I tried my hand a making a pack out of a tarp i had lying around. I believe it is coated nylon. This was my first time ever using a sewing machine, and the machine was my mother in laws little EZ Sew. Its honestly the ez bake oven of sewing machines. More a toy rather than an actual machine, but it worked!

Im not sure of the capacity, but it holds all my gear with a little room to spare.
The straps came from an old book bag and because of my lack of experience during the design phase, i had to hand stitch them on...came out a tad off center.

All in all i only did it to get my feet wet. Im sure it would work, but i doubt ill use it.
It was a learning experience and now i cant wait to place my order for various bits and pieces( not to mention a real sewing machine) to get the real pack underway! I didnt weight it, but its definitely under a pound....anyways, just thought id share!

That's a nice-looking initial foray into the MYOG world. Stand proudly!

Be careful, though, because MYOG is like a bad rash: the more you try to satisfy the urge, the more you're itching to try =P!

Looks great, I'd use that pack. I'm a big fan of trying ideas out with cheaper material. None of my packs have been exactly the way I've wanted them but I've always learned. After a certain point you just gotta try somthing and make a few mistakes. Well that one looks pretty good to me but if you're like me I'm sure you'll find something you want to do better next time and make another (and another...).

i told my wife it looked like a homeless man made it....lol!
i have some cuben already and once i get the rest of my materials...the real fun will begin...im also going to go for a dry bag style closure on the top....
but thanks for the kind words and motivation!
and i thought that buying gear was an addiction...then i discovered this forum...now i may be lost forever...