Howdy,

So what are folks using to make durable sleeves for internal pack stays? I'm thinking of tubular stays myself, but I suppose similar material would work for flat, bar-type stays. Need to find something that will hold up to the abrasion that occurs when the stay is transferring load to the belt. I was thinking of maybe 1" or 1.5" nylon webbing with a layer of 1000D cordura added at the top and bottom of the sleeve where the most pressure/abrasion occurs from the stay. Any thoughts on this would be great - I'm looking to make a pack that will handle loads up to 35 lbs or so. Thus my concern with making sure the sleeve can handle the pressure from the stay without blowing out. I hope this post makes sense. Thanks!

Edited by powell1nj on 05/26/2012 09:48:45 MDT.

I just took a look at my Six Moon Designs pack (2005 Comet, long since discontinued). It has flat stays. On each stay, the side towards my back has heavy nylon twill tape, stitched to the back of the pack on both sides. The inside is just the fabric used for the back and bottom of the pack, 420D pack cloth. I bought the pack in the the summer of 2006 and there are no signs of wear yet! I don't see why you couldn't use the same design for tubular stays. The width of the twill tape will, of course, depend on the size of the stays.

There's a review on BPL here, which has photos showing some of the stay detail:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/six_moon_designs_comet_backpack_review.html

I hope this helps!

Edited by hikinggranny on 05/26/2012 11:35:35 MDT.

Nylon flat webbing is the strongest you just have to make sure at the bottom you fold over 2 to 3 inches and make a pocket to hold bottom of the stay. For the top closer you can use webbing with a velcro closer. The stay it self should be sanded and rounded at the bottom so it not sharp, also at the top to if it not a "U" shaped hoop stay.
Terry

I use flat nylon web for the pockets at the bottom, and grosgrain ribbon for the rest. No problems in 30 years.

Thanks fellas! Guess I'll give the nylon webbing a shot without the Cordura. Much obliged.