Anyone ever tried making any of these kits or read his books ???
I quite like the look of his tarp set up.
http://www.rayjardine.com/index.shtml
I quite like the look of his tarp set up.
http://www.rayjardine.com/index.shtml
Ray Jardine
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He's a pretty interesting guy. He's had a huge impact on the backpacking industry with his ultra light backpacking methods. I learned a lot from his book on Beyond Backpacking. I don't buy into all his methods but he helped me shave an easy 10+ pounds off my load.
I'm surprised to see a scandi knife kit on his site. Didn't think he was really into knives at all.
I'm surprised to see a scandi knife kit on his site. Didn't think he was really into knives at all.
Yup - I rate Ray Jardine - I think he has alot of very good points that can be applied directly by us bushcrafters. His kit is ultra lightweight nylon fandango stuff, but even then he carries very little - cooks over a fire, stealth camps under a tarp, find good drinking water.....
I'm still plugging my way through "beyond backpacking" but there are some real gems in their.
Cheers
Rich
I'm still plugging my way through "beyond backpacking" but there are some real gems in their.
Cheers
Rich
Gota go with Rich,
His colours are'nt my cup of tea, but weight saving ideas are well worth the read.
Neil
His colours are'nt my cup of tea, but weight saving ideas are well worth the read.
Neil
I've read his books beyond backpacking and The Rayway Tarp Book. Not all of his ideas suit walking in Australia (to my mind anyay), but the ones I have used have been excellent, ie. using a tarp, a quilt, the one-shoulder carry, wearing running shoes etc.
I have sewed his quilt kit, which is a steal. I needed help sewing the insulation however, so if you are a reasonably inexperienced sewer, as I am, get help with it.
I also sewed the waterproof silnylon stow bag, which turned out looking quite professional. I would love to try making one of his backpacks (weighs 9 oz!) but I'm not sure the mesh side pockets would survive off track walking.
I'd also like to make up one of his knife kits.
It seems that most people either love or hate Ray, but I think that beyond Backpacking has so much info on ALL aspects of walking.
I've always thought of him as a bit of a bushcrafter anyway... sewing his own gear, cooking on a fire, tarping, knifemaking, he even runs a 'connection camp' where they use a fire drill!
I have sewed his quilt kit, which is a steal. I needed help sewing the insulation however, so if you are a reasonably inexperienced sewer, as I am, get help with it.
I also sewed the waterproof silnylon stow bag, which turned out looking quite professional. I would love to try making one of his backpacks (weighs 9 oz!) but I'm not sure the mesh side pockets would survive off track walking.
I'd also like to make up one of his knife kits.
It seems that most people either love or hate Ray, but I think that beyond Backpacking has so much info on ALL aspects of walking.
I've always thought of him as a bit of a bushcrafter anyway... sewing his own gear, cooking on a fire, tarping, knifemaking, he even runs a 'connection camp' where they use a fire drill!
i have always liked reading Rays ideas. Helped me to lighten my pack.
Not everyones Guru but he has some good ideas and he gets out and practices what he preaches.
Not everyones Guru but he has some good ideas and he gets out and practices what he preaches.
I could see how with a thermarest type mat under you his quilt system looks like it would work well with a hammock
He has a very interesting website - thank you for the link.
He has clearly travelled a lot on foot or kayak and I share his scepticism of the Outdoor industry trying to persuade us to buy more and more expensive kit. His kit looks good and light and I agree about the pleasure of using kit you've put together yourself. I built a ham radio transceiver myself and I well remember the thrill the first time I used it. People are conditioned into thinking that making things (whether a knife, a tarp or a radio) is difficult and are often astonished by someone using homebrew kit.
No prices on the site - not sure how they compare.
He has some questionable ideas about 'emf' from alarm clocks etc making you ill. I do get annoyed by bad science and I'm afraid this made me a bit more sceptical about him.
He has clearly travelled a lot on foot or kayak and I share his scepticism of the Outdoor industry trying to persuade us to buy more and more expensive kit. His kit looks good and light and I agree about the pleasure of using kit you've put together yourself. I built a ham radio transceiver myself and I well remember the thrill the first time I used it. People are conditioned into thinking that making things (whether a knife, a tarp or a radio) is difficult and are often astonished by someone using homebrew kit.
No prices on the site - not sure how they compare.
He has some questionable ideas about 'emf' from alarm clocks etc making you ill. I do get annoyed by bad science and I'm afraid this made me a bit more sceptical about him.
I have a copy of his book, though I haven't read it that thoroughly like I have The Complete Walker. Everything that Colin Fletcher writes is interesting to read, whether or not you are interested in walking. What Jardine writes is interesting in a way but it somehow makes me want to give up walking. The thing is, he is a little too authorative and preachy in what he says.
Just like Wal-Mart, people either love him or hate him. But to be fair, there is another side. His book is much more thorough and covers more subject matter than I have ever seen anyone giving him credit for. But evidently my interest, experiences, objectives and time resources are a lot different from his, so he hasn't been of much value to me.
Something else I have noticed about contemporary outdoor books is that they are generally a lot longer than similiar books published 70 or 80 years ago, with some exceptions. The older books dwelt more on hunting and fishing, too, which is almost totally absent from the current range of books. It is as if there are now two types of outdoors people: people who hunt and fish and people who hike and camp. As if there were no overlapping interests at all. It at least appears that the pure hiking and camping crowd (the ones who believe in pristine wilderness) go in for completely different range of equipment and even shop in different stores. They probably ski and mountain bike, too. They probably don't own firearms. They probably haven't been in the service either.
I realize I may be exaggerating to make a point.
Just like Wal-Mart, people either love him or hate him. But to be fair, there is another side. His book is much more thorough and covers more subject matter than I have ever seen anyone giving him credit for. But evidently my interest, experiences, objectives and time resources are a lot different from his, so he hasn't been of much value to me.
Something else I have noticed about contemporary outdoor books is that they are generally a lot longer than similiar books published 70 or 80 years ago, with some exceptions. The older books dwelt more on hunting and fishing, too, which is almost totally absent from the current range of books. It is as if there are now two types of outdoors people: people who hunt and fish and people who hike and camp. As if there were no overlapping interests at all. It at least appears that the pure hiking and camping crowd (the ones who believe in pristine wilderness) go in for completely different range of equipment and even shop in different stores. They probably ski and mountain bike, too. They probably don't own firearms. They probably haven't been in the service either.
I realize I may be exaggerating to make a point.
I have to say, I'm not sure I fancy the idea of no waist belt on a biggish rucsac though, your back would end rather painful after a long hike
Motorbike Man said:
Well, it is rather based on the 8-10lb baseline packweight he advocates, less than many daysack loads and fine sans waistbelt (IMO)
I found the book very good on the practical side, and brim full o' codswallop in the (very limited) bits dealing with alternative therapies/technologies/realities
Your mileage may vary, of course, and as a practical outdoorsman he clearly knows his stuff, albeit in a slightly more nylon-friendly way than the bushcraft Ray.
Didn't he invent "friends" (climbing gear) a few decades back.
Top bloke notwithstanding my para. 2.
Jim.
Look at what www.brisa.fi or http://www.extremeoutdoorgear.co.uk/index.php have to offer. Both have a huge range of knife kits on offer and to my eye many far nicer than Rays.wentworth said:
Must have a go at making that tent or somthing similar though!
The things I learn...
The company GoLite was based on selling equipment similar to what Ray uses. Ray was a consultant to the company when it started. After reading this thread, I popped over to golite.com to see what was happening and noticed Jardine's name was absent. GoLite has posted the following describing their view on what is going on. It's kinda sad when you see stuff like this but there's the outdoors and then there's the business of the outdoors. When you buy gear, it's always worth considering what it is your favorite outdoors expert is trying to market to you. When there's money involved, things often have a way of focusing on market share and the bottom line.
GoLite vs Ray Jardine
The company GoLite was based on selling equipment similar to what Ray uses. Ray was a consultant to the company when it started. After reading this thread, I popped over to golite.com to see what was happening and noticed Jardine's name was absent. GoLite has posted the following describing their view on what is going on. It's kinda sad when you see stuff like this but there's the outdoors and then there's the business of the outdoors. When you buy gear, it's always worth considering what it is your favorite outdoors expert is trying to market to you.
When there's money involved, things often have a way of focusing on market share and the bottom line.GoLite vs Ray Jardine
Thanks for the link Hoodoo. It is a sad day. I have read and enjoyed Rays titles for years. I wish I knew why people sell their prinicples for 30 pieces of silver.
Still Ray Jardine has done a lot to promote the Ultra Light weight approach so although he may have lost the plot we need to acknowledge that contribution.
I have read and enjoyed Rays titles for years. I wish I knew why people sell their prinicples for 30 pieces of silver.Still Ray Jardine has done a lot to promote the Ultra Light weight approach so although he may have lost the plot we need to acknowledge that contribution.
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