Have a look at the website www.backpacking-lite.co.uk. There you can find aJam makeover with removable frame. I made one myself and like it very much.
Mariannel

www.backpacking-lite.co.uk

One of my favorite backpacking sites and projects. I've thought of buying a Jam on sale just to try this project.

Love the color!

Thanks for posting your pack Dave. Really great job and inspiring. What is the black material on the bottom? Your inside out pics are esp. helpful.
A couple local guys have shown me their myog projects and I want to make a pack. Recently received used GG Gorilla, carries well. Also want a similar but larger volume, framed, winter pack. The X-Pac material could be the ticket.
Don

Wonderful job. I've got the fabric, I've now got the inspiration. Thank you. Charlie.

Nice Job on the craftsmanship! I also like the color.

Great work, Dave. To your question about a frame:
I recently made a ~5800 cu inch basecamp load monster that included a frame made out of a sheet of HDPE and two aluminum tubes, bent into a slight S shape and zip-tied with tiny zip ties through slots in the plastic sheet. This allowed me to seat the aluminum tubes right under the load lifters (so the load lifters pulled down right onto the tubes and the transferred to load directly to the hip area, where they slotted into a little webbing tube). I've heard you can fill tubes with sand and then bend them (to prevent kinking), but I just carefully supported mine on the exterior and bent them slightly. No problems. And the things carries beautifully (please don't ban me from BPL based on these weights - they included lots of shared gear with non-ULers and mountaineering gear!): 40-50 lbs quite comfortably, and up around 60-65 the frame does well, but my shoulder straps aren't thick enough. You can get aluminum tubes and plastic sheets from McMaster Carr.
And again...nice work on the pack!

I like your pack it looks pretty nice. I Like how you made every thing even the shoulder straps and also made them out of different density of foam.
I also noticed you seam taped the the panels were you sew through to keep the pack water proof. But I have noticed on your pack and also the North Fork pack Designed by Dave Chenault.

You both did not edge tape all the seams with cross grain ribbon.

Almost every backpack manufacture that make packs tapes all seams on all their backpacks with cross grain ribbon to make a stronger seams and to protect the seam to make the pack more durable.

I Noticed you both used a lock stitch or zig zag stitch instead.Is this to save weight? Or did you add the cross grain ribbon edge taping after the photos?

Edited by socal-nomad on 10/22/2010 01:09:47 MDT.