MYOG Black Bomber Backpack

Denis,

Thanks for the kind comments.

There actually is no lumbar pad. It probably looks as though there is, because of the curvature of the aluminum stay.

The basic construction of the side on my back that makes it stiff and contoured is:

1. XPAC VX21 fabric as the back panel – This stuff is quite stiff compared to other nylon fabrics, and if you made a pack with nothing but this fabric, it would hold its structure quite well.

2. I sewed on sleeves on the inside of the VX21 for the insertion of the aluminum stay.

3. The full back pad sleeve (see the picture above) holds a Gossamer Gear Nightlight Torso Pad in place, which adds padding and more stiffness.

Thanks for answering my questions Shane but they raised a couple more.

Will your extension collar buckle reach all the way down to the attachment point with minimal gear in the pack? I'm having a hard time visualizing but it seems like the stay will limit how far down the buckle can go. I'm debating how low to put it on mine.

The lycra slipping questions is probably me specific. It seems even packs that have "stickier" material than the lycra slide down in the lumbar area. Not sure if this is a pack fit issue or just inherent for my anatomy. I might have to give it a try though.

Alright, you convinced me on the removable Dyneema X pockets. I currently use MLD ones on my Gorilla. It might be nice to have the mesh pockets sewn in with the ability to add removable ones over them for more volume/rainy conditions. Maybe not but I did like the simplicity of the elastic hipbelt pockets.

Yeah, the ladder lock addition should be easy. As far as the lid, I wasn't thinking weight reduction as much as streamlining. With the stuff sack you have to put the bear can in the sack then thread the buckles through the loops. With the lid you just put the bear can on the pack and buckle over the top. You would need adjustability on both front and back but going back to the ladder lock idea, it would be removable then. Also, your pack volume should be staying pretty constant during a trip since you food is in the canister so you'll only have to adjust the ladderlock side at the start and then forget about it. I'm not sure this is better, just throwing out ideas.

Thanks for the well wishes on the pack. This is my first pack so it's going slower than I'd like. The majority of the time is just figuring out how to construct what I want. It would have been quicker to start with a simplier design but where's the fun in that!

Chris

"Will your extension collar buckle reach all the way down to the attachment point with minimal gear in the pack?"

Well, I keep my food in a food bag inside of my pack for better weight distribution. The canister will be empty on top of the pack. So yes, during the last couple of days when your food is about gone, the extension collar can reach very low down the sides of the pack. Here are a few pictures of the pack with my gear inside. The first is with the food bag nearly full at the beginning of a trip. The second is with very little in the food bag (during last couple of days).

"The lycra slipping questions is probably me specific. It seems even packs that have "stickier" material than the lycra slide down in the lumbar area."

It may be a hipbelt fit issue, but I don't know. I'm guessing it only happens when the shoulder straps are fairly loose and most of the weight is on your hips?

"This is my first pack so it's going slower than I'd like. The majority of the time is just figuring out how to construct what I want. It would have been quicker to start with a simplier design but where's the fun in that!"

I know exactly what you mean. My first couple of packs took a lot longer than I had anticipated (part of the time was fixing mistakes made). It gets much better with time.