alternatives, these don't get brittle when cold or break when dropped, and are better sealed than many expensive bottles.
sodiumcholride1.jpg
Click to expand...

+1 on these, I discovered them as an EMT in the early 90's. They can even be frozen without bursting!!!!
 
Never had a Gatorade or Aquafina bottle bust from feezing yet either and they are easier to come by.

-RB
 
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