The "what have you made today" thread

MikeinDorset

Ultralighter
Quick report on the green bivy bag:

- completely clear night, quite a lot of dew this morning
- breathability was excellent, loads better than the Hunka
- the lighter material and interior surface (3-layer scrim rather than rubbery hydrophilic coating) was much nicer to live in
- I could detect slight moisture in the foot end of my down bag, but compared to a Hunka in almost identical conditions a couple of weeks ago, a lot less moisture and no wet surface on the sleeping bag
- I didn't get some small sections of seam tape to stick enough so I need to go back and redo those sections so the tape edges stick down properly
- Once I've sorted the seams I'll try it in the rain and see what it's like
 

MikeinDorset

Ultralighter
Second MYOG project, an Apex overbag to go in the bright green bivvy bag. I ordered some apex 133 and plain downproof taffeta from ET.

I didn't enjoy working with the apex and taffeta at all! I kept this super simple, just a rectangular bag sized to fit fine in the bivvy and which if I'm using it without an inner down quilt, lets me spread my feet out (I'm a side sleeper). Rather than make it super long to go right over my head, it's just oversized enough to cinch nicely over the down quilt inside and leave room to loft.
IMG_8370.jpg

It weighs 740g in a stuffsack. Not superlight but not bad for what I hope is the warmth.

With some leftover taffeta I also made a pillowcase to go over my inflatable pillow. This has space to add extra padding so it's more comfortable:
IMG_8371.jpg
... and then I made an apex hood system for when it's cold. This is also super simple, two rectangles of apex sewn into tubes, with one tube sewn at the top to make a rectangular 'hat':
IMG_8374.jpg
When I'm not wearing them the two rectangles are the right fit to go on top of the inflatable pillow inside the pillowcase:
IMG_8372.jpg
Which was definitely the reason I made a rectangular hat and in no way because a shaped one seemed too difficult. The combination also affords some excellent fancy dress opportunities as the Black Knight (both parts), or Episode VI Darth Vader without his helmet on (bottom part only).
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
Second MYOG project, an Apex overbag to go in the bright green bivvy bag. I ordered some apex 133 and plain downproof taffeta from ET.

I didn't enjoy working with the apex and taffeta at all! I kept this super simple, just a rectangular bag sized to fit fine in the bivvy and which if I'm using it without an inner down quilt, lets me spread my feet out (I'm a side sleeper). Rather than make it super long to go right over my head, it's just oversized enough to cinch nicely over the down quilt inside and leave room to loft.
View attachment 26807

It weighs 740g in a stuffsack. Not superlight but not bad for what I hope is the warmth.

With some leftover taffeta I also made a pillowcase to go over my inflatable pillow. This has space to add extra padding so it's more comfortable:
View attachment 26808
... and then I made an apex hood system for when it's cold. This is also super simple, two rectangles of apex sewn into tubes, with one tube sewn at the top to make a rectangular 'hat':
View attachment 26809
When I'm not wearing them the two rectangles are the right fit to go on top of the inflatable pillow inside the pillowcase:
View attachment 26810
Which was definitely the reason I made a rectangular hat and in no way because a shaped one seemed too difficult. The combination also affords some excellent fancy dress opportunities as the Black Knight (both parts), or Episode VI Darth Vader without his helmet on (bottom part only).
Love the hat!:ninja:

Be interested to see how it works out. 133 will be good enough for standalone for 2 season use.

I've been considering a similar apex overbag for winter use with a down quilt, though probably 67g/m² and with a taper.
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
I've tried close fitting apex and down hats/hoods, but find the noises caused by the closeness of the nylon to my earholes too off-putting. Prefer a looser fit sleeping bag hood or more usually a powerstretchfleece Balaclava and/or jacket hood
 

EM-Chiseller

Thru Hiker
Saved 9g off the weight of my inertia x-lite short...
Mutli use 75g asspad, ULA airframe X back pad, comfy pillow, knee pillow, air-splint, X-lite short pad extender and saving the planet from more waste blah blah blah.... It gives me options to suit the trip.. It had 9 xtensive repairs and was no longer reliable... The pieces have been tested and holding air under pressure :thumbsup: I'll be making a pole sleeve and a couple of little pouches from some of the offcuts.
IMG_20201004_175431.jpg IMG_20201004_175455.jpg IMG_20201004_175004.jpg IMG_20201004_174334.jpg IMG_20201004_174430.jpg IMG_20201004_174348.jpg
 

Robert P

Thru Hiker
This is really just a minor modification, but I've added some silicone sleeves to the lid handles for my Toaks pots. They may have 'lockable' grips but they always seem to fall down and risk burnt fingers. This should solve the problem and the handles still fold down OK.

Actually if you take the standard handle out of the lid and twist it a bit and then re-insert the tension helps hold its position better, irrespective of the silicone sleeve.

Toaks lid.jpg
 

Odd Man

Thru Hiker
This is really just a minor modification, but I've added some silicone sleeves to the lid handles for my Toaks pots. They may have 'lockable' grips but they always seem to fall down and risk burnt fingers. This should solve the problem and the handles still fold down OK.

Actually if you take the standard handle out of the lid and twist it a bit and then re-insert the tension helps hold its position better, irrespective of the silicone sleeve.

View attachment 26893

I put a silicon band on mine for double duty.

 

Enzo

Thru Hiker
Nicely done sir :cool:

My experience with packs is that it's a journey of iterative improvements. I've made a lot, and even after settling on a basic design there are improvements I make each time, be it fabric, cut ancillarys etc
 

Enzo

Thru Hiker
Dude, splash out on some proper fabric. You can get enough robic for a pack for a tenner. Given your time investment it's a false economy.
 
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