I've been wondering about MYOG and where to start. I'm guessing the most obvious is a pepsi can stove and I'll probably start there. I was wondering if there was something highly useable, easy to make, cheap to make and likely to be a light piece of kit to carry that I could make as the first homemade gear? I'm also wondering if there are any interesting modified can stoves to make? I've seen the bog standard pesi can one like AGG sell with their cooksets and sold with Caldera cones. I've also seen ones with cones in the centre instead of just tubes. I wonder why that is, perhaps something to do with the vapour pressure build up. I'm sure I read somewhere Captain Paranoia started his caldera clone calculator thingy to design the cone on those types of can stoves. Any ideas? Been looking at pennine outdoors for fabric and bits to try to stimulate my creativity but so far its a blank.
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 Depends what technology you wish to use in your MYOG ventures... Silnylon stuff sacks are a good first sewing project, as they're relatively simple (the most difficult bit being a round end). Or a bivvy bag. Or a groundsheet protector. Or a tarp. The MYOG section at backpackinglight.com might also give you a lot of inspiration. Drinks can meths burners are fairly simple: see my article on making them. As for the conic walled burner, that started off as a reaction to the apparently too small vapour chamber in a 'normal' red bull size top burner. Then I inverted the cone to allow me to put the jet ring inside the dimple, to make an inward-facing flame cone, for small pots. You need the cone in that case to keep the vapour chamber wall inside the jet ring. All of this discussed in the Meths burner Q&A thread. Which will also give you a huge variety of different types of burner to play with.
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 I've got a pepsi can stove, really simple to make however the one i'm using at the moment I bought. it stands inside a piece of grilled metal that your pan stands on then has a simple windshield around it. Used with a vargo ti mug and thats it. Must admit the stove and stand and windshield this time came off ebay from USA all delivered for £6. Bargain. The one I made just wasn't so refined in design but it did work.
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Bush buddy clone is also a nice one, just a single can rather than a double wall design is easier. I'm using a 1 L old paint tin with holes drilled around the bottom and top, a bit of chickenwire stuffed in the tin to hold the wood off the base and a pot stand around the top made from a bird feeder. There are lots of threads on this sort of stuff on OM and on the fantastic American site mentioned by CP.
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 The penny stove is a nice project - http://zenstoves.net/ A tarp is cheap and easy to make, it's also an excellent places to start practising your sewing skills (presuming you have access to a sewing machine). Excess material can be used to make gear bags. Summer headovers from old cotton t-shirts are a snip as well. Finally, modifying your current gear can also be quite rewarding - if you get it right that is 
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I am thinking of doing some gear modifications. Only simple ones like cutting labels off. Seriously though I have this thing with gear to leave it as themanufacturers supplied it. however I've come to thing that why should I? Its my gear so if It take a knofe to something that annoys me its only good. Strap shortening is always one thing but there are othere things like my backpacking sack has gear loops on it that won't get used. I think you are right that modifying your own gear, even if those mods are quite simple, is a good, satisfying start. BTW who do you buy the fabrics and threads off when you make stuff? I know about pennine outdoors (IIRC) and point north. Are there any others? I have looked recently at pennine and not really thought their stock to be that good. I do like the idea of a tarp. I own one now but I reckon a smaller solo one would be easy to make. Where do you get things like thin elastic cords for tarp loops etc.?
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 One good place for some bargain materials is fabric an stuff, if your near the coast try a local chandlers for webbing and elastic cord most have it on a role and sell it by the meter.
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 Pennine are great. They sell all the stuff you need for most projects (pertex, lightweight PU coated nylon, silnylon, no-see-um....) and their service is excellent. ExtremTextil are good for more specialist stuff. Bouncing Rabbit for shock cord and bits 'n' bobs.
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Does anyone have experience with the Silnylon from Extremtextil? I have some "Ripstop-Nylon, silconcoated, Silnylon, SPECIAL PRICE". The description indicates coating on both sides, but I'm working with it now and the feel of each side is quite different and I am afraid it may only have one coating. And if so maybe not so waterproof.
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 how do you test to see if it's waterproof? a dilemma to be sure.
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Me, I will find out when the condensation on the grass rises through my new bright yellow ground sheet and is absorbed by my sleeping bag. ... .. or not!
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