by Bill P » Fri 22 Dec, 2023 9:04 pm
I decided to build a backpack frustrated as I couldn’t find anything commercially available to meet my needs. Closest was the HMG 4400, but I didn’t like its chook food bag shape, reverse taper and colours.
I wanted a large volume,abrasion resistant, waterproof , single compartment bag capable of carrying up to 14 days of food and pack rafting equipment through rough off track terrain. Pack weight of <1.5kg with a proper harness to handle heavy loads was the target.
I based the bag shape and volume roughly on my bombproof 1993 MacPac Torre (3.5kg empty)and built a full size prototype out of some old material to check the dimensions and sort out the assembly sequence. I’m glad I did that.
Pack cloth is Xpac vx21, shoulder straps and aluminium bars are MacPac , hip belt Is Kathmandu C3 replacement.
Key features:
-roll top closure
- elastic back pocket for wet tent or rain coat or snow shovel
- loops for snow shoe attachment
- Side pockets for paddle blades
-silicone seam sealed inside before hem tape sewn on
It’s about 80 litres and weighs 1475 grams .
Last edited by
Bill P on Fri 22 Dec, 2023 10:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.