I'd like to make a Ray Jardine net-tent, tarp, quilt, and backpack. It'll increase my Bikity to overnight hike. Problem is, I don't have a sewing machine for the projects.
I'm trying to rent/borrow one. Any chance one of you has one? I'll look on CL too. Bonus points if one of you has made Ray Way gear before!
Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
Re: Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
That's rad! Which backpack size and quilt thickness did you end up going with? I'm thinking alpine quilt and the 2600 backpack
How did you find sewing all the stuff yourself?
How did you find sewing all the stuff yourself?
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Gilberto de Piento
- Posts: 1949
- Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm
Re: Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
Check out the backpacking light make your own gear forums for more ideas.
I've made some outdoors gear and by the time you buy tech fabric, etc. and put time into it you are better off buying lightly used gear in my opinion. I like ebay for packs though you are taking a risk since you can't try them out first, though this is no worse than making one. Craigslist can also be good. The Ray way kit is just too expensive to compete unless you really want the myog experience.
Tarptents are cool and look like a good beginner sewing project, though I haven't made one myself.
I've made some outdoors gear and by the time you buy tech fabric, etc. and put time into it you are better off buying lightly used gear in my opinion. I like ebay for packs though you are taking a risk since you can't try them out first, though this is no worse than making one. Craigslist can also be good. The Ray way kit is just too expensive to compete unless you really want the myog experience.
Tarptents are cool and look like a good beginner sewing project, though I haven't made one myself.
Re: Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
I can't seem to find gear quite like the Ray Way gear second hand or even commercially
Re: Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
As GdP said look at the forums on Backpacking Light. There's a whole cottage industry that makes this kind of stuff. You won't find this stuff at REI. To name a few companies...Gossamer Gear, Enlightened Equipment, ULA-Equipment, and Mountain Laurel Designs. There's plenty more. I'll second the comment that you likely won't be saving any money by making your own gear.
Re: Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
Did you use your quilt or clothes as padding? That seems to help with comfort. Same with having the load more on your upper back rather than lower back. I would imagine 22 lb should be within parameters for a light-weight pack. Maybe on the higher side depending on who you ask. It'a really inspiring for me that you made it yourself!
I would like to make the gear, that way I know how to fix it and gain a skill. All the kits I'd want from Ray would cost about $600. It just feels like a lot right now with no income coming in. : (
I would like to make the gear, that way I know how to fix it and gain a skill. All the kits I'd want from Ray would cost about $600. It just feels like a lot right now with no income coming in. : (
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Gilberto de Piento
- Posts: 1949
- Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm
Re: Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
You don't really need a kit from Ray Jardine to make this stuff. It's been awhile but I suspect you can find the materials a lot cheaper separately and the information is out there for free. A quilt is two rectangular pieces of fabric sewn together with insulation between. A tarptent is a couple of rectangles sewn together.
A backpack is much harder but I really don't think his design is up to modern standards anyway - companies will sell you something that is nearly as light and makes up for the slight extra weight with lots of other nice features like straps that aren't trying to cut your arms off and back padding that prevents objects from stabbing you.
What are you doing for a pad? I like the neo air though the ridgerest is a classic low weight low price choice (but it is gigantic and not cool looking).
A backpack is much harder but I really don't think his design is up to modern standards anyway - companies will sell you something that is nearly as light and makes up for the slight extra weight with lots of other nice features like straps that aren't trying to cut your arms off and back padding that prevents objects from stabbing you.
What are you doing for a pad? I like the neo air though the ridgerest is a classic low weight low price choice (but it is gigantic and not cool looking).
Re: Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
Hey thanks for sharing! I love this Ray Jardine guy! Very interesting stuff and design philosophy. In one of his articles he argued a reason to sew is you’ll “retune your mental radio to a new station.” Yes. That may be worth the extra money for his designs. Additionally with a cursory glance, his entire point seems to be the stuff at REI (or what can be easily bought) is too conventional and not innovative like his stuff that bucks the conventional wisdom. I’m no backpacker but I can see you’ll have a significantly different experience with the quilt.
There’s a ton of good machines on Craigslist. If you just want an inexpensive reliable machine to do some outdoor gear avoid anything collectible. I notice there is a market for collectible dressmakers stuff and when some old lady estate sells her machine they get snapped up quick. However thankfully there are a ton of good working non collectible models there. Just make sure you test it. Actually sew with thread and fabric to check the timing and stitch quality.
I recently got a machine on eBay. It’s zig zag didn’t work when I received it. Required repair and timing but I did that myself. So beware of untested gear. The new parts for my machine exceeded the cheap bid I put on it. eBay has become the efficient market for the collectors and the prices are not that great for good sewing machines unless they are broken. The solid looking machines are listed for outlandish prices...unless they are non collectible. But then shipping is high on a hefty machine.
Thrift shops used to be good but they seem to be picked over given the arrival of the eBay repairmen. I haven’t seen a good machine at Goodwill for years. Not saying they aren’t there, they are just gone by the time I show up.
Rummage sales are best. Collectors (retired repairmen) seem to be snapping up the collectible stuff at the openings. Really nice collectible machines (I like Elna) are getting donated from estates because families don’t know what to do with them. They get snatched up by repairmen and find their way to eBay. The good news is you can get a machine nobody wants to collect that will do your outdoor gear nearly for free. I’ve passed up several nice ones for $15 -vintage but non collectible. They begged me to buy it. Come to the rummage sale at the end when they are ready to dump the stuff. You will get what the pros leave behind. If it sews, who cares if it is pink, green plastic with daisies silk screened over it. Go for communities and churches with an aging population. You get machines from children who want moms junk to just disappear. At these prices you can take a risk on an untested machine.
Least desirable is Wal-Mart Black Friday. I not a big fan of low cost machines but if you can find one that sews well for $50 this is an option. Take the machine home and test it. Waste a spool of cheap thread sewing scraps of newspaper together to make sure it is bullet proof. Keep it or return it after you make your decision.
The big scam going on in the vintage sewing machine world now is repair shops are gathering up all the old machines with resale value to sell on eBay. Sew and vac shops are basically going out of business so they need every cent. They receive an old Elna or Bernina for repair usually from an old lady or a daughter who wants to get it sewing well again. They say the stripped gears are no longer available. Oh, but yes they are. On eBay. A long with all the restored machines listed by repairmen who take them in as trade ins on new computerized sewing machines. “We can no longer fix this but we can take it As a trade in for this fine plastic embroidery machine.” This has made cheap deals dry up.
Good luck THF. Sound like fun.
There’s a ton of good machines on Craigslist. If you just want an inexpensive reliable machine to do some outdoor gear avoid anything collectible. I notice there is a market for collectible dressmakers stuff and when some old lady estate sells her machine they get snapped up quick. However thankfully there are a ton of good working non collectible models there. Just make sure you test it. Actually sew with thread and fabric to check the timing and stitch quality.
I recently got a machine on eBay. It’s zig zag didn’t work when I received it. Required repair and timing but I did that myself. So beware of untested gear. The new parts for my machine exceeded the cheap bid I put on it. eBay has become the efficient market for the collectors and the prices are not that great for good sewing machines unless they are broken. The solid looking machines are listed for outlandish prices...unless they are non collectible. But then shipping is high on a hefty machine.
Thrift shops used to be good but they seem to be picked over given the arrival of the eBay repairmen. I haven’t seen a good machine at Goodwill for years. Not saying they aren’t there, they are just gone by the time I show up.
Rummage sales are best. Collectors (retired repairmen) seem to be snapping up the collectible stuff at the openings. Really nice collectible machines (I like Elna) are getting donated from estates because families don’t know what to do with them. They get snatched up by repairmen and find their way to eBay. The good news is you can get a machine nobody wants to collect that will do your outdoor gear nearly for free. I’ve passed up several nice ones for $15 -vintage but non collectible. They begged me to buy it. Come to the rummage sale at the end when they are ready to dump the stuff. You will get what the pros leave behind. If it sews, who cares if it is pink, green plastic with daisies silk screened over it. Go for communities and churches with an aging population. You get machines from children who want moms junk to just disappear. At these prices you can take a risk on an untested machine.
Least desirable is Wal-Mart Black Friday. I not a big fan of low cost machines but if you can find one that sews well for $50 this is an option. Take the machine home and test it. Waste a spool of cheap thread sewing scraps of newspaper together to make sure it is bullet proof. Keep it or return it after you make your decision.
The big scam going on in the vintage sewing machine world now is repair shops are gathering up all the old machines with resale value to sell on eBay. Sew and vac shops are basically going out of business so they need every cent. They receive an old Elna or Bernina for repair usually from an old lady or a daughter who wants to get it sewing well again. They say the stripped gears are no longer available. Oh, but yes they are. On eBay. A long with all the restored machines listed by repairmen who take them in as trade ins on new computerized sewing machines. “We can no longer fix this but we can take it As a trade in for this fine plastic embroidery machine.” This has made cheap deals dry up.
Good luck THF. Sound like fun.
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Gilberto de Piento
- Posts: 1949
- Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm
Re: Do you have a sewing machine I can borrow to make backpacking gear?
Assuming it doesn't get bid up, as an example here's a name brand light pack around the size you want for $30 (with shipping): https://www.ebay.com/itm/162797519790?ul_noapp=true I think it is the current model REI Flash 45 that goes for $150. You'd have to ask the seller what torso size it is.