How to cut down an external backpack frame?

[Fatcamp]

So after my wife and I hunted Wyoming a couple years ago she bought a pack at the Rapid City Cabela's. It was the Minimalist Pack Frame, but I don't think the person who named it knows the meaning of minimal. I'm also pretty sure whoever designed this bag hasn't ever carried a dead animal around. From the beginning I had my doubts, but when your wife wants hunting gear you buy it. It really is that simple.

The pack was huge, had all kinds of goofy stuff going on, and weighed waaaay too much. She never has used it, and I just ignored it because a pack that sticks above my head is annoying and I have another pack frame I use. Last season I used a Molle II frame with a Kifaru cargo panel which was nice, but I kept looking at that Minimalist pack and seeing how comfy the shoulder straps and waist belt looked. I finally decided to try and lighten it up and see if I could make a usable pack out of it.

I started by removing all the stupid stuff off it and setting that aside. I then used some buckles scavenged off other parts to have a couple straps sown on for my bow. Here is what I ended up with.

 

[Fatcamp]

It was getting better, but still too tall, and the Nalgene bottles made it wider than I liked. At this point the weight was down to about 6#, which for me was OK, as I only hunt from a base camp, and the ability to pack a whole animal out is essential. So the obvious option was to outfit it with a bladder and chop the frame down. I searched the internet for ideas but came up empty. That seemed strange to me, as so many pack frames are really tall, but have a decent suspension. I named this thread what I did to allow for it to show up in a search by others trying to find info on the same idea.

Before it would work I had to extend the straps that held the bag to the bottom of the frame.

 

[Fatcamp]

Next came cutting the frame.

How it looked.
What I did.
Back together.

 

[Fatcamp]

So now for my mistake. I wanted the option to keep the top bar available for use if needed down the road. I had everything back together, the spots to drill were marked, and right as I started my wife showed up and started asking questions. Before I knew it I had drilled all the way through the frame. Grrrr....... My bit was already a little oversized, and I had intended to only go halfway through the tube. Then of course I did the other side to match. Not amused. So what I did to fix it, which I decided I had to do, was to buy 5/8" oak dowels, cut 10" lengths, and silicon them into the tubes. I can no longer use the top bar, but in hindsight I probably wouldn't have anyway. The lame part is the bit of weight I saved by doing this I lost by adding the dowels. Doh! Dangit!

That said, what I was really after was a more compact package which I have. It weighs almost exactly 6# which includes an attached rain fly and the Kifaru Grab-it. I added that to support the bottom of the bag when full of meat, as the bag itself only hangs from two loops over the top tubes.

Pretty happy with it. When I'm done with school I will buy a Kifaru frame, but for the upcoming season this should work well, and be far more comfortable with a load than my Molle pack.

 

[Fatcamp]

Another member here did the same thing. He forwarded me his pictures which I will include here. We both had Cabela's frames, but honestly, you could modify any pack frame to be trimmer and more usable for the terrain we inhabit. Hiking a trail with a tall pack is no problem, but moving through cover it is a pain.

 

[Fatcamp]

His attention to detail allowed him to be able to use his top bar if needed.

You should probably do it that way.

 

[Fatcamp]

Pack performed well.



Couple miles and a slog up a big mesa. Still want a Kifaru frame. Wife still says I don't need it.

 

[NW307]

Right on, I pretty much did the same thing with a Slumberjack railhauler pack. I got rid of the top tube and the aluminum load shelf and sewed up a nylon load shelf. It's a very capable pack now that handles weight great. It's pretty hard to beat an external frame pack for big loads.

 

[Fatcamp]

Ya. I used a Cabela's frame but any external frame pack is gonna have a bunch of crap on it that it doesn't need, and could probably benefit from a Kifaru Grab-it.

They pack carried really well. With a Gunbearer and Grab-it I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

 

[Newtosavage]

Nice work. I'm not afraid to take a hacksaw to a pack frame either. Done it many times, and in every case I ended up with a better pack for my needs.

And I agree with you guys about external frame packs handling loads. They really are tough to beat. I keep my ALPS frame hauler (with custom hip belt and shoulder harness) around for just that reason.