Two New Packs

can a moderator move this to make you own gear please?

SORRY!

Very nice looking packs. I'd love to see some pictures of the frame and how you made it. A 23 oz pack with a frame carrying 40 pounds is pretty impressive.

The framesheet is simply a piece of coroplast, the size of the backpanel. There are 1/8" carbon fiber rods shoved into the corrugations. The edge of the coroplast is then finished with polyester tape to remove possibility of slicing fabric with the sharp edges, and to keep the CF rods inplace

Very nice, where did you source the 500d White Widow fabric from?

This was available from Seattle fabrics for years. i bought some stock a few years ago and have been sitting on it.

I bought some of the white widow spectra from Seattle Fabrics several years ago, too. The selection of fabrics there is decent, and they often carry a few hard-to-find items, but they are just a clearinghouse. They know little to nothing about what they sell. I copied this description of the White Widow Spectra from the website, when they had it in stock:

"This is a 500 denier nylon with a Spectra carbon filter ripstop reinforcement woven into the fabric. The white carbon fiber ripstop grid gives this fabric a unique look and an ample coating makes it nice and waterproof."

They also assured me that their heat-sealable 70d nylon can be sealed on both sides (it clearly can't). Also, if you order anything from them online, no matter how small (even just a buckle or some buttons), you will be charged $16-$40 for shipping. You have to call in your order and ask them to manually calculate the shipping cost for it. So, be aware of these issues if you use Seattle Fabrics.

Nathan, the packs look great. They look simple, tough, and well-designed. How much does the framesheet on the bigger pack weigh?

Looking at the photo of the larger pack on your 'model,' to get a fix on size, it's hard to imagine jamming over 40 lbs. of stuff into it. But if you've done that, and it's comfortable to carry, you are really on to something with your pack design. Kudos.

Admittedly, The 40lbs I carried was 90% water weight. I loaded it up with water with the goal of stressing the framesheet and suspension. I would have a difficult time cramming 40 lbs of gear into that thing, unless I was really using all of the outside lashing. And the 40lb 'comfort rating' I expressed surely must have been dependant on the weights' center of gravity being close and tight to my back. The framesheet alone weighs 4.7 oz. Not breaking any records, but I'm quite happy with it.