DIY Fulcrum pack build

Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
Last year I made a kifaru fulcrum copycat pack for my elk hunt in Colorado. The pack worked great. I love the layout. Daily items went in the wing pockets and everything else went in the main bag. I used a cheap 500d cordura for that pack and I felt the material was a little heavy and it had a thick coating on the back side. I found some 330d cordura and decided to see if I could lighten the pack and add a couple features that I thought would aid the overall function of the pack. I should mention also that the pack isn’t an exact copy. I left some things out that I feel I wouldn’t really use like the stretchy slot pockets on the back side of the long vertical pockets.


This thread will be a build along style, as I am busy with real life and I will have to break up the construction of the pack over a couple weeks.


Material list:

330d Cordura (i went with the camo because I couldn’t find coyote brown)

#10 ykk coil zipper

milspec 17337 webbing

#69 bonded nylon thread

1 inch metal triglides, duraflex buckles

550 cord for the draw string


First thing I do is cut and layout the pieces that I am working on for that stage of the project. Last year I actually made two packs, one for me and one for my hunting partner. So, I made templates of the cutouts on construction paper. I would suggest doing this for every project. This way if you screw something up or need to make a second you have the template all ready to go and you can just transfer and get cutting. Making the templates first also helps design the project. I used painters tape and made mock ups of the long vertical pockets prior to sewing because I could then see the project three dimensionally and get a size reference.


One thing to keep in mind when making the templates is seam allowance. I use half inch seams on all my projects which is way overkill but I have learned that I need a reference when sewing to keep my stitches straight and I can always cut the excess material off after I have a double stitch seam. Plus having a ½” seam makes calculations easy for me, just add 1” to the overall dimensions and start cutting.


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I try to line up the edges of the pieces to limit the amount of cuts I need to make.

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This shows my seams already laid out on the pieces to be cut.

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Webbing pieces for the long pocket connection to the pack.



I learned that if I sew the webbing on the pieces prior to the construction, I am less likely to forget to put them in! It also helps me get a better degree of accuracy because it can get difficult to measure thing in the machine. Just be careful what side of the material you put the webbing on.

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Like I said, I need a reference, so I draw my stitch lines on the material.

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Finished pocket. I will try to get some pics of the actual sewing next time.

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As you can see in this pic, I used 1.5” webbing for the top connection point on the pocket to make it a little stronger.
 
Joined
Jun 26, 2017
Messages
447
Looks great so far! I want to see how this turns out.

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OP
doncarpenter
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
Thanks everyone. I am gonna try to get some work done on the pack in the next couple days.

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OP
doncarpenter
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
aGJJoJ8h.jpg

Taking measurements for the back panel so the connection points line up.
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Starting at the top of the panel, I made two loops out of one piece of webbing. One loop for the load lifters and one loop as a high connection point for a vertical compression strap.
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Tri-glide loops for connecting the bag to the frame.
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Sewing the same side together and then folding flat make a semi-flat felled seam.
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Bottom portion of the back panel completed. I used 500d for the back panel to add strength.
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Added ladder locs for the delta strap connection to the belt.
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Simple hydration bladder sleeve out of some silpoly I had leftover from a DIY tipi.
 
OP
doncarpenter
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
k7WbqxPh.jpg

Vertical compression straps
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I added a strap for my hydration bladder.
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In this picture I am sewing the bottom portion of the main body panel. I have screwed this up before so what I do is sew on both sides of the zipper and leave enough room to push the slider through and then sew over the zipper. This way the panel can slip or spread the zipper.
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Sewing the wings on the back panel before sewing everything together.
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Cutting out the bottom panel.
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OP
doncarpenter
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
I forgot to mention, i left out the meat shelf and will be building an accessory for that purpose.

Also, total pack weight including 2 non-kifaru hipbelt pockets 6 lbs 4 oz. Thats with the tactical frame and composite stays.

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OP
doncarpenter
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
Awesome work! What sewing machine are you using? It looks fairly heavy duty.
I have a couple. The one you talking about is a Rex - 607. It does a decent job but really isnt that heavy duty. I wish I would have just ponied up the dough and got a sailrite machine.

I also have a 1966 Kenmore Rotary machine. This machine is actually my favorite. It will punch through quite a bit of material. I bought it for 40 bucks.

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OP
doncarpenter
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
I never thought I would ever say this, but I think I want to learn how to sew...

I assume one can learn from YouTube etc...?

Nice job OP!
I used to be a welder, the way I look at it, sewing is like welding fabric. Its a really useful skill. I actually just tought my wife how to sew. Its not as difficult as it might seem. Get an old, all metal machine and start sewing. I am sure that there are some good video tutorials out there also.

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McD18

FNG
Joined
Apr 13, 2019
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40
Location
Central Valley, CA
I used to be a welder, the way I look at it, sewing is like welding fabric. Its a really useful skill. I actually just tought my wife how to sew. Its not as difficult as it might seem. Get an old, all metal machine and start sewing. I am sure that there are some good video tutorials out there also.

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That's what I figured. Times have certainly changed, I'm teaching my wife to cook and you taught yours to sew haha...
 

learl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 6, 2017
Messages
200
Location
Sacramento, CA
I have a couple. The one you talking about is a Rex - 607. It does a decent job but really isnt that heavy duty. I wish I would have just ponied up the dough and got a sailrite machine.

I also have a 1966 Kenmore Rotary machine. This machine is actually my favorite. It will punch through quite a bit of material. I bought it for 40 bucks.

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Gotcha, how does the rotary do with webbing? I might have to keep my eye out for one and its nifty cabinet.
I have a Kenmore convertible and it doesn’t like going through multiple layers of webbing + other material. I found myself hand cranking more than I’d like on my last project.
 
OP
doncarpenter
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
Gotcha, how does the rotary do with webbing? I might have to keep my eye out for one and its nifty cabinet.
I have a Kenmore convertible and it doesn’t like going through multiple layers of webbing + other material. I found myself hand cranking more than I’d like on my last project.
Its a beast. It will do 3 layers of 17337 webbing plus two layers of 500d.

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OP
doncarpenter
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,039
Location
Yorkville, IL
I weighed just the bag today because I took it off to put my training compression panel on the frame.

The bag ,with all the straps, buckles, snd cordage came in at 1.85 lbs.

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