Making one's own gear is a great way to get out of a variety of ruts. It becomes personal, and you accept it as such. If one is buying say jeans. Maybe there is a brand that is higher status than any other, and there is no way to get around it other than to have the best brand. But a home made dress, or even a custom made one, is perfect because it is custom. It fits you. There are times that is more important. Commercial gear is reviewed, and reviews are mostly won, on the number of features a product has. But home made gear is often simpler and lighter. Who wants to buy something with a million zippers. If it proves out you have to have another compartment, you can always add it later. If you make something and it is too light, you can fix it or make another. You don't carry garbage like footprints, because you got the floor in once, and can do it again, or will have whipped up a new tent by the time you get that far down the road. Consumerism is a large part of the problem, where weight is concerned. Pretty much by definition if a product is designed to suit everyone, it has to weigh more than if it was just designed to suit you.