I'm pretty sure Chris Zimmer just made me the world's most awesome backpack. It's mostly VX21 for burly waterproof protection (will be fully waterproof after seam sealing), has massive sewn-on hip belt pockets, two waterproof rear storage pockets, a big hip belt and weighs ~32 ounces with an aluminum hoop stay.

I am so excited to try this out.

Edited by kylemeyer on 02/14/2012 08:26:56 MST.

Nice pack!

Great job Kyle and Chris Z! Does the upper front pocket continue behind the lower front pocket? What is the main pack bag volume?

The top pocket doesn't go below the bottom, they're just what you see. The main pack bag is 40L.

Kirk,
A very cool pack Chris made for you the finest craftsmanship by Chris. It will see many miles.
Terry

Looks real nice Kyle! Curious as to what you plan on stuffing into the those giant hip pockets?

It's a two night pack—one freeze dried meal per pocket, poured straight in. I'll boil water, pour it into my hipbelt pocket and eat my beefaroni while hiking.


Kidding, of course. But seriously, a camera, steripen, headlamp, snacks, gloves, cell phone, black rock hat should all fit easily into the pockets to make gear transitions simple while hiking.

Kyle,

Isn't it the sincerest compliment to a custom pack maker like Chris Zimmer when none of us are surprised anymore about the quality of his packs.

Your pack looks beautiful!

Chris is developing a loyal fan following and I number myself among them. ;-)

"I am so excited to try this out".

Time to get a little "mud on the tires".

Party On,

Newton

I'm looking forward to getting my pack in the mail soon, too. Chris does a fantastic job.

Aaron,

Is that the pack that disappeared from the Gear Deals page of Chris's website? ;-)

Party On,

Newton

Very nice. Thanks a lot for posting. I really mean that. I'll be stepping up (down?) from more traditional packs soon and this gives me a lot of ideas.

I love the idea of those big pockets on the hip belt because I eat, drink, and navigate while I hike. I really like the water-proof zipper on one side for phone, wallet maybe, etc. BYOP (buy your own pack), but I'd want a velcro-fastened lid on the other side for less important stuff - today's lunch, map, lip balm - stuff I pull out every 15-30 minutes - because it would be quicker access.

How much coin?

John,

Nope, it isn't unfortunately. I just had him modify his half dome pack with dyneema side pockets and a removable aluminum u frame. I wanted a pack that could shrink down for shorter trips but also fit in a bear can for longer trips. I'm stoked with how it came out! :)

Edited by aaronufl on 02/14/2012 13:46:21 MST.

Kyle,
Could you share your impressions on the hoop stay? Size? Any other sort of frame sheet or back padding?

Aaron & Kyle, I'd also be interested in hearing how these packs are with a bear can, and any comments on Zimmer's aluminum frames in general. I haven't found a (light) pack yet that carries a bear can elegantly and am considering having Chris build me one. For me, the only packs that carry a bear can comfortably are those with an aluminum U-frame and some kind of framesheet or hard foam to isolate the can from your back.

@Travis:

I haven't received the pack yet, but I'll update the thread with my impressions of the pack and photos of the hoop stay. In the mean time, you can see a small piece of the hoop at the bottom of this thread.

@Andrew:

I only have a BearVault 500 (the big one) so I'm guessing I'll need to carry it vertically, but it wasn't at all a concern for me since I backpack primarily in Oregon and Washington. The nice thing about working with Chris is you can specify any dimensions of pack body you want—it'd be trivial to ask for a pack body that perfectly accommodates your bear can of choice.

Kyle, for me it's more of an issue of how well the pack maintains its shape with a bear can in it than actually fitting the bear can inside. That's why I like a ~8" wide U frame + framesheet, because the stiffness helps maintain the pack body in a D shape (flat against your back) versus becoming cylindrical.

Kyle, thanks. It sounds like I could specify the exact size of the hoop stay and have a frame sheet built in. Like Andrew, I prefer a D shape rather than the cylinders some frameless packs become.

The aluminum frames I build are roughly 6" wide at the U bends and depending on the pack either maintain the 6" width down to the bottom seam of the pack or in Kyles packs case goes from 6" wide at the top and widens out to the outer bottom edges of the pack which was 12" wide. Kyle wanted to be able to make his pack as waterproof as possible so I made the back panel and bottom one piece so there is bottom seam. So Kyles pack should maintain a decent D shape with the frame. When I put a frame in a pack I build in a frame sleeve to slide the frame into, this also makes for a pocket to slide in a foam sit pad to give padding to the back of the pack. A piece of corrugated plastic could also be inserted in this pocket as well to give even more support and help maintain the D shape even better. Plus it is all easily removable so if your going on a short trip and don't need a framed pack it can be removed.

Chris, how does the U frame carry compared to a peripheral hoop like the ones used on the ULA Ohm and Osprey Talon 44?

I really like my Talon 44 and how it forms to my back without letting things poke me, flexes with my movement, and still supports a load in the 35lb range. I think my perfect pack would be the one in this thread but with the frame sheet and hoop suspension of the Osprey.

I don't mean to sound overly nit-picky, Chris. You build some totally awesome packs! I have trouble finishing a straight edge on silnylon...