Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Group Forum: Do It Yourself Gear :: V2 Ultralight Portage Pack
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Finis! |
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I am planning on making the shoulder straps myself - last time I sourced those pre-made. Here, I am starting with the map pocket, which was a late addition to V1. The side strips are HyperD 300; the black mesh is RSBTR's "Pocket Mesh" (low stretch) and the light grey is a very stretchy pocket mesh from AdventureExpert. I've put some elastic under tension in a thin channel at the top. I've also learned about the wonderful world of Stretch Stitches... |
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But it's now a single assembly, ready to attach to the main pack body. |
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Hip belt is a hair under 5oz. Main bag w/ side pockets (still have not attached the top) is tracking to be about 9oz. So if I can bring the shoulder straps in at 6oz or less, the finished pack should be at or under the target 20oz. |
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straighthairedcurly |
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YetiJedi: "Very impressive! Lightweight, should be very durable, and DIY...the triple crown. Would like to hear how it goes on your next trip and, if successful, where they will be sold!" Thanks - but the only way I could sell these is if I paid someone else to build them! That said, I am looking forward to using it for its intended purpose. |
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I decided to change the hip belt pocket dimensions slightly (from 7x6.5x3 to 8x6x2.75") but the capacity is virtually the same. Those are pretty big hip pockets for a backpack. But more importantly, I decided to permanently attach the pockets this time (V1 pockets are removable). This makes the build more complex, for sure. |
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The lack of sewing expertise is still obvious, but I have learned and the 'finish' level of what I am making is definitely an improvement over V1. I'm a better sewer (not saying much), but another helping factor is that this fabric has less stretch than my V1 fabric, so it is easier to keep seams aligned and neat. |
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YetiJedi |
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Tomorrow I need to add foam to the shoulder straps, connect the shoulder straps to each other, connect to the pack, and attach the pack lid. Then check the shoulder straps, hip belt and even lower strap attachments for length and angle before securing more permanently. This will be a pack for me and anyone my size - all others are out of luck, I am not building in much adjustability! |
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nb: Minicell forms so very well...except one way: slicing into uniform thicknesses is really difficult. Should have just bought a sheet of the desired thickness. Oh well. |
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Lid: |
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mcspin50 |
sns: "Final weight 20.4 oz... Job well done! How did it perform for you this past liquid water season? |
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Most panels are cut. Back is ready to go with the map sleeve partially attached. One side pocket (the tall one) is ready to attach. |
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Snip. Snip. Going to splice in wider fabrics... |
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As before I am hoping to build a pack that is: *Very light - empty pack weight around 20 ounces. *Short height - anything above the shoulders may interfere with my 4.5 oz solo yoke (Build thread here ) *Waterproof *About 44L for the pack body…plus some pockets. (slightly smaller than V1) *Padded hip belt *Comfortable enough at 25 - 30lbs *Accessible pockets - both for portaging but also while in the canoe * New: Map Pocket, just a simple sleeve to quickly stow my map during the portage. V1 dimensions of the main pack body were: 24" high x 14" wide x 9" deep. V2 size will be 24" x 14" x 8". Unchanged from before (text copied almost verbatim from my post on V1:) That last item (the accessible pockets) is tricky. Traditional pack pockets are: 1) on the sides (and if they zip it is 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. Things like binoculars, raingear, snacks, water, headlamp, headnet, knife, tiny tackle box, compass, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. are all easily reachable while paddling or portaging. First, more business for RipstopbytheRoll, and I am using their HyperD 300 fabric, which is 3.9oz/sq yd. Still light, but waterproof and certainly heavier-duty than the 1.6 oz/sq yd SilPoly I used for V1. |
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Spacious vest pockets drove the weight up, but I really like having lots of little storage places at hand. I am pretty excited to give it a spin when we have water in its fluid form again. |
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I'm going to add another smaller one above these. Tedious stuff. Lots of time for what seems like small results. |
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So I have reconstructed the shoulder straps. Probably would have been easier just to start over. I did get some Cordura 1000D for the top of the shoulder straps where a yoke could wear/abrade them. Next up will be the pockets on the vest part of the straps. |
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Tomcat |
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mcspin50: "sns: "Final weight 20.4 oz... Very well, thanks for asking. The pack visited the Quetico three times last year, and I had no complaints. Bit of fun deciding what item went in which pocket, with numerous changes along the way. No signs of wear on the material so far. Pack was an essential part of the single-portage strategy (group adult trip, trip with the kids and a solo trip were all single-portaged). |
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Still need to deal with the top, bottom, and then the most complicated parts - shoulder straps & hip belt. I need some additional fabric for those last two - should be here this week. |
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V1 has this pocket and it is great. Building it the same, other than slightly smaller. V1 was 18" high, 9" wide and 2.5 inches deep. Frankly so big the bars/poles often rattled about. V2 pocket will be 18 x 8 x 1.5". Zipper: Pocket coming together: |
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Seam ripping - now that is something I have become very good at... |
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