The Deionization of a Golite Ion Backpack

[Jared Cook]

Well the goal was to be able to redesign the golite ion to be a little more versatile and allow for a weeks worth of food and gear for a couple section hikes this summer. The goal was to be under 12oz when finished after starting with a 9.05oz pack. Finished weight w/out the .4oz bear can straps is 9.40oz

Basic rundown:
3 lycra mesh pockets
Dyneema roll top
optional bear can straps
mesh cord to hang clothes and gear to dry

more info, pictures and blabbing can be found on my blog, and you could always follow it if you want to keep up on all the projects and testing over the next couple weeks

Jared's Adventure Blog

[Rog Tallbloke]

Nice job, but I don't understand how you managed to add all that and only increase the weight of the original pack by 0.35oz ???

[Ryan Hutchins]

nice work! Interestingly, I hear that there is a Jam Jr. in the works that is of a similar design. I love my my Ion for 1-3 day trips, and I think I could eak a day or two more out of it, depending on conditions. This is a great solution to extend out to a week.

Cost for shipping to 82520? =D

[Jared Cook]

realize stuff was also removed, not just added.

the main stuff removed
1.35oz for the hipbelt
1.0oz for the lid
0.4oz for nylon trimmings
total removed, 2.75oz

stuff added
1.0oz for the roll top
0.6oz for the lycra mesh
the 1/2" grossgrain weighs nearly nothing, the aircore 1 drawcord negligible, shock cord very slight weight increase, very tiny weight increase with the micro cord locks, and the buckles were about 0.1oz for both sides of the buckle together, the short strips of 3/8" flat elastic was negligible also. if you run the math, 2.75+.35=3.1oz is what all the negligible things buckles and gross grain had to equate to roughly 1.5oz to make up the whole difference in weight from the 1.6oz of fabric added.

It's not hard to see how it is a very negligible increase from the factory weight when you take into account the stuff that was removed.

[Jared Cook]

Yeah, I saw the golite post about the Jam Jr a couple months ago on facebook, but I bet it won't be this cheap or light! Golite responded back to me awhile ago when I asked how much it'd weight and it was 16oz to 18oz range. Ain't shipping this pack off though, sorry… :P I could Possibly sell you some remnants for a roll top and lycra though…

[Miguel Arboleda]

How did you get the lycra mesh and grosgrain tabs into the seams? Did you just sew them on the outside, or did you take apart the seams, insert the fabric, and sew it back together again?

[David Ure]

I really need to learn how to sew.

[Rog Tallbloke]

Thanks for the figures. The photo seems to show a hip belt. Did you re-attach a lighter one?

[Miguel Arboleda]

David, it's really not hard. I thought it was the first time around, but once I got started I was surprised how easy it is. After you start putting things together yourself you'll never be able to look at commercial stuff the same way again, and you'll be able to tell which ones really are well-made and those that aren't. I once saw a simple daypack made by Calvin Klein, sellling for $300 and I just couldn't believe that such a simply made thing could sell for so much, especially when a much better made Mountain Hardwear daypack on the person looking at the Calvin Klein pack only cost around $100!!!

[Jared Cook]

the grey straps are actually the ones for the shoulder straps just hanging down. The hipbelt on my model was a 1" heavy black nylon webbing which I cut off last, so a few pics on my blog might still have it on the pack. For the most part I stopped using the hipbelt this season, It just doesn't seem that effective, plus without it my back vents a little better.

I turned the pack inside out, used a seam ripper and disassembled the pack all the way down the seams just shy of where the lower portion of the shoulder straps come in. The lycra is cut to the width of the fabric with a 3/8" elastic sewed on with a zigzag stitch, which my machine does on its own. I pinned all the grossgrain to the back panel and ran a stitch down in within the seam allowance to keep everything together and make it easier to assemble the 2 halves. It's really not that hard to sew this thing together. The roll top I just made the cinch cord portion like a stuff sack, which is in one of the MYOG articles here. For the rest of the roll top I just glanced over the Golite Jam2 I have. It's real simple.

The only 2 tabs sewn straight to the fabric with a piece of trimmed 3/4" grossgrain reinforcement inside the pack is the one for bottom of the elastic cord system and the stub end of the top strap just above the big pocket.

The buckles for the bear can straps, and the strap for the top closure are all sewn into the roll top seam and a reinforcement stitch over the area of the strap.

[Brad Rogers]

"I really need to learn how to sew."

Ditto

Very cool project, it looks like it could have come from the factory that way (except for the slight color diff, but even that is close). Thanks for sharing!

[Brian UL]

I was thinking of putting stretch pockets on my Ion but didn't. Now that I see what it looks like and that it works I might buy another one someday and do that myself.

[Jared Cook]

>Very cool project, it looks like it could have come from the factory that way (except for the slight color diff, but even that is close). Thanks for sharing!

till you get a good look at the lycra seams that didn't get tucked in. Lycra likes to stretch when you sew it even if you pin the heck out of it. If I actually cared about the puckered seams I'd line the external lycra seams with that nylon ribbon that the inside of the Ion's and Jam's seams are lined with, than it would look real clean.

[Don Meredith]

Jared – very nice. I have mine in pieces and plan on doing some sewing this weekend. I bought lycra mesh and some non stretch mesh for the project. You may have convinced me to go with the lycra. Did you sew additional elastic up top or just roll over the lycra and z-stitch it? Does the stitching limit the elasticity of the opening?

[Jared Cook]

I put a piece of 3/8" flat elastic with a zig- zag stitch straight onto the top of the pockets. I ran a couple test runs of a couple different zig-zag stitches and used the one that limited the stretch the least. I wouldn't trust just the lycra to keep it closed. There's several more pics on my blog, and when I get back from my backpacking test trip tomorrow I can post any close ups you need. presently i'm not home and spent the night at my girlfriends which is an hour closer to the trailhead that I'm going to. Your initial work don is what inspired me to just get an ion and modify it.

just keep in mind that the lycra is goin to want to stretch while sewing, so if you want to avoid puckered looking seams on the exposed portion of the water bottle pocket, I'd wrap some of that black nylon stuff like the inside of the pack along the exposed edge and than sew it to the pack.

[Jared Cook]

Well the first trip is under the pack. It performed flawlessly and even was able to fit my larger pot, food for 2 and my tarptent for 2 without even tapping into the rolltop. The fishing gear went on the outside along with the water bottles. Here's some pics of the pack from the trip.

[Don Meredith]

Nice, Jared. I'm headed over to the fabric store to pick up a few supplies this afternoon. Its reassuring to see that you have ample volume for more than 5lbs of gear with the mods. I intend to make this my primary pack after I'm done.

Don Meredith
http://lightpack.blogspot.com

[Jared Cook]

It's probably around a 10lb base weight. I'll go through the pack tonight or tomorrow and gather the actual weight. I did get one scuff on the back panel lycra, but I kind of wasn't paying attention as I layed the back down on some sharp rocks and slid it across when i picked it up. The side mesh did survive a short bushwacking along the shore of the lake while fishing on the second day.

[Miguel Arboleda]

Would like to see your gear list. And what are those shoes atop the pack?

[Derek Cox]

These are some great modifications. Golite should just make this pack instead. Well done!

[Roger Caffin]

> I once saw a simple daypack made by Calvin Klein, sellling for $300

Cost in bulk at factory: $4 (I can substantiate this)
Cost after Shipping to USA: $4.50
Add marketing cost for Calvin Klein: $100
After shipping to retailer: $105
After retail mark-up in fashion shop: $300

Simple maths.

Cheers

[Jared Cook]

>Would like to see your gear list. And what are those shoes atop the pack?

The aqua sox shoes were for wading at the lake, I wasn't going to be wading out in my off season North Face 104 GTX shoes… with the goretex they would of never dried.

I'm not going to be home tonight to give all the weights, but I can assemble the list and add the weights later.

Sleeping/Pack/Shelter:
Golite Ion type pack 9.4oz
Flexair plus pillow 0.85oz
Original Tarptent-for-2 26.05oz
Golite Ultra20 Quilt 19.3oz
Sea To Summit 8L Dry sack 1.2oz (holds quilt and all spare non w/p clothing)
NeoAir 9.1

Clothing Carried:
Exoffico Boxers
Socks 2.0oz
Beanie 1.2oz
liner gloves 1.35oz
686 Polypro pant
686 Polypro top
Minima Vest 4.9oz
Rain Pants 13.85oz
Rain jacket 13.95oz

Mess Kit:
Evernew pot 1L+
Coleman F1 UL stove 2.65oz
Windscreen/reflector 0.3oz
Snowpeak small cannister
mini bic 0.45oz
rag 0.4oz
Freezerbag cozy 0.35oz x2
Ti Spork 0.55oz x2

Essentials bag:
Epipen 2.15oz
pills 0.45oz
matches+bandaids + tape 2.1oz
compass 1.0oz
petzl e+lite 1.0oz
fire starter 0.35
Sportslick 1.0oz
mini swiss army knife 0.9oz
Micropur ClO2 tablets
sunscreen (empty) 0.2oz
handsanitizer (empty) 0.2oz
donner's soap (empty) 0.2oz
REI Wrap bandage
Sea to Summit 2L dry sack 0.85oz

Other stuff:
2L Platy bladder 1.3oz
1L platy bladder 0.8oz
1L platy bladder 0.8oz
play hydration hose 2.2oz
Ursack 8.0oz
Olympus 1050 SW camera 5.95oz
camera case/clip 1.15oz
stick pic 0.35oz
thermometer 0.2oz
nitelite clip #1 0.15oz x3
Washington Trails Map and w/p cover

Fishing Gear:
Aqua socks
fly pole/line/reel 9.0oz
Fly box and flys
dry fly dressing
mini pliers

Major Consumables: (I was carrying food for 2 people other than day one snacks for Heather)
2L of H2O
2 lipton Knorr rice dishes w/ 1/2cup dried turkey
2 1cup oatmeal dishes w/dried raspberries and strawberries
9 cliff bars at start of trip
3 flies…

That is about everything that was attached or in the pack. The majority of the weights I took off of a previous gear list that is posted on my blog, won't have access to my scale till tomorrow at the earliest. I wasn't carrying my solo mess kit, which weighs 4.5oz, I'm presently making a solo tarp and bivy to get the shelter down to the 16oz range. The rain gear is presently on the chopping block, but money is preventing replacement. I'd really like a marmot essence for a jacket, but will more than likely take a stab at the mountain poncho that BPL did an article on and get a ULA rain wrap for 3 season use to suffice for this summer.

[Prashant Menon]

So did you have to take the entire Ion's seams apart to sew on the lycra & rolltop & buckles or was it possible to sew without taking the majority of the Ion apart? (Aside from the lid of course)

[Jared Cook]

Yes, I removed the seams on the lid and the side seams to about a 1/4" away from the bottom of the shoulder straps. It's really easy to sew, there's more pics if you follow my blog link from the first page. With the pack open I stitched the stretch mesh to the pack within the seam allowance, With the pack inside out I lined up all the seams and stitched it together similar to the way the factory did.

[Tim Marshall]

quick question, what lycra mesh did you use? From who?

-Tim

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