Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Group Forum: Do It Yourself Gear :: Ultralight Portage Pack build
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Grandma L |
As for straps, I do closed cell like you but don't cut the "cheese" affect into them. I attach them to the top of the pack with a rectangle header and use webbing on the bottom to buckles. Keep us updated as you complete this fun project! |
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Grandma L |
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TreeBear |
sns: "TreeBear, I like the look of yours - can you share any photos of the sides and how you attached the straps? Is there a hip belt? I didn't do a hip belt. I went back and forth but settled against it. The straps were tough. I wasn't 100% confident that my sewing machine was beefy enough for it, but it seems to have worked. I sewed the straps into a triangle of Cordura (nearly identical process to yours) and then sewed it into the side seam. I'm not totally sold on how I sewed the top of the straps. I like how yours ended up in the seam. I think my pack was a little too tall for that to be comfortable, so I dropped it down a couple inches from the top. That said, I chose the heavier of my two corduras (the same I used to reinforce the bottom.) to make the straps out of and that might have been a mistake. The machine really struggled to get through two layers of that (at the seam) plus one layer of the regular. |
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Scout64 |
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Lawnchair107 |
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sns |
My machine was a champ for the most part - most challenging in terms of the machine's abilities was when I had to sew through the shoulder harness, several fabric layers and the zipper; also sewing through the hip belt. Right on the cusp, but it worked. |
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sns |
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sns |
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sns |
As a UL Backpacker in a canoe, I wanted a portage pack that met my needs (& peculiar demands) for solos & single-portaging - and knew there was really not one on the market. If there were, I’d be the only customer. I was looking for: *Very light - empty pack weight under 20 ounces. *Short height - anything above the shoulders may interfere with my 4.5 oz solo yoke (Build thread here ) *Waterproof *About 45 - 50L for the pack body…plus some pockets. *Padded hip belt *Comfortable enough at 25 - 30lbs *Accessible pockets - both for portaging but also while in the canoe That last item is tricky. Traditional pack pockets are: 1) on the sides (and if they zip it's on the pocket’s top) 2) on the top/lid 3) on the ‘front’ (the side away from your back) When I drop my pack in the canoe I put it behind me (dog goes in front). I always have the shoulder straps and hip belt facing up - otherwise the straps, hip belt and back of the pack are soaked, and then at the portage, so am I. That position makes accessing a traditional pack’s pockets from the seat of the solo very difficult, even impossible. So my design centers on accessibility from the wrong/other side of the pack. Next-to-useless photo of my sketches/notes below. I will post updates during the build... |
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sns |
I'll let you know in a couple weeks if this was the real deal or vaporware... |
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sns |
Pack worked well. We single-portaged, and I have zero complaints about the pack. It's made of lighter materials, and I was careful not to just sling it down on the ground like one made of cordura or canvas. The one thing missing may be a map sleeve, though I just unzipped the top and slid it inside the main compartment. |
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sns |
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sns |
They are about 2.7 liters each. |
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sns |
One will have a waterproof zipper, and that zipper will go across the top and then all the way down the back side (facing the humanoid). That side will be up in the canoe…again, easy access from the paddling’ seat. |
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sns |
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sns |
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sns |
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sns |
My sewing skills are poor at best...but I am pretty excited to use the pack this season. You make a good point about the pouch (waterbottle) pocket. That could catch...I'll need to be careful. In fact, I'm not going to pretend this is the pack to take for buswhacking. On those trips, I will take a more compact, durable & heavier pack. |
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sns |
Final weight = 15.5oz, with the hip belt pockets. About 65 - 68 Liters, again with those removable pockets. |
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TreeBear |
PS, my pack survived its first trip without coming apart and I can say it took a test with a nearly 40 mile weekend trip through the Frost River. No major repairs needed yet. Fingers crossed that continues. |
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SinglePortage |
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sns |
First - functionally this was a big win. It performed exactly the way I wanted it to - good access to lots of little items that would otherwise be either inaccessible, loose, in a thwart bag or in a pfd pocket. The "air suspension" was a dream, and it's the most comfortable pack I have ever carried. The lack of a pocket to put my map during a portage prompted me to add in a map pocket - just completed. This is a stretch mesh so I could also stuff raingear in there, though I won't because I want that in an accessible pocket. Finally, and most importantly, I must confess that my choice of fabric will go into the category of "stupid light". I developed a couple of small holes where harder items inside caused fabric abrasion - this was certainly when I was sliding the pack fore and aft to trim the solo...the bottom of the canoe is quite rough. Those holes were small and have now been sealed up nicely. And this map pocket will help with additional abrasion resistance in that vulnerable area. These items have added some weight, and the pack is now 18.5 oz all-in. However it's just a matter of time. I am guessing this will last a few more years before it will need to be retired. So I am probably going to make another one this winter. v1 used 1.6oz Silpoly. v2 will be very similar - maybe just a hair smaller - and the fabric will be HyperD 300, weighing 3.9 oz/sq yd. I'll be targeting 20oz or less once again. Stay tuned... |
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sns |
Tried it as a rectangle but found the zipper impossible. Had to do some math, but got the corners rounded with the same perimeter length. I debated using a roll-top, but decided that a zipper is faster to access. The zipper goes around one long and two short sides, essentially facing the back of the human. |
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sns |
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sns |
You can see I've also been adding grosgrain loops in spots. |
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sns |
Next up - building two removable hip belt pockets! |
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sns |
I need about 40 to 42L of pack space for a week's solo. This pack is bigger. ~49L for the body, 6.5L for the big zippered pocket, plus the XL water bottle pocket...and then the 6 pockets in the harness straps. Perhaps 60-63L total. So no doubt I will have a lot of extra space. My idea here was to make it a bit bigger to accommodate a partially-inflated wide thermarest, folded & against the back - basically an air suspension. More testing required, but I am initially pleased with this. You can load it up, and with the valve by the zipper, add air to really firm up the pack. Seems to work even better than I'd hoped. |
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sns |
Mine gets it's trial run soon. |
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HighnDry |
Grandma L: "Nice job and you are right - it is super light! Now you have to try it out and let us know how it works out in the wilderness!" I'm with GrandmaL on this. Fantastic work. Let us know how it holds up under the wear and tear of backcountry use. |
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Loony_canoe |
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