Making clothes for backpacking

: Making clothes? If you enjoy backpacking AND sewing, go for it. As for myself, I started buying gear again after the first hundred tedious hours of sewing . Then I discovered that there are some backpacking clothes you can make cheaply and quickly. Making Hand Warmers Stick your hands inside a pair of socks and mark where your fingertips and thumb-tip are, using a pen or marker. Then cut holes where the marks are. You now have hand warmers that leave your fingers free. Mine weigh about an ounce, but this depends on the socks that you use. You can use these under other gloves or mittens in colder weather, and when you remove your mittens to tie your shoes, you won't totally expose your hands. Instant Insulated Vest Buy 1/2" poly batting at any fabric store. I bought mine at Walmart. This is the stuff that is used to make pillows, stuffed animals and quilts. It comes as a big sheet, rolled up in a bag, usually for less than ten dollars. Open it up it and cut a piece out, roughly two by four feet. Cut a hole in this for your head, and wear it like a tunic, but under your jacket. Making clothes doesn't get any easier than this, and the vest will be among the lightest backpacking clothes you own. My own weighs just four ounces. My vest, along with my homemade balaclava, kept me warm as I went over glaciers, to the top of 20,600-foot Chimborazo, in Ecuador. It also went to the top of Mount Shasta in California, and on other trips. Originally, I made it as a disposable vest, but it's held together for years now. Wear two for extra warmth (always under a wind-breaking layer) and you'll have more insulation than a sweater would give you, for half the weight. Making A Ski Mask From Old Clothes Use any old thermal underwear top or bottom, preferably made of polypropylene. Just cut off a leg or a sleeve, then pull it over your head. Mark where your eyes and mouth are with a pen or marker, cut the holes and cut off the extra length. You just made a balaclava. I used a sleeve from a very stretchy polypropylene top for mine. It weighs less than an ounce, lighter than anything I can buy. You can sew the top shut, as I did, or just pin it shut with a safety pin. Making backpacking clothes doesn't get much simpler than this. I collect ideas for backpacking clothes or equipment that can be made at home, but if it can't be explained in a paragraph, it's probably too complex and time consuming for me. I prefer backpacking to sewing. When it's as easy as the three items here, though, even I will start making clothes.

The freedom of travelling in a camper van

In this article, I am going to write about the joys of going on holiday in a camper van. Owning and travelling around in one of these vans gives people a lot of freedom of where they want to stop to sleep and for how long they want to stay in each destination. Many people from the UK decide to tour parts of Europe over a period of months in one of these type of vehicles. I was recently talking to a neighbour of mine who owns a very impressive camper van which is why I have decided to write this article, his name is John. John and his wife decided to sell their big house when they were in their late fifties and move to a smaller flat. This flat was then going to be their base in the UK to return to when they were not travelling. They had a lot of excess money from selling their old house and buying the new flat and decided to spend part of this money on a very good quality camper van. The plan was then to travel around different parts of the UK as well as visiting other countries in the world. John and his wife have two wonderful dogs which they adore. They have never enjoyed leaving these dogs with friends or in kennels when they have been travelling in the past and now they do not have to, as there is plenty of room of course in the camper van. When talking with John I asked him where he was planning to travel to next. He replied that he was going to drive down to the South West Coast of England. He would tour through parts of Devon and Cornwall stopping for a few days in different areas. I asked him what day he would be returning, he stated that he was not sure and that it would depend on the weather. Maybe one week or four, I am not sure yet Steve, he said. I could not believe his attitude and his lifestyle, I have to say I was very jealous. What freedom, I thought to myself. John then stated that next month he was going to travel to Portugal but that there was no rush to get there. I wish I had started to do this years ago, but what with work it was impossible really, he continued. I also have a dog and would love to have this form of travel freedom. I have spoken to my wife about it and she has said that she would prefer to stop in a hotel. Oh well, I have years before I retire to try to work her around to my way of thinking.