Pack build

Macegl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
160
Just wanted to thank everyone who answered my questions on my last post, and post a couple of pictures of progress so far. Ive got the back panel done and the frame sheet inserted, I also bent the stays since the pictures were taken and inserted them.

Waiting on some durastretch fabric for the inside of the waistbelt and shoulder harness, then I'll be back at it.

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Macegl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
160
Well, it’s finally done, and just in time too. I have a muzzleloader buck hunt in two and a half weeks, then a rifle hunt the end of October, and a cow elk muzzleloader hunt the first part of November. I’ve got some good bucks found in some awesome country, so hopefully between the deer and cow elk hunt I get to post a picture of the pack with more than a pillow in it :)

I mostly wanted to post this to say thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions and tips. Also, a big thank you to everyone who posts on this forum, I likely never would have jumped in if it weren’t for seeing the awesome things you guys build.

So, I finished up the frame and harness in April, it’s basically a duplex type frame, with a u-shaped single piece shoulder strap, basically like the pack frame Tartan built a couple years ago. When I was on a fire crew I had a lumbar fire pack with this style of shoulder strap and it was really comfortable. I may make a lumbar pack down the road for summer scouting day trips, which was one of the determining factors in going with this style of shoulder strap.

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Macegl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
160
Getting the frame and harness done was a huge relief. After I ordered all the supplies, I had a bit of a panic moment when I realized I had just spent more on material, HDPE, aluminum and buckles, than on any pack I had previously purchased, and I basically didn’t know if I had the ability to make anything with it (up to that point I hadn’t done a whole lot of sewing in my life). Once the frame was done, I figured I at least had something useable.

The month of May and the first part of June flew by, and between yard work, a little turkey hunting (far too little), and a pretty hectic time at work, I didn’t really work on the pack at all other than thinking about what I wanted, and sketching out some different options on grid paper.

I am really blessed in that I live in the center of the unit I hunt for elk and deer, so a lot of the scouting and hunting I can do in day trips with a few overnight and multiple night trips mixed in. When deciding what I wanted to do for a pack, I knew I wanted something that could function well as a day pack/meat hauler primarily, with the capability to adjust to multi day pack occasionally as well.

Once it got too hot to enjoy working in the yard it was back to the sewing room in the basement. In the end I decided to do a batwing style pack, each one is 24”L x 5.5”W x 5”D. The front pockets are for a tripod and trekking polls, and they also have a stretch back pocket and interior pocket. They can fit a lot more than I imagined they could, I’m not sure if that is good or bad, hahah. I also sewed up some compression straps, they can run independently of the batwings and either in front or behind.

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AdamW

WKR
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Messages
820
Looks great man! A lot of work invested there for sure. Every time I think about the time and materials that goes in to sewing a pack I remember what a good deal production packs are! :D
 
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Macegl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
160
Overall, I’m really pleased with the batwing decision. I have been running it scouting since the latter part of July, and I tested it with some weight a couple weeks ago helping a friend pack some bait into a bear station. It did however, have a couple shortfalls, there are a few items I like to have handy that I don’t want to have to dig for, such as snacks, a tripod adaptor for my binos, a video adaptor for my phone to hook onto my tripod (both DIY by the way, thanks to some sweet ideas from this forum). Also, when loaded with weight things tended to sag, which I didn’t care for.

So, to finish up I sewed up a simple lid, and a load panel. Here is the mostly final pack (I'm not sure I'll ever be all the way done).

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Macegl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
160
And one last pic of meat hauling mode.

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This was a pretty fun way to spend the offseason, gonna tackle a couple more things after the seasons are done this year. But for now I'm just going to enjoy hunting with a new pack.

Good luck everyone
 

WoodBow

WKR
Joined
Jul 21, 2015
Messages
1,744
Looks good man. I know very well the immense amount of time you have invested in that rig.
 
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Macegl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
160
Thanks man, that means a lot! Seeing some of the projects you have posted on here has given me some great ideas, and the confidence to jump in.
 

blutooth

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 30, 2014
Messages
151
Location
WI
I just wanted to say, for not having any sewing experience, this looks amazing! Now I'm sure the hard part will be to just use and enjoy the bag before making changes and building another one - once you build one, it always seems like you want to build another right? It looks like that bag will last forever!

Best of luck this season!
 
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Macegl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
160
Thanks, I have to say the sewing got a lot better as the project progressed:D.

As for building another one, I’ve got a couple ideas cooking for bags, but I likely won’t tackle another frame unless I can find a good deal on an industrial sewing machine.
 
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