Golite Ultra20 Quick Adjust Strap Modification

Quick adjust and removable elastic cinch straps.



Lets face it, The Ultra20 quilt has a lot of potential for the quilt user on a budget, but the strap adjustments really suck. How I would love to have the money to burn and buy a Nunatak Arc Alpinist quilt, but at 1/2 to 1/3 the cost the Ultra20 is unbeatable in it's class. For the cold sleeper it may not take you down to 20 degrees; but for the warm sleeper who knows how to add insulation layers in colder weather it will take them down to 20 degrees. I have only had mine down to around 36 degrees with only boxers on, and I was sweating to death at several points. A lot of the heat retention is also determined by the insulating pad that you choose, since a lot of your heat is also lost to the ground.

The biggest downfall to the Ultra20 quilt is the inability to easily adjust the straps to reduce or increase the amount of ventilation through out the night. In this post I will go over a quick adjustment system that will allow you to easily cinch or loosen the straps to your sleeping pad as the night goes on. In another post I will go over some techniques I have learned to vent the quilt and stay warm.

Initial Weight of the Straps
0.65 oz
The New Weight of the Straps:
0.25 oz

Materials Required:
2 yds a 3/32" elastic cord
2 micro cordlocks.

Directions:
1) First if you have slept with the straps on your quilt before and already have them adjusted to where they fit on your sleeping pad on cold nights... Just remove them, but set them aside clipped. You can use this as an approximate length for your new straps.

2) Stretch out the closed factory straps (doubled over) to find an approximate length for the new straps. Add about 6 inches of length to the elastic cord over the length of the old straps and cut. (if you have not used your straps before measure out approximately 30" and cut the cord.)


3) Make a loop on one end of the cord. This will allow you to remove the straps for warmer trips when the cords are unnecessary.


4) Install a micro cord lock onto the line opposite of the side that you just made the loop. Make a double or triple nonslip knot (just like the knot that you use to start tying your shoe except 20 it 2 to 3 times on top of the knot) at the end of the cord on the toggle end. Make sure the knot will not pass through the cordlock.


5)Which ever side of the quilt that you want to be able to adjust the straps on, tie a 4" piece of elastic cord using the same type of nonslip knot used in step 4. Make sure there is just enough room to stuff the toggle through the cord loop you have created. If it is too tight you will not be able to remove or install the straps and it is too loose the straps won't work well.
The picture shows the cord and cord lock through the loop from step 5. If done correctly there is still enough stretch to the loop the Toggle can be removed.


6) On the opposite side of the knot and loop that you made in step 5 feed the cord through the factory stitched loop. Now take the toggle end and feed it through the loop you made on the cord.


Pull it on through to tighten it to the quilt loop.


7 )Feed the Toggle through the adjacent sides cord loop.


8)Trim all excess cord from the knots you tied and singe the ends so that the cord does not fray.



9) Repeat steps 1 through 8 for the other strap.

Now the quilt girth can be adjusted by a pull and toggle adjustment on a stationary cord. Where as on the original design the adjuster floats wherever under you and is a serious pain to find when you are half asleep and getting a cold draft.

MYOG 5yds to SUL Tarp and Alacart Bivy Build

On the ever increasing desire to lighten my pack, I decided to embark on building a new tarp and bivy with all the options included for trips where I don't need to carry a 2 person tarptent. I almost made the tarp out of cuben fiber, but I decided that I need to start simple with cuben since supposedly sewing it excessively weakens the strong fabric. So I'll try a cuben shelter at a later date.

The Tarp:
For the tarp I decided on Spinntex .08oz a yd fabric. It's silicon impregnated like 1.1oz Silnylon except that it is silicon impregnated polyester. Supposedly it is a little louder, a little lighter and doesn't sag as much in wet and cold conditions. The plans came from the BPL 5yds to SUL project. The tarp came out to be 7.9oz with 48' of Aircore Nano guylines and quick adjusters, plus 2 oz of stakes... 9.9oz as carried. So at .8 oz for the guyline kit, the tarp by itself is roughly 7.1oz. The stuff sack weighs .15oz. This project gave me a ton of practice with felled seams and made me become fairly good at sewing felled seams...

Spinnaker stuff sack.


Tarp layed out for the beak attachment.


Playing around with trying to get a good taught pitch.




The hangline clips and hang line for wet gear.





Things to complement the tarp build:
I'll probably make a very lightweight and small bug bivy that will attach to the clothesline clips. It should allow more breathablity in hot weather and the ability to go lighter in good weather or below the tree line in buggy conditions.

The Bivy:
Well I wanted all the options but I didn't want to pay much over $70... MLD has some similar bivies in the $200 range... I wanted a side zip for easy entry, bug netting for skeeter season... It started out with an RS180 bivy pattern, I shortened the hood by 8", and widened the pattern by 3 inches in the shoulders and hips area to increase room for the neoair. I eliminated the velcro closure and stiff bill with an overlapping flap in favor of a full closure zipper with side zip and zippered skeeter netting. I also added tie out points for the bathtub floor at all 4 corners, so when the weather hits the fan I have the option of guying out the bivy to the tarp stakes to create a storm proof floor.



With a sleeping bag and Neoair inside the bivy.



In buggy season mode.


Side zip open for entering and exiting the bivy in bug mode.


Side zip open for entering and exiting in rainy conditions.


closed up for normal rain conditions.



The Combo, Tarp and Bivy in use in Spider Meadows.

MYOG The Deionization of a Golite Ion Backpack

Prelude...
So, after a couple years of slashing down my base pack weight, I bought a Golite Jam2 this winter on super clearance to replace my old REI UL60. Come to find out without a bear can I can't even get close to using the roll top with my solo gear let alone with the extra gear for hiking with Heather is still don't use the max capacity and generally am using the compactor system. After some deliberation and some complaining from BPL members in the "should I get a smaller pack post" I opted to redesign a Golite Ion to fit my needs. I didn't feel like carrying the extra 10oz if I'll never need it, and as much as I'd love to buy a Mountain Laurel Designs product I'm lazy and don't want to wait 6 weeks, I didn't want to pay well over $100 for another pack and I've come to like MYOG. I picked up an unused 2008 model Golite Ion for $25 off the BPL Gear Swap forum, and picked up all the fabric plus a ton of excess for about $35. So if you include the excess that will be used on several other projects the initial cost was $60 (minus any shipping on fabric).

The project design and goal.
Basically I wanted a pack that was well rounded, the Ion comes factory with no extra pockets or anything for that matter... I wanted to be able to use it on weeklong section hike this summer, fishing trips down the line. So I decided to add 2 deep water bottle pockets for my 1L platy bladders and hydration system on the sides and a large stuff pocket for my fishing rod an extra 2L or so of water, a hang line for clothes to dry, and also be able to carry a bear can if need be. The Goal was to be under 12oz after all the mods to a 9.05oz pack, but after cutting off the waistbelt, trimming the straps, removing the zippered lid in favor of a roll top... The finished product weighs 9.40oz!! (without the optional .40oz bear can straps). It barely gained a few grams and I am saving 10.6oz or so off the weight of the Golite Jam2 pack.


Materials
Dyneema-x fabric (10"x32")
Lycra 4-way stretch mesh (just a little bit)
3/8" flat elastic
3/32" elastic cord
2 micro cord locks
5 - 1/2" buckles
1/2" grossgrain ribbon (a few yds)


All pictures are taken with the pack stuffed with clean laundry, a box to simulate a bear can being strapped with the removable bear can straps, 2 - 1L platy bladders on the side one with the hydration hose, and my Cabela's 5 piece flyrod in the storage case with a full 2L platy bladder alongside the pole. There's still a ton of stretch left in the pockets if need be.

A no frills Golite Ion at the start.


Removing the lid.


Prototyping the back panel.


Stitching the panel to the pack to make assembly much easier.


The filled pack shots



Filled with the pockets stuffed with the stuff from the list above.


Filled with everything and the optional bear can straps deployed.



A look at the stretchiness of the lycra back mesh.



Some close ups of my wavy lined seams...




A few things to watch out for, lycra likes to stretch when being sewn and puckers some seams. I'd almost suggest finding some of the nylon that golite uses on their inside seams and lining the exterior edge of the pockets with it if puckered seams bother you. They don't really bother me since they add character in my opinion. Things left to do on this pack --> remove the last 2 Golite tags...

A few projects coming up this next week are a MYOG BPL 5yds to SUL solo spinnaker tarp, and a lightweight bivy to complement the tarp. There's also a backpacking trip on both the up and coming weekends so look out for a couple trip reports also.

REI UL Peak Trekking Pole Strap Removal

Well the straps have been bothering me for awhile. They don't fit right, I switch my grip too often, and I don't use the straps to push off with. I only really use the poles for rhythm, slight push offs, jumping over small streams, bracing myself, holding up my shelter and mainly for keeping my balance while walking to prevent nasty falls.

Tools required:
a hammer
1/16" or possibly a 1/8" I'd recommend the smaller punch.



Skill level:
The ability to tap a hammer and align a hole...

My poles had a tiny pin prick on one side in the foam grips which lined up fairly close to the pin. Just a note the pin only comes out one way. Do not pound on it from the side where you can see the actual pin. Place the punch in the small pin prick on the opposite side of the pin. Tap with a hammer and move the pin punch around to align it with the pin.



As soon as the pin is moving, tap away till the pin punch won't go any further without tearing the grip. Depending on the length of your punch, the pin might still be stuck in the foam grip. If this happens, remove the pin punch and either grab the exposed pin with your fingers or a set of pliers and gently twist and pull till the pin comes out.





The strap weighs 0.75oz, which brings the standard length poles weight down to 6.15oz a pole. This maybe a 1.5oz weight savings, but I carry these poles anyhow. They generally do not effect my base pack weight except when they are stowed for scrambles and such. So the weight savings is a bonus, but not the reason I modified the poles. As soon as I find a good way to add a mount for my stikpic, I'll post that up as well.

Just a note of warning that this could void your warranty, and any damage to the poles is your own fault if you attempt to do this. This blog post is for informational purposes only.