Pack builders discussion thread.

craige

Thru Hiker
Yeah, a good choice imo. I needed strap material and there was no black dxg at extrem. Ended up with a 200D diamond ripstop which I've found excellent. A little lighter than dxg and it's smoother but feels just as strong. I feel the dyneema just adds to the ripstop qualities and very little else, especially in seams which is where straps and reinforcements need it. DXG is a nice fabric, though massively overpriced.

Hyberg packs look good. Is that the vx21 version?
 

theoctagon

Thru Hiker
Yeah I’ve used dyneema mesh a couple of times, really like it but for a bottom pocket I prefer something with a little more stretch. Scanning through emails it appears the dyneema mesh was approx $40/yd.

Re the Pa’lante bottom pockets, the DCF simple used 1209c style mesh for the bottom pocket, I guess for all out weight saving at the expense of some durability. I believe the production Simples used a nylon/spandex fabric, Extrem look to have something similar but I haven’t tried it (I think Jupiter’s Simple was maybe a prototype and used the heavier Nike style stuff?). Pretty sure the V2 uses the same sort of mesh for the bottom pocket as the Simple but can’t be sure as I’ve not seen one... yet
 

Teepee

Thru Hiker
There are some confusing terms and names for seams with lots of crossover, it can be hard to navigate.

Although very very nerdy, there is a system for describing seams. Here's one lifted from the Coats Website;

Seam%20Types%203_tcm35-155216.jpg


Water under the bridge, no harm done and yes...a good discussion. :)


@craige.....the bottom pic is a Mariposa gen 3. It's been babied but seen a lot of days out, probably been around the world at least once. Pic of the bottom, and the cover Grosgrain for the straps/lycra. The red pack has done many hundreds too. I'm probably out about 80 nights a year on average, on 60 for this year already.


VX for straps; ...I made some straps from VX07 which were a similar shape to Palante...wider at the attachment point than the strap. They started failing quickly. 5 days into a trip and the threads on each side were pulling out. The fabric was starting to tear. They got cut off and replaced with the below type.
The lack of elasticty in X-pac with it's bias controlling grid and film means it doesn't have much elasticity and pulls on the end threads quite badly. I started to carry the mesh round the strap sides and 10mm at least at the front to remove the facing material from the strap . 10mm seam allowance and a dasiy chain mean that the weakest part is the double thickness fabric. The spacer mesh carries the most force, the daisy chain most of the rest. I can rip most VX's by hand, 300-400 gsm spacer mesh laughs at my efforts.



Here's a VX07 (soft) strap and body that I've been using to test out some new features and construction , regularly carrying 14-17kg, heaviest load of 25kg a few times with summit camping water or winter kit and it hasn't seen a load of less than 12kg. It was the first pack I made with this type of strap and it's held up better than double full width fabric and spacer mesh.


DSCF4296.JPG DSCF4291.JPG DSCF4294.JPG
This is after 50-60 days of use


There isn't a hit of thread pulling on either side, it's made a huge difference.


FWIW, I'm now using cheaper and lighter fabric for straps now too. Straps have a lot of cutting wastage, and throwing a good %age of expensive laminate in the scraps bin is becoming too much.
 

Enzo

Thru Hiker
Agree dxg is overpriced, I've used hyperD 300 for straps with no problem. Use it for lightweight water bottle pockets too, but its too soft for pack bodies for my taste. I like dxg for its lack of stretch and abrasion resistance, i tried 420 robic but it has a surprising amount of stretch.
Re straps I sometimes run a daisy chain of 15mm webbing from the seam down to the adjuster so the fabric has little loading.
 

EM-Chiseller

Thru Hiker
Here's a simple mod I've just done to my pack, I poached the concept from my macpac race amp pro?
20180610_134115.jpg
I used it for 4 days hiking and thought...this is a simple but effective idea...
It holds my evernew 900ml inside a thin Cuban pouch..I can drink from the strap and just squeeze to get the last out...
It's easy to just pull the bottom of the bottle out and tip it up...
It prevents sloshing as I can cinch it up as the water drops...
Or I can use it for rolled maps , brolly holder etc..
It also frees up the mesh pocket behind to add snacks etc ...
I've got some cheap hydrapak flasks coming that I'll be butchering and will have the option of adding a tube to the evernew or a bite top..
Hydrapak tops fit the Evernew soft bottles .20180610_131830.jpg
20180610_131934.jpg
 

edh

Thru Hiker
Here's a simple mod I've just done to my pack, I poached the concept from my macpac race amp pro?
View attachment 12781
I used it for 4 days hiking and thought...this is a simple but effective idea...
It holds my evernew 900ml inside a thin Cuban pouch..I can drink from the strap and just squeeze to get the last out...
It's easy to just pull the bottom of the bottle out and tip it up...
It prevents sloshing as I can cinch it up as the water drops...
Or I can use it for rolled maps , brolly holder etc..
It also frees up the mesh pocket behind to add snacks etc ...
I've got some cheap hydrapak flasks coming that I'll be butchering and will have the option of adding a tube to the evernew or a bite top..
Hydrapak tops fit the Evernew soft bottles .View attachment 12783
View attachment 12782

I'd watch the edges of the Evernew when full (heavy) with the cuben....I've cut that fabric with meal pouches before now; it does not like an edge.
 

EM-Chiseller

Thru Hiker
I'd watch the edges of the Evernew when full (heavy) with the cuben....I've cut that fabric with meal pouches before now; it does not like an edge.
Cheers @edh it's already got jaffa tape with extra folds to help preserve the mesh on my fastpack pouches...one of the 1st things I did when no bought them. Cheers for the warning though :thumbsup: I'll take on your warning and add extra to the side seams :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 

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Enzo

Thru Hiker
I always take scissors to my meal pouches to round the corners :thumbsup:
Fabric stretches along its width, burley it is, 250g/m!
I'd try it for strap and bottom pocket, small enough bits for weight not to matter, but non stretch stuff from extrem is lighter and tougher so I'll probably stick with that for front pockets.
 

ColinHawke

Ultralighter
I’m sure you’ve seen this but Gary (@tacblades) has this YouTube video of a method of using a normal sewing machine with a felling foot to do a “proper or true” as he calls it, flat felled seam - normally only possible on expensive industrial double bobbin & needle machines (which presumably do it in one pass rather than two). I might try experimenting with this ..
 

Teepee

Thru Hiker
I’m sure you’ve seen this but Gary (@tacblades) has this YouTube video of a method of using a normal sewing machine with a felling foot to do a “proper or true” as he calls it, flat felled seam - normally only possible on expensive industrial double bobbin & needle machines (which presumably do it in one pass rather than two). I might try experimenting with this ..
That's working as a top stitch foot. There are numerous variations on it with egde, bottom and drop down guides to keep the sewing lines straight; https://www.google.com/search?q=top...QsAQIXg&biw=1920&bih=943#imgrc=MqWgBPERWpE4IM:
 

ColinHawke

Ultralighter
Thanks, I've just ordered various feet for my 1960's machine. I'm currently making heavy weight waterproof canvas covers for my garden furniture and protective covers for the three bits of my sectional sea kayak - once that's out of the way I'll start on a light weight sack. Looking forward to it.
 
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