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Thread: Let's Design a Backpack

  1. #41
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    Does North Face still make the "Wallaby" Pack.........?


  2. #42
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Doesn't look like it.
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  3. #43
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken View Post
    I've never found the "perfect" backpack.

    So let's design one for use as a BOB. Hydration compatible - 3 liters of water - with about 3,000 cubic inches of internal storage.

    Everyone gets to add one feature.

    I'll start by adding exterior tent loops.

    Who's next?
    Bump
    Actually been looking at some available packs, 3000 cu in seem high?

    Hydration compatible- built in? add on, bottle pouches? hangers?

    As far as fanny packs, tried the add-on suspenders, but come to realize that if I have to add those, all I've done is made a small back pack.
    Take some stuff out!

    Been looking at a shoulder sling type bag.
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    Senior Member Mountaintrekker's Avatar
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    I have also been on the quest for the perfect pack and I think I'm finally there. I bought a Kelty Freighter frame (no bag) for $99.00 which I can load up with various dry bags on the freighter shelf. I then have a 3500cu military patrol pack with MOLLE loops all over it I sit on top of the dry bags and lash the whole mess down with the included secure flaps on the pack. This gives me great versatility with the type of load I can carry and I can haul jerry cans of fuel or water, firewood, moose quarters etc. and have a nice comfortable light pack for closer trips to camp/scouting etc. It allows me to do anything I want and it's the epitomy of modular. All the important stuff stays dry and it's really easy to improvise if something gets torn, or needs a replacement. I'm also not limited to the interior size of the bag, I can put anything that will fit on this rig.
    Just something I have been messing around with the last couple of months. The true test will be this season, it's going out with me on practically every trip. Oh, it also has a blaze orange pull out to put up over animal quarters for safety and or signaling etc. I think this is it for me!
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    A truly waterproof rainfly that is big enough to cover the pack and everything attached to it. I'd like the added weather security even if the pack was waterproof. It could also be used to make a sunshade or makeshift umbrella.

  6. #46
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Here you go, Ken. Just what you asked for.

    http://www.eberlestock.com/Gunslinger%20M%20Series.htm
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  7. #47
    Quality Control Director Ken's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Here you go, Ken. Just what you asked for.

    http://www.eberlestock.com/Gunslinger%20M%20Series.htm

    Thanks, Rick, and thanks, guys! I had this thread marked for a revisit this coming Saturday. Keep the ideas coming!
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  8. #48

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    a good ajustable chest and padded weist harness/ strap.

    and more pockets..
    lol
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  9. #49
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    Cool This is strange...

    ...last year, at the Cornerstone Fest, my son & I were talking about a certain type of backpack! One idea was a completely water-proof Back-pack.

    If I were designing one it would have to be something like "one size fits all." Starting out with the fabric, it should be, IMO, a heavy-duty fabric with a Gore-Tex outer layer to keep the contents dry.

    It should also have both an external & internal frame so it can be adjusted for on or off trail.

    Very sturdy waist, sternum, & shoulder straps that are made wide enough as well as strong enough should also be a consideration.

    As far as size goes, you have "Day-packs," "medium-load packs," & "full-size packs" like the big job that I sent to OG. IMO, you have to be able to change the dimensions of the pack without adding "MOLLE-type" pouches, as they could throw off the balance of the pack. Strong zippers are a consideration, but in the field they can break.

    Also, some people like a deep-bag type pack; while others like compartments on their pack. I see the best of both worlds, with a deep bag that has pouches sewn to the outside.

    I also like the idea of the pouches having labels impregnated into the material, like a "red-cross" to designate the 1st aid compartment, for example. The same type of thing for your cooking kit, water filter, etc..

    The outside of the pack straps the waist belt, and the top section of the pack itself should have a sheath for your knife, a compass compartment, a flashlight or head-lamp compartment, and a place for a water bottle that keeps it secure so that it's not banging around.

    I left off the hydration bladder as those things add a lot of weight to the pack when they're full; not everybody could handle that. Just my "buck-two-fifty!"
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mountaintrekker View Post
    I have also been on the quest for the perfect pack and I think I'm finally there. I bought a Kelty Freighter frame (no bag) for $99.00 which I can load up with various dry bags on the freighter shelf. I then have a 3500cu military patrol pack with MOLLE loops all over it I sit on top of the dry bags and lash the whole mess down with the included secure flaps on the pack. This gives me great versatility with the type of load I can carry and I can haul jerry cans of fuel or water, firewood, moose quarters etc. and have a nice comfortable light pack for closer trips to camp/scouting etc. It allows me to do anything I want and it's the epitomy of modular. All the important stuff stays dry and it's really easy to improvise if something gets torn, or needs a replacement. I'm also not limited to the interior size of the bag, I can put anything that will fit on this rig.
    Just something I have been messing around with the last couple of months. The true test will be this season, it's going out with me on practically every trip. Oh, it also has a blaze orange pull out to put up over animal quarters for safety and or signaling etc. I think this is it for me!

    Smart move, My kelty Tioga has 40 years of hard labor, the frame is still rock solid, The bag like me is showing wear, not worn-out, but getting there.

  11. #51

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    sorry to be a pain what is BOB ?!

    but my addition is removable packs on the side to take as day packs on a belt type system

  12. #52
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    Sam, BOB stands for "Bug Out Bag". It's the kit you'll grab as you head out the door if something really bad happens and you have to leave your home.
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    cheers your_comforting_company

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    It should have a main compartment, and then a front compartment that you can zip off. You can then attach a strap to the zipped off front compartment and use it as a shoulder/day pack.
    Oh, and it MUST have straps on the bottom to hold your pad/sleeping bag.

  15. #55

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    Quote Originally Posted by justin_baker View Post
    It should have a main compartment, and then a front compartment that you can zip off. You can then attach a strap to the zipped off front compartment and use it as a shoulder/day pack.
    Oh, and it MUST have straps on the bottom to hold your pad/sleeping bag.
    Nice ideas - something that I always need now thinking about it :L

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    Are we gonna get someone to actually put one of these together for someone to try? Is the list of features getting updated? I'd like to see how large and complex this bag is at this point.
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    Quote Originally Posted by your_comforting_company View Post
    Are we gonna get someone to actually put one of these together for someone to try? Is the list of features getting updated? I'd like to see how large and complex this bag is at this point.
    That would be one crazy complicated pack.
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    Cool Well now...

    Quote Originally Posted by finallyME View Post
    That would be one crazy complicated pack.
    Hows this one for the size?

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  19. #59
    Quality Control Director Ken's Avatar
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    I'm fine-tuning my concept of the "perfect design." Here are just a few of several preliminary thoughts I have........

    The required capacity (volume) of the main pack compartment should be adjustable to accomodate seasonal gear and clothing.

    Gear and supplies should be separated by category into different pockets or modules. (i.e., "Fire and Cooking", "First Aid", "Tools", "Water Purification" etc.)

    Certain items, ones you frequently use or may need immediately, should have "fast access," such as your knife, map, compass, GPS, and water tube. First aid supplies should be easier to reach than your cooking equipment.

    Handguns should be carried holstered outside of the pack. Rifles/shotguns may be carried in an attached scabbard.

    A redundant survival kit should be worn/carried separate from the pack itself. This kit should cover the 10 essentials, even if in smaller versions (i.e., a water straw instead of a larger filter/purifier.)

    Your survival kit may be in a small front-carried fanny pack or in pockets in a vest. The more thought I give to this subject, the more I'm inclined to go with a seasonal-weight vest rather than any other option.


    Most gear is better stored inside the pack than strapped to the outside. Cinch-strapped expandable tent and sleeping bag/pad pockets come to mind here. No sense in having such items (and others) hanging off the pack all over the place. ALICE or MOLLE attachments should be kept to a minimum.

    Certain specialized or emergency gear (avalanche shovel and probes, trekking poles, etc.) should be cinched to the outside of the pack.

    A built-in water-proof rain cover in a zippered pocket is an excellent feature.

    Small front strap pockets would also be a good feature for carrying smaller items such as your primary compass, map, lighter, flashlight, whistle, sunglasses, etc.

    A crazy thought maybe, but I'm actually wondering if the main pocket of the pack should be fully collapsible and reserved for items of clothing. All gear could be carried in other pockets, while the main compartment could grow from completely compressed to a size sufficient to hold clothing, spare boots, or whatever you may need to carry depending on season and possible weather conditions. Extra clothing (particularly when climbing) could easily take up more room than any other tpe of gear.

    ...........still need to give this a lot more thought.
    Last edited by Ken; 04-09-2010 at 01:12 PM.
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  20. #60

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    Very good post Ken. Almost total agreement. I have incorporated everything mentioned in both my camping and survival gear. Extra room in pack is one thing I do also that works great! Most people I've seen don't do that. The only thing I do slightly different is in making up kits that attach. I don't use ALICE, it's just to heavy but I love the MOLLE stuff especially for heavier items like ammo and tools. The versatility of my system would take a lot of pictures and description to convey its capability but if you'd like I show you what you discribe looks like.

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