4.8 oz. Day Pack
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Finished weight: 4.8 oz. (includes the shoulder strap system)
I will go ahead and admit that this day pack was partly inspired by Chris Zimmer's HalfPack 2.0.
Before I go into some details about this pack, there is a story about how I ended up making this day pack. A few years ago (before I got into MYOG) I got a Mountainsmith Tour Lumbar Pack. I loved the idea of the pack, and it was very comfortable, though very heavy for its size. Here is a picture of that pack.
Once I got into MYOG, I decided to modify that pack. I cut off everything except the hip belts and back panel. I made new panels, added an extension collar, added bigger water bottle pockets, and added a big mesh pocket. After all the modifications, the pack weighed 15 oz. Here is a picture of the Modified Mountainsmith Tour Lumbar pack.
For a while it was a great day lumbar pack, but once I got into Backpackinglight and MYOG, I wanted to make a new day pack that was much lighter.
A few months ago I had worked on a similar day lumbar pack as this 4.8 oz. day pack but was not satisfied with it. That original project started out as a lumbar pack, but it did not ride well (pulled back too much), and it weighed 9 oz. just for the pack without any shoulder straps. I added shoulder straps to that original day pack, and it still did not feel right. Pictured below was that original project.
I ended up cutting up that homemade lumbar pack, and I continued to use the modified Mountainsmith until I saw Chris Zimmer's HalfPack 2.0. It then dawned on me that I could remake the day pack I've been wanting and have it ride the way I want, which was mainly on my shoulders and with the back pulled up to keep it from bouncing.
I spent a couple of days obsessing over the details of the pack wanting to make it super light, and shortly after that, I was cutting up more fabric and sewing.
The main pack and pockets are 70D ripstop nylon. The bottom is 200D Oxford.
The shoulder straps are where I saved the most weight. I wanted the comfort of 3D Mesh and padding, so I only put the 3D Mesh and foam pad on the shoulder portion of the strap.
Also, instead of webbing, I used 3/16 flat nylon cord with LineLoc 3's to connect the shoulder straps to the pack.
I also sewed the 1/2" grosgrain sternum strap to the shoulder strap and eliminated the need for webbing on the shoulder straps.
Instead of a hip belt, I only sewed in some grosgrain loops, because I want the pack to ride mostly on my shoulders and use a cord belt to keep the pack from swinging. I may sew on 1/2" webbing with a buckle if I don't like the cord as a belt.
One big thing I found out after I made the pack was that the shoulder straps being connected to the black back panel was not needed at all. I originally had 1/2" webbing connected to the back panel from the shoulder straps, but when I pulled the pack up to the shoulder straps with the nylon cord load lifters, the webbing that was connected to the back panel was completely loose. I ended up cutting that webbing off the pack and shoulder straps and just left the nylon cord load lifters. Once I did that, the pack felt much better and it was now even lighter than I had planned.
In short, this new 4.8 oz. day pack is now the lightest and most comfortable day pack I have used, and I want to thank Chris Zimmer and his HalfPack 2.0 for inspiring me to make this pack after nearly giving up on day packs.
Thanks, Douglas and Terry.
Newton,
The volume, if you stuff the extension collar and not including the pocket on the outside, is around 18 Liters. Water bottle pockets are 1 liter sized. I also rounded the bottom of the water bottle pockets to save some weight (very little, but it all adds up). The most weight I usually carry on a day hike is probably around 6.5 or 7 lbs. (includes food and water). Could be less, could be more, depending on weather, water sources, etc.
After wearing it around some, it is very comfortable and rides very well. Connecting the shoulder straps to the panel furthest from my back makes the pack ride completely vertical with the back panel square on my lower back. However, the side panels on this pack are only 5 inches wide, so I'm not sure how a bigger (fatter, if you will) day pack would feel with this same configuration. For the size of this pack, I think it works great. Also, I may not put any kind of belt on it. It basically feels like a comfortable school backpack (the kind you carry school books in), but without the "back" part of it.
Here are a couple pictures of the water bottle pockets. Pictured is a 1 Liter Powerade bottle, my bottle of choice, usually.
Honestly, I would say reinforcements aren't necessary with such light loads, as long as you aren't running and making the pack constantly bounce around. I'm sure simple X box reinforcement stitching would be sufficient. However, I still chose to reinforce all shoulder strap attachment points (on the straps and pack) with 200D Oxford sewn to the 70 D nylon. What you described is just about exactly what I did (minus the bonding) with the attachment points on the front panel, it just may be hard to tell in the pictures. It definitely wasn't meant to be bombproof, but I wanted some reinforcement.
The 70 D ripstop nylon is PU coated.
There is a patch of Oxford on the inside as well.
Thanks for the kind words. I'll be looking forward to your next MYOG pack.
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