Self-made accessories

[brad nicholson]

For Crampons: If you like to carry them inside you bag, perhaps inside the top pocket. Especially on long approaches where you will not put them on quickly. Take a 1/2 gallon milk jug and cut the bottom off of it. slide crampons inside, you can use a flap made of duct tape to keep them inside. what does everyone else do? i have camp green ice semi-rigids and this works well when i fold the toe bail and ankle strap down and push the front half against the rear. a cheap way to make an ice axe cover is take a beer coozie and cut it to fit over the pick and the spike then wrap these with duct tape as well. of course these only last a season or so but they are cheap and expedient.

For a Stove: I have three stoves, Peak One multi-fuel, MSR Rapidfire, MSR Superfly. For the Peak one and the Rapidfire i took a large can of coffee, cut the bottom out and laid it atop the supports (works really well for the rapidfire). perforate it with many holes, it provides a more stable base and can take a larger vareity of cups/bowls/etc then you take a gasket clamp and enlarge it to what you need. see how it lays across the stove supports, crimp or cut so that sets secure upon them. the stove plate fits easily atop this and both can be stored in your pot bag.

Also, if you travel often with gear, get a huge piece of pvc cut to length of either your longest tent poles folded or your trekking poles. screw the lids on and voila you arrive with no bent tent poles or hiking sticks.