I tried my hand at making an underquilt from a poncho liner. While it seems ok, (maybe a bit loose) I thought I'd like to get a 'real' one for comparison. With fall fast approaching, I ordered one from Amazon, the OneTigris Hideout. Possibly a bit on the small side for me but lightweight and not too expensive. Rated to about 40 degrees f. As the weather gets colder I'll see how well it does. It's nice and comfortable in 70 degree temps, with gusty winds and a sweaty hammocker.
If it proves inadequate, I'll go for a larger sized one.
Most of the negative reviews of this underquilt related to inadequate suspension. Indeed, I found the provided shock cords to be too short (for my 12 foot hammock) and they seemed weak, thus I replaced them with 1/8 inch shock cord. I also added a secondary suspension. More adjustments will be necessary as I fine tune it for my needs.

UPDATE: Since this video, I've had the UQ out on a 57 degree night hang. I was cold without it but once the UQ was in place, I found it warmed my backside nicely. On top I had just a cotton bed sheet, a little too thin but overall I was warm enough.

Apparently, the polyester pongee is the lining, not the insulation though it is also polyester.

Today I try out my new 12 foot bug net, a must when using a 12 foot hammock. I also practice some "bad weather" stealth hammocking although the weather was fine. None of the rain that was predicted showed up, ruining what promised to be a good day in the field. Oh well, winter is fast approaching. It won't be long before we have snow, freezing rain and below zero temps. Good times on the way when the summer camper and sunshine hiker stay home to launder their delicates, or whatever such people do when conditions are less than ideal!

I've sewn the velcro to the tarp and set it up so you can see how the hammock straps pass through.
The Dyneema ridgeline is blue and runs inside the tarp. At the point I'm speaking about it, the orange ridgeline for the hammock is visible. I didn't notice that while recording, hope it doesn't cause confusion.

Trying out my new HUGE Dutchware 12 foot hammock and a Kalinco 12 foot rain fly to hang it under. I touch on a few mods for the tarp, with more to come that I hope will make it a four season shelter - the tarp will be for bad weather and winter camping. I have some lighter, smaller diamond shaped rain flys that work well in fair weather conditions.

None of my product reviews or products featured or mentioned in any video are the result of any payment or donation of gear from a manufacturer or retailer. All are purchased out of my own pocket.

If you are on a multi-day backpack you may need to wash your clothes...how are you gonna pick up trail babes if you stink? Today I'm testing out No Rinse body bath - can it also clean clothing? A lot of times, hand washing clothing doesn't seem to do much good. Even when it does, why carry one soap for bathing and a different one for your clothes?

Campfire song by Chris Haugen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Just some fun on the trail

A couple of ways of keeping tension on a ridgeline that don't work well for me and one that does.
There are likely, other, better ways of doing it also.
Being new to hammocks, I'm always up for learning/experimenting with new methods. In this case, The ridgeline cordage (amsteel I think) is so slippery that many methods of keeping tension on it just won't work. The good part however, is the slipperiness helps prevent tangles. I have another ridgeline made of lash it/zing it that is almost impossible to keep from getting all wrapped up in itself.
I like the idea of attaching the rain fly to the ridgeline and sliding it all into a snakeskin to keep it nice and tangle free.

Over Time by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Testing out a Walmart hammocking bug net and trekking poles. There are a lot of reviews of this bug net, so I didn't go into any great detail here. Just an overview.

I'm still somewhat new to hammock camping. With a spate of inclement weather I thought it a good opportunity to set up and test my rig under realistic battle conditions. :) I didn't quite get everything rigged just the way I wanted, there are still some things to work out, but the rain fly worked great nonetheless. I stayed dry...well, I was already soaked from hiking in the rain...but I didn't get any wetter after the fly was set up. I didn't mention it, but the drip lines kept the hammock from getting wet as well.

I actually like hiking in the rain. Quite by accident once, I was hiking when a thunderstorm caught me unawares. Yes, it was dangerous and no don't intentionally go out to do that....but it was exhilarating, awesome, incredible. The water soaked me but it was warm. The trails were flooded like miniature rivers, water rushed ankle high over my boots. Lightning and near immediate thunderclaps sounded all around me.
Wow, what a rush.
When it's safe to do so, give it a try. Hiking in the rain, not a lightning storm, that is.

This originally was going to be another FILBE video with the hammock along for some hands-on set up and take down. The hammock was just too comfortable to resist though. I spent most of my time out there loafing and trying different things with the hammock and rain fly suspension. The trees may have been a bit too close together and narrow for optimum suspension, angle etc..

Summer camping season is here, which is the best alcohol burner? I don't think it much matters. This type all perform pretty much the same. Burn baby burn!

My first attempts at stabilizing a cracked FILBE frame. This will probably be a temporary measure although, if it works, it might be left as is. I used wire, 550 cord my also be a good alternative. Let's see if this works!

A review of footage when I first got this, shows the crack was in the frame at that time. I just didn't notice. It doesn't appear to have gotten worse since. Maybe it was caused by use in the winter, or someone with 120 lbs on their back. So, if you have a cracked frame, its not the end of the world.

If you know of an effective repair, please let me know.

Trying out a couple of TOAKS titanium windscreen/potholders. These are nice, small and lightweight but they have their limitations. The windscreens both break down into four sections which snap together for fast assembly. Unfortunately, the panels from the different units are not interchangeable. I had a problem with the TI Stand and the TOAKS siphon stove,, which are advertised together. The burner got too hot and warped the 'tent stake' style pot holders. The other burners didn't have the same effect.

Once again, the lack of focus adjustment on the camera got me. Sorry about that. I had intended to get a new camera with my stimulus money, got this stuff instead and a new backpack...and a new transmission. :(

Orient by SefChol is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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Turn your head and cough. Today we get up close and personal with the FILBE rucksack.

These are available in well used condition for a decent price or for more $$ in new or almost new condition. Because I bought my pack components a part at a time, total cost was around $140 - $160. You can get them for less.
Right now, new in the bag MOLLE components are selling about the same price as well used FILBE. Like the MOLLE II ruck, you'll get a big (FILBE is a bit bigger) heavy rugged and versatile backpack that costs far less than the commercial packs available. Replacement / upgraded parts should be available for some time to come.
A quick search on the web for commercial ultralight packs with similar capacity produced a limited number of choices and a weight savings of 3 - 5 lbs in the $200 - $300 range.

Lately I've acquired quite a few camping / backpacking cook sets, stoves, burners and windscreens. I'm just having fun trying them out and seeing what they can do. Today, I pit the Crusader (not cruiser) Mk 1 & 2 against each other in a "to the death" grudge match, burning some twigs. The windscreens were made of aluminum roof flashing. Very thin and light and flexible.

Freedom by Dan Lebowitz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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A quick hike trying out the Crusader MK2 on a windy day, comparing an alcohol burner to twigs.

Yesterday I found that on a windy day, burning twigs in the Mk2 Crusader cooker may be the more fuel efficient way to go. Is the Mk1 as capable, will it even burn twigs? We'll find out together.

Most likely those small dry, bare twigs and sticks such as found in the desert Southwest would burn better and more cleanly.

When it comes to camping stoves, I'm not too concerned with boil and burn times. I want to know how much fuel I need.
Most of my alcohol burning stove set ups use about 20 - 25 ML of denatured alcohol to boil 500 ML of water, indoors. I've set about seeing how much fuel is required outside in real life conditions....one burner at a time, lol. Different types of alcohol will render different results as well.
Conversely, I want to know what I can do in unfavorable conditions to reduce my fuel requirements.
All of that unfortunately involves getting down and low to the ground, sometimes wet and cold ground, a thing not so easy with aging knees and joints.
Today its the turn of the BCB Mk1 Crusader Cooker and mug.
I sprayed green paint on some of my gear to identify it as mine. With this coming all the way from the UK, being fairly expensive and not much of it in the US, I figured it would be a good way to avoid any misunderstandings with anyone else I might encounter who had purchased the same stuff. Afterwards, I realized a little spot of paint in a prominent position would work fine but I had already spritzed large portions of some already. It doesn't effect the function though.

Not much bad to say about this nifty navigation tool.
When replacing the sunshade filters, be aware that their are gels available that offer some protection from UV rays. I don't know if the original shades are made of this material. None of the sextants I have seen claim that they are.

Sometimes simple is better. I tested all this gear on my deck one night at 3 degrees f. It all worked great. One note: The clearance between the top of the burner and the bottom of the cup is too short for best efficiency. I need to dig a small hole under the stove next time.

On the hike, all of the hard kit did it's job. No need to spend a lot of money on anything fancy, complicated or heavy for a solo hike.

The one thing I didn't test, the fire starting kit contained in the canteen pouch, failed. It needs rethinking, at least for cold weather use. That was the weak link and not something I thought to test beforehand. I just expected the matches to perform. I'll have to look into better quality in the future and a ferro rod set up I think. I didn't bring one along.
The problems with the lighter, were somewhat expected, it's a placeholder anyhow, I haven't found a better one yet, not that I've looked very hard. The failure of the "strike anywhere matches" did surprise me. They were dry and in good condition. I went through a full box and only a handful ignited.

Sweat started to cool and I was getting a chill, I was tired and hadn't eaten that day, tasks became difficult. Cold does that to you, you get lethargic, don't think straight etc. Good thing I was only a couple of hundred yards from the parking lot. Some food and being dressed appropriately ( I sweat a lot) would have helped.

These hikes are part of my cardio routine and I try to get one or two in each week. It's fun and a good chance to try out new gear or different configurations of it as well as to make videos.

Mixing and matching canteens, cups, water bottles and cookers with each other and different pouches.
The full name of the large pouch is AMYIPO Water Bottle Pouch Molle Tactical Holder Storage Bag, on Amazon.

I didn't depict the Mk2 Mug sitting on the US stove, because I didn't come up with a good carry combination of canteen/water bottle, mug and stove that would fit well in the pouch, making it unlikely that I will use the two together often. They will work though.

Since making this video, I have acquired the MK1 cooker and I like it. It needs a shorter alcohol burner than this one (Trangias are too tall) and probably won't burn twigs as well. More experiments with that in future videos.

Glen Canyon, An Army of none and Desert sky are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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Artist: http://incompetech.com/

I found a pouch big enough to hold my BCB cook set. Not the normal one sold for it or the British Army pouch. This is the Amyipo pouch.

Crunky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Some neat kit I've been playing with the last few months. My understanding is that the BCB stuff is NATO approved "non-issue" equipment. It is mostly only available (in the US) from UK companies online and is a bit pricey but is good quality. It is fully functional and pretty lightweight without the Brit army water bottle but even if you opt to use the bottle, most of the weight will be from the water therein.

Often times we get a stove, a pot holder or burner all by itself and we end up putting them together with pots they were not intended to work with. The result can be something that works poorly or not at all. These two cook sets were purpose made for all the component parts.

Flight to Tunisia is is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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I liberated a few of the photos from websites selling this stuff. I don't expect that they would object too much to interest being raised in their products. They are making money from it, I am not.

Pure white camouflage is not always appropriate in winter. Bright objects attract the eye, especially when moving. It may be advisable to tone down those whites. I made a few changes to fit in with the local flora.

My first new video since my old computer died. Sadly, I still don't have a new video editor for the new computer, just the clunky thing that came with it. I will make due for now.

Michigan Green is the background music, one of those Youtube provided numbers but there is no attribution listed. I give props to all involved in it's creation.

I noticed commercial para cord glows under black light and thought I'd show you