Found this on a Women's Backpacking Facebook page. I ordered some for our next BWCAW adventure, so we can all have coffee from the hammock. ;-)
They came very quickly; and since I ordered more than 5, they gave me a discounted price.
They weigh almost nothing and are a great price.
If you're using an alcohol stove, you might need a heat shield between it and the table top. Maybe a piece of carbon felt would do.

These are very interesting - I will have to check-out getting some. thanks for the post.

OOps - double post

Not a bad price really since the non-discounted price is $10. Home Depot sells sheets of coroplast for $20 that would make 5-6 of these. I mean, I'd still just make my own, but I'm handy and cheap; I do recognize that for the convenience of just getting one in the mail...not a bad price at all.

Another DIY option is to use old political signs if you don't mind the writing on them.

That looks like a great ultra lightweight and compact compromise for single portaging. Thanks for posting.

Cool little table, I'm looking into this more. I could see it being very useful around camp.

Bump. I don't understand the lack of interest. For 10 bucks and 2.3 oz you can cook and eat off the dirt. I think it's a great option for ultralight weight.

It's cool for ultralight backpacking, if you want a table. For us, it would be too small. We are usually running two Windpro stoves with the separate canisters. So, if I was going to get a table then I would get a bigger one. But, so far, I'm good with cooking on the dirt. Which in the BW is often a pretty clean rock.

But for the needs it satisfies, I think it is great.

I will probably get a few for backpacking trips. Kind of nice to get things out of the dirt and place on a flat surface once in a while. Snapping two together seems like it would provide ample room to prep dinner.

Most ultralight backpackers wouldn't pack something like this. They are like... food, shelter, water, first aid/tools, and that's it... and the shelter is a maybe depending on the weather. Anything considered an extra or a luxury is the first to get tossed to get the weight and space as low as possible. Less space = smaller pack = less weight.

I think casual and semi-light backpackers would be more into this, and it'd be right at home on a canoe trip.

I think it's a cool idea. I'd use one if I did more actual cooking in camp - to me it'd be more useful as a prep surface than a dining surface.

Lil, if you come to a wing night... Bring one with. Would be fun to see.

quote mschi772: "Not a bad price really since the non-discounted price is $10. Home Depot sells sheets of coroplast for $20 that would make 5-6 of these. I mean, I'd still just make my own, but I'm handy and cheap; I do recognize that for the convenience of just getting one in the mail...not a bad price at all."

If you do make a pattern - please share!

If I do make one, I promise to share.

Man, that thing is tiny. For backpacking I've never had a problem finding a rock or a log to use as a table. For paddle camping I love the Helinox Table One. The top is four times bigger than the Cascade Wild table. It weighs 1.3 lbs, which is a pretty good weight for the quality and convenience. It really does make things easier at a campsite. Matter of fact, I like this table so much I use it every day at home. Two totally different animals and prices, I realize.

I make the Cascade Wild table and would like to add a few comments.
First: the table has snaps on the side so you can snap as many tables as you want in a row to make a longer contiguous surface. You could get the same surface area as a Helinox table for 9.2 ounces - less than half the weight - although it won't sit as high off the ground. The whole point of the table is to get your stuff up off the dirt and mud and forest duff. And it's specifically designed to hold a jetboil stove with canister legs, a coffee mug, and a bowl. That's what you need for backpacking, if you are canoe camping and want more surface area just buy two and snap them together.
Second: you can straddle a log, either lengthwise or crosswise, to create a flat stable surface. No more having your water bottle roll off the log. You could for example snap 3 tables together (6.9 ounces), and straddle a log lengthwise with a flat surface 12" wide by 24" long.
Third: mschi772, sorry to hear you would copy a design that took me many months and many prototypes to come up with. But you are going to end up disappointed anyway. The coroplast you get at Home Depot (or a campaign sign) is thicker and will not fold into a compact bundle (and if you got it to work would weigh about 5 ounces - I know - my first prototype attempts were this material). It's going to take a utility knife, a straight edge, and a lot of time to precisely cut out a blank. Then you're going to have to come up with a way to fold it without having the plastic buckle (which using thicker coroplast is going to be very problematic). Then you're going to have to figure out how to hold it together. Velcro tape won't work, it won't stick to the coroplast for long. To use snaps like I did you will need an awl to make the holes, you'll have to buy snaps, and you'll have to buy a snap press. And if any snap is placed more than a millimeter or two off it won't snap together. Ultimately you'll end up spending more money than I charge for a table, you'll spend a lot of time trying to make a table, and in the end it won't work the same anyhow. So if you really want a table like this, you'll end up wishing you had just bought one (or two for more surface area) in the first place.

I didn't mean to give anyone the impression that I'd make something to compete with you especially given my approval of your product and price. I do apologize for being unclear; I just might try my luck at the idea as a crafty thing to do one day (specifically, I'd like to play around with making a bigger or taller one) for myself or others wanting to play around with the idea. If I wasn't interested in the fun/challenge of crafting my own version and just wanted one, I'd totally just buy yours. Heck, it's at the bottom of a long list of craft ideas anyway. First on the list are my various ideas for insulating a barrel better than just sticking reflectx on the inside (I certainly don't expect to compete with Yeti or even Igloo either).

My surface needs are served well enough by my barrel or a log or overturned canoe, or whatever else I already have on hand on a site. Frankly, I'm not a lost sale for you in this regard, but I have already pointed a couple backpacking friends your way who I've thought would totally dig your product. They don't have a canoe or barrel or the light folding dog "crate" that I have on my trips that can all act like a table, and for $10 and virtually no impact on weight or space they can now have a solid place to set stuff--it's a no-brainer for them.

Honestly, for just $10 I may just pick one or two up anyway since I don't have to sacrifice any other gear to bring them along and give them a go since they're so small and light.

Thank you mschi772 for your comment. I've seen several forums where people said some variation of "that would be easy to make", this is the first one I commented on (and actually you were much more courteous than the others). I just thought that for once I would point out there is a lot more to making a table than meets the eye. Many people say I should charge more, but I'm not doing this for the money, I really enjoy sharing something that other people find useful. And I really enjoy seeing where orders come from, today I got an order from Israel, a couple days ago from Hong Kong.

CascadeWild, You should recognize that many of us here have DIY projects. Some with more success than others. We make a wide variety of our own gear - stoves, tarps, packs, hammocks, under quilts, tents.........and appreciate the help others give and share. The fun is in the creative adventure - trying to make our own, though at times, reverting to buying quality products.

Your personal rant was fairly "off-putting". You might think about becoming a sponsor of this site, before you join the day you decide to make your case. . Your rant did you and your product no favors.

You have a good product - let it speak for itself. Thank the people who brought it to our attention and those that gave a positive review. Lighten up.

I disagree GrandmaL. I think a small manufacturer has the right to speak up if someone is offering to make and share a pattern for their product. It's one thing to diy and another to openly share the instructions on how to do so. And it seems like she and mschi are being very positive with each other.

From her post, I learned more about some of the good features of her product. The snap together bit does make me more interested.

IMHO,
I read nothing off putting about cascade's table and comments.
In fact after he stated how they could snap together and sit on a BW campsite log I ordered two of them yesterday.

I think if I ever get around to this idea, I'd like to try using Cascade's design as inspiration and a starting point for something similar using a different, stronger material. Yeah, it will be heavier, but the more I look at it, the more I feel like there's nothing to be added to Cascade's coroplast design if ultralight is what is desired. However, I like the idea of something stronger and/or more durable at the cost of weight. This also resolves some of the potential unintended head-butting. Maybe I come up with something, maybe not, but at least I get to be crafty without stepping on anyone's toes, and at least Cascade's product still exists whether I succeed or not.

quote andym: "I disagree GrandmaL. I think a small manufacturer has the right to speak up if someone is offering to make and share a pattern for their product. It's one thing to diy and another to openly share the instructions on how to do so. And it seems like she and mschi are being very positive with each other.
From her post, I learned more about some of the good features of her product. The snap together bit does make me more interested. "

I recognize your point. - but, FYI - the posts from Cascade Wild comes from Jim Hamel - not "she or her" . - Well, on second thought it could be his daughter posting - Just saying.

Oops.

quote andym: "Oops."

Sorry - didn't mean to nail you so aggressively on the pronoun thing. You do have a valid point.
I would like to call attention to others that do give their opinions, advice, and DIY help all while financially supporting this site to get their products recognized. (CCS, Outfitters and others)

To clarify, the Cascade Wild posts are by me (Jim Hamel). I'm retired and this is just one step above a hobby; my priorities are family and grandkids, and camping and backpacking. I'm a one-person operation, my daughter's only involvement is she set up the web site and storefront.

Grandma, I didn't join the forum to promote my table, the original post was by a customer. I don't do any advertising and I have never self-promoted my table on any site. I only joined BWCA because another customer alerted me to the post and I couldn't comment as a non-member, and I simply wanted to point out there is a more involved than one might naturally think at first glance. As my wife reminded me last night, over a year's time I made over 20 prototypes and changed the design 3 times before being satisfied with the end result. I'm in Oregon, about 1750 miles from the Boundary Waters, and at my age I'm not likely to get back there. And I say it that way because I was born in Minneapolis and spent my first 10 years in Bloomington until my parents moved us to the West Coast in 1960.

quote andym: "I disagree GrandmaL. I think a small manufacturer has the right to speak up if someone is offering to make and share a pattern for their product. It's one thing to diy and another to openly share the instructions on how to do so. And it seems like she and mschi are being very positive with each other.


From her post, I learned more about some of the good features of her product. The snap together bit does make me more interested. "

+1 Couldn't have said it better. BTW, I bought a table before the dust up. Nifty little table but, I really think I'm gonna need two to get the size I prefer. If I have any concerns it is durability, however, I think that comes with the material weight/strength territory like all ultra light camping gear.

mcspin50: Are you home from 'Copia and back at work? I'd love to stop off at the front desk sometime and see these tables.

BnD, I have tried to email you twice and both times there was a fatal error 421 (whatever that is) at the AOL mail server. Would you please contact me. Thanks, Jim - Cascade Wild