LIGHT WEIGHT CAMPING EQUIPMENT and how to make it 

Watching a large and enthusiastic man and his family unload their gear from the car on a recent camping trip, we became more and more fascinated trying to guess what their plans might be. They seemed to be a family on vacation at a fairly remote lake in the Rockies, but the longer we watched the less sure we were. We weren't at all sure they weren't on a practice run for a projected African safari. The man and his wife, both strong looking, pulled and tugged until they finally had a tent spread on the ground. Three strapping children staggered under the weight of rolls that could be sleeping bags, somewhat disguised. The heap on the ground grew with cartons of canned foods, assorted hardware, clothing, ropes, packs-we finally lost track. Long after dark we could still hear these intrepid campers trying to get their tent secured and their gear stowed away. 
We left camp the next morning with four days' supplies on our backs and astonishment on the faces of our neighbors. They were as securely attached to their camp as if they had been nailed into position. 
Repetitions of this scene have convinced us that there are many people who would like to know how to go light. Some people, of course, want to set up a home away from home and relax without ever stirring, but many others, like our neighbors, just don't have any idea how to go light. 
The following discussions and projects will remedy the situation for the neophyte and add grist to the mill for the expert. 


Chapter I - MATERIALS 
Extensive field trials, experimentation and testing have proved that of the many products available on the market only a few are adaptable to the high specifications demanded by light weight climbing and hiking gear. This chapter on materials is an attempt to give the reader the information and data he will need to make an intelligent choice among the hundreds of materials available. We will include all the items that go into the making of the light weight equipment described in this ebook, such as fabrics, webbing, hardware, leather and fillers for sleeping bags and clothing. The information will be useful not only for construction of personal equipment, but also as a manual to the purchase of durable and suitable equipment. 
Community and mail order sources of materials and services will be listed. Most of the sources which carry materials of a specialized nature will send catalogs and samples upon request. Samples may then be compared for the required performance characteristics. There is no more disheartening fate than to spend hours making a piece of equipment in which the workmanship is of top quality, only to find that it is worthless after a season's use because of poor or improper materials. 

Fabrics 
Most items of camping equipment involve the use of fabric in one way or another. One of the interesting facets of designing and making one's own equipment is the adaptation of new fabrics and materials to their most efficient use. New fabrics may include any of the myriad synthetics, blends of synthetics and natural fibers, or it may include entirely new developments in fabrics made from natural fibers. Science is always a jump ahead of the consumer. Miraculous though they are said to be, each fabric made of a new fiber must be thoroughly tested to see what it will do, publicity notwithstanding. A new fabric may be truly miraculous for one purpose, but totally unsuitable for others. In other cases advertisers get carried away and performance falls far short of promise. Fabrics must be tested for the specific job they are to do.