New Pack Production

Nice looking packs and great prices!

Two suggestions-
1) Please pist some linear dimensions. Height, width etc

2) Think about an extra cost version with side pockets ,especially on that bigger 32 liter pack.

Also Nathan,where can we see a list of the colors available?

Nathan,

The packs look great.

I can attest to Nathan's craftsmanship. We worked together on a custom designed Xpac pack that he sewed for me.

I updated the original post to fix volume (originally I wrote down calculated volumes with roll-tops compressed fully) and dimensions.

When will they hit the site? They look great!

I'll have an update for my website the next week or two. I'll make an announcement here. Waiting for fabric to arrive.

If anyone wants all Black or Black/blue for Xpac or Green/Black for Cuben, I can make them a bag this week. Other colors will have to wait.

Nathan,

What color combos are you considering for the X21 ?

I have in stock Deep Blue, Grey and Black x21, I can use any of them for the main body or bottom reinforcement. I only have x51 in black. I have access to x21 in yellow and orange as well. Though I may stick to the colors I have on hand. X51 is available only in black. Any color is available with a custom dye lot order from Dimension Polyant, but the minimum order quantity is pretty big.

I believe the xpac fabrics without the polyester scrim are superior and intent to only buy those fabrics from the mill. As an exception, the polyester/dyneema D40 is a great fabric and I am considering offering it as a custom option.

I should have a handful of both cuben and xpac x21/x51 bags done by Friday. Also making a tx07/tx34 bag and a d40 to test weights. Also have some black multicam x50 and standard x33 multicam coming from DP to offer as custom super durable options. Even in full D40, weight will likely be under 14oz.

Anyone have input about a 1 1/2" webbing hip belt on a 30-40 liter frameless bag? I tend to lean towards feeling them unneccessary personally.

Nathan,
I've been looking for these packs on your website for a few days now. How do I order? Preferably a few clicks on a site rather than PMs or email. That green hybrid cuben is calling my name…

Id like the option of a removable plain webbing hip belt for both bags. Maybe in the form of a simple 2" tag of webbing protruding from the pack. Then a separate webbing belt could just attach via some type of low profile buckle.

I would very much like the option of some sort of a minimal hip belt. I would also like the option of a cuben dry bag slightly smaller in size to your small cuben fiber stuff sack pack that could easily clip onto the pack attachments. The pack looks great and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

For my back, no belt is often a deal breaker. I'd like to see a wider pass thru, removable belt with a velcro attachment, similiar to HMG's Ice pack. with all your attachment points and some clip on bags, this pack could almost double in size. I'd even consider adding a couple of channels in the back panel for some lightweight stays.

I've been thinking about offering a cuben or cuben/mesh version of a stuff sack pack that can clip in and also serve as a front pocket on the larger pack.

Living in the northwest,I'd generally prefer waterproofness of a roll top to a traditional drawcord/ top pocket closure for the main bag. But adding a waterproof or mesh front accessory pocket makes a lot of sense to me.

I'll play around with designs and see what I can come up with.

Webbing hip belts as an option, check!

I have about a dozen or so pack assemblies cut and ready to sew. I am waiting on foam for the shoulder straps that should have arrived yesterday(Tuesday)

Kevin, I am waiting to have stock and pictures of actual bags you will be buying before I post them to my website.

Thanks everyone so much for your interest, input and support. I value this community tremendously!

A draw string closure may be the simplest for the stuff bags. Leaving a little room at the top, they can be easily folded over. As an atachment, they can also be hung upside down to keep water out.
A third lower attachment point, directly in the middle of your packs would create a second storage area behind the stuff bag for hoodies, whatever.

Sorry folks. The packs are on hold for another week as I wait for backordered waist belt buckles to arrive. I should have the buckles in a few days. Minor assemblies are done, Thats the only hold up: Assembling thw waist belts. I will push an update to my website tonight with packs(though I won't have pics of completed packs in all colors until later next week) and will ship the first round next weds 3/18 at the latest. Thanks to everyone for their patience and continued support!

Looking good. Any update on the X50 or X33 options?

X33 is backordered from Dimension Polyant, should be here the 2nd or 3rd week of April.
D40 and X50(black multicam) should be here in a day or two.

I can build a custom bag with any combination of fabrics offered through my website. But as standard options, 50/150d cuben and X21/X51 will be what I am offering.

Though I'm getting quite a bit of interest in the multicam X33, so I may do a run of X51/X33 or full X33 bags when I get the fabric lot.

X33 would likely be sub 16 oz in 40L with full options(seam taping, additional tieouts, waist belt)

I'm usually not very fasionable, but multicam…Keep me posted. I'm sure I'll want to add some options.

Here is an example front pocket I made for one of our product testers. Question is: are the bottom buckles/straps really truly necessary for a 40L pack, or can the side straps alone create enough tension to hold anything you'd need in place.

This is a double-pocket full X21. version. Water-resistant #5 zippers. Weighs in at 3.3oz as shown. Could likely save around 1oz dropping one zipper and the two bottom buckles.

Well, I cannot see what the bottom buckles could do. They are not going to push upwards, are they? For myself, I would leave them off.

cheers

It would be a very small step to make that front pocket into something like the Talon on the Unaweep. It could buckle into the compression straps on the sides, with opposite male/female clips on the left and right sides in order to allow the straps to clip to each other in the center when the front pocket stays home. The bottom clips could go all the way around the bottom of the back panel, improving the compression and offering an easy way to strap gear under the pack. The only additional weight would be some webbing, and 1/2" would do the trick.

What Mitchell said. Opposing buckles would also give you the ability to shrink the pack when carrying small loads.
I lose the bottom buckles. Personally, I woud want a simple attachment point right in the middle on the bottom. It would save some bounce and provide an area for stuffing a hoodie without it sliding through.
Buckles are nice, I think I would just want a couple of loops that I could thread my side compression straps through. Not a big zipper fan either, I'd rather see a roll top.
You know the next guy is going to want just the oppisite. It is a very nice pack in the style I think many should like. Nice and neat and organized.

While we're talking features here, what about a sleeve on the inside of the back panel for a ccf pad?

So field reports are saying front pocket seems to be working out great, and yes, unless the pack is filled with tons of bulky gear and nearly at its capacity the bottom two buckles seem to be mostly pointless. I'll have the pattern made up for a single zipper and a double zipper version shortly. Problem I see with roll-tops for the front pocket/pack is that, the top side buckles work/stabilize best if they're at the top. With a rollmop, the extra and adjustable height can lead to floppy gear/pockets when they're at capacity.

Regarding a pack sleeve for a CCF pad. I really like the simplicity of this pack as is. A ccc pad can be rolled to line the inside, creating a similar effect, without the added weight of adding a sleeve. But hey, if you're paying for it, I can add in whatever your heart desires.

Another note, I am working on adding a pair of 1/8" x 1/2" carbon fiber stays to slightly more complex bigger sister to the Highline. That pack will have a mechanism for holding a CCF pad in place.

I'm excited to see UL backpacking moving away from the years of lightest weight at all costs, to finding a balance of keeping weights low while maintaining a level of simplicity and durability. Not everyone wants to bring the barebones psychology of a thru-hiker into every weekend getaway.

You could easily add tabs of webbing, grosgrain, or something similar. That way someone could cut a CCF pad to the back width and criss-cross some shock cord to hold it in place. I don't care for the rolled up pad in a pack, and I find a pad that fits the shape exactly much better.

Also, a lot of people are carrying inflatable pads now that they have gotten so light, meaning that a larger CCF sleeping pad is much less common than it used to be.