Anyone into Sewing?

~45L bag made from woven dyneema. Really light and interesting texture. Fun project, I have a lot to learn about getting the fit and carry of the packs to feel good.

Matt Carrollwrote:

~45L bag made from woven dyneema. Really light and interesting texture. Fun project, I have a lot to learn about getting the fit and carry of the packs to feel good.

Looks dope! Where did you source the woven Dyneema?

Nolan Nolanwrote:

Looks dope! Where did you source the woven Dyneema?

https://ripstopbytheroll.com/products/3-9-oz-venom-uhmwpe-tpu-coated 

Matt Carrollwrote:

https://ripstopbytheroll.com/products/3-9-oz-venom-uhmwpe-tpu-coated 

Most excellent 

Any advice on foam for a replacement frame-sheet?  I have a great old sack that I love from a guy who is no longer sewing things (as far as I know).  It's a "Cuillin 2," in case anyone is interested, by Murray Hamilton with a capacity of 30L.  Again, I love it, but the back is supported by a fairly soft frame-sheet, which I think has become softer over time.  I think I'd like to slot in something firmer, but I'm not sure where to start.

PTRwrote:

Any advice on foam for a replacement frame-sheet?  I have a great old sack that I love from a guy who is no longer sewing things (as far as I know).  It's a "Cuillin 2," in case anyone is interested, by Murray Hamilton with a capacity of 30L.  Again, I love it, but the back is supported by a fairly soft frame-sheet, which I think has become softer over time.  I think I'd like to slot in something firmer, but I'm not sure where to start.

Post some photos of the pack, but a 1/4" of this foam folded in half would probably work well. I have used this in the past. If you want it a little less firm you could use the 3lb density.

Nolan Nolanwrote:

Post some photos of the pack, but a 1/4" of this foam folded in half would probably work well. I have used this in the past. If you want it a little less firm you could use the 3lb density.

Thanks for the advice and the link.  I'm going to give it a try.

I used a single layer of 1/4" in my pack. How you pack your pack and your tolerance for stuff digging into your back will determine what thickness you want / if you need a thin thermoplastic sheet to eliminate pointy things from digging in.

Awesome looking pack! Great work. 

Mike J, do you have an estimate of how much the final pack materials cost and how many hours went into it? Would also be interested to know how many DIY packs came before this one. Looks great!

Am I seeing in the last several posts that you all have created your own logo patches for your DIY work?  That's awesome-- the designs and executions I'm seeing here are certainly worthy of a proud "company" logo.  Are y'all on Etsy or something already?

Finally pulled the trigger on some Challenge Sailcloth Ultra800TX as I was running out of x-pac. Pretty psyched on how it sews, and the first three years of field testing from pack builders is pretty positive.

Anyway. 35L pack for myself to test the new-to-me fabric. Roll-top closure; removable padded hip belt; dual front daisy chains; ice axe pockets; interior zip pocket; removable girth-hitched compression straps and rope strap; removable 20"x30"x1/4" bivy pad for the framesheet; total weight ~1200g with everything

As to the above question on cost, a ~35L pack is about 1.5 yards of fabric, plus ~$20 in hardware between zippers, buckles, etc. Fabric yardage depends on exact width of the roll, as well as things like shape and number of panels, roll-top vs cinch, etc. For time, I've gotten to the point where it takes me about 8 hours from first cut to finished pack, and that's using a template and making minor adjustments to size/features. A full custom pack from scratch is probably 15-20 hours for me.

Those mixed color tacks are a great touch!

Finished this one up today: 

small day bag for my mom. ~20 liters maybe, made of cordura.

Thanks Mike and Matt for the insights!

Both of your packs look great. I want to try my hand at making one one of these days.

What do you guys think about DCF for Myog Mid tent? I'm thinking about building one but not sure.

I just sewed my own caving harness. It's non-adjustable (fixed leg and waist loops)---no metal buckles nor extra webbing, so it's very lightweight and compact.

Before anyone says YGD---yes, I did the stitch count math to make sure it's plenty strong. And this is fairly common in caving.

rock climbing wrote:

Love the short shorts. By the look of the way the harness is made and fits. Make sure  you don’t flip upside down. Especially with a backpack.

Thread is thread it will not break if you have the right kind. I’ve done a combination of boxes and bartacks you made 

Yep, the attachment point is intentionally very low. Caving harnesses have a low attachment point to increase the efficiency of ascending rope. When falling upside down is a possible concern (such as when aid climbing underground), we will generally pair it with a chest harness to keep us upright. The chest harness is next on the list of things to sew!

Alex Fischerwrote:

Yep, the attachment point is intentionally very low. Caving harnesses have a low attachment point to increase the efficiency of ascending rope. When falling upside down is a possible concern (such as when aid climbing underground), we will generally pair it with a chest harness to keep us upright. The chest harness is next on the list of things to sew!

I would scroll back to page 15 - 16 of this thread to see the daisy chain discussions.

Wobbily, unsymmetrical bar tacks make me woozy… 

Alex Fischerwrote:

Speaking of balls. I made a PokeBall chalk bucket for a bombing buddy.