My pack is actually more comfortable without the sternum strap and the placement is not far from what Vick recommends, but the straps nevertheless come close enough to my underarms to pick up stink. The sternum strap is strictly to avoid stinking the straps up and thus having to tote along a supply of Mirazyme. My trips are outside the United States, so I have to carry everything I'll need for the next 8 months with me. Also, having to fiddle with cleaning my pack with Mirazyme every few weeks would surely become a nuisance after a while.

Oopsie!
I just re-read my post and noticed a boo-boo (typo).
My hike will start in 2008, not 2007.
Sorry 'bout that folks.
Still thanks for the help - as all is appreciated.
Eric

Walking foots/feet, can be purchased for almost any machine. They might not be as good as an industrial built in model, but they do work.

Makes all the difference in either creating a Klein bottle (3D representation of a rotated mobius strip), or a shoulder strap which lays flat as it is designed to. This is assuming you are trying to create the shoulder strap at the outset. ;-)

Frank,
I see your point about the trips you take. But remember, you can deodorize a lot of gear with very little Mirazyme. It only takes maybe 15 drops per gallon of water, dunk the items, let them drain back into the container, hang to dry. I have not found it to be inconvenient.

They do work well but offten take up quite a bit of your sewing area clearence. I find they work best with slippery fabrics like sil nylon.

JFF

I can see that happening, but I'm usually only sewing through a couple of layers of thin stuff anyway. For shoulder straps, I just make the shell, then slide the cush stuff in at the end.

Dwight-

That's how I used to make mine as well but I've found I only need the top 12" of the shoulder pad, padded. So what I do is slip the pad down 3" from the top (because that area attaches to the pac) then top stich around it so it doesn't slide or bunch up.

It's still way faster and easier then doing the pockets like the G-4 and you saive about 6" of foam weight.

If you look at the earlier picture I posted you can see where the foam ends.

JFF