11 ounce external frame pack

[Daryl and Daryl]

I've been using a DIY external frame pack for 10 plus years. I've recently posted details of waist belt, frame, shoulder straps and front bag but it occurred to me that I never actually dedicated a post to a specific pack. This post is dedicated to my wife's pack.

My wife switched to this 11 ounce pack a couple of years ago. It replaced her 4 1/2 pound MSR frame pack. So she saved 3.8 lbs in weight at a cost of less than $1 per ounce saved.

Specs
Fabric is 1.9 ounce uncoated nylon
Vertical frame members are two fiberglass tubes about 1/4 inch in diameter
Top bar is 1/2 inch od aluminum
Connector fittings are 3/8" nylon barbed T plumbing fittings
Buckles are all 5/8"
Webbing is all 1/2" nylon
Bag volume is about 4000 cubic inches(about 65 liters) (assumes open basket style)
More than 2000 cubic inches of stuff can be strapped to the top bar
Bag volume + top bar capacity total is 6000+ cubic inches (about 100 liters)

Features
Bag position on frame is adjustable
Squat bag shape gives good volume per fabric used
Padded waist belt with 2" quick release buckle
Padded shoulder pads
Bag, waist belt and shoulder pads can all be cleaned in washer and dryer
All parts easy to make using off the shelf parts/fabric plus some sewing
Bag can be made from 1 or two pieces of fabric
Bag is simple stuff sack style (24" wide (48" circumference) and 25" tall when laid flat
Drawstring closure
Has typically been used to carry about 25 lbs but can carry 40 pounds
Pack can be assembled and disassembled in minutes
Disassembled pack is about the size of a tent pole stuff sack
Assembled pack is small enough to use as carry-on luggage in airplane
Disassembled, empty pack easily mailed or carried inside other luggage
Pack frame flexes with user movements
Tubing/barbed T connections act like ball joints
Pack is uncool-looks like a nerd built it-he did

[Denis Hazlewood]

Can't see the detail of the frame, but it looks like a collapsible, home made, LuxuryLite.

Nice work!

Here's my version.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Denis,

Yes, looks like your and my frames are very similar in concept….just different materials.

Speaking of materials, could you give me a quick summary of what your frame, shoulder straps and waist belt are made of? Also, are those presto log looking things on the back made of hard plastic? Your picture has roused my curiousity.

For more info on my frame see here:FRAME

Daryl

[Denis Hazlewood]

Daryl,

First off I must apologize for my attempt at artistic humor. The term is "Tromp l'oeil", or, "fool the eye". The photo in the above post is of a sculptural representation of my LuxuryLite pack. The frame is painted wood, the straps and belt are black Duct Tape, and the cylinders are fired ceramic material. The sculpture is part of a larger piece. I have attached several photos for your edification.

This is the whole piece (a work in progress)

My piece is a work of art. Yours is the real McCoy. How do you keep the shape of the bag so nice and "square"?

[Mark Hurd]

Here is the URL to Luxury Lite Pack

http://www.luxurylite.com/stackpackindex.html

-Mark

[Daryl and Daryl]

Well everything is relative.

The "small" pack was believable to me and of interest because I've done some experimenting with tape and plastic for the shoulder straps and waist belt. I also liked the solid plastic stuff sacks because I was thinking bear cans.

Oh well, the joke was on me.

I'm already familiar with the full size luxury lite.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Denis asked about the bag's shape.

I make my bags squat shaped. They are simply stuff sacks with drawstrings but wider than most packs. The bag shown, when layed flat, is 24 inches wide and 25 inches high. When stuffed with (in this case) puffy jackets it assumes a rounded cube or spherical shape with a circumference of 48 inches.

Packs or bags in the shape of long narrow cylinders provide less volume per area of fabric than squat, spherical or cube shapes.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Mark,

I checked out the Luxurylite website link you posted.

First thing that jumps out is the difference in weight between my pack and the Luxurylite. My pack is about 1/3 the weight of the Luxurylite. At 11 ounces my entire pack weighs less than the 12 ounces given for the Luxurylite frame alone.

Daryl

[d k]

Hi, Daryl,

How long are the vertical and horizontal pieces on your pack frame? On your wife's?

Debbie

[Daryl and Daryl]

Debbie,

The packs I made for a 6' 5" friend, my 5' 2" wife and 5' 8" me are all 12 inches wide. The 12 inches is measured from the center of one vertical spar to the center of the other vertical spar. The actual cross bar tubing is about 11.5 inches with the rest of the width being made up by the width of the nylon Ts that connect the spars at the top corners.

The length of the vertical spars are about 32.5" for my tall friend, 18.5" for my wife and 24" for myself.

Several variables can affect the length of the vertical tubing so take these as approximate numbers.

On my friend's pack I included adjustable connections between the waist belt and the pack frame so he has about 6 inches of adjustment capacity.

My friend's backpack and mine have larger back bags than my wife's and we use front bags instead on shoulder straps. Our packs weigh a little less than 1 lb each.

Need more info? Just ask. This is just a hobby for me and I'm happy to share info.

Daryl

[d k]

I've been intrigued by your frame for a few years now, since I saw it on backpacking.net. I'm not ready to start buying materials and building yet, but it's not clear to me at this point exactly how you attach the frame to the belt, and how I'd do that with a different waist belt (perhaps one I already have on another pack?). I also might play with using that frame inside a daypack for structure.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Debbie,

You said:

"I also might play with using that frame inside a daypack for structure."

That works. I inserted a frame inside a travel pack that I had so I could transfer all the wieht to my waist.

"it's not clear to me at this point exactly how you attach the frame to the belt, and how I'd do that with a different waist belt (perhaps one I already have on another pack?)."

Here are some pictures that should help. The green belt is one that I made and shows how I typically attach the bottom of the pack frame to the waist belt. The black waist belt is store bought and shows how the plumbing Ts can be tied to the waist belt.

Daryl

[Daryl and Daryl]

Several people have asked me if I would make them a pack with a carbon fiber tubing frame, like the one I made for my wife, described in this thread. I have made several for me, one for a friend and one for my wife but I'm not interested in making them for profit. I'm pleased to see that the Z Packs Exo Backpack has a similar frame, however, and suggest you consider it if you have interest in this framing concept.

pack

I don't have any hands on experience with the Exo Backpack but, from the photo and specs the frame looks similar to the ones I have made and the pack's specs (weight and volume) are very close to the one I made for my wife.

I've had very good luck with these frames and with 3 of us using them over the last few years there has not been a single frame failure. The frame adds less than 2 ounces to the overall weight of the backpack.

[Daryl and Daryl]

My wife arrived in Buenos Aires a couple of days ago on her way to a backpack trip in Patagonia with the Seattle Mountaineers.

She was once again able to bring all her stuff as carry-on luggage using this myog pack. She has done previous hikes in Spain (500 miles) and Scotland using this pack as carry-on luggage and then as her backpack.

This time she achieved something new. She was able to include a metal hiking poll. She took off the pole's point and placed it inside the backpack between folds of a Steve Evans folding foam pad. None of the airport inspectors said a word for the flights from Seattle to Dallas and Dallas to Buenos Aires.

The position of the pack bag on the frame is adjustable. In the photo above (initial post) she has it low on the frame. For flying she raises it high on the frame so it meets the carry-on size specs. She'll probably lower it again for hiking so she will have space to strap addional items to the top of the frame if she needs to.

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