Dehydrating food for the trail opens up many possibilities for the picky hiker. Cook it, dehydrate it, pack it, add water on the trail and…voila. It’s hard to beat a quickly-prepared, hot, tasty meal at the end of a long hiking day.

The problem: Food dehydrators can be expensive.

The solution: You can make your own!

Grab some duct tape, mosquito netting and a concrete form cylinder (5 bucks at your local hardware store) and head over to instructables.com for easy-to-follow instructions.

I was surfing YouTube today and happened upon this video detailing various ways to make DIY ultralight backpacking gear from stuff you probably already have around the house.  Check out the video below:

Photo from NY Times

If you’re a purist who hates any kind of gadgetry on the trail, you’ve probably become increasingly frustrated over the leaps in technology that have produced smaller, lighter versions of mp3 players, gps units and cell phones, leading to their meteoric rise in use in the wilderness over the last few years.  Well, it’s about to get worse–or if you’re a gadget-lover like me, it’s about to get more AWESOME.  North Carolina-based Semprius has developed an ultra-tiny, ultrathin, ultra-bitchin’ version of a solar cell which could be interwoven into your clothes, pack, hat, or pretty much anywhere else, giving you all the power you need without having to carry around batteries or stop in town to recharge.  The possibilities are endless.  NYTimes via Treehugger

Courtesy of instructables.com

Love taking your digital camera or camcorder on the trail but can never manage to get a perfectly steady shot?  Instead of scratching the camera’s bottom on a rock or tree branch, check out this ingenious tip from instructables.com.  You’ll learn how to make a trekking pole monopod, which is exactly what it sounds like.  Says the author, ” this simple camera mount doesn’t take up any space in my pack, barely adds weight to my trekking pole, folds up when not in use, isn’t permanently attached, and costs very little to make.”  Trekking Pole Monopod – instructables.com

There was a forum thread started over at Trail Forums in November of ’08 about what ultralight backpacking gear was best to take on a long trek.  I’ve summarized the responses below, but it looks like the original thread didn’t make it past page 1.  I’m interested to hear what Trailsauce readers consider must-have ultralight gear.   I’d like to compile a substantial go-to list, complete with specs and stuff,  to add to a new resources page.

Backpack:

• GoLite Breeze (discontinued)
• GoLite Speed Pack
• Gossamer Gear Murmur
• Gossamer Gear G-5 (discontinued)

Sleeping Bag:

• Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20
• Marmot Helium 15
• Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15
• Phantom 32 Degree Sleeping Bag – In Your Choice of Sizes 

Shelter:

• SixMoon Gatewood Cape 
• Hilleberg Rajd
• Hennessy Hammock
• Tarp tent

Add your picks for the “big three” (pack/bag/shelter) in the comments section!

I’ve long been a fan of Sierra’s tents (and by that I mean I bought one for my ill-fated 2006 near-attempt at an AT thru-hike and used it in the wild exactly once).  Seriously, though, the company’s reputation that prompted my purchase is well-deserved, and Outdoorzy.com’s first-ever “Gearzy” award for favorite tent manufacturer makes me even more proud to own one — even though it’s spent most of its life in it’s sack or set up in my basement.

Read full story here…

Buy a a Sierra Designs tent by clicking here.