Semi-Custom Backpacks

>These are some of the things that separate my pack from other designs.

These sound like the kinds of things that often separate one class of packs from another. Looking forward to seeing more of the designs.

Lawson,

I'm glad you enjoyed the analogy. It just goes to prove that there is room in the market for a well designed business plan.

"His business model is a bit different than what I am thinking."

True enough, Chris's model seems to be "custom" with a side order of…

" Its kind of like when you build and price a car/truck. You choose the model and then choose the colors and features that are available."

…on his "Gear Deals" page.

I'm referring to "small product runs" of already designed and built packs with listed features, colors and sizes. It's kind of like buying the car/truck off of the dealership's lot instead of ordering it from the factory. ;-)

Maybe you could let your beard and hair grow longer and stick with the multicam pack line. It seems to work well for the Robertsons. How do you look in "camo"? LOL

Party On,

Newton

Party On,

Newton

Here are two more photos

This one is of the contoured backpanel. The side panels are basically shaped like your spine so when you wear the pack it follows the contours of your back. It gives you the feel of a framed pack without the frame.

This one is of the s curve shoulder straps. As you can see they curve away from your neck and then back over your chest. This keeps the straps off your neck and out of your armpits.

Looks good Lawson. You don't need to reinvent the wheel in order to sell a few packs. Most people buy several in search of the perfect one anyway. Do some research on pricing. I doubt you find anyone selling a comparable pack in the $130 range.

Ryan

Zippers are heavy. Good construction and light weight is key. What is the site name again and I'd be willing to pay at least $130 is my feedback to your question.

Your pack looks quite amazing. The contoured back panel is quite innovative, I don't think I've seen anything quite like it in a frameless pack. In addition to the "live-lifter" system you've employed and the bomber construction, the design appears to lend itself very well to scrambling and bushwhacking where a closefitting and durable pack is necessary.

This would be a great pack for adventure racers and lightweight climbers, especially with the panel zips. Add some shoulder strap pockets for energy gels and a bungee to hold a Gatorade bottle and it would be perfect. Of course, that could all be part of your modular system.

Overall, great pack I love it and would pay well for one. I would be more than happy to help you by beta testing one of the multicam renditions. It'd be like Christmas in July! Good Luck!

Custom made by Bangladesh child slaves. Top shelf at Walmart.
Quality isn't cheap.

I brought the 130 up as I was comparing to jam and CDT. I think the latter is made in Utah…; )

When I contacted ULA about adding Cuben to one of their packs, it was an extra hundred.
They are set up for production, not custom. Paying ten, maybe twenty bucks an hour with labor burden… not what I want to make as a business person.What would be the point?

I paid extra for a Chris Zimmer( built)custom Xpac backpack,w/requested options of a 400CI removable outside front pocket, and also removable hip belt with pockets. It gave me options of having 2500 to 3100 CI, and 21 to 27 ounces to carry, depending on trip, days, needs, ect. There is certainly room for another cottage industry pack maker who already has a good reputation..

True Scree, but Lawson was not going to make a custom pack unless I misunderstood what he was saying.
Regardless, the $130 was follows with a ? Have to start somewhere. Most of use have spent a lot more on a single pack and would be willing to do it here as well.

Now where is the order form? LOL

I think you said 130-150, which was reasonable in comparison. The reply was he couldn't do it for 130. The figure keeps coming back for some reason.
It seems that many of the "cottage industries" with the lower prices aren't doing the work themselves, in which case quality control goes downhill.
While not totally custom, these are built to order, by the owner or at least under direct supervision. Perhaps 3 or 4 hours to cut and sew plus sourcing the materials. I was surprised that Zimmer was as cheap as he was.

Edit: I guess this is "Gear Deals", $130 must be the deal price.

Hi Lawson, love your pack design. I'm in the process of tooling up for a small backpack/gear production house myself. I've been playing with pack designs for years, also selling them via word of mouth in my local area. I'm curious about this idea that "It gives you the feel of a framed pack without the frame." could you elaborate on this a bit more? While carrying what weight? As I understand it, the idea of a frame in backpack design is through using a laterally stiff structure to transfer the load off the shoulders to the hips. I don't understand how a frameless design could accomplish this in and of itself. Please don't take this as an attack on your claim, I am genuinely interested in your thought process and want to encourage you to move forward with your idea. The quality of your work is great, and I'm sure it's owner is quite happy with it's craftsmanship.

Not attempting to answer for Lawson here, but hopefully offering additional information for consideration:

Way back in the day, Jensen frameless packs were contoured design too & attempted to utilize a combination of compression type compartments to constrain the contents of the pack sufficiently tight enough to resist any compression forces(vertical or horizontal) … thus acting as a kind of a de-facto frame.

By analogy, think of a aluminum can of Pepsi.
With an unopened can of soda, it's the soda contents that give the can a much higher level of structural strength than it would have if the can were empty.
That's because it is the soda contents itself (being constrained in the can)that resists any applied compression forces. Without the soda contents inside the can (& it being constrained), an empty aluminum can has only minimal structural strength.

Jensen Packs' design was meant to work utilizing the "same" principle.

Jensen Packs are still made by Rivendell Mountain Works:
http://www.rivendellmountainworks.com/about-our-packs/jensen-packs/

The site shows how the contour design with its the three compartments (two vertical acting as two stays, and one horizontal acting as a hip support) that give the pack a functional form to hug your back without collapsing

I've used the Jensen pack design back in the day, and if the carry weight crept up, it was a challenge for me to get the contents sufficiently packed to provide enough structural strength to support a carry weight beyond 90-32 lbs.
(Thus, I have a much smaller pack today and I wouldn't want to carry that much weight for very long, preferably not at all ;-)

Good to see efforts to raise the bar on this type of design direction.

I believe that what he is referring to is the way that the pack hugs your back, along with the way that the "live-lifters" help pull weight up and against your back.

This is much in contrast to many frameless packs which lack load lifters and which have the tendency to "balloon", turning into a tube which resists the body's contours.

Anyone please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks for all the compliments and feedback.

This particular pack style does not have a frame but I have many more that do. Some of my designs have just a foam backpanel and some have a foam backpanel, plastic frame sheet, and removable aluminum frame stays.

The packs have a contoured shape cut into the sides of the pack so they fit your back better. The load lifter system is sort of two part. Its helps to compress the pack more while allowing you to adjust how the load feels on your shoulders.

As far as customization goes. I am still thinking about this. I want to be able to offer a product that is unique to the customer while being able to produce it in a very short amount of time. I am thinking kind of like how Timbuk2 does their bags.

I'm tall and have not found a mid-priced pack that deals with long torso folks (21.5) well without dropping $$$. I've ordered products from you in the past and have faith in your quality, so I'd be all over this if you pulled the trigger.

+1 on the multi-cam. C'mon , Lawson…we're all rooting for you and will buy AT LEAST what you produce.

Matt

I'd like to see options for water bottle, kangaroo, and interior stash pockets pockets.

Maybe a beavertail option

Removable lid

Removable frame

Hipbelt options

Looking forward to seeing…..

Best advice on pricing is price the pack out at cost and then markup to retail. Might sound simple and logically, but hitting price points is the way the large, mass production companies built products typically. If you need to price at $180, don't let a couple of people telling you, $130 or it won't sell, scare you away from bringing these to market if you feel you're created a great product that has it's place in the category. Wow…run on sentence there at the end.

I just came across this forum and remembered about the Multicam X pac backpack I built 9 months ago.. So I dug it out and took two photo's since I said I was going to way back when I started this forum…. I guess I got too busy and forgot.

The pack in question uses VX33 which is a 330d cordura Multicam Xpac, and VX42 black for the back panel which is a 400d cordura. I would say the size is a true 35L. Basically the same pack as the red one above, just no zippers, no daisy chains, no ice axe loops, and more durable materials. Oh yeah and plus a semi-frame.. It weighs 24oz without the frame stays and 30oz with two aluminum 1/8" thick x 3/4" wide x 22" long frame stays..

A very nice-looking pack! Eight weeks is, however, too long–just because others do it, doesn't mean it's okay. If you decide to make them, I think you should engage some personnel to make them, instead of doing it yourself. From the sound of your posts, you're thinking of expanding, right? So doesn't that lead to bigger operations?
You're very well-regarded in your one-man operation–don't you think you can retain your standards if you increase your production? I've bought several items from you, and am very happy with the quality and the personal communication. Frankly, I'd give your affordable tarps or packs the benefit of the doubt over others, but waiting for two months just plain turns me off.

Cool Pack! I would like to see what the suspension looks like on the other side.

Re-reading my posting from yesterday, I think it sounded a little pedantic. Sorry about that, and the pack looks very nice. I am a happy customer of yours, but I think eight weeks is too long to wait. Plus, once you open up orders for your packs, tarps, etc., you'll have a lot more orders, thereby possibly increasing the wait time?