Rethinking MYOG: My Perspective on Make Your Own Gear for 2025 and Beyond

More Than Just a Trend

When people hear “MYOG,” they usually think of sewing — things like tarps, hammocks, ultralight packs, or maybe custom trail clothing. That’s definitely part of it. When I first started diving into sewing, I was hunting for project ideas that felt more my speed — things that leaned practical, functional, maybe even a little tactical. There weren’t a ton of tutorials out there geared toward men’s projects, but I kept running across this term: MYOG. Make Your Own Gear. Custom. One-of-a-kind. Purpose-built.

And that’s when it clicked for me — like flipping on a light in a dark room. I started rethinking MYOG completely. It wasn’t just fabric and stitches. It was problem solving. It was 3D printing. It was modifying store-bought gear to actually work the way I needed it to. Sewing was just the beginning.

Heads up: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy something through one of the links, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. I only recommend gear I actually use and trust.

Rethinking MYOG

There’s no rulebook here. MYOG isn’t a skillset so much as a philosophy: if I need it and I can’t find it, or if what’s out there just doesn’t quite work — I make it.

Sometimes that means sewing a bag to carry a radio and battery together in one tight little unit. Sometimes it means designing a 3D printed mount to secure a mast to a pack. Sometimes it’s a rough prototype made from foam board and duct tape just to see if an idea has legs.

Rethinking MYOG for me means focusing on real-life use cases. It’s problem solving first — aesthetics second. Most of the time, I’m the only person who even uses the thing I made. And that’s the whole point.

It takes me back to 8th grade, when my teacher Mrs. Bartlett taught a whole unit on paradigms. She would hold up a poster board rectangle, rotate it, and tell us: “Shift Your Paradigm.“ The core idea was simple but powerful: change your view, challenge how you think about something. Back then, it felt kind of abstract. But now? It shows up in everything I do — especially how I approach MYOG.

I want to change how people see it — really start rethinking MYOG as something broader. It’s not just sewing tarps and zipper pouches — it’s 3D printing, it’s hardware mods, it’s any hands-on hobby that helps you build gear that works for your life. MYOG is a mindset, not a material. Once you shift your perspective, the possibilities open wide.

As the old saying goes: if it’s stupid but it works, is it really stupid? That’s MYOG in a nutshell — figuring it out, making it work, and improving it when you’re ready.

How I Got Started

Like a lot of people, I started because I was frustrated. I couldn’t find a bag that fit my exact radio setup. Everything was too bulky, too rigid, or just off. I figured, how hard could it be to sew something myself?

(Answer: harder than I thought. At first.)

My first few projects looked little better than Frankenstein’s monster. Crooked seams, weird bunching, snarls of thread — you name it, my projects probably had it. But each mistake was a learning opportunity. The kits from Ripstop By the Roll were instrumental in getting me up to speed. Clear guides, pre-measured fabric, and solid suggestions on how to approach trickier parts (like zippers) gave me structure to build on. Eventually, I picked up my TL-18 and started to find my pace.

One of my first wins was a simple dog leash I sewed. Not glamorous — just functional, fast, and mine.

That feeling of, “Heck yeah. I made that”? It never really went away.

MYOG Is for Everyone — Not Just Ultralight Nerds

There’s this idea that MYOG is only for gearheads who count grams and hike the PCT barefoot. Respect to them, but that’s not me.

I believe MYOG is for anyone who looks at a piece of gear and thinks, “What if this had just one more pocket?” or “Why doesn’t this thing mount here instead?”

And the tools? They’re more accessible than ever.

A used sewing machine and a spool of thread? $50. Check out my guide on finding your first sewing machine!
More and more, I’ve found that with 3D printers, you really get what you pay for. If you like to tinker and learn by building, I really enjoyed putting together my Voron 2.4. If you want a reliable workhorse that just runs, check out the Prusa MK4S (kit / assembled) or the COREOne (kit / assembled) (affiliate links).
- PRO TIP: Most libraries or public maker-spaces have 3D printers that you can often use for printing projects at the cost of materials.
If you’re a programmer or love to think in code, check out OpenSCAD — a parametric CAD tool that feels like writing software to design hardware.
Fusion 360? Still free for hobby use and incredibly powerful. Or you can check out FreeCAD

You don’t need a full workshop. You don’t even need to know what you’re doing at first. You just need a reason to start.

If you’re new to this and looking for ideas, check out 5 Easy MYOG Projects You Can Sew with a Heavy‑Duty Machine for some great beginner-friendly options.

Real-World Wins from the Bench

These aren’t hypothetical projects or weekend experiments. They’re the result of rethinking MYOG as something practical, problem-solving, and personal. These are pieces I made because I needed them — and I still use them today.

External Mast Holder for My 5.11 Rush 24 Backpack

I operate portable ham radio pretty often, and my SOTABeams mast is part of every setup. But carrying it? That was a pain — until I designed a 3D printed holder that mounts directly into the MOLLE webbing on my pack. It’s secure, clean, and completely out of the way when not in use.

Custom PALS compatible mast carry system

Mast Guy Ring

I wanted to go operate but realized I was missing a critical component: a guy ring for my antenna mast. Guy rings are important to keep the mast vertical, and secured to the ground should the wind crop up. 30 minutes in OpenSCAD, an hour or so on the printer. And just like your childhood easy bake oven, I had a band new, custom made for my mast, guy ring ready to go.

Custom Present (Tags)

One year, I decided I wanted to do something crazy. I really challenged myself and learned a ton for this project: I designed and printed a custom Christmas present for my Mom. I made her a custom set of present tags. My mom was never a huge fan of the stick on labels for presents, which of course caused more than one Christmas morning mixup between my brother and I. With these new tags, everyone is assigned a pattern which is then attached to all of their presents, which means knowing which present goes to whom at a quick glance. And of course there is a custom box to go with the tags to keep them all organized.

Sewn Dog Leash

Not every project is radio-related. One day I needed a leash for my dog, so I grabbed some webbing and made one. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s sturdy, comfortable, and still going strong months later.

Here’s the full MYOG dog leash sewing tutorial if you want to make your own.

Each of these projects taught me something new and kept pushing me further down the road of rethinking MYOG with every build all while reminding me how good it feels to use something you made yourself.

The Maker Mindset

The more I make, the more I see gear differently. I don’t just see what it is — I start thinking about what it could be.

What if this pouch had a divider?
What if that antenna mount had a built-in strain relief?
What if I could print a jig to help with cutting webbing faster?

Living with a maker mindset often means rethinking MYOG again and again — not just what gear you need, but how you can build it. MYOG isn’t always efficient. It’s not always pretty. But it’s deeply satisfying and uniquely yours.

You learn to iterate. You learn to experiment. And eventually, you start to trust yourself to figure things out.

What’s Next

Lately I’ve been experimenting with combining disciplines — hybrid projects that blend sewing and 3D printing. Think pouches with hard plastic mounts, durable clips, or built-in structure.

Planning and sketching these ideas is half the fun. If you want a peek into my process, check out Plan It Right: Master the Art of Sketching and Measuring Your MYOG Sewing Projects.

I’m also working on more ham radio-related builds, like a custom bag for the Yaesu FT‑891 and modular carry setups for field use. Those posts are on the way.

Final Thoughts: Make It Yours

This whole article is my way of rethinking MYOG — and inviting you to do the same. MYOG doesn’t have to look any certain way or use certain materials.

It’s not just sewing. It’s not just printing. It’s not about doing things the “right” way. It’s about doing things your way.

So go ahead — tweak it. Hack it. Glue it together with hot glue and zip ties if you have to. You’ll learn something. You’ll get better. And you might just make something you never want to leave behind.

Make it useful. Make it ugly. Make it yours.