Backpack fabric weight can make a big difference in the overall weight of a pack. My current myog backpack, for example, uses 1.9 ounce uncoated nylon ripstop and the fabric portion of the backpack weighs about 4 ounces. If I beefed things up to, say, a 6 ounce fabric, it would add a half pound to the overall pack weight. That's a significant amount of weight here at BPL.

The 1.9 ounce fabric is working well for me but for my next pack(s) I'm going to lighten up on the fabric until I reach the breaking point. I'll then beef it up a bit, knowing that I have gone as low as I can go while meeting my needs..... plus a margin of error.

Fooling around with the fabric weight and breaking point of my packs is a luxury many others don't have. I have the time and interest to do this.

I'm guessing that some of you just don't want to fool around with this breaking point nonsence. You want a pack with a big margin of error that won't let you down. So, and it makes good sense to me, you go for the heavier fabrics?

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Since I was in the design stage and had limited sewing skills, I opted for cost and function. $4 a yard pack cloth vs $20 a yard specialty fabrics. Many people have mixed fabrics to account for higher wear areas...I will also on my next pack. Hiking style and location are a big factor also. If you are going to be in a remote area or on a well travelled trail...can you afford a breakdown.
I can't call any of the gear that I have made ultralight, although they are lighter than the commercially available counterparts.

I enjoy seeing all of the new pack innovations from members on this site.

Dave

Edited by dmgoody on 06/13/2011 04:42:14 MDT.

My current pack is a 3# suspended mesh back panel MYOG 50L of spectra gridstop that weighs around 4 oz/yd with the coating. It has held up very well for years, so don't see the point of doing one with 5 oz Xpac. That is going in the wrong direction, weightwise, IMO.

Could cut the weight by at least half by going to either 1.5 oz cuben or sil-coated 1.9 oz nylon, and building a lighter frame out of carbon or FG rod to suspend a mesh back panel. Not sure that the cuben would be worth the greater cost, and being an old fuddy-duddy, the feel of nylon cloth appeals to me more if it is not that much heavier.

For those needing a bomb proof pack for trail work, climbing or whatever, the heavier Xpac probably makes sense. For backpacking trails, or off-trail in open country, the lighter pack will be fine, IMO, and contribute greatly to reducing overall weight.

For sake of comfort, I am willing to suffer the additional weight of a suspended mesh frame, but that is apart from the fabric issue raised by your thread.

Edited by scfhome on 06/14/2011 00:27:40 MDT.