Backpack fabric

[Daryl and Daryl]

Backpack fabric weight can make a big difference in the overall weight of a pack. My current myog backpack, for example, uses 1.9 ounce uncoated nylon ripstop and the fabric portion of the backpack weighs about 4 ounces. If I beefed things up to, say, a 6 ounce fabric, it would add a half pound to the overall pack weight. That's a significant amount of weight here at BPL.

The 1.9 ounce fabric is working well for me but for my next pack(s) I'm going to lighten up on the fabric until I reach the breaking point. I'll then beef it up a bit, knowing that I have gone as low as I can go while meeting my needs….. plus a margin of error.

Fooling around with the fabric weight and breaking point of my packs is a luxury many others don't have. I have the time and interest to do this.

I'm guessing that some of you just don't want to fool around with this breaking point nonsence. You want a pack with a big margin of error that won't let you down. So, and it makes good sense to me, you go for the heavier fabrics?

What are your thoughts on this subject?

[David Goodyear]

Since I was in the design stage and had limited sewing skills, I opted for cost and function. $4 a yard pack cloth vs $20 a yard specialty fabrics. Many people have mixed fabrics to account for higher wear areas…I will also on my next pack. Hiking style and location are a big factor also. If you are going to be in a remote area or on a well travelled trail…can you afford a breakdown.
I can't call any of the gear that I have made ultralight, although they are lighter than the commercially available counterparts.

I enjoy seeing all of the new pack innovations from members on this site.

Dave

[Sam Farrington]

My current pack is a 3# suspended mesh back panel MYOG 50L of spectra gridstop that weighs around 4 oz/yd with the coating. It has held up very well for years, so don't see the point of doing one with 5 oz Xpac. That is going in the wrong direction, weightwise, IMO.

Could cut the weight by at least half by going to either 1.5 oz cuben or sil-coated 1.9 oz nylon, and building a lighter frame out of carbon or FG rod to suspend a mesh back panel. Not sure that the cuben would be worth the greater cost, and being an old fuddy-duddy, the feel of nylon cloth appeals to me more if it is not that much heavier.

For those needing a bomb proof pack for trail work, climbing or whatever, the heavier Xpac probably makes sense. For backpacking trails, or off-trail in open country, the lighter pack will be fine, IMO, and contribute greatly to reducing overall weight.

For sake of comfort, I am willing to suffer the additional weight of a suspended mesh frame, but that is apart from the fabric issue raised by your thread.

[Author]

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