I've got plenty girlie shoes lying around like that!

I like that Raglan's site! Reminds me...there's a shoe company in San Antonio -- I always see them art/craft fairs and do want a pair of their sandals..just a bit expensive, but so cute! Handmade cute sandals! Piper Sandal Co

http://www.tarptent.com/projects/tarpdesign.html

Tarp tent weighs 18 ounces when all said and done...

*bump*

Instructions for making:
- gaiters
- simple silk liner
- Tunturi Hat (hat with ear flaps) / balaclava
- Neck gaiter/warmer

On another note, I found a Make Your Own Gear forum on Backpackinglight.com

Free sewing patterns from Shelby (winter gear company in Finland)

For Polartec fabrics (100, 200, 300 series, Power Stretch, Thermal Stretch, Windbloc, Power Dry), check out Malden Mills Store. You can buy by the yard, roll, or remnants.

Guys, if I wanted to make something like This - it's a tshirt made of wicking material, but there is no (or very little) Lycra in it, it's not stretchy, its nice and baggy like a regular old comfy T - which one of these wicking fabrics would be the right one???

No idea what all these technical fabric terms are, but my aunt is a seamstress and I want some stuff for xmas, but I also want to point out to her that she can make her own gear for her RTW

Tracy, I'm not sure which of the ones from Rockywoods would be closest to the Techwick material (not enough info on some of those fabrics). I tried to research the Techwick material, and I think it's pretty guarded, being patented and all. However, you can gather that it has the silver odor eliminating technology, which a few companies are using in their outdoor gear department.

I'm no fabric expert, but here's what I found...

I think the Polartec Power Dry fabric might be a similar type of fabric. Malden Mills sells Polartec Power Dry on their website, but I don't think it's the type with the silver fibers (for odor resistance). But you could always call and ask, if you're set on the odor resistance factor (it's relatively new technology, so I imagine it may be a bit pricey) - Power Dry with X-Static or with Odor Resistant Technology.

Coolmax generally uses a polyester/nylon/lycra blend - most likely soft, stretchy material?

I stumbled upon a "Product Knowledge Center" for Performance fabrics. Interesting if you want to research more about different types of fabrics, has links to textile companies (manufacturers) and whatnot.

Hope this helps!

Cool stuff marisa!

Thanks for sharing.

Hey Marisa;
Do you have any idea of the feasibilty of making a flannel dream sack as opposed to buying a silk one? I'll be in th U.K the middle to end of January and i wonder if the silk will be sturdy or warm enough? Right now I'm stitching togetther a bed sheet that I folded in half but that's time consuming-doing it by hand to boot. If the silk keeps warm enough then I think my time may better spent to go ahead and get it but I reckon I'm looking for the input of the more experienced hostellers in the bunch.

Hey dickie,

Silk vs. Flannel..it just depends on what your needs are...

Silk - (pros) - super lightweight, compactable, breathable, good in warm weather, good in cold weather, dries fast
- (cons) - expensive, rips easily

Flannel - (pros) - nice and warm in cold weather, cheap, sturdier fabric than silk
- (cons) - bulky, heavier than silk, traps moisture

Stitching the sheet by hand, wow, you must have some patience! Is there any way you can get access to a sewing machine or a seamstress (seeing that you're in Bagdhad, maybe they'd be cheap?)? Silk liners are expensive to buy. You're in the military? Is there any way you can get some sort of bag liner through them or an affiliated store? (I don't know much about that!).

Personally, I was going to buy cheap silk from a fabric store and make (machine sew) a mummy liner, following the shape and measurements of my sleeping bag (or generically, you can look at the dimensions at the bottom of this link as a reference).

As for me, I'd prefer silk over flannel b/c of weight/compactability/seasonality (can use it it cold and warm weather) issues.

Marisa - thanks so much for the info. I actually had no idea TechWick even had the odor resistant thing, I just happened to like the shirt... That does explain a lot though (like why it didn't stink on my last trip...)

I'm going to read up on that and then send the info along to my aunt


Thanks again!

I made a "farmer john" wetsuit 2 years ago. Sorry I can't send a picture, it is at my friend's house in Cairo. But how I made it:

Neoprene from Seattle Fabrics http://www.seattlefabrics.com/neoprene.html

Wide Velcro from my local fabric store
Neopren cement fom my local dive shop.

I cut the top of the wetsuit to the princess lines from my wedding dress, and the bottom to a pair of longjohns I had on hand. The neoprene is pretty thick, but you also want a negative ease, so the ease cancels out.

I then sewed it with a leather needle. I did that on my grandma's 1952 Kenmore sewing machine. It only makes straight stitches. I used lap seams for the most part.

After that I went over the seams with neoprene glue, attached the Velcro, and all was well.

The wetsuir worked fine in the Red Sea at Christmas time.

Awesome, Terisa. How difficult was it to work with and sew the neoprene? I haven't tried using any kind of fabric of that consistency and was curious.

Today, I got tons, well actually, 17 yards of scrap material (remnants) from Malden Mills, who make Polartec fleece fabrics. Just a brief glance at the material, and it's all good condition, and there are many pieces that are a few (1-3) yards long.

It was very easy to work with and sew the neoprene. I forget what I used to cut it: a rotary cutter, or an x-acto type knife, I think. The cutting was no problem, that's for sure. And sewing was just fine: take it nice and slow. The leather needle punched the neoprene perfectly.

Plartec sounds fun. I don't really get involved with fleece, preferring wool felt, but it'll be great for you to have the differet colors to mess around with!

I make my own maps for my GPS if that counts. I don't like the fact that topo maps for GPS units are based on 1:100,000 scale maps, so I make my own that are closer to 1:24,000 scale topos.

Rich Owings
www.MakeYourOwnMaps.com
www.GPStracklog.com

"We were desert mystics, my friends and I, poring over our maps as others do their holy books." - Edward Abbey

I found this site about ultralite hiking. If you scroll down some, there's a section on "Gear You can Build".

I really like the tealight lanterns from that site Marisa - http://www.imrisk.com/teacandle/teacandle.htm

Reckon a bunch of them strung around camp at BM '06 would look wicked Although the guy said after a few hours the waterbottle bit got kind of melty - I wonder what else could replace the bottle that might hold up better?