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Tripper "Hacks"

So I'm going back to the days of 40 dollar Canadian Tire tents. The kind that have blue poly tarp floors. That way you don't have to tarp the inside or the outside. Plus I'm going to hang a big blue poly tarp over my entire tent area, just like I did back in the days before it became fashionable to spend a couple of hundred bucks on some fancy space age nylon thingy that never gets hung because you are afraid of burning a hole in it with a spark from the fire. Throw my old air mattress in and I'm gonna live like a king for under a hundred bucks.

Alan and I appreciate you backing us up on our tripping hack claim. Glad you're back, heading for your TR next. Dave
 
So I'm going back to the days of 40 dollar Canadian Tire tents. The kind that have blue poly tarp floors. That way you don't have to tarp the inside or the outside. Plus I'm going to hang a big blue poly tarp over my entire tent area, just like I did back in the days before it became fashionable to spend a couple of hundred bucks on some fancy space age nylon thingy that never gets hung because you are afraid of burning a hole in it with a spark from the fire. Throw my old air mattress in and I'm gonna live like a king for under a hundred bucks. heck, I might even start carrying canned beans again.

Don't forget the blue jeans!

Glad to hear the paddle is working out so you at least had one bright spot....other than it ruining the rest of your paddles.

Alan
 
Not exactly a hack but the "log cabin" fire instead of the "tipi fire" is way better for getting a fire going and if burning wet wood...although if wood is dry you will burn more wood.

Wrap all your food in wax paper taped with masking tape. It's super light, creates no garbage plus it's good fire starter.
 
Mem....two words, army surplus. From the most rugged individuals on the face of the planet we bring you...crap we dont use any more.I even have Karin won over to my 64 pattern jump ruck, it carries so much easier. Of course she now has a traditional canvas pack so she is happy with that. I have been sleeping on two, count em, two air mattresses. Aaaaaannnnnd using my 3 lb Woods down bag...summer or fall.....army surpus again.

Canadian Tire? Wow, rich are we? I buy my tents at Walmart or off kijiji. Karin is the MEC shopper, not me. Which reminds me, I need new water shoes for this trip. Yepp, thats right, value village for used runners. NOT $100 Keens from Wilderness Supply. I almost bought a new PFD for $150 until I remembered I dont wear them anyway. I just sit on them in camp.

I can pick you up a flat back Sports Pal if you want, to go with your newly reincarnated frugality.

Christy
 
I bought a nice rain coat a few years back. The cost hurt till it kept me dry over a wet week tripping. The old one didn't. I only just emerged from our basement, doing laundry (I'm a modern man.) and sorting through stuff for tomorrow's yard sale. Several cheapish day packs, old ice skates, Christmas tree stand...I pulled out my old rain jacket and pants. Funny, I don't remember how I wound up with 2 pair of pants but only 1 jacket? I do remember buying them from an Army Surplus in Hamilton, preparing for my first trip. They had everything, as they often do. I bought a pair of well worn issue combat boots. Very comfortable. In the store that is. After the second day my feet felt well worn. Oh well. I love the rain pants. Both pair. The jacket leaks a bit. I can't bear to sell it or toss it. The rain pants are perhaps my favourite tripping clothing. They keep me dry on days after a rain too, when everything else is still dripping wet. Easy to peel off at the put in. I offered my wife the jacket and a pair of pants for this summer's trip. She declined. Apparently my "fashion sense" says hobo, and she's not into that. I bought her a nice new jacket for her birthday. Nothing says fashionable like neon colours. I guess. Me, I still like khaki hobo. I'll give the old jacket a light spray of silicone and bring it along this summer. Just in case.
 
Last week the filter slowed down and resisted a back flow cleaning on the river. So today, too hot to work in the garden, I remembered a little piece I built to blow out the water in my sprinkler system and reversed it to send water under a bit of pressure back thru the filter. Screw the adapter onto a hose with a shutoff, connect the tubing to the out flow of the filter and just pull it onto the end of the nipple, open the shutoff just a little and you have a filter all cleaned out and ready for your next trip.

 
You might want to check the manufacturer's statement about pressurizing the filter. You probably wouldn't want to ruin it that way.
 
So we're headed out tomorrow to pick up a coupl'a canoes and I only have a 4' Yakima bar on my rack and need about a 6' one to get both canoes flat. Instead of paying Yak for expensive tubes I found that 1/2" Black Pipe fits nicely inside the Yak tubing (if you remove a bit of corrosion).
I cut a 6' pipe into 4-18" pieces taped the ends so they won't slide all the way into the tubes, had to use a rotary rasp to clean the inside of the Yak tubes and then sprayed the insides with 'PB Blaster' penetrating oil to prevent the rust and to make ithings slide a little better.
When I need them I'll slide them out and duct tape them in place.




 
Cool idea! That would also work for a diy type of Yakima side "loadin bar". The ones that you extend out, place the bow on the extender, then walk to the stern and lift it up onto the car!


Jason
 
Im going to say the sliding bar taped in place scares me. If it were mine, and it isn't ,I would drill two holes through the Yakima bar and one through the inner bar,

When out run bolt through both bars going through the outer bar in the most outward hole. When collapsed run the boat through the hole closer to the center of the car,
 
Good mod idea except I'm looking for more then just in and out. I'd like some adjustment. I guess when I get back I can drill a hole in the Yak Tube, Tap it and put in a set screw.
 
My truck has Thule racks, to which I have added bar extenders along the same lines as Sweeper. Of course, I had to use rectangular stock vs. Sweeper's round tube. I ordered rectangular aluminum tube, cut to length, from onlinemetals.com. I drilled holes to accept 3/16" clevis pins. One hole through the Thule bar just inside the Thule tower and two holes in the aluminum tube, the pin through the hole near the end of the tube holds it in place while in extended position, and the second hole in the tube holds it in place while it rides telescoped (retracted) inside the Thule bar. Eventually, I figured out I didn't need cotter pins in the clevis pins--gravity holds them just fine.

I recommend against using aluminum tube for this hack. If I were to do it again, I'd order stainless bar. The aluminum tube has been strong enough to support canoes, but I'd like stronger extenders for those times a well-intentioned canoeist hangs their body weight on the tube whilst cranking down on the rope or strap that secures their canoe.
 
I started out with an old tent pole but switched to the Black Pipe because of the bending. My backup plan was to find a solid rod (rebar) to fit inside the aluminum tubing and epoxy that inside.
 
My rack used to be made from 3/4" black pipe. I had 4' pipe attached to the car which was enough for one canoe. When I wanted to carry two canoes I bolted a longer bar alongside it. I just clamped them together and drilled a couple holes through both bars at the same time for the bolts.

Alan
 
The "Hack" worked great, we had no problems get the two canoes home with almost 800 miles of driving.
 
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