Outdoor people don't make their own gear to save money. The fly fisherman who ties his own flies or makes her own rods will readily admit, if they are honest, that they have more money tied up in inventory and tools than they would ever have spent on store-bought flies or fly rods. Economy isn't the objective; it is the satisfaction of making something and then seeing it do what it was designed to do. And, they will argue, what they make is better...