Homemade haul bag

I am headed out to the valley this summer and am too poor to afford a Haul bag,    what do you guys think? it will be sewn all the way along the webbing...

I'd put a daisy on the inside to clip everything to so when the canvas rips you won't lose all your stuff.

I'd like to see closeups. The lighting in the photo is not good but is that a military bag? So far my first thought is that material may not be enough for anything but the really steep routes

I think a haul bag is not a piece of gear I'd be experimenting with making my own...   Make sure you have at least 1 beer with you at all times, lest that thing rip and spew your shit all over the base, ultimately leaving you beerless and forcing you to bail.    

Joe,

Climbers have gotten up walls with a lot worse. However, since there is much better available, this is asking for trouble. The canvas will fray, rip, and tear. Will it happen on your first wall? Who knows. Will it tear gradually or will all of your gear plummet 2,000 feet and hit climbers below you? Who knows.

Used haul bags can be purchased cheaply. Renting is another option. Erik Sloan, all controversy aside, will rent wall gear. See his site here: http://www.yosemitebigwall.com/rentals 

What route will you be queuing up for Joe?  I might try to hang out at the base with a fishing net and try to catch those falling King Cobras when tragedy strikes.  I am willing to extend a 50% return insurance policy if you are interested.  We can work out the terms later but first I want to see how robust your poop tube is.

I climbed The Leaning Tower with an army duffel bag for a haul bag and a hatchet with the blade taped dull as,a pitons hammer.

Bottom line?

Climb a steep route and you will go for it and don't listen to anybody who says you can't or shouldn't. 

I have taken your many words of wisdom and will probably be looking for a used bag, anyone want to sell?

Also great idea with the beer, wanna buy me some :)

Yeah, don’t go to the Valley and fail because your haul bag rips open.

Sure, BITD, people used duffels often but the did often rip open too.

The Trip, Zodiac, Leaning Tower, no problem. The Nose, Salathe, Lurking Fear, no way. 

Mark Hudon wrote: Sure, BITD, people used duffels often but the did often rip open too.

And lets all recall that there was a time when quality, rugged commercial haul bags simply did not exist, hence the original canvas duffels. It wasn't really all that long ago. In fact I vaguely might recall you and Max packing one once when I came by to buy one of Max's 1/2 size homemade friends. (Or was it his brother making them?)

Yeah it was. Max’s Mom made it for him. He also had a home made hammock and 4” waistband. 

so I took a knife and tried to see how durable the sea bag was and its a tough A fabric. If I took a daisy chain and made sure everything was clipped inside, I should be ok rt? I'll bring a roll of ducktape and check for wear spots every couple pitches... I will be on some less than verticle areas, so I understand that there will be wear. i hope to get 6 or 7 big walls out of it, then save up for a haul bag next year,   I just cannot swing that cost considering I have to buy a few different aid items for the valley--- URRRR GONNNNA DIE

Jake Jones wrote: You asked and got an answer from one of the most knowledgeable aid climbers on this site- if not the most knowledgeable.  You can either heed the advice, or not.

Will do. 

Another option is to buy a new haul bag, do your wall(s) and sell the bag in Camp 4 afterwards. For the time and money it will take to make your own haul bag it won't take that much more to buy a new haul bag.

It’ll never last 6 or 7 trade routes (Mescalito and Zodiac excluded). If you pack it really well, and are very careful with it, it might last two.

When I go up on a wall, I stack the odds in my favor. I have enough food and water to weather a storm and unexpected slowness. I have beefo, badass bad weather gear. I have allowed enough time. I don’t climb walls with just anybody, my partners are tried and tested. I’ve been climbing walls for years and I rarely fail.

You, as a beginner (I’m assuming), have no advantages. Your odds aren’t good and your homemade haul bag isn’t helping.

Thank you all for the insight, I was able to buy a black diamond zion haulbag from someone on mp.   I appreciate the wisdom for a beginner bigwall climber.   

I've done zero walls...So uh, yeah.

But MYOG excites me!

Haul bag seems one of the easier things to fabricate, since its a tube with a bottom on one end and a drawstring/rolltop at the other. (Presuming you have access to a suitable industrial sewing machine).

Question: How does the durability of durathane compare to the woven dyneema we see being praised in packs?

It sure as shit won't be a cheap MYOG haulbag...

I bet you could buy/borrow a retail one when you get there. I did my first two walls with an army duffel. Sure, its not ideal but it will work. And Yes it was retired in spectacular fashion. And it adds epicness to the stories you'll tell your grand kids. Pack it carefully to avoid bumps and take some duct tape because you will surely wear holes in it. 

M guzzy wrote: I bet you could buy/borrow a retail one when you get there. I did my first two walls with an army duffel. Sure, its not ideal but it will work. And Yes it was retired in spectacular fashion. And it adds epicness to the stories you'll tell your grand kids. Pack it carefully to avoid bumps and take some duct tape because you will surely wear holes in it. 

The second post above yours is from the OP and says: "I was able to buy a black diamond zion haulbag from someone on mp."

r m wrote: I've done zero walls...So uh, yeah.

But MYOG excites me!

Haul bag seems one of the easier things to fabricate, since its a tube with a bottom on one end and a drawstring/rolltop at the other. (Presuming you have access to a suitable industrial sewing machine).

You've forgotten about the single most important aspect: a carry system that doesn't render your back, shoulders, and hips inoperable after carrying it for x miles - and is removable. That's the hard part. It's "easy" to fabricate one if you don't mind hating life after using it the first time.

didn't people use to make haul bags out of old carpets? that sounds pretty cheap and durable...