Feb 20, 2012

iPhone 4 as GPS

Credit: adventurealan.com
Found an awesome article on using an iPhone 4 as a GPS (and camera) for backpacking.
http://www.adventurealan.com/iphone4gps.htm
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Feb 15, 2012

Tarptent

Credit: Henry Shires
For my tarptent, I modified Henry Shires' design.  I used tyvek housewrap, and made it with an integral ground tarp (folded the edge the is staked into the ground).

See the design here.  http://www.tarptent.com/projects/tarpdesign.html
I'll update this with my modifications soon.
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Feb 13, 2012

My Packing List

I'm using a super website called GearGrams to record all my backpack supplies and weights. See http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=5824  Below is the overview for my current pack list.

You can setup your own gear list at the main geargrams.com site.

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=5824 
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Windscreen

I used Sgt. Rock's design for the windscreen: http://hikinghq.net/sgt_stove/wind_screen.html
This design uses a stove liner tray (like a big pie tin) for the material. Only change from his design is that I stapled the seam at the top and bottom so it wouldn't come apart. I just fold it up and stuff it in my pot for storage.
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Wire Pot Stand


Again, I started with Scott Bryce's design from http://scottbryce.com/yaas_stove.  The legs are made from coat hangers.  I didn't want to try to find the aluminum tubing or 22 shells, so I used some stiff wire I found on the workbench and twisted it around the two coat hanger legs with pliers, and bent feet onto the ends of the wire. Except for the small 1/4" feet, the dimensions are the same as Scott's "Yet Another Pot Stand". I bent them a little smaller to fit inside my pot, a Backcountry 700ml pot similar to this: http://www.backcountry.com/backcountry-titanium-cookset-1100ml

It's important to maintain the vertical clearance from stove to  pot for optimum heating.
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Feb 11, 2012

Alcohol Stove


After an exhaustive search of stove, I found a page called "yet another alcohol stove" by Scott Bryce. http://scottbryce.com/yaas_stove/index.html

The stove is super simple to build, doesn't require preheating, and can run on rubbing alcohol in a pinch. It DOES require a pot stand. I tried a non-pressurized design that allows the pan to sit in the stove, but it did not heat my small 700ml pan well since there was no flame in the center.

I used Scott's template, but used two "Fancy Feast" cat food cans. The are a pinch smaller, and have a flat bottom. The holes on the template don't line up exactly since this diameter is smaller, so punched the last two holes in both the upper and lower templates to evenly space the last two holes. Two holes don't alternate, but oh well.

Spend some time widening the bottom can. It didn't seem to expand as quickly as a coke can.
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