Modifying Granite Gear Crown2 60 framesheet?

<span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>John,</span>

You might look to see if this HPG frame sheet/stay would work.

i am planning on putting one in a Granite Gear Vapor Day for the same reasons you mention.

https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/6/ProductID/62

Framesheet you say? FRAMESHEET?? GAK! They are nearly useless.

My Camelbal 40 liter hunting pack came with one.

-> I went to Lowe’s and bought a length of 1″ wide flat aluminum strip.

-> Cut the strip into 2 equal lengths to bolt through the frame sheet with aluminum bolts snd Nylock nuts. They were the same length as the frame sheet was tall. Pre-bend to your back’s curvature.

-> CAREFULLY melt bolt holes through the pack cloth and plastic frame sheet with a hot spike held securely in Vise Grips. Spike or hot bolt needs to be at least the same diameter as the bolts you will use. Use stainless steel flat washers on the inside of the pack to prevent the bolt from pulling through.

-> At the top of the aluminum strips bolt a shorter aluminum connecting piece when bolting through the frame sheet.

NOW your frame will support heavy loads – say at least 50 pounds, if you have a nice padded hip belt. I had to add one of those as well to my pack. I’ve used the pack 4 – 5 times a week for training hikes for the past 5 years. Virtually no signs of wear so far.

BTW, carry one aluminum (or stainless) bolt, Nylock nut and washer in the pack – just in case.

John it so happens that a U-shaped Gossamer Gear aluminum stay fits into the frame sheet compartment of the Crown 60. Just measure the width of the compartment to check that. Only about 3 1/2 oz for the medium size, even lighter than the plastic Crown framesheet.

Winter backpacking is awesome. Have fun!

<span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Eric, I think the frame sheet is very dependent on how snug it fits in it’s compartment.  My Kelty Red Wing 50 can easily support 40+ lbs loads.  It’s frame is essentially just a flexible frame sheet with a single aluminum stay running down the middle.  It’s in a pocket that is a PITA to get it out of because the Velcro flap top fits so tightly.  I have another pack, a Condor Venture, where the fit isn’t as tight though for the framesheet fit, plus no aluminum stay.  When I start going over 25 lbs with that pack it starts to bother over the long hall.</span>

It sounds to me that part of what made your system work there is how firmly mounted the frame you made is, akin to the very tight fit of the Kelty.  That diy projects though sounds like it was fun though.  I do love bodging things together on occasion myself.

@Ethan A thanks!  Have you tried it yet or just run the numbers?  Regardless since it’s only $20.00 it’s a worthy experiment!  Thanks again!

John I picked up the first release of the Crown and noticed the stay fit inside it quite well. However the placement of the shoulder straps on the back of the back wasn’t as good a fit as I’d like so I decided not to keep it (there was a lot of variation in that first release in the placement and angle of the shoulder straps).

Had a I kept it, I would probably have added some small webbing loops to hold the stay exactly where I wanted. It’s definitely worth a shot. You could combine it with a CCF pad between the stay and the back of the pack for some padding and the pad could also be used as a sit pad.

Ethan,

I have a Massdrop Crown2 size large with a frame sheet that weighs 6 oz. and is sized 22.5″ x 9 5/8″ that fits fairly snug in the pocket. The Gossamer Gear Removable Back stay medium is 19.5″ x 6.25″; the large is 22.5″ x 6.25″. I assume that the Back stay length of the large is good but I don’t see how the Gossamer Gear Back stay will directly replace the existing Crown2 frame sheet?  Do I have to make some kind of spacers at the top and bottom of the Back stay to keep it properly centered in the frame sheet pocket or what? Any other mods that I will have to do to make this will work?

Thanks for your help.

Paul

I have a Six Moons Designs squared-hoop stay that is 23.5″ long by 10.5″ wide, 4.5 ounces, pre-bent to match a generic back.

If you think you can use it – PM,  or   greg attt smgm dottt org

Greg,

Thanks for responding. I am not sure I know enough to know how to make that work. I did learn in a post in another thread that I should be able to feel in the pouch how the stay will latch into the hip belt and support the load lifters. I will try to investigate that sometime this week and PM you if I think  your stay will work.

Paul

Just checking to see if you found a solution that worked.  I’m interested in doing something similar with my crown 2, too.

Tyler,

This looks like the easiest option.but out of stock. There is a notification list when they receive more in stock.

https://www.gossamergear.com/collections/hardware-repair/products/removable-aluminum-backpack-stay?variant=36461553164

Best of luck. Please post if you come up with a better solution.

Paul

I was toying with the idea of using carbon fiber poles that I attach (zip tie?) to the edges of the framesheet.

Think something like this might work?

Tyler,

YES. Excellent thought. You are a pretty cleaver dude. I think you just won the contest.

I already have the carbon poles from a different project.I think you can probably get all the carbon parts from ebay or a kite supply place. The problem is you cannot bend or have angles unless you use tent pole aluminum angles.

Thinking through idea, you could get 2 pieces of plastic ( carbon sheet?) with similar strength but only 1 inch tall and the width of top and bottom of existing Crown frame sheet. Epoxy (and possibly rivet )the 2 carbon tubes to the 1 inch tall (or less?) plastic “horizontal stabilizers” at the top and bottom position so you have made a frame sheet outline with the same height and width of the original frame sheet. Possibly would need some padding but could be 1/2 inch wide and 3/8 inch strips of closed cell foam glued any place on the carbon that your back felt.  I  would weight test this carefully since if a connection let go or carbon pole broke, likely would tear the pack

Well done, Sir!

Paul

Good point about the potential for cracking under load.  After looking at the GG stay you linked to… what if you just made one from aluminum.  A quick google found 1/8” aluminum bar for just a couple bucks and Harbor Freight has a rod bender for cheap.  That would allow you to have some more stability and not worry about it breaking…   think 1/8” is right?

I own a Vapor Trail, a Blaze AC, a regular Crown2 and now a Massdrop X Crown2.  GG packs just seem to fit me well, and I really like a lot of their features.  My Blaze AC was my heavy load hauler that I used for trips where I had to pack some of my kids’ gear and a BV500, and I have carried 40# with it and (aside from the drag of carrying 40#) the Blaze AC was super comfy.

When I got my MDxC2, I felt like the frame sheet was a tad flimsy, although I found that carrying my 13# base weight plus food for 8 days and 2 liters of water (25# total) was quite comfortable. I actually like the soft-ish flex of the C2 frame sheet. To me it’s like a happy cross between a frameless and a rigid stay pack, and it flexes with my back nicely when bushwhacking or scrambling.  It seems super flimsy when the pack is empty, but packed with gear and compressed properly the frame works well, IMHO.

Then I had an epiphany…

I pulled the frame sheet out of my GG Blaze AC and compared it to the C2’s and behold… they are interchangeable!  The Blaze’s formed frame sheet is a harder, thinner, considerably stiffer black plastic that looks a bit like carbon fiber and weighs 1.8oz more than the white C2 sheet.  It has strips of the loop portion of velcro glued over the top and bottom edges to protect the pack from abrasion.  I swapped it into my C2 and it fit perfectly!  I have made 2 trips so far with this setup, 25# and 29# loads (freakin’ kids and their stuffed animals that they HAVE to have!), and it felt fantastic! The load lifters actually function with the stiffer frame, and the extra stiffness allows me to adjust my posture and create an air space between my back and the pack when I want to, which feels nice when it’s hot and sweaty.

Not wanting to disable my Blaze or constantly swap frames, I called GG customer service to see if I could buy an extra Blaze frame sheet, and the super nice lady I spoke to sent me one for free!  Now THAT’S what I call good customer service.  I now have a very versatile, super comfortable pack that I can tailor to my needs.  For weekend trips I will use the stock frame sheet, but for my JMT TH next fall I will use the Blaze frame to help with the extra weight of food + bear can.  Also, with the stiffer frame sheet, I can use the top V-strap to lash the bear can up on top and it stays put nicely.  I usually use a DCF food bag inside my pack and carry the can empty to keep the weight lower, then put the whole bag into the can at night.

I hope this helps some folks out, and I hope GG doesn’t get pissed at me when people start calling and asking for free Blaze frame sheets!  I fully expected to pay for one, but I got lucky. :)

Cheers,

Paul

Also, I found this post on another thread:

“This is a truly excellent pack if it fits you. I took it out today to try a folded CCF pad instead of the framesheet, and the carry was excellent. I really like the suspension without the plastic framesheet. Given that I carry a 1/8″ Gossamer Gear Thinlight to protect my air mattress, this was an excellent choice. It dropped the weight 5.5 ounces from the pack too.”

I might be tempted to try this for shoulder season trips with lighter loads, with or without the stock white frame sheet.  Or, I could just stash my folded-up Neoair Xlite or Xtherm in the frame pocket instead.  Lots of options here…

Cheers,

Paul

Good idea on the Blaze framesheet.  I’ll give them a call and see what I can do.  I don’t mind paying.
I’ve carried my massdrop crown with tent poles in the sleeve with the sheet, much like you mentioned the CCF pad, and that worked great. I’ve just switched to a hiking pole supported tent, so that isn’t an option anymore.