At the end of last season I tested the Term-a-rest Neoair xlite inflatable and really liked it. The advantages include high thermal insulation properties (R-value > 3) with low weight (350-460 g) and a huge plus for sleep comfort. Of course, he also has his shortcomings, but that’s not the point now. You need to inflate this mat with your mouth, which is quite simple, but there are several nuances: Firstly, the temperature of the air from the lungs is higher than the surrounding air and, therefore, after some time the mat is deflated due to air compression during cooling. Secondly, moisture from the lungs enters the mat and is deposited there on the walls, reducing thermal insulation and increasing weight. I have no idea how to dry this rug, so I thought about a pump. On the American Internet I found very good option ultra-lightweight mat pump. But, as usual, we don’t have all the goods from the nearest supermarket, which by some miracle, in terms of diameters and threads, are ideal for camping equipment (this is not the first time I’ve encountered this). Therefore, I modernized the design to suit our realities.
To make a pump for a mat we will need:
- plastic lemonade bottle - any
- Garbage bag, I used a 60 liter
- A piece of rubber or neoprene ~3mm thick, rubber is better, but I only had neoprene
- Hacksaw with fine teeth- I used a hacksaw
- Knife with a narrow blade
- Scissors
- Sandpaper
Let's get started (I apologize in advance for the quality of the photo - my daughter helped me take pictures, it was a debut for her :)). The first step is to saw off the neck of the bottle just below the ring on the neck. The safety ring that remains from the plug after the first unscrewing must also be removed. Carefully sand the cut area or cut off the burrs with a knife.
The next step is to cut a hole in the plug with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the valve on the mat. An exact match is not necessary here, the main thing is that the flap of the mat fits easily into the hole. This operation is convenient to do with a short thin knife.
Next, you need to cut a washer from neoprene or rubber with an outer diameter equal to the diameter of the plug, and an inner diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the mat valve. Our American colleagues are deprived of this step because you can buy this washer from them in the plumbing department and it will fit perfectly with their bottles and rugs.
If you make it from rubber, then you can give a small allowance. I made it from neoprene, so the first version of the hole turned out to be too large, the neoprene stretched and let air through. I had to make the second option - smaller.
Now we need to make a chamber in which air will be pumped. Any package can be used for this. I took “extra strong” garbage bags. The bottom corner of the bag needs to be cut off so that the resulting hole can be pressed onto the neck of the bottle.
All that remains is to insert the rubber washer into the cork and screw it onto the neck of the bag.
If you made the gasket from rubber, this is the end of the process; if you made it from neoprene, like me, you will have to tinker a little more. The fact is that neoprene is much softer than rubber and when pumping air the pump can fly off the valve. Therefore, for control, I also put on a rubber band for money to hold the pump on the valve
Now you can pump up. This is done by capturing air through the neck of the bag and then squeezing the bag itself (below there will be a video demonstrating how to do this). Don't forget to open the valve on the mat. There is no need to rush, otherwise you may damage the package. Pumps up pretty quickly. I only tested it at home, I wonder how this pump will behave in the forest, where there is rain and other weather conditions.
The weight of the entire product was less than 20 grams, which is noticeably lower than the proprietary solution. The maintainability of such a pump is very high; if you are afraid that the bag will burst, you can use two bags, inserting one into the other, or take a spare one with you.
As a result of testing, it turned out that with my mouth I inflate a size L mat (196x63 cm) in 1 minute and 16 seconds and in 16 breaths, although my lung capacity is larger than the average. At the same time, I begin to experience mild hyperventilation. And with the help of a pump, I inflated the same mat in 5 minutes and in the end the neoprene gasket could no longer withstand the pressure and released air. I had to blow through my mouth a couple more times. Apparently, it will be necessary to replace neoprene with rubber and repeat the experiment. Here is a video demonstrating how this pump works.
To summarize, we can say that the prototype turned out to be quite functional, but in the end the pump cannot cope with the increased pressure, requiring a final pumping with the mouth. There is still room for improvement here. But overall, I’m pleased with the preliminary results; I’ll test it in the fields.
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An ordinary office sharpener does not take up much space, but can significantly speed up the process of lighting a fire. It is enough to sharpen a small dry branch like a pencil to get thin wood shavings for kindling.
2. Prepare dry kindling for the fire in advance
To protect the contents of the bowl from insects and debris, place a clean shower cap over the top. Closing and opening such a “lid” is more convenient than, for example, moving away the cling film.
6. Serve snacks in muffin tins
To avoid having to use multiple bowls for different sauces and toppings, you can place them all in a muffin tin. Convenient serving, minimum waste and saving effort and time on washing dishes.
7. Use compact spice containers
Tic Tac packages can serve as compact and convenient containers for storing spices. For the same purpose, you can use tablet holders with several compartments.
8. Protect your drinks from insects
Cling film stretched over the glass will prevent insects from getting inside. The liquid itself can be drunk through a straw.
9. Use a dessert lid to protect your dishes.
To disposable tableware did not scatter from the wind and did not get dust and dirt on it, you can use the holder with a lid for serving desserts.
10. Build a convenient holder from a belt
A convenient holder for dishes and other equipment can be made by wrapping a belt around a tree trunk and securing utility hooks to it.
11. Use a laundry bag to dry dishes
It is more convenient to dry washed dishes by placing them in a clean mesh laundry bag and hanging them on a hook. Excess water will drain and the dishes will not need to be wiped.
12. Cover the tent floor with a children's puzzle mat
Line the bottom of the tent with prefabricated baby rugs. They are lightweight, compact and easy to transport, while sleeping area with them it will become softer and warmer.
13. Keep duct tape handy
To ensure that adhesive tape, tape or tape is always at hand, you can wrap several layers of it around a lighter or bottle.
Trips
If Big city- it's not your thing, you like to travel or want to get started, then you might need some information about what you can do in extreme conditions, to survive.
There are many ideas on how to make things that will help you on your trip.
You can do a lot with your own hands useful tools, and you can find out about some of them below.
1. Quickly ignite a fire for active tourism
In wet weather, you may have problems starting a fire. So that this does not bother you, make preparations that will help you quickly and easily light a fire.
You will need:
Fuzz (threads) sticking to clothing or cotton fiber
Cardboard packaging for eggs
Wax from old candles
1. Place the fiber into the egg holes.
2. Melt the candle wax.
3. Pour the melted wax onto the fibers in the carton.
4. Wait for everything to cool and dry.
5. Cut out the blanks as shown in the image.
When lit with a match or lighter, each of these blanks will burn for up to 20 minutes.
You will need:
Two identical plastic jars
Baking paper
Wire or rope to create a handle
Small battery operated candle
Glue stick
Adhesive tape
Drill or awl
Super glue
1. Clean the jars of any debris and grease. You only need one jar lid.
2. Measure and cut three pieces of baking paper to fit inside the jar.
3. Glue the ends of all three parts together to form a tube that can be conveniently inserted into the jar.
4. Make a hole on opposite sides of one plastic lid (from a jar).
5. Insert the wire into the holes and bend it to form a handle.
6. Do big hole in another cover. This time the holes are on top.
7. Insert the candle inside the hole (there will be a switch outside). Secure the structure with glue.
8. Now glue the lid with a handle to the bottom of the jar, and simply screw the top lid (with the candle) back to the jar.
3. What should a tourist do in the cold - hand warmer
You will need:
Calcium chloride (or something that contains it)
2 packages different sizes with clasp
1. Pour some calcium chloride into a large bag.
2. Take some water into a small bag.
3. Place the small bag inside the larger one.
4. Upon contact with coolness, calcium chloride begins to heat up, and you get a comfortable hand warmer.
4. Wood-burning stove made from tin cans for lovers of outdoor activities and tourism
You will need:
2 cans(diameter approximately 7.5 and 10 cm)
Metal cutting scissors
Can opener
Screwdriver or awl
Ruler
1. Cut the bottom from a large jar. Make holes in it to turn it into a ring.
2. Place the ring on a jar of smaller diameter.
3. Make several holes in a small jar (top and bottom, large and small).
4. Insert the small jar into the larger one.
5. Mobile stove for lovers of extreme tourism
You will need:
Small metal box
1. Cut the cardboard so that it fits comfortably in the tin box.
2. Melt the wax.
3. Fill the cardboard with wax. Fill so that there are no empty holes.
Ready. It will burn long and hard.
6. What a tourist needs: one thing fresh coffee bags
You will need:
Paper for straining coffee infusion
Dental floss
Measuring spoon
1. Place straining papers in measuring spoon.
2. Add 1-2 teaspoons of coffee.
3. Use dental floss to secure the coffee paper.
4. Cut off the excess (if the tail of the paper is long).
5. Place all pouches in a ziplock bag to help them last longer.
To brew coffee, use coffee bags in the same way as tea bags:
1. Place the bag in a cup and pour boiling water over it.
2. Wait a few minutes.
* Boiling water can be poured for you free of charge on the plane, airport, cafe and other places.
3. Before drinking coffee, remove the bag and throw it in the trash.
7. Very interesting ideas: mobile toilet paper holder
In the rain toilet paper may get wet. But if you make a holder like this, you can get rid of this problem.
1. Prepare a wide plastic jar.
2. Remove the lid and put toilet paper inside.
3. Make holes at the top and bottom and insert wire to make a handle.
4. Cut an oblong hole to insert the paper.
8. How to make an organic spray to repel bugs from plants
You will need:
1 head of garlic
1 small onion
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 liter of water
1 tablespoon liquid olive soap
1. Place the garlic and onion in a blender and blend until liquid.
2. Add 1 liter of water and a tablespoon of cayenne pepper to the contents.
3. Cover the mixture and leave for 1 hour.
4. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and add 1 tbsp. l. olive soap.
5. Fill your spray bottle and you can use the contents to repel bugs from your plants.
9. DIY compass
This craft can be done with your child, it is so simple.
You will need:
Plastic cover
Magnet (rod)
A piece of cork or foam
Some water
1. Use a knife to cut a piece of champagne or wine cork.
2. Pass the needle along the magnet several times, but only in one direction. If you did this enough times, the needle will also become a magnet.
3. B plastic cover pour water.
4. Place the cut circle from the cork on the water, and place a needle on top. Take your time, make sure the needle lies flat.
Soon the needle will begin to rotate slowly and its tip will begin to point north.
10. DIY snowshoes
11. DIY water filter
12. DIY hammock
Are you going on vacation? Nice job! Especially now, when there are a lot of devices that make outdoor recreation easy, comfortable and interesting. Let's get to know some of them.
- The most important thing is that things for traveling are light and do not take up much space. This car cover is what you need! It is much more practical and convenient traditional models. The secret is that the cover is inflated, so you can park the car under a tree without fear of falling branches, cones, pebbles and even hail!
- The car is securely packed, which means you can worry about yourself. There are many tents on the market, but they have a hard time matching the comfort of motorhomes. Rate it!
- But this device will help turn the back seat of a car into comfortable sofa. A real find for avid car travelers! The Fuloon Car Bed is compact when assembled and inflates within seconds.
- In nature, you can’t do without a rug on which you can sit comfortably. The Matador Pocket Blanket is large enough to accommodate two people. The mat is durable and waterproof. But its main feature is its compactness. It weighs only 88 grams and when folded easily fits into your jeans pocket!
- A beach mat with a canopy will help protect your head from the sun without using an umbrella; when folded, it takes up very little space.
- Well, if you want something cozy and not mosquitoes to bite, you can get a comfortable covered hammock.
- Another feature is a table with a refrigerator! A simple diplomat table with folding chairs You won’t surprise anyone anymore. But furniture with a refrigerator that transforms into a small cart with handles may well become the best purchase of the season!
- Vacationers with a dog will certainly appreciate the folding chair with a pet kennel.
- But this thing is very useful when long rest outdoors - portable washing machine Scrubba Wash Bag! This is a bag of internal coating like a washboard, which is extremely simple and convenient to use. All you need: put things in a bag, take some water, add a little detergent and shake everything well and mash. Voila, things are sparkling clean!
- Well, when you want to wash yourself, you can use camp shower. Pocket Shower is a simple device, which is a waterproof bag with a watering can, original design which allows you to regulate the water pressure. This shower can be hung on a tree; thanks to its black color, the water in the bag heats up quickly.
- To leave the camp and explore the surroundings, you don’t want to take a heavy backpack. But where to put a snack, a container of water, napkins and other little things that you will need on a hike? The best decision- Bindle Daypack: a lightweight backpack that takes up virtually no space in your luggage.
- You can carry Hydrapak's Collapsible Water Bottle in this backpack. She weighs less than usual plastic bottle, and an empty one takes up very little space. And if where you plan to vacation there are problems with drinking water, it would be a good idea to get a LIFESAVER bottle, which is equipped with a filter system and is capable of purifying water from any puddle at a speed of 750 ml/min.
- Very useful device is an “inflatable lantern” - Inflatable Solar Lantern. This super gadget has a built-in solar battery, is not afraid of water and falls and after a full charge it can shine for 12 hours!
- Meet the Firebox Nano - this is a baby stove that is designed extremely simply, but is absolutely reliable, takes up minimal space, weighs 170 grams and “eats” different types fuels, including firewood. It will be indispensable on a hike!
- And the last gadget in our collection is the Sea to Summit X-Sets. Agree, the pot and kettle take up the lion's share of space, have an awkward shape and weigh a lot, but you can't do without them. Folding dishes are light, beautiful and convenient, which makes them indispensable on a hike.
Summer is in full swing, replenish your equipment with new high-tech gadgets and relax with pleasure!
Those who like to spend time outside the city, but rarely go hiking, know how difficult it can be to keep matches dry, quickly light a fire or prepare a hot breakfast. However, experienced travelers know how to special effort make homemade items for a hike with your own hands. Each of these devices will make life much easier for beginners and experienced tourists at a minimum cost.
Camping jet stove
Perhaps this is the most expensive tourist homemade product for a hike that will be discussed. The fact is that to make it you will need to purchase two small stainless steel mugs in advance. This stove makes it easy to heat water for tea or fry eggs. Of course, a gas stove is much more convenient in this regard. But the gas may run out, and this small device runs on firewood, which can be found in abundance in any planting.
To work you will need:
- inexpensive mugs with a diameter of 10 and 12 cm, made of stainless steel;
- masking tape or a strip of paper;
- a stainless steel strip 25 cm long and 3-4 cm wide.
In addition, you need to prepare the following tools:
- grinder or hacksaw;
- roulette;
- hammer;
- drill and drill bits;
- marker;
- pliers;
- core;
- metal scissors.
What do we have to do
In order to make such a homemade product for a hike, it is important to act very carefully and in accordance with the following instructions:
- We start by processing a mug of smaller diameter. First of all, cut off the handle - it will not be needed.
- Now we carefully grind off the places where it is connected with a grinder using a cutting disc. If necessary, we help ourselves with pliers. The result should be a kind of stainless steel glass.
- Stepping back about one centimeter from the edge of the workpiece, apply masking tape around the circumference. Peel it off again and mark the strip into 12 divisions. This is necessary in order to drill 12 holes around the circumference of the workpiece at the same distance from each other. If you don’t have tape, you can use a regular strip of paper, moistening it a little with water.
- Transfer the markings back to the mug and paint the right places Using a marker and a drill, we make small holes.
- Remove the tape and drill out the resulting holes to a diameter of 10 mm.
- Let's move on to the bottom of the workpiece. There you need to mark 21 holes. To make it look beautiful and neat, you can outline the outline of the bottom on a sheet of paper in a checkered pattern and start by marking the holes there.
- Having slightly moistened the paper with water, we glue the workpiece to the bottom and core the places of future holes. We outline them thin drill, and then increase the diameter of each to 7-8 mm.
- Now let's start working with the second, larger mug. We turn it over and mark a circle with a diameter of 10 cm in the center on the bottom.
- We drill a convenient hole in the center of the mug and cut out a circle with metal scissors.
- In the upper part of the mug, also stepping back a little from the edge, we drill several holes with a diameter of 10-12 mm, evenly distributing them around the circumference.
- We assemble the stove. For this big mug turn it upside down and insert into the resulting hole a metal glass with holes made from a smaller mug (in the normal position, bottom down). The workpiece will be difficult to fit in, so you can place it on top small board and gently tap it with a hammer.
- All that remains is to make a cross. For this you will need a steel strip. We cut it in half, then cut each half in the middle so that the parts can be inserted into one another.
The stove is ready. If you install it on a flat area and heat it, the fuel supply is enough even to boil a kettle. In this case, the handle will remain cool, so that the device can be safely extinguished or moved to the desired location.
"Bombs" for the fire
When considering homemade products for hiking and tourism, it is impossible not to pay attention to lighting a fire. Those who often do this outdoors, especially after rain, know that this is not an easy task. To ensure that the fire always flares up quickly and easily, it is better to stock up on special paraffin “bombs” before going out. They are very easy to make. You will need:
- egg cartons;
- cotton fiber, such as cotton wool;
- wax candles (2-3 pieces).
Everything is done very simply. Place a ball of cotton wool into the cells of the cardboard stencil - it is better to tear it and compact it a little. Melt the candles in an unnecessary tin can in a water bath, after cutting them into pieces.
Pour melted wax into the cells with cotton wool, wait until everything hardens. With help stationery knife cut the stencil into pieces and wrap each “bomb” in cling film. Each piece set on fire with a match or lighter will burn stably for at least twenty minutes. This is quite enough to dry the wet brushwood a little and light a fire.
Bottle filter
And here's another one useful homemade product for a hike. With its help, you will not be left without tea, even if the entire supply is drinking water will be used up. The main thing is that there is a small river or river nearby.
To make a simple filter you need to prepare:
- plastic bottle;
- a small ball of cotton wool or 3-4 cotton pads;
- plastic bag;
- a piece of cloth, for example a clean handkerchief;
- packaging activated carbon- if you don’t have it, a few charcoals from yesterday’s fire will do just fine.
Operating procedure
Creation scheme homemade filter very simple:
- We cut off the bottom of the bottle and make several holes in the cork. Screw on the cork and turn the bottle upside down.
- We plug the neck with a wad of cotton wool or place 2-3 disks there.
- The next layer is crushed activated carbon tablets. The more there are, the better. If you use charcoal, then the pieces should be broken a little so that they lie as tightly as possible to each other.
- Cover the coal again with cotton pads or cotton wool.
- To prevent the filter from becoming clogged, place a clean handkerchief on top.
- U plastic bag cut off a corner or make holes in it. Place the cellophane in the bottle.
- Now add a layer of clean river sand. If there are small pebbles on the shore, you can also use them, placing them in the topmost layer.
Note! The layers should be such that there is room on top for water.
The filter from scrap materials is ready. The water obtained in this way must be boiled (at least ten minutes) in order to finally get rid of various microorganisms and pathogenic bacteria.
Hot gun without electricity
It happens that while on a hike you need to fix something urgently. How to do it? Your best bet is to grab some hot gun rods from home. But how to use them? Now you'll find out.
To make a camping hot pistol you will need:
- lighter;
- can;
- insulating tape.
It’s very easy to make such a useful and necessary homemade product for a hike:
- Using a knife, we cut off the bottom and top of the can, and cut it lengthwise so that we get a sheet of thin tin;
- we roll a small bag out of it and fasten it with electrical tape;
- cut off the tip so that the glue passes into the hole;
- using electrical tape, screw a lighter onto the bottom like a pistol trigger;
- Insert a glue stick into the hole.
The device is ready! Now it will be very easy for you to seal a torn boot or make minor repairs to your equipment.
