I've been tripping over this pack all winter waiting for some bits & pieces to turn up in the local charity shops so I could finally get around to fixing it up. Today I got lucky.
The grab loop is a webbing & press-stud handle from a 'Jeep' children’s pushchair and the real gem I found today was a 3" wide leather belt made by 'Next' that now makes up the back support.
Original thin & nasty wire split rings have been replaced with the larger more robust ones typically found on key-rings, as a bonus these make good attachment points for bungees and so-forth.
Boot eyelets were not my first choice but it's all I had and it'll be interesting to find out how they hold up on my wanderings this weekend. They say you pack your fears and I will be taking a couple of ladder-lock belts just in case they tear out.
Some of you will remember this as a Millets-Trekker or a Campari Go-Pack with the back busting bar across the middle of the frame. Now I tried it out previously on several trips last year but there is just now way to wear this pack comfortably unless
As a hunch backed peasant unable to afford ultralight gear that's me stuffed on both counts but it's a useful size backpack and it only cost me £4 so worth playing around with. Plus I think it looks nice when full, I know that's a poor excuse for choosing gear but there’s just something about the retro square pack design.
.
Unlike other well designed frame packs from the likes of Kelty or the popular Swedish LK35 this pack has a really shallow back bow so in order for the suspension to work requires insane amounts of pre-loaded tension that made the original nylon back webbing almost as uncomfortable the metal bar and prone to fail by simply stretching. After trying several ideas to duplicate with anything better or workaround this problem I gave up and cut the bar out completely. Bliss!
The first attempts...
Pipe insulation foam lasted about 12hours. The white lump is a length of Spiral -Wrap cable tidy held together with duct-tape and super glue to provide a raiser of sorts.
It failed as well after a couple of outings but the principle was sound in theory.
The grab loop is a webbing & press-stud handle from a 'Jeep' children’s pushchair and the real gem I found today was a 3" wide leather belt made by 'Next' that now makes up the back support.
Original thin & nasty wire split rings have been replaced with the larger more robust ones typically found on key-rings, as a bonus these make good attachment points for bungees and so-forth.
Boot eyelets were not my first choice but it's all I had and it'll be interesting to find out how they hold up on my wanderings this weekend. They say you pack your fears and I will be taking a couple of ladder-lock belts just in case they tear out.
Some of you will remember this as a Millets-Trekker or a Campari Go-Pack with the back busting bar across the middle of the frame. Now I tried it out previously on several trips last year but there is just now way to wear this pack comfortably unless
- You carry less than 20lbs of gear
- Have a spine as straight as a ramrod
As a hunch backed peasant unable to afford ultralight gear that's me stuffed on both counts but it's a useful size backpack and it only cost me £4 so worth playing around with. Plus I think it looks nice when full, I know that's a poor excuse for choosing gear but there’s just something about the retro square pack design.
.
Unlike other well designed frame packs from the likes of Kelty or the popular Swedish LK35 this pack has a really shallow back bow so in order for the suspension to work requires insane amounts of pre-loaded tension that made the original nylon back webbing almost as uncomfortable the metal bar and prone to fail by simply stretching. After trying several ideas to duplicate with anything better or workaround this problem I gave up and cut the bar out completely. Bliss!
The first attempts...
Pipe insulation foam lasted about 12hours. The white lump is a length of Spiral -Wrap cable tidy held together with duct-tape and super glue to provide a raiser of sorts.
It failed as well after a couple of outings but the principle was sound in theory.
