After my Absaroka pack was run over I've been on a hunt for something to replace it. I bought a HMG Porter from Anthony and liked it but it just didn't quit fit right. So I emailed back and forth with Chris Zimmer about making something similar but out of X-Pac with some ideas of my own. He was very patient with my rather picky requirements and his turn around time was amazingly fast.

Here are pictures of what he came up with. I can't wait to try it out.

That looks fantastic, how big is it, how heavy is it and what did it cost?

The weight is 28oz which is great for a pack with a frame made from durable materials (compare that to a frameless golite pack for example).

The dimensions are about 7x11 on the bottom and a total of 33 inches high. So I'm guessing without the whole extension collar you have around 2000-2500 cubic inches to work with. My gear fit nicely inside the HMG Porter so we used similar dimensions for this pack.

The whole point of this pack was to have a pack that was
1. Rugged
2. Big enough for a thru-hike but that compressed down so it wasn't overkill for a weekend hike.
3. Sturdy enough to haul 35-40 pounds but not so heavy that it was overkill for a weekend UL hike.

I think this pack nails all of those. It should be my go to pack for pretty much any trip except a few weekend SUL trips.

Chris' pricing depends on materials, number of pockets etc. but overall its very reasonable. I would have paid basically the same price if I'd bought a couple of popular cottage gear packs that are NOT custom made to my exact specifications.

Luke,

Both of us make our own packs but I have to say Chris Zimmer is in a class by himself.

I am serving notice here and now that I am officially jealous! ;-)

Sweet pack!

Party On,

Newton

Luke: Nice looking pack.

You said it has a frame, what kind and how many stays?

Hik - The frame is a U shaped frame similar to those used in Gossamer Gear packs. It fits into a sleeve inside the pack. I asked Chris to attach the frame as close as possible to the hipbelt. I think this will really improve comfort carrying heavier loads.

John - I've made some packs too but nothing this nice. I actually tried a similar project with Dyneema X and give up because it was just so complicated fitting it all together. I'm sticking with frameless packs for MYOG right now although I have a design I like for a MYOG internal frame pack I want too try at some point.

Edited by Cameron on 10/01/2012 17:05:14 MDT.

Wow--I really like this. It looks like it ticks off a lot of boxes that I've been wanting for some time now. I'd love to hear how it performs. If my MYOG plans don't turn out well this winter, I might give Chris a call.

Definitely looks good.

Nice Luke, I have some xpac shoulder pockets from him. Its very durable and waterproof. It does seem that the material is somewhat stiff, seems like it would be good for structure. Like opposite of thin nylon. Do you see yourself removing the frame and using CCF ever?

I got the pack today and its every bit as nice as the pictures indicate. I loaded it up with an estimated 30 pounds and walked around a bit. The load lifters are only about 1 inch from the top of the shoulder straps but they are handy for dialing in a perfect fit. The double straps on the hipbelt help it to wrap around better.

Luke,

So what did you and Chris wind up calling it?

I went to the Zimmerbuilt site and I see a pack called the "Cameron" but it's a dyneema pack and it doesn't look like yours.

May I suggest the LSCZ pronounced El's Easy. ;-)

Party On,

Newton

Looks like a great pack! Chris does excellent work.

One thing I am curious about with pack designs like this and the porter: How do you go about storing/accessing water on the go? After using my Ohm 2.0 on a number of trips, for me personally, not having such easy access to water bottles in the outer pockets is a deal breaker on these types of packs.

Edited by aaronufl on 10/04/2012 12:33:56 MDT.

What grade xpac did you use, vx21, vx07?

The back, bottom and sides are VX21 (the gray and black parts). The orange is the VX07. My original plan was to hang two water bottles from the front. The lighter xpac is noticeably softer (and a bit lighter) so its well suited to the roll top closure.

I had originally thought about hanging water bottles off the front but I may not bother now. Its a bit of a hassle to take the pack off to get water but not too much. The trade off is that my pack is very streamline which is nice for slipping between trees when I go off trail.

If I ever really wanted too I could make detachable side pockets and connect them to the compression straps. Probably won't though.

Edited by Cameron on 12/26/2012 23:20:54 MST.

That pack looks great, very clean. How is the fit. Is it broken in yet? How do you like it so far?

How is your vx21 handling abrasion on the bottom? Would you say it's better than dyneema x?

It is hard to say. I've only had it out for 6 days and its showing no signs of wear (not that I've abused it). I imagine they would be about equal for normal wear and tear. Dyneema X is a bit more tear resistant (I've tried tearing samples of both) but I'm not sure how big a difference that makes.