My gear this winter

Here is what I packed for my most recent hike.  This is my set up for an all day hike in the rain in the winter.

For warmth,I included rain coat and pants, hat, glove and extra socks.  For extra insulation I also pack a fleece vest and a fleece jacket.   On my feet I wore gortex boots to keep them warm and dry.  I wore two layers of socks, very thin sock with a warmer sock over it.  The thin sock keeps me from getting blisters.

   I also packed two snap type reusable hand warmers and a USB handwarmer / flashlight / battery.

For navigation and safety I packed my Garmen GPSmap 60csx with several maps loaded and some way points to mark my intended route.  I also packed my Delorme inReach satellite messenger.  I included extra batteries for my gps and my headlamp and USB cords that I can use to charge my inreach or power my GPS with my USB handwarmer.

I also packed a first aid kit, and evernew water bag and a sawer squeeze full sized filter.

Also in my kit is a titanium mug, alcohol stove, widescreen, BIC lighter and a coffee mix.  The bottle with an orange "X" on the top holds my fuel.  I love to have a hot drink during a cold and rainy lunch break, so I always have my little kitchen kit with me.

New this year is my 8.5 ounce cuben fiber tarp.  The tarp is 7X9 and the weight includes, two stakes and string to pitch it with.

For lunch I just grabbed a bunch of stuff off the shelves of the local expired food store in Shelton.    It was all expired but it all tasted okay.  I only wish the jerky had not been so sweet.  I needed more savory and salty stuff.

I pack my botany hand lens everywhere, it has a blue lanyard in the picture.  Also in my pack is some flagging in case I go off trail.  I carry a small swiss army classic knife for tweezers and scissors.  If it's mushroom season then I pack a bigger knife.  If I think there will be any trouble with people on my hike I also carry a weapon.  My weapon is not a firearm.

All of this stuff goes into my homemade pack pack the Mossy Mom 2.0

My new backpack is ready for the trail

You can just barely see the ice axe loop at the bottom. I also
added a velcro loop to hold my trekking poles.

I finished up my new daypack last night.  Now I have to wait for the storms to pass before I can test it on the trail.  This pack has a nice tall left outside pocket to hold a water bottle firmly. and the right pocket is high enough to completely swallow my GPS.  I also sewed in a extra pocket inside of the left pocket to hold my pstyle.  I was hoping to be able to access it with my pack on but the pocket is just a bit to tall for that.

This pack cost me about $8.00 to make as the only materials I bought for it were elastic, thread and sewing machine needles.  I still have lots of elastic and thread and two needles left that did not get used.

I don't think I have enough material to make a third pack from my old tent rain fly, so I may have to buy fabric the next time I make a new pack.

I'm sure the first few trails tests will show any seams that were not formed properly.  I found the first bad seam before it even left the house and it is fixed now.

I have not weighed my new pack yet.  I'm guessing it weighs about 10.8 ounces.

Introducing my new Frankenpack



My day pack from about 2006, it has seen better days, could I revive it?

My day pack stretched out to the point that it was riding way too low, so I knew it was time to do something. I looked all over the Internet for the perfect day pack but could not find it.

Then I looked in my closet and saw my old 2006 GoLite Dawn pack. I realized that it was very nearly the perfect pack for me.   But first it needed to be risen from the dead.


The collar was nearly ripped all the way off and then very hastily sewn back togther a couple of years ago right before a backpacking trip.  Another problem with this pack is that it has very little structure to pass weight to its hipbelt.   It was painful to wear when I was lugging snowshoes and a DSLR around.    An integrated sit pad would give form to the pack and give me something warm to sit on without having to go digging in my pack. 



New extension collar, this job took hours

So I decided to replace the collar on my pack. I have a Eureka 4 season tent fly sitting my my closet, I did not throw it out when I got a new rain fly. I just knew there must be some use for that heavy duty waterproof material someday and today was that day..

I used a piece of that rain fly to make a longer extension collar for my pack and I also converted it to a roll top closure. I love a nice simple no fuss roll top pack closure. I modeled it after my Sea to Summit dry sacks.

New integrated sit pad holder

Then I took some stretchy green mesh that I had in my sewing closet and sewed it to the back of my pack so that it will accept a foam sit pad.

I did not have to buy any thing to do this conversion, as I save all the bits and pieces of my old packs. Even if I toss out a pack I strip the hardware off it first. I also am always on the lookout for bits of mesh in the thrift shops for making pockets with.

I think I will be happy with this pack now, it is just the size I need for a long day hike into the mountains in the winter. There is I think a pretty good chance that some of my sewing will fail, but that's okay because I know how to fix it. It's not as pretty as it could be since I did all the sewing by hand. I own a sewing machine but it could not use it to sew bits onto an already sewn together pack. 

Also I hate fighting with my sewing machine, it always gets unthreaded or will not pick up the bobbin thread or breaks a needle.  Then even when all is going well, horror or all horros the bobbin suddenly needs to be reloaded.  It seems faster to hand sew everything than to deal with my sewing machine.

Front of pack with roll top closure.  It is packed for a long day
in the mountains

For thread I used 30 pound test kevlar fishing line.  It is the diameter of 6 pound test, so it is a nice thickness for sewing and it is much stronger than any normal thread I have found.  Luckily green is the color of the components I added so matches properly for a change.

I'll give my reborn frankenpack a good test tomorrow.

On the trail for the first time

Below freezing temperatures and alcohol stoves

Yes, alcohol stoves do work in below freezing temperatures.   Here is a video to demonstrate.  The stove in the video was made out of one pop can.  It is called a YACC stove.  YACC stands for Yet Another Coke Cane stove.

The temperature outside was -7C or 19F, that is well below freezing.  There was no wind so I was able to leave the windscreen open for this video.

In general alcohol stoves are not the best if you need to melt snow, it takes too long to melt snow with an alcohol stove.  If you just want to boil water and alcohol stove works just fine.  In the video it took 4.5 minutes to bring one cup of water to a boil and in continued to boil for 2 more minutes. 

The boil was a good strong boil, but not as strong of a boil as I have seen this stove get in warm weather.  Only about two tablespoons of alcohol were used.

By all means take your ultralight alcohol stove with you on cold weather camping trips as long as you know you won't have to melt snow to get water.

Cooking Rice with a Can Stove and Pot

Using a YACC stove and an Ion stove I can cook rice. I start with the YACC stove with two tablespoons of fuel, 2/3 cup of dry rice 2 1/3 cup of water. I use so much water because some of it boils off.





It comes to a full boil in 9 minutes and continues to boil for 3-4 minutes


After the fuel has run out I put 1 teaspoon of fuel in a specially made ion stove. The center hole is smaller then normal and that makes this stove burn very slowly. If I poured the rice and water into a bowl with a cozy I think it would continue cooking until it was done without the use of the second stove.


18 minutes later rice is fully cooked and the fuel is used up. This is faster then the 20 minute method I use at home. I think I could do with with just one stove by tightening the windscreen to cut off air to the boiling stove. Cutting of the air should slow it down to a simmer.




Rice has been transferred to a nice bowl and is ready for butter buds and Parmesan cheese. A bit of dehydrated hamburger and mushrooms or veggies could be added to the rice as it boils to make a nice meal.

Cyclone Stove

I have three working cyclone stove now.. this shows all of them at once:








Here is all three of them under one tea pot:

My complete six ounce cook set

Here is my complete Heineken can pot six ounce backpacking cook set. This set includes a stove, windscreen, pot stand, bottom reflector, insulated cup and bowl. I will normally pack a lexan spoon too.



This is the insulated bowl with a screw on lid. I will boil two cups of water at a time with this system. When the water reaches a boil I grab the can with a gloved hand or with a bandanna and I pour one cup of it over a dehydrated dinner in the bowl. ( I make all my own dehydrated food) then the bowl screws together and the cozy is put over it. The food simmers in the bowl. Food will stay warm for 30 minutes with this sytem.




After the first cup of water is poured off the pot goes back on the stove til the water is boiling again (about 20 seconds) and then I pop a tea bag into it, take the pot off the stove and put it in a bubble wrap cozy and let the tea simmer for three minutes. After the tea has simmered I remove the tea bag add powdered milk and sugar and drink it right out of the pot. Using the bubble wrap my pot turns into an insulated mug that does not burn my hands. I sip my tea while dinner is simmering.

The pot lid is made out of the bottom of a large catfood can. I used J.B. weld to attach the handle to it. This lid fits so well that I can fill the pot with water put the lid on it and hold the can upside down without the water leaking out!



This is picture shows the system cooking. The stove burns alcohol and is made with a wedding favor tin and a fiberglass wick. The stove is somewhat adjustable. For simmering the wick can be pulled into the tin a bit and for quicker boiling the wick can be pulled out. To fill the stove I open the top half then pour the alcohol in. The post stand it made of hard ware cloth and I'm not sure how well it will stand up to heat over time. This system using two tablespoons of alcohol will boil two cups of cold water in about 13 minutes and then continue to run for another three minutes. With the wick shortened it will run for 21 minutes on two tablespoons of alcohol and reaches a boil in about 16 minutes. This stove works well with a can pot because the flame stays below the pot and barely licks up the sides.




The stove, windscreen, pot stand, fuel bottle and matches all fit inside the pot and give the pot extra durability in my pack.


I slip a pot cozy over the top of the can to hold it all together. This is what the complete system looks like minus the bowl. If I choose to forgo the tea and just eat my meals out of the pot my system will look like this and weigh a bit less.

Stove Making

My two favorite home made stoves. The top stove is the first stove I ever made and it has accompanied me on many day hikes. This is a simple stove to make. Directions for making it are here.

The stove on the left I just made today and I'm very happy with it's performance. It is a bit like an ion stove but with an integrated pot stand. The part the pot rests on is made from both can halves and seems to be sturdy enough.

The fuel port is from the unopened top of a small tomato juice can I pressed the bottom of the same can into the fuel port and cut a hole it what used to be the very bottom of the can. I kept adding holes to the pot support part until the stove was getting enough air to burn fairly hot. The flame shoots out of the holes in the pot support. I was hoping that the flame would just come out the center hole.

I wanted to make a good stove to use with a Heineken can pot and this was not it! This stove burned for 17 minutes on about 2.5 Table spoons of alcohol but the water (1.5 cups) in my Heineken can pot never boiled.


When I used this stove with my grease pot (with no windscreen or bottom reflector this time) it ran for for 14 minutes, the water (1.5 cups) boiled in just seven minutes and then continued to boil for another seven minutes.

Both stoves have integrated pot stands. I really don't like having a separate pot stand to have to fiddle with. Both stoves are made from just one can.

I ran these tests outdoors using cold tap water. Air temperature was about 37F or 3C. I know most people start with 70 degree F water but I like to test in real world conditions and I hate measuring things too much. I cut 4 times and never measure, I just eyeball everything.