Lots of people - and especially newcomers - think that their first step for outdoor activity is an expensive set of equipment and clothing. In reality, the bare minimum is a decent pair of shoes, a water bottle, and a basic pack - the rest can be made up along the way. And for those with a creative personality, those items can literally be made along the way.
My wife and I have been exploring Colorado and the American West through camping, hiking, climbing and biking for 15 years. We're not jetsetting or empowered through a trust fund - we're just normal, working people that are living frugally and simply. We're exploring nature when we can, in an honest and realistic way.
I'd like to help people discover practical and inexpensive ways to get outside and enjoying nature.
I believe that people can be creative using free and available tools found online.
People wishing to become makers and express themselves creatively will oftentimes find a large barrier to entry when faced with licensing costs for services from Adobe, Apple and Microsoft.
Software as a service, and the death of perpetual licensing, has made it hard for curious individuals and hobbyists to justify spending hundreds or thousands of dollars just to get started.
Free and open source creativity tools, such as Inkscape, Krita and GIMP; Linux-based operating systems like Ubuntu and Linux Mint; and new distribution tools like Flatpak and Snapcraft, can be used to level the playing field and offer powerful and inexpensive options to empower makers.
Don't believe me? Need help? I'd be happy to - contact me!
Having a decent set of tools goes a long way to making your own gear, and tinkering and customizing gear you already own.
A good sewing machine goes a long way in gear creation - I have a vintage 1971 Singer 237 that I use for all of my projects (service manual can be found here). You don't need anything exotic - vintage sewing machines are actually built more solidly that contemporary ones, and can be found at garage sales and thrift stores for pennies on the dollar.
Other tools that everyone should have - an introductory set of calipers, a comprehensive set of bits will let you work with machine (and wood) screws in 99.9% of circumstances ever, a quality cordless drill with a cheap set of drill bits. And then otherwise, if you pick up a decent starter set of tools from your hardware store that has screwdrivers, a hammer, some kind of pliers or channel locks, a knife or razor, and a tape measure... you can tackle tons, and tons, and tons of projects, with good accuracy and results, immediately.
Is a circular saw handy? Or a dremmel? I can also use a hacksaw to cut things in a pinch. And a dremmel is great, but I can also get good results with a file, sandpaper, or even a drill bit running on its side to eat plastic. Are these ideal? Definitely not - but I'm not an artisinal woodworker or a homebuilder; I'm a scrappy maker, and I want to make functional things to use and enjoy.
There's an adage used by sailboat cruisers Lin and Larry Pardey about getting people started:
“Go Simple, Go Small, Go Now”
Their saying applies to people who have a daydream about sailing full time, and have plans to save money for years or decades in preparation - but is the dream to sail, or to acquire money for stuff?
For makers, you don't want wait until you've collected a warchest of tools and instruments and nicknacks to create - use what you have now, in a way that makes sense, and get going. The idea is to be a creator, not a collector or a consumer.
I'm also a Notary Public in the State of Colorado - if you need some help with paperwork, I'd be more than happy to connect. Check out my business Speer Neighborhood Notary for information or to request service.