DIY trail solutions...

In the spirit of ingenuity, I'm just looking to help everyone think out of the box. So, tell me what you've fabbed up on the trail, if it worked or not, and maybe how you'd do it differently if again presented with a similar situation.

Note: I'm not looking for everyone's MYOG creations, even though I'm sure a few of you have sewn some sweet packs and tarps!

I'll start...

I've made duct-tape gaiters/shin guards quite a few times. Hurts a bit to take off my bare skin as I have level 5--or Robin Williams--body hair, but the duct tape makes a incredibly durable, waterproof barrier. I've also wrapped it around my pants and down to my boot to deal with unexpected tick/chigger problems. Not so breathable though...if Leukotape was a lot cheaper, I might give that a shot...

Also, Crazy Creek-style camp chairs give the perfect amount of buoyancy for me to use them as flotation devices. Just enough CCF to keep my face out of the water when in a spread out, lounging position. I'm 6'-1", 165lbs, for reference.

Using sleeping bags to keep a tent cool. While sleeping bags are usually used to keep you warm, draping them over your tent will prevent the sun from turning your tent into a solar oven.

Using a camera’s flash to guide night stranded mountaineers back to camp from a late summit attempt.

Ed

It did not happen to my personally, but a guy I work/carpool with had used ducktape near the Grand Canyon to put and hold the sole on his boot until he bought his next pair. He said the sole blew out on the last day of the trip and it was a 5 day trip. I guess he was lucky!

Once upon a time – finding myself hopelessly lost on the Kamchatka Peninsula, surrounded by flesh-eating 3-legged beakless ring-tailed lemurs – I was able to fashion a rescue helicopter from a nalgene, 2 feet of paracord, some pocket lint, and a Final Fantasy XII strategy guide that I had brought for reading material. Thinking about doing a TR on that one someday...

OK: enough smarty-pants. I look forward to the responses in this thread, as I know I have a lot to learn.

D&G in the Smokys said:

It did not happen to my personally, but a guy I work/carpool with had used ducktape near the Grand Canyon to put and hold the sole on his boot until he bought his next pair. He said the sole blew out on the last day of the trip and it was a 5 day trip. I guess he was lucky!

Hmmm, yeah, as I was descending from Clouds Rest recently, a woman asked if I had any duct tape. Her boot sole had come off...

I guess that's not all that rare? But it works and gets the job done! better than hiking barefoot!

I have woven a basket out of Tulip Poplar (Yellow poplar) to catch fish once, when I ran out of food. It actually worked, too! :)

I have used Para cord and a couple fallen branches to rig up a webbed-seat camp chair.

I have a couple. The first was using moleskin and first aid tape as makeshift sandals when my hiking sandals (that I had left outside of the tent) had disappeared during the night.

The second is using super-glue to mend cut(s), mostly on my hand(s), if the cut(s) are in awkward places for band aids.

Please sign in to reply