I replaced the tips on my GossamerGear LT4 trekking poles with modified Black Diamond tips. The original GG tip is shown on the far left next to an unmodified BD tip. The BD tip is lighter and comes with field replaceable rubber and tungsten tips. I found that the basket on the BD tips would catch in crevasses in the rocks and threaten to break the pole. I modified a pair of BD tips on my lathe to remove the baskets and turn the lower section into a cylinder. I drilled out the opening slightly to a pair of Beastee Dee Rings to fit the poles. I used 1.3 mm Z-Line Cord and Lineloc V Guy Line Adjusters from Zpacks to attach the d-rings to the tent. This combination of d-ring, cord and adjusters works really great.

For my most recent tent I wanted to attach the tent stakes to the guy lines to reduce the time to set up the tent. it also eliminates their stuff sack which no longer needs to be kept track of or blow away in the wind. I took shepherd hook 6" Ultralight Titanium Tent Stake purchased from Zpacks (top) and removed most of the paint and burned off the rest using my backpacking stove. Once the titanium was red hot it was easy to bend them to close off the ends. I painted the ends first with white paint to cover the dark titanium and then with yellow fluorescents paint to make them higher visibility. I baked the Testors enamel in the kitchen oven. Alternative tent stakes can be attached to my tent for different soil types. In Colorado the skewer style stakes work best in the rocky soil.

I made a headlamp using a Photon Micro Light II flashlight. I took off the keychain ring and replaced it with a lanyard made with a 21.5” length of neon yellow 1/16 inch elastic cord. I wear the flashlight around my neck so it is always easy to find at night in the tent.

I carry many of the essentials I need during the day in a MYOG ditty bag. The bag was made with scraps from my first tent project; silnylon fabric and mosquito netting. Most of the items have been modified to either reduce weight or to fit into the bag. For example:

Cut off the handles of the shaver and toothbrush
Cleaned and refilled the tooth paste, sun screen and repellent tubes
Rolled 18” of Leuko tape onto a paper roll
Put sun block lip balm into a smaller container
Carry body powder in half of an MSR salt and pepper shaker
Sanded the rough tooling edges off of the scissors
Repackaged vitamins and Aleve into a small zip closure plastic bag
OK, I didn’t modify the MSR folding spoon

I keep an emergency bag in my stuff sack that includes:

ID card with contacts, medical and credit card info, cash

Bandages - Band-Aids, butterfly closures, Bacitracin Zinc Ointment, gauze pads

Medications - Aspirin, Benadryl, Imodium AD

Mishaps - tweezers, matches, air mattress field repair patch, Dyneema tape, needles, thread, floss, spare contact lenses, razor blade

I made this stuff sack out of .34 DCF fabric. I used a 1” wide strip of fabric for the cord and added a small toggle. The bottom of the sack is folded and taped into a square to give the sack a better shape for packing.

I made my cook pot from a Snow Peak 330mL coffee cup by replacing the short handles with longer ones. The handles were wade from scrap titanium rod from a metal supplier and a sample of silicon tubing from a tubing supplier. I like having the handles covered with tubing so I don’t have to fiddle with a bandana or something else to hold onto the pot.

I made a 6.5” x 7” koozie to rehydrate my meals from a sheet of reflective radiant barrier insulation. The edges are sealed with 1” wide strips of aluminum tape and because the aluminum tape cracks with use I covered them with 2” wide strips of packing tape. A square of Velcro keeps the flap closed. I could keep the meals hot inside my down sweater while they rehydrate but the koozie keeps them hotter and results in better rehydration. I repackage two-person freeze dried meals into pairs of pint size vacuum pack bags.

I attached buckles to my air mattress that mate with the ones on my quilt to eliminate fiddling with adjustment straps. After determining where I wanted the buckles I then glued them to the mattress using a patch of fabric from a previous project.

I modified the pee bottle cap to remove the bite. I didn’t want anyone mistaking it for a drinking bottle. After I removed the bite I filled in the hole with epoxy.

Decades ago I modified the trusty sporting goods store orange camp trowel to cut its weight. Shorter handle, shorter blade, and holes in the handle. This trowel served me well but has recently been replaced by the Deuce of Spades at less than half the weight. I’m keeping it around for nostalgic sake.

This might be the world’s easiest MYOG project. Attach a rubber band to your trekking pole to turn it into a camera monopod. Prop it up in some rocks or a bush and it allows you to get into your own shots. It also shoots great panoramic videos. 1.4 grams.