Henley pack

Welcome back Mark!

I am sorry to learn of your difficulties and glad you're BaaaAAAAAck!

+1 Welcome back Mark! Hope all is well.

Glad to hear you are getting back on the trail. I haven't been frequenting the forums, so sorry this is a bit late.

Your pack was the first piece of gear that I ever made, and really was a fantastic pattern to have available to me. With that in mind though, it was pretty poorly constructed because I didn't know much of what I was doing. I did get to use it on a couple of trips before the fabric was too stressed, but my lack of skill could play a part in any issues I faced during use.

One issue I remember was the torso length being a bit too short for my pad. Just barely, but it was still a bit troublesome.

Also, the attachment point of the straps being directly beneath the opening of the pack caused issues if using shockcord for the closure and no lid. I'm not a huge fan of lids, so didn't add one, and the straps would slowly pull the pack open. So it would be nice to note that if you skip the lid, it would be good to make a collar.

As a SUL piece of gear, most of the design thoughts are still great. For my current SUL packs, I have gone with shoulder straps with a small curve and built in foam. For attaching the straps, I have started using webbing in more of a Zpacks style, partly because of how easy this can be.

Thanks!