Ones own specialist eqpt.

When backpacking around the Highlands where I live, I've found that on regular occasions rivers and burns can be awkward to cross, especially after rain or thaws. Lots of crossings on popular routes may have stepping stones but on the whole you just have to hope it's not too deep and in heavy thaw and rain even stepping stones can be well submerged..

In the summer when wearing trail shoes a wade across is not so bad but in winter with boots on and freezing water, I like to keep socks dry and came up with my own specialist river crossing kit. Along with my gaiters over my boots I put 2 bin liners over each leg covering the boot etc, and fix them up my legs with 4 or 5 elastic bands on each. You can now move at your own pace across the river taking care not to slip in (walking poles really help here). I wouldn't advocate crossing fast rivers over waist deep here but they work a treat on thigh deep ones and with the bonus of a few bin liners and elastic bands weighing in pretty low. If I went on a trip with only one crossing I'd just take one liner for each leg, but 2 on each can stand a little wear and tare under foot on numerous crossings and still work.

 Anyone else made use of non outdoor gear for handy little things in the outdoors.

Don't know if this counts as non-outdoor gear, but I've found that a 12" or so section of thon Velcro tape is the very thing to keep your crampons tidy when they're in the rucksack. I just face the spikes in towards each other, shorten the crampons as far as possible, wind the nylon binding straps round, and then run the Velcro tape (lengthwise!) over both of them. 

Seems to keep everything in place, as it were, and a definite improvement on the Adidas boot bag I used to keep them in.

"It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a saw."

Bin bags again, put your pack in it keep it outside your tent,jobs a goodun.

Cheaper and lighter than a big drybag.I always take a couple good for putting dirty clothes and rubbish in too.

Also a pair of old wool socks make a spare emergency glove or bandage or good for traction or ice and snow although I've never needed to use this technique. They make a cracking spare pair of socks too.

Duct tape, fixes loads of stuff.

Simo wrote (see)

Bin bags again, put your pack in it keep it outside your tent,jobs a goodun.

For sure.

i'm sure i read it hear somewhere and thought what a good idea:

 i have my crampons in two (big size, are they 2.5 or 3 litres of something) coke bottles.

i cut them in both round the dome part, one slots inside the other, crampons fit nice and snug even when i leave them out to size ten, very lightweight. the inside one has a tiny bend in the top. i know what one the outside is as i have put some duct tape around it (perfect bodging gear), and the last roll of the tape i put a bit of copper wire and some cable ties and just laid the tape down round the bottle. keeps the emergency repair kit with the storage container. costs nothing (if you like fizzy drink, which i dont, but someone always does).

not sure weather to drill some little holes in the nipples (yes i did just say that) on the bottomes of the bottoms though, just to let a bit of air get in.

ryedubs wrote (see)

not sure weather to drill some little holes in the nipples (yes i did just say that) on the bottoms of the bottoms though, just to let a bit of air get in.

Sig's are a waste of bandwidth...