Never have your tent sag again! I may call this ‘The Skyhook’ as it makes your tent seem to float on air. We have been gazing at it in astonishment all night. There would be a million dollars in this invention if I could afford to patent it. May be my best DIY idea yet. […]
Today marks my 1600th post here at The Ultralight Hiker. Quite a milestone. And time maybe to recall the last hundred or so – or roughly the last year. A year ago in February (2022) I finally ‘bit the bullet’ and had that pesky worn old left knee replaced with a shiny new titanium one.
Undaunted by our (unsuccessful) fiftieth anniversary foray on the Dusky, a couple of days later we decided to give the Kepler Heli-Hike a try. It involves a (claimed) 3 1/2 hour walk down from the Luxmore Hut to Brod Bay on the Western shore of Lake Te Anau (pretty accurate – for us anyway –
I have been a fan of Joe Valesko’s Zpacks for nearly twenty years – back when he was just a lad sewing all the packs himself. We have kept in touch. I have tried many of his products as they became available and generally promoted them. I doubt there has been any single person who
Before heading right off into the backcountry it’s best to test your gear and your skills somewhere much closer to home where you can walk away from your mistakes a little more easily. Sometimes these mistakes can be pretty bad, so it will pay to Be Prepared. My new Deerhunter’s Tent undergoing testing right now
I know lots of you have seen this photo before as I have used it as a signature image for some time. Unsurprisingly a number have asked, ‘There must be a story behind that stag, Steve. Tell us about it’. Well, here goes…You can no doubt tell by how much I have aged that it
Silnylon Hammock Tarp That\’s what I called it when I made it back in 2020 anyway. It can be set up in several different ways, and you will no doubt discover others. You can use it as a fully enclosed (fire) tent for two but you will have to add some material to the floor area ( a piece of polycro etc) or you can use it as a hammock tarp for one or two people.
I managed to source this (approx 43 gsm) silnylon from a Chinese supplier for US$2.50 per metre. There are 6 metres here (or US$15 worth) plus some gross-grain ribbon for the tie-outs and reinforcing, some glow in the dark guyline and some similar clam cleats. Less than US$20 worth anyway – and a few hours sewing. Good practice as a beginner project. I used heavier ribbon for the tie-outs and reinforcing than I usually do as it was what I had (and I don’t want to go on any unnecessary shopping trips because of the quarantine just now). It will make it stronger anyway (if maybe 50 grams heavier).
The 8′ x 5′ spinnaker fabric floor weighs 101 grams. The 18 (approx 8 grams ea) pegs (so I can double up on all windward anchor points) weigh 153 grams including their stuff sack. The stuff sack/s weigh approx 7 grams.
The tent alone weighs 527 grams (with guys and luminous line locks). Obviously it could weigh less out of 1 oz fabric or even .77 oz fabric probably 375 grams. Anyway I would save 152 grams on the fabric alone. I could also carry many fewer pegs – or none at all (and make them out of bush sticks (as with the pole).
I could also use a lighter (and smaller) groundsheet, eg Polycro at perhaps 25 grams (so down another 76 grams) – so it could be 375 + 25 grams = 400 grams. Pretty good for a tent for two you can stand up in which can also be used as a hammock tarp. I guess the guys could also be lighter, or shorter…but sometimes I like something which is no trouble and which I know is bullet-proof.
Even in this weight fabric, if I left the floor and pegs at home it could weigh about 550 grams in my pack. Its total length is 10′ (3 metres) and at its widest point it is 7′ 6″ (2.3 metres). Lots of room for two people, two small dogs and lots of gear. If I carry one hammock my shelter will still be under 750 grams.
10 x 10 Shelter + Hammock Tarp Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon Read More »
The Deer Hunter\’s Tent: I have just been making a new version of this tent in some 1.25 oz silnylon I bought from China for $4/metre. This makes a roof at exactly 274 grams ( have weighed it) in a stretched version which I will be posting about soon (plus patterns to download). It allows for a ‘bed’ area of more than 7′ x 5′ plus a vestibule, so about 45 square feet all up.. This roof area would weigh 205 grams in the .93 oz fabric (US$8/yd) and 170 in the .77 (US$16/yd). I doubt the double cost is worth the 30 grams saving. When I add a floor to the existing roof the whole thing will weigh around 420 grams (including tie-outs). In the .93 fabric the tent with floor it will weigh 304 grams (250 for the .77 oz)
In cuben you could go even (slightly) lighter but it is very expensive at around $30/yd (http://www.zpacks.com/materials.shtml)and very fragile. I have a piece I can salvage from another project so I may make a cuben model with a .93oz silnylon poncho floor – I expected the whole thing (including floor) would weigh under 250 grams after I have made another one in Tyvek to get the measurements just exact. This one was the prototype. Not bad for a two person tent though!
The waterproof section of the floor would only be roughly 5’ by 7’ ( or anyway the size of the poncho), less a bit so that you get a ‘bathtub floor’ effect (if you use a poncho). However, there is also a floorless ‘vestibule area of about 7 square feet for dogs, and gear stowage. I expect if you are vertically challenged like us you will have plenty of room to shove bits and pieces at the ends and side.
Deer Hunter’s Tent Pattern and Instructions Available Now Read More »
Welcome to TheUltralightHiker Shop Page. NB: Prices are in Australian Dollars. Price does not include freight but does include GST. I am still working on this page and what will be offered (soon) so please check back. The page is not completely working yet, but you should be able to buy some things and pay
A sequel to an earlier post, Gully Walking I have always liked Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ even though I realised long ago how much he/it owed to my even more favourite poet, Edward Thomas who was also a close friend of his until his death in WW1. However I too, early in
