First MYOG Project - Arc Blast Inspired Pack

Niels

Hiker
Long time lurker, first time poster. Inspired by BPL and you guys, I decided to make my own backpack and figured I would share the result. This is my first MYOG project so I didn't have to high hopes for the final product, but I think it turned pretty well considering i have never really used a sewing machine before.

I finished my PCT thru in September and carried the Osprey Exos for the entire hike. The mesh back was fantastic for keeping my back from getting drenched, so I wanted to incorporate that feature into my design. The Exos is way too complicated so i looked to the Zpacks Arc Blast instead, but tweaked the design slightly and added some features.

Key features that had to be included in the final design:
Mesh back
Highly waterresistant
Shoulder strap mesh pockets
Internal mesh pocket
Shock cord attachment for socks/ice Axe
Hands free umbrella attachment
Hip belt pouches

Materials:
Main body - VX07 / VX21 for the bottom.
Hip Belt - 210D Diamond Ripstop + 8 mm spacer mesh + 4 mm LD 29 PlastaZote foam for structure.
Shoulder straps - 210D Diamond Ripstop + 4 mm spacer mesh + 10mm EVA50. 170 gsm stretch mesh for the pockets.
Frame - 12 x 2 mm carbon fiber bars. Tried several different round options, before I managed to find the bars in a local RC-shop, and they work a lot better.
Mesh pockets - 50 gsm mesh. It may have been a big mistake to go this light. Time will tell i guess.

I'm estimating the volume to be around 40 L for the main compartment and I have no clue about the pockets. It weighs 675 g which is pretty decent for a fully featured pack i think.

It has definitely been a learning experience. Lots of tinkering, trial and error and plenty of stupid mistakes; like switching the inner and outer mesh pockets around so the outer pocket is too small, and not realising it until I was done binding all the edges :banghead:. Doesn't hold as much stuff as i would like, but I couldn't be bothered to redo it.

This is turning into a wall of text so i better stop now and go to bed :sleep: :).

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Niels

Hiker
First attempt? Nailed it!

Great looking pack :)
Almost first attempt :). I used some cheap 210D Ripstop for a prototype and it turned out to be a good decision. I had to change the design quite a bit for version II. Especially the frame attachments gave me a ton of problems.
 

cathyjc

Thru Hiker
Excellent :). I'm (sometime ??) going to have a go at making a pack but I cannot see me achieving anything half as good as that :thumbsup:.
 

Dave V

Moderator
Staff member
Very very impressive, stitching looks very good for a first timer too. You should be very proud of that!
 

SafetyThird

Section Hiker
That's your first project? Do you have any background in making this sort of stuff at all because that's incredibly professional looking. Me, i'm thinking of having a go at making a stuffsac for my first piece of gear :)
 

Niels

Hiker
Cheers guys.

Very very impressive, stitching looks very good for a first timer too. You should be very proud of that!
I'm actually surprised they ended up looking this good. I was able to look through the stitching when pulling on the fabrics which worried me a bit. Could it be caused by the thick thread I used or is that normal?
I ended up binding the edges with strips of X-pac to "waterproof" it, so I guess it doesn't matter too much.

That's your first project? Do you have any background in making this sort of stuff at all because that's incredibly professional looking. Me, i'm thinking of having a go at making a stuffsac for my first piece of gear :)
No experience at all, but i'm pretty good at figuring out how "technical/practical" stuff works. You can learn a lot by browsing forums and watching Youtube videos. Trial and error - keep failing till you succeed :).
 

Niels

Hiker
Great backpack! How are carbon plates in contact? Overlap or butt? Thank.
It was designed for them not to overlap, but it doesn't quite work in practice though. The carbon fiber strips will eventually end up overlapping which is fine.

I made a newer version of this pack and included a pattern in the bottom of the album if you are interested.
https://imgur.com/a/UAXAnuq
 

KVerb

Ultralighter
Thanks for the pattern, this kind of pack is definitely on my want to make list! How is the flex of the CF strips? Would you have them any thicker or thinner if you'd ever make a third version?
 

Niels

Hiker
Thanks for the pattern, this kind of pack is definitely on my want to make list! How is the flex of the CF strips? Would you have them any thicker or thinner if you'd ever make a third version?
I wouldn't go any larger than the 12x2mm strips I used. I think 10x2mm is the sweet spot, but I don't have access to it, so I'll probably never know.
 

Niels

Hiker
Denmark. I managed to find 12x2mm for 7.5 EUR in a local RC-shop that's has now closed. Maybe try that before ordering online.
 

Clare

Thru Hiker
I’m in the middle of doing similar. Shoulder straps with bottle carrier below.

But question: on the zpacks arc blast the back fixings are sewn to the back fabric panel but miraculously the stitching doesn’t come through to the inside. It looks as though they have bonded a second thinner layer of cuben to the inside, the glue being global. This presumably is good for waterproofing but mainly for strengthening those crucial fixings.

What glue could I use to bond cuben to cuben like that or xpac to xpac? I haven’t yet decided which fabric to use,(currently using 90gsm sil for prototype. )

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WilliamC

Thru Hiker
I’m in the middle of doing similar. Shoulder straps with bottle carrier below.

But question: on the zpacks arc blast the back fixings are sewn to the back fabric panel but miraculously the stitching doesn’t come through to the inside. It looks as though they have bonded a second thinner layer of cuben to the inside, the glue being global. This presumably is good for waterproofing but mainly for strengthening those crucial fixings.

What glue could I use to bond cuben to cuben like that or xpac to xpac? I haven’t yet decided which fabric to use,(currently using 90gsm sil for prototype. )

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I think they just use cuben tape over the stitching. Paul sells cuben tape.
 

Clare

Thru Hiker
On mine the entire inner rear surface seems to be lined with a glued on extra layer. Not just tape over the stitching, although that might adequately do the necessary I suppose.

Btw. Straps made from 8mm multi mat. Your suggestion. Wouldn’t have got 10mm foam through my machine.
 
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