Here is my latest MYOG project. It is a pack that weighs 4.95 oz. It was inspired by the now defunct golite ion and those folks who have dionized the ion. This pack is made from 2.2 oz on the back/bottom with 1.2 oz nylon on the sides, pockets, and collar. The pockets use 4.0 oz mesh at the bottom only to save weight. The top closes using the dry bag technique. In the pics it is loaded with all my 20 degree gear and 2 days of food.





Closure:


Side Compression:


Pockets:




EDIT - Pictures Updated

Edited by jshortt on 04/04/2010 16:52:28 MDT.

Nice Pack Jamie! How many Liters will she hold?

Very nice, Jamie! As always, I'm jealous of those who can sew.

It was inspired by the now defunct golite ion and those folks who have dionized the ion.

Very nice looking! And not a bad choice of inspiration.

Thanks for sharing, very inspiring. Any more you'd like to share about the construction and patternmaking would be much appreciated, as I'm hoping to make a pack myself for a summer CT hike.

Oh, and did you use silnylon or uncoated?

bloody impressive. particularly like the top lock.

what was the template you used when learning to make your own packs or did you just pull one apart and start there?

Many thanks everyone.

As to size I estimate the following:
pack volume 1242 cu in (20.4 liters)
collar volume 293 cu in (4.8 liters)
2 side pockets 180 cu in (2.9 liters)
back pocket 137 cu in (2.2 liters)
-----------------------------------------
total volume 1851 cu in (30.3 liters)

Yes I used coated silnylon for all pieces.

As to pattern, most of it was drawn as I went. The only pattern pieces needed are the curve bottom. The ion was big help here. The ion shape really is a thing of beauty as I began to study it. The back is straight down, has a 90 turn then curves and tapers to the front. My pack is similar.

As I describe the panels I added 1/2" seam allowance to all seams. Generally this means each pattern peice is 1" larger than describe for 2 seams.

The back panel is 23" long by 11" wide. It continues on another 9" long to form the bottom. The continued portion though tapers to 7 inches. It is tapered because the front panel is narrower then the back. The front panel is 19" long by 7" wide. The ion panel has a slight hour glass shape to it, mine does not.

The pockets are 4" wider than the panel it sits on, next time I will add an inch to both. The side pockets are 10" high and the back pocket is 13" high. The bottom 4" of all pockets is mesh. The pockets use shock cord to make an elastic edge. The shock cord from the front pocket continues to the side of the pack and is run through line locs making it easy to add tension to the sides.

The collar is 13" high. To stiffen the opening I used 3/4" gros grain. To close the pack you simply fold over the gros grain "band" several times and snap the buckle. This adds more top compression then I find in most draw cord packs.

Hope this helps.

Jamie

Impressive! I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat if it were commercially available.

Stargazer

Jamie,
Nice!

Your kids must be loving this.

I learned how to "sew" from my dad in my junior year of high school. Camp stuff, tarps, covers, etc. I've never been intimidated by subsequent projects, and although mine are not nearly as professional as your work, it is highly rewarding to turn out the perfect, functional, piece of gear.

Your kids probably won't even realize what they are seeing until they discover "not everybody can do this, but we can."

Very nice indeed!

Nice looking pack! Clean, well thought out design, and the execution looks very nice as well.

After some tweeks and testing I may offer to produce a few if people are interested. I spent over a month working on the design, so it isn't just a rehash of an existing pack.

I do have a question, would most people want a waist belt & sternum strap. I dont use them but this might be a change offered to a pack for someone besides myself. I would also increase the shoulder strap foam from 1/8" to 1/4".

Thanks again for all the comments,

Jamie

PS I learned to sew when I was 12, I actually learned from my mother as well as public school. My kids are ages 9 and 12... sometimes I do wonder what they think of me. I hope that I at least I teach them it is ok to be your own person.

Jamie,

Question about your awesome pack:

How wide are your shoulder straps? I like the apparent extra width, and the "loops" on the front of them.

Todd

For the weights I'd likely carry in a small pack such as this, I wouldn't want a waist belt. A sternum strap might be nice but not a necessity.

With a UL load that a pack of this volume requires I often find myself wanting to run sections of trail. A removable web belt would provide stability for such times but one would have the option to leave this feature at home.

I have my MLD Burn set up with a removable web belt and like it very much.

Edited by thomdarrah on 04/04/2010 12:57:52 MDT.

Looks like a great pack. I might be interested if you make this for sale, although at this point I really shouldn't be buying a lot of stuff. I also like the idea of a detechable hipbelt and sternum straps. I know you don't "need" them with 10 or 11 pound packs but I still like them.
By the way is there any chance you might be making that 12 oz tent of yours?

Edited by Cameron on 04/04/2010 11:50:55 MDT.

Jamie would/could you incorporate dyneema (aka spectra) into your design? And if your taking orders... make mine in a Ion Large!

I haven't had the heart to bastardize my GoLite Ion


roger_alsborg@hotmail.com

Edited by FastWalker on 04/04/2010 12:13:09 MDT.

This is my next project I am wanting to try. Started making some drawings the last few days. I really like your top closer. I also like the bottom only mesh for the pockets, good weight saver but still allows you to dry out gear if you need too. Where did you get that mesh? I have been trying to find some and can only find 8oz material.

Great design and execution. If I didnt have the want to make all my own gear, I would buy one.

If you ever decide to make a few, put me down for one. My only request would be for a sternum strap. At the base weights we're talking about, I've never had the need for a waist belt, but a sternum strap helps a lot.

A case in point. A lot of people complained about the shoulder straps of the Fanatic Fringe packs. They assumed that the common shoulder fatigue was caused by the thin padding or the narrowness of the straps.

I noticed that I got the same fatigue with both my Thompson Peak and Alpine Trail. I also noticed that the lack of a sternum strap was causing me to hunch my shoulders forward unconsciously to try to keep the shoulder straps from slipping off my shoulders.

My amazing daughter sewed on a GG sternum strap on the Alpine Trail at just the right point, and the pain disappeared without any other modifications. I've tried a lot of other packs since, but the Fanatic Fringes are still my favorites.

Anyway, I'm definitely in if you decide to make a few for sale.

Stargazer

Great job Jamie! That's truly impressive quality for MYOG. The weight is also amazing considering the capacity and features. I can't see for sure from the pics, but it looks like you made contoured shoulder straps? This is something I always wished that Joe at zpacks would do.

I would def consider purchasing one of these packs if you chose to put them into production. Would love to hear more about pricing etc. I'll send you a PM with my contact info, thanks

I think that so long as you leave some standard 1/2 inch webbing running down the shoulder straps (which i see you've done on your own), then people can add their own after market sternum straps if they choose. Gives people options, and makes it easier on yourself. I agree with others, that with a pack this light, your overall weight should be low enough to be fine without a waist belt. Good work!

Been a busy day, but I just wanted to say I've got all the PM's and emails (I'm keeping a list). I'm still looking at another 30 days of test and refinement before I can look at producing packs that would be reasonable price for materials offered (silnylon/dyneema/cuben?). I will leave it at that as this is probably stretching the spirit of the MYOG forum. Thanks all for the support and interest.

About the question on the mesh I got it a while back by walking directly into a pack/bag manufacturing plant in GA and talking to the manager. He walked me through the plant and let me grab yards of different fabrics and hand fulls of buckles, etc. He guessed his cost at like $20 and thats all he charged me. The 2 yards I have weighed ~7.8 oz which is where I put it to be 4.0/sq yd. It is strong stuff but doesnt stretch much. I will be looking for more so if anyone knows a good source let me know.

About the width of the shoulder straps. They are 2.5" at the widest point where they attach to the pack. The foam/padded portion is 17" long. Half way down the foam portion (8.5") they are 2+1/8" wide. They taper down to 3/4" at the edge. They do have webbing run the full length so adding a sternum strap should not be an issue (i will test this).

Thanks, Jamie

Edited by jshortt on 04/05/2010 19:58:43 MDT.