outdoors
Fire Pit Kit
Blacksmith/sculptor Jon Sarriugarte of Form & Reform makes magical propane-powered fire pits. As he puts it, “Not only do they give off warmth but you can entertain your guest with drawings in the sand that burn where you draw!” You can buy one ready-made, or pick up one of his fire pit kits to make […]
Wood Duck 10 Kayak
I’ve built several boat kits from Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC). I’d recommend the Wood Duck kayak with the okoume deck to start out with, but all of the kits have been very complete (just add sandpaper, paint, and varnish) and have gone together just as the straightforward, illustrated manuals say they should. In addition, there […]
Voilé Splitboard Kit
This straightforward kit provides the parts to convert your snowboard into a backcountry splitboard capable of skinning deep into the wintry wonderland. All the heavy-duty hardware to mount the components to the board is included. You supply marine epoxy and the gumption to saw your trustworthy deck in half. The process is simple but time-consuming, […]
Outdoor & Sport: outdoors, skiing, snow, snowboarding, splitboard, sports
Pygmy Coho Kayak
Using the book Kayaks You Can Build by Ted Moores and Greg Rossel, I built my first Coho, a stitch-and-glue plywood sea kayak. I considered kits from Redfish, Chesapeake Light Craft, Waters Dancing, and One Ocean, but I settled on Pygmy because other builders touted how accurate their CNC router-cut parts are. Plus I had seen a […]
Minima Vest
Though making your own technical outdoor gear may seem out of reach, all it takes is a good pattern, solid instructions, techie fabrics, and some sewing skill. Thru-Hiker puts the pieces in your hands; you add the skill and patience. This vest kit is a good one to tackle for starters, and includes a toasty layer of Primaloft, […]
Mackey SQ2 Super Cub
I chose this kit airplane because it has great performance, but even better, it’s designed for builders who don’t have a ton of tools. Only common hand tools are needed — no fiberglass work or welding. The fuselage comes pre-welded, and the wings fully assembled, so I only needed to assemble and wire the plane, […]
Surfboard Shaping Starter Kit
Traditional surfboards are fragile, plus they’re made of toxic goo — polyurethane foam and polyester resin — that ends up as landfill. This deluxe starter kit has all the tools and materials you need to make a tougher, greener epoxy board using expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam that’s recyclable. And Greenlight’s lamination technique, using bamboo fabric […]
Outdoor & Sport: green, outdoors, sports, surf board, surfing
