It’s MyOwn

[John Donewar]

They discontinued making theirs so I made MyOwn.

It is a 22" x 9" x 7.5" and 1485 cubic inches or 24.33479 liters in volume.

It has been out on two training walks and it carries well. As it sits in the pictures it is all loaded up with with gear, food and fuel. The water bottles are empty.

The shoulder straps are unpadded and made from blue VX21 and 4mm black foam spacer mesh. The webbing on the front of the straps is 3/4" lightweight webbing from Quest.

The large "water bottle pockets" are made of Quest Outfitters lycra mesh.

I included a sternum strap and water bottle bungees on the shoulder straps for 20 oz Gatorade bottles. I kept this pack "hip-belt-less".

It weighs 12.85 ounces so it is 2.85 ounces overweight. I believe the side pockets and the 5 oz per square yard VX-21 account for the overage.

The laced compression cordage is Triptease with a cord end liberated from an REI pack of mine. The zipper top closure was an experiment of mine. It was made using #5 waterproof coil zipper from Quest and some off the shelf zipper pulls from Academy.

I think that I now have the MYOG record for the longest bar tack. It is 9" long and goes completely across the front panel in the 1" nylon webbing that anchors the shoulder straps to the front panel.

BTW the w is silent. ;-)

Party On,

Newton

[K C]

I like it, especially the matching zipper pulls. The round lid must have been tough to design and make. Not too many myog pack makers lately, glad to see one.

[Sam Farrington]

John,
You keep making them lighter and lighter. Very nice looking, too.
But what is the pack body made of?
Is it a trade secret?

BTW, Did you see the narrow-waisted bottled from Planters are now coming in a full liter size?

Ca va!

[John Donewar]

@Kaleb,

Thank you for the kind words. I've had this one in the works for a while now. The lid is not as "round" as I would have liked but it serves the purpose. I folded many a piece of paper trying out my design ideas for the lid.

@Sam,

No trade secret, the pack body is the same blue VX-21 X-pac as the shoulder straps. I haven't seen the 1 liter size Planters as yet. I appreciate your positive review of the pack.

I keep making them lighter and lighter because I keep getting older and older.;-)

Party On,

Newton

[MFR]

Very, very cool. I am quite impressed with those straight stitches. This makes me excited to start some pack projects that I have planned (even though I am waiting until the winter).

Is that the Rocket Blue VX-21? My impression was that it was closer to navy, but yours looks brighter. Is it the lighting, or am I seeing that wrong?

[John Donewar]

Hi Clayton,

It does look brighter in the pictures due to the lighting and the flash on my camera. The fabric's color is much closer to Navy blue as you said.

The X-pac that I used in this pack is actually the OD Blue VX-21. The fabric appears much darker to the eyes than it does under flash photography. You've got some sharp eyes. I picked up this fabric from Ronald Rod on this forum back in January.

"Very, very cool".

It is so nice to hear something described this way considering the record heat we've been experiencing lately throughout the country. Thank you very much.

Now get from in front of the computer and back in front of the sewing machine!
L O L

Party On,

Newton

[David Goodyear]

Nice pack. Love the design. Your skills keep progresing. I'm still using the bivy sack you made.

More on the straps – they are not padded? how does it carry? any rub? tender spots? This has been a stopping point for me, as I'm not sure how to get all of that material under the foot of my singer.

Thanks

Dave

[Chris M]

Pack looks very slick. The zipper is well done. I'm curious to know how the Xpac/3D mesh straps work as well. I've been thinking about doing the same on some lighter packs. It seems to me the Xpac would add just enough stiffness to make them nice still. I'd be curious what weights it works well up to.

Also, the pack is getting pretty close to square in dimensions. How is the stability of the pack? I think I see a webbing hipbelt in one of those pictures too. Does that help keep it stable? I've always tried to stick to fairly rectangular shaped packs, preferring to increase the width (up to 12" at most) rather than the depth. But if this is working nicely, then it could open up all new possibilities for me.

[John Donewar]

@Dave,

Thanks a lot! The only padding in the straps is the foam in the 4mm spacer mesh. I've taken it for a couple of training walks. One was in the state park and the other was on the river levee. Each walk was non-stop and 2.5 to 3.5 hours in length. I have to say that it did carry well. I did feel some of the weight in my shoulders near the end of the 3.5 hour walk. My other packs have had hip belts and I am spoiled in that area. A full load in this pack including water, fuel and consumables comes in at 17.5 pounds.

My Singer handles the mesh, X-pac and 3/8" CCF padding but it is a tight fit. It is workable though.

Glad you're getting good service out of the bivy. :-)

@Chris,

I appreciate the good words!

The X-pac does as you said give the straps enough "body" without the CCF inside. As stated above on my practice runs the pack was loaded up to 17.5 pounds. Max would probably limit out at 20 pounds. It would really be a winner at 15 pounds wet weight though.

The pack is very stable while carrying it. It is actually a little wider on the front panel than it is on the rear panel. The difference is about 2 inches. Loaded up with the CCF pad as a frame it takes on a more cylindrical shape.

There is no hip belt on this pack. What you are seeing is the loose ends of the shoulder strap adjustment webbing.

I wasn't sure how the pack would ride with the added depth until I tried it. Most of my packs are 12 to 13 inches across and 5 to 6 inches deep. It was a pleasant surprise that it carried so well.

The dimensions of the pack are basically the same as the one that they discontinued.

Since the "w" is silent maybe I ought to call it The W Pack. L O L

Party On,

Newton

[Terry Trimble]

Newton,
MyOwn pack is another cool pack design with fine craftsmanship and it has one thing the company did not offer it completely waterproof except at the seams. I like how you taper from small width front panel at the bottom and it gradually gets to a larger width at the top.
I have a question does the the light weight webbing slip in the ladder buckle when under tension?

If you make another one what would be cool is sewn in to under the top lid make a hidden small objects pocket out of mesh with a light weight zipper.

I have been wanting to do a pack like this also I have been trying to figurer a way to take stress off the zipper when loaded at the front so the pack does not have a zipper failure. I think front compression strap that goes over the top of the lid to a buckle at the zipper top bottom would release the tension for less zipper failure.
Keep on sewing,
Terry

[Rob Daly]

Very nice looking pack John. It looks professionally made. Please keep us up to date with how you like it over time.

[John Donewar]

@Terry,

Thank you sir for the compliment.

"I like how you taper from small width front panel at the bottom and it gradually gets to a larger width at the top".

I know how it appears in the pictures but it is actually the reverse. The wider portion is nearer the bottom and after the bottom run of compression cord the width of that panel is parallel all the way to the zipper. The side panels are D shaped at the bottom. They "wrap" inward towards the center. The seams on the rear facing panel are closer together than the seams on the shoulder strap side or front facing panel.

The pictures were taken from slightly above and at an angle downwards towards the pack. This accounts for the appearance of width at the top.

What was really challenging was mapping out the S curve on the fabric in-between the bottom of the pack and the rear facing panel. :-?

"…does the the light weight webbing slip in the ladder buckle when under tension"?

Only the webbing on the front of the shoulder straps is the light weight webbing. the adustable webbing going through the ladderlocks is Quest's medium weight nylon webbing. I've given up on grosgrain and light weight webbing for any adjustable straps. The weight savings is so small it isn't worth the heartburn that it causes.

"…a hidden small objects pocket out of mesh with a light weight zipper".

I considered it, especially since my inspiraton for this pack came from one modified with an added mesh pocket just like the one you suggest.

…zipper failure".

Since the shoulder straps attach about 2.5" below the zipper of the top closure the stressed area of the pack is from the strap "anchorage" down to the bottom. The top closure and zipper are a pretty "relaxed" portion of the pack. It's not evident in the pictures but the lid is angled downwards from the front panel to the rear panel just above the compression cordage.

@Rob,

Thanks Rob, will do.

Party On,

Newton

[MFR]

By the way, how many yards of fabric does a project like this take?

[Terry Trimble]

The answer is the ITW/Nexus Waveloc family for no slip buckles . Then for sternum strap use a 3/4 Triglide with the webbing doubled back on it self to attach the sternum strap system to the shoulder strap.
Terry
http://global.itwnexus.com/content/apex-waveloc-family

[John Donewar]

@Clayton,

Being really careful and stingy with the fabric I believe 1.5 linear yards of the 54 inch wide VX-21 would yield one pack. The way I oriented the Spectra strands makes for a long piece of fabric.

I really didn't keep track since I was working from a much larger piece of fabric. I just did some calculations of the sizes of the panels and added up the yardage. The result was less than the area of 1 linear yard 54 inches wide. But then again if you want the Spectra strands oriented a particular way you'll need more material.

2 yards of 54" wide fabric will leave you with a pack and a sizeable amount of leftover material.

There is also the spacer mesh to consider on the shoulder straps. This works out to about .3 sq yd due to the curved shape of the shoulder straps.

All of my seam allowances were 1/2" except for the edges of the shoulder straps. Those were 3/8".

@Terry,

"The answer is the ITW/Nexus Waveloc family for no slip buckles".

Been there done that with grosgrain and light weight webbing and found no joy. Others on this forum say they have had success with the wavelocs. Unfortunately I haven't. ;-?

I do however like the ITW Nexus sternum strap hardware. I used it for the sternum strap on this pack.

Party On,

Newton

[Michael Duke]

Great work Newton!

1/2" seam allowances make pack dimensions significantly easier, and the reinforcement is easier.

Some one earlier was saying he was having difficulty with sewing the foam. Using a thicker thread helps a significant amount with foam.

The pack looks great.

[John Donewar]

Thanks Michael,

I think that was Dave. His concern was getting all of the layers of material and the foam for padded straps under the presser foot.

He wanted to know how comfortable my (no CCF) "un-padded" straps were in actual use.

I've been using Gutermann Tera, Size: Tex 50 thread from DIY Gear Supply.

Thanks again

Party On,

Newton

[Daryl and Daryl]

Here's a way to make shoulder straps without sewing through the foam.

here

[george carr]

As always, well done John!

[John Donewar]

Thanks George

It's always good to hear from a friend. ;-)

Party On,

Newton

[John Donewar]

Rob,

Ask and ye shall receive.

I was concerned about going sans hip belt with this pack but my fears were ill founded. It carries well fully loaded as evidenced by the fact that I took a training walk in the rain this morning with the pack full and carrying 3.5 quarts of water/Gatorade.

The walk lasted 4 hours and my shoulders knew there was something there but I'm not suffering any pain or soreness of the shoulders. My full pack weight is somewhere in the range of 23 pounds. I plan on using this pack for my usual long hike on the AT sometime in April or May of 2013.

The edges of the shoulder straps are a touch rough. It's nothing that a good shirt can't make you forget about though. The lack of padding is not proving to be an issue. I attribute this to their width.

The lycra has stretched a bit and looks more like a normal mesh pocket now. But everything still rides securely. The compression cordage on the front of the pack may find a use for drying of gear on a long hike but up to now it is just window dressing.

I hope that this was the info that you were looking for long term.

Party On,

Newton

[Rob Daly]

Nice to hear Newton. Thanks for the report. Nothing like MYOG.

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