Make You r Own Backpacking Clothes

Do You want to make all of You r own backpacking clothes? Good luck and more power to You . I lost my desire to make my own gear after the first hundred tedious hours of sewing. but lightening You r load can lighten You r wallet quite a bit, and believe it or not, there are some backpacking clothes You can make cheaply and quickly. A few examples follow.

Make You r Own Ski Mask

Take an old polypropylene thermal underwear top or bottom. Cut 12 or 14 inches off a sleeve or leg, and pull the piece over You r head. Mark where You r eyes and mouth are with a pen or marker, then cut holes. You now have a balaclava. Mine weighs less than an ounce. You can sew the top shut if You want, or just pin it shut with a safety pin. Making backpacking clothes can't get much simpler than that.

Make You r Own Hand Warmers

Take a pair of light socks and cut five holes in the end of each (put You r hand inside and mark where You r fingertips are). You now have 1-ounce hand warmers that leave You r fingers free. You can use them under other gloves or mittens in colder weather. Then when You need to remove You r mittens to tie You r shoes, You won't totally expose You r hands.

A Two-Dollar Insulated Vest

Buy 1/2" poly batting at any fabric store (I bought mine at Walmart). Cut a piece 2'x4', and put a hole in it for You r head. You wear it like a tunic. Worn under You r jacket, this is one of the lightest insulating vests You can have, and probably among the lightest backpacking clothes You 'll own. Mine weighs four ounces. I took it, along with my homemade balaclava, over glaciers, to the top of 20,600-foot Chimborazo, in Ecuador.

I also wore it to the top of Mount Shasta in Califor nia, and on numerous other trips. I made it as a disposable vest, but it has held together for a long time now. If You have made any simple backpacking clothes or equipment, let me know. I would like to expand this page. If it can't be explained in a paragraph, though, it is probably too complex and time consuming for me. I want to backpack, not sew.

Other Homemade Backpacking Clothes And Gear

You can cut the top off an old fleece hat and use it as a neck gaiter. Old raincoat sleeves can be made into lightweight stuff-sacks with a little sewing. Socks, especially if they are thicker, make good water bottle insulators when You want to keep You r water cold or hot. As I come across the ideas, I will be adding more ideas for making You r own gear and backpacking clothes.

The Ultralight Traveller's Guide | Make You r Own Backpacking Clothes