How light is reasonable for a (non-Cuben) MYOG pack ~30 liters?

[David Drake]

I'm planning to make a pack at some point (prob. over winter), and would like to bring it in at ~8 oz for 30 liters or so. Just noticed the zpacks blast 20 (about the size and feature set I have in mind) is 6.8 oz in Cuben. I was planning to use some combination of silnylon and Dyneema Gridstop. Am I kidding myself? Or will I just need to revise my expectations in terms of durability for that weight and a non-Cuben price point?

Any project examples would be great. For what it's worth, I love the way the zimmerbuilt Half Dome looks, and aspire to that kind of excellence (long way to go), but have no idea what it weighs.

Edit: should add, planned base for this pack is 5#. Would like to carry 5 days food plus 1 liter water (max). So total starting weight >15#.

[Bob Gross]

One non-cuben example might be the Gossamer Gear Murmur pack, and it weighs around 8 ounces, and I believe that it is designed for a maximum load of about 15 pounds. You could probably do a knockoff. Or, if you got serious, you could purchase a Murmur, copy it, and then sell off the one that you don't like.

–B.G.–

[Michael Duke]

The cuben fiber is actually heavier than silnylon. 1.46 vs about 1.3 oz. So the weight really depends on how much sil you use vs dyneema x. But if you are getting Dyneema X, cuben is only 3 dollars more per yard I think. A lot of weight is in the hardware and webbing.

[Brendan Swihart]

If you keep straps, buckles, pockets, 3d mesh, etc to a minimum it's probably doable. Those add up way faster than fabric weight. Here's one I made that's similar volume to what you're wanting. Full dyneema X except for the collar and pad sleeve (sil), pretty wide straps with 3d mesh, big front mesh pocket and top and bottom side mesh pockets, and padded hipbelt. It weighs just under 12 oz. That could be trimmed down quite a bit if I had wanted.

[David Drake]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far–glad it seems doable. Great looking pack, Brendan. Out of curiosity, do you happen to know the weight of 3D mesh (per square foot, or whatever)?

[Brendan Swihart]

It's relatively heavy; the rockywoods stuff is just under 15 oz/sq yd. I've used the thru hiker mesh as well and I'd be surprised if it was much different.

[David Drake]

Thanks, Brendan.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Here's one that comes pretty close to your 8 ounce goal. It weighs 11 ounces but is quite a bit bigger than 30 liters.

pack

My wife just returned from a week long trip using this pack. Her skin-out weight was about 27 lbs. She carried all her own gear except for the tent.

[Pilate de Guerre]

David,

Check out the 30L 5oz. pack that Ke Wu made. It's almost like he saw your question and made the thread to answer it.

That should give you something to aim for. It is lighter than the GG hyperlight pack and only 2oz. heavier than HMG's lightest Cuben no-features pack.

[ke wu]

Thank you for your kindness! I originally want to post something here.
I plan to rebuild a 30 liter new pack that weighs no more than 4 oz for 3-5 day hiking. 20-30D ripstop nylon and partly enhanced dyneema fabric would be adopted. Next, a 250D pure dyneema 45 liter pack will also be built, in order to cope with a coming glacier trip. I don't know how much weight it would be…

[William Zila]

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=51892

There's a pack I made about 35-40 liters with pockets 4 ounces on the dot

[David Drake]

Pilate, Ke Wu and William–thanks for the info.

Ke Wu and William: nice looking packs, and fantastic weights. I'd seen the threads you'd both posted on them, and was very interested. Ke Wu, I was wondering why you chose uncoated nylon (if that's what you used) rather than sil?

And William, I assume the sil you used was 30D (1.1 oz before coating). I have some left over from tarp making I might play with. Any durability concerns? What kind of foam did you use for the straps, if you don't mind sharing?

Thanks again.

[William Zila]

Yes it was 30d sil form diy gear I used ccf foam
From a Plain Wally world blue pad inserted into a sleeve then I ran a stich down the center. As for durability as long as your not doing any major off trail in thick brush it should be good

[Author]

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