"DIY Duluth" - home made canvas/leather pack (pic heavy)

[WolfCrafter]

Wow, nice job, and finished so crisp!.. I know what you mean about the cost of materials these days, I'm attempting to make a Fire Grill Cooking System, and the price of metal these days!! Wooo!!

.. but you cant add on personal labour on projects like this because that's what Bushcraft is all about.. the craft, not the price.. to quote yourself..
'the satisfaction of making it yourself - priceless'!!!

Well done

 

[Phantom Power]

That's a fantastic looking pack. Great job. It's given me some ideas and inspiration to work on a pack of my own.

 

[Rory McCanuck]

What a great video.

I also want/need Dianas sewing machine.

Agreed!!! With that sewing machine I could just about throw out my MIG welder
After watching that video, the price seems pretty reasonable now.

Kerne, you have done a lovely job on a beautiful pack. The only nit I have to pick is with the shoulder straps. To my way of thinking, they should be inside the gusset, so the weight is distibuted more, rather than just hanging off the three rivets each side. Of course, if you load it reasonably (unlike some of us ) it may never be an issue. Something to maybe keep an eye on as you "test drive" it
I really like your detachable side pockets, they look to be as handy as your shirt pocket


Ps. Just looked at DuluthPack and they have the straps outside the gusset, so maybe a non-issue. Oops

 

[Bushcraftsman]

Great work! looks very professional

 

[86inch]

I love the way he does the copper rivets - wam bam
Not like the fiddly-diddly way I've been doing it .
Definately using his method next time along with "just kinda eyeballing it"

I also want/need Dianas sewing machine.

I have to say, i don't like this method of rivetting leather as it does split it when hammering in the 6 gauge rivets, and we don't use it on our packs. We pre-hole all the leather using templates which makes for a much neather and stronger job.
We also use an awl on the canvas, to damage as few fibres as possible, this just keeps that little bit more strength than holing it.
As for sewing machines, it was a revellation to use our walking foot for the first time, 1/2" of solid leather - no problem!!

 

[Crank Cuffin]

I have to say, i don't like this method of rivetting leather as it does split it when hammering in the 6 gauge rivets, and we don't use it on our packs. We pre-hole all the leather using templates which makes for a much neather and stronger job.
We also use an awl on the canvas, to damage as few fibres as possible, this just keeps that little bit more strength than holing it.
As for sewing machines, it was a revellation to use our walking foot for the first time, 1/2" of solid leather - no problem!!

Just removing foot from mouth ..... thats better.
I must be more careful using the word "definately" in the future
I would not like taking the risk of the wam bam method of riveting with a one off personal project anyway.

Just out of interest, 86inch, what make and model of sewing machine do you use?

 

[bikebum1975]

Damn impressive work Kern I wish I could make something that professional looking

 

[86inch]

Just out of interest, 86inch, what make and model of sewing machine do you use?

We use a Wimsew W3300, set up specifically for our requirements. Great machine and not too expensive either. A beast to use compared to a domestic machine

Good alternatives are a Singer 45K or any other walking foot machine. Walking foot machines are great for mutiple layers because they feed from top and bottom and eliminate any puckering.

I have heard of these - Bigfoot sewing machine ( http://www.theobaldsewingmachines.co.uk/bigfoot.html ) - and they may be worth a look. Certainly worth considering as industrial machines require fitting to a table permanently. Which takes up alot of space, having said that, there isn't really a substitute for one with regard to capacity, size under the arm for sewing a large pack and reliability.

 

[Kerne]

cheers Bud,
might just order myself some canvas ans give it a go...

Go for it! And don't worry about the sewing machine. Have a look at how Topknot is getting on with his rucksack:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51285
- he's sewing it by hand (with linen thread, I think) so I guess the seams will be much stronger than mine when it is completed.

 

[Percy92]

Hi Kerne,

That is some extremely good and talented craftsmanship there!

I was looking at making one myself, although I've never tried so it'd be no where near as good! I stumbled over this thread looking into it. I have also seen the other 2 you have made, which are really well made as well! I am amazed at what can be accomplished with abit of skill, patience and time!

I am even more into making one myself now, though it'll be slightly different but simular due to my need's, though it's going to be used alot and with heavy work.

If you don't mind me asking; where did you get the Canvas and leather from. Also the fittings? (Buckles, rivvet's, etc).

Thanks for any information.

Thanks, Regards

Percy.

 

[Dean]

Very impressive work there.

 

[grey-array]

That looks like an exceptional piece of DIY kit my friend, I love it.
the colour, the rivets they really work, superb job, I hope it will serve you well for centuries.
Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[Hibrion]

Fantastic work. It might have cost you a bit of dosh and time, but there is nothing as satisfying as using something you've made yourself. Well done. This has inspired me to do something similar.

 

[Exploriment]

Not a big fan of Duluth packs, but that is something to be proud of! The triskelion is an especially nice touch.

And for all those of you bemoaning how you wish you could do that, but you don’t know how - it’s a box for crying out loud - not that difficult a concept to wrap your head around - and not having a sewing machine – I sewed this by hand, and numerous other things to boot. A sewing machine merely makes it faster, certainly not stronger. Stop whining and get sewing.

 

[Gill]

Now that Sir is absolute quality ,Very well done buddy.

 

[Soloman]

that is fantastic,i wish i had the skill to do that.top job.
Soloman

 

[sgtoutback]

Awesome work. I may have missed this but did you sew the internal leather yoke for the shoulder straps

 

[ozzy1977]

Amazing pack, how is it doing now after a few years use?

 

[ol smokey]

In one word FANTASTIC and original, (OK Three words )

 

[kodiak515]

I found this thread through Pintrest and unfortunately I cant seem to view the pictures in the original thread post. I was wondering if you could fix them or post them somewhere else to view. I would be really interested in viewing all of the pictures of the build. the finished product look BEAUTIFUL!