Anybody use an old style frame?

[robtattoo]

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...=pack+frame&search=Search&No=0&Ntt=pack+frame

This is the frame.

 

[Ray]

Now I wish I had finished my sewing project for my 30 year old camp trails frame. for years I have been running it with 5 foot long sleeping bag cinch straps to hold down a dry bag. I tie the buckle end to one side of the frame leaving about 6 inches wild with the buckle hanging. I then tie the free end to the other side of the frame. When you tie both ends of the strap to the frame you can better secure the load since the strap does not slide up and down the frame. It also allows for a tighter cinching.

My sewing project plan was to install grommets on the ends of short lengths of webbing and have three bar cinch buckles sewn into the free end. The pins that used to hold the bag on the frame will now hold the grommeted pieces of webbing. Then I would have a compression panel or something similar to a Paradox Talon pack/panel with free webbing ends to compress the load down. Or just use long sections of webbing to go from side to side, or top to bottom, or in an X.

What I have typically done over the last several years is to just strap down a large dry sack and use the dry sack as a day pack. I learned a few decades ago to never leave the truck or boat with just a day pack.

There is an ultra light backpacking website some place that makes and sells extremely light tube frames and they use a stacked dry bag system for holding gear. Nothing more than about 30 pounds of hiking and camping stuff. You would need to get some long lengths of webbing and make your own cinch straps to hold stuff in a stack on the frame.

 

[colonel00]

Aside from it being blaze orange, is there a reason you can't use the built in compression pod to hold your bag(s) in much like you would when packing out a critter quarter?

 

[robtattoo]

It doesn't really offer any real support. It only has 2 straps per side. Because they attach at angles, you really can't cinch it down very tight.
I think I might have some webbing & buckles around. Gonna play with adding some more straps I think.

 

[stephen b]

The thing I would use for the compression panel and is the cheapest and easiest is a Wilderness Pack Specialties Handi- Pak. They are in Klamath Falls Oregon.

It costs around $20 plus shipping; weighs about 4-5 oz. and is a compression panel and straps all in one. You can use the existing hardware that is already on the Handi-pak to attach to the frame with out any additional hardware. There is a bit of a trick to doing it with out other hardware, but it works great. I have put one on a Barney's frame and it is easy to do.

Then you can use it to help strap stuff down, or even use it under your other gear and use it to haul meat. You could even use 2 of them, for not a huge weight penalty. One tight to the frame for meat hauling or day hunting, and another over a dry bag/ duffle bag etc. or you could use other straps to lash gear along with the Handipak. I could rig something up that I know would work and would not look as if you were one of the Beverly Hillbillies.

I also have a compression panel that goes with the Cabelas freighter frame that my son in law gave me off of his freighter frame, but I never used it because it is heavier and bulkier than the Handi-pak. The Handi-pak is strong- you could even haul moose quarters with it if you want. A couple other lashing straps or cord would be handy ( which everyone usually always has anyways) to secure antlers.

 

[stephen b]

Here is a google link to images of the Handi-pak to give you an idea of it:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pic...nQBcn9igK6oYDQDQ&ved=0CBsQsAQ&biw=568&bih=268

 

[jljmonky]

I think I am sold... today I put on a rather well aged REI external fram pack and bag loaded with 40 lbs of gear and a 20 lb dumbell. I did 5 miles of flat ground at an average of 15:23 per mile. thats more weight, more distance and faster than I did last week with a cut down/lightened ILBE and I feel better than I did with that pack. it transfered weight really well to my hips and other than there being no load lifters or sternum strap and that the hip belt buckle slipped a little I had no discomfort at all in the pack. I am going to try and put a MOLLE ruck strap set on it to correct those issues and give me some realestate to attach bottle pouches. I am also going to look into making or buying some sort of cargo panel for it. cheap, lighter than the ILBE with good capacity, really happy with it.

 

[robtattoo]

I think I'm about figured out.
I made up 4 extra compression straps to fit to the sides of the frame. I tried it out yesterday on a 5 miler with a 50lb sack of dogfood, plus 3l bladder & it carried perfectly.
I'm still on the fence about strapping all the individual stuff bags directly to the frame versus finding a large sack to hold everything.

 

[larryschwartz]

Rob,

Put the individual stuff bags inside of the large sack (duffel back size). You will appreciate the organization.

Larry

 

[mtnclimber]

It's all about the Barney's packs for externals. I'd consider that my only choice. When you get 100+ lbs I believe they are the best for the job. I've packed 120+ in mine and it handles like a dream. Zero flex whatsoever. But they sure are spendy.

All this comes at a weight penalty though. I think my Barney's Yukon is 9lbs 4oz but when your carrying moose quarters there's no substitute.

I've seen many cabelas pack frames break or rip over the years.

 

[stephen b]

I think I am sold... today I put on a rather well aged REI external fram pack and bag loaded with 40 lbs of gear and a 20 lb dumbell. I did 5 miles of flat ground at an average of 15:23 per mile. thats more weight, more distance and faster than I did last week with a cut down/lightened ILBE and I feel better than I did with that pack. it transfered weight really well to my hips and other than there being no load lifters or sternum strap and that the hip belt buckle slipped a little I had no discomfort at all in the pack. I am going to try and put a MOLLE ruck strap set on it to correct those issues and give me some realestate to attach bottle pouches. I am also going to look into making or buying some sort of cargo panel for it. cheap, lighter than the ILBE with good capacity, really happy with it.

Glad to hear that worked good for you. Plus I am super impressed- amazed actually that you can do a 5 mile walk with 60 lbs plus the pack weight on your back at a 15:23 a mile walking pace. That is picking it up and moving. That is just slightly more than I cover without weight. But I am only 5'8" and stride is not super long. I know when I walk with my 6'2" hunting partner, I fall behind if we are both doing the same step cadence.

 

[jljmonky]

It was total pack weight of 60 lbs... I am 5'7" and was damn near running. I also have a tattoo on one arm that says "Perseverance works wonders" and "Too stupid to quit" on the other, both in Latin. I got it in my mind to do it and do it fast. Hoping to keep the same pace and add weight and distance slowly between now and October when I head to the mountains.

 

[Carlin59]

I have the same Cabela's frame and have jerry-rigged it to work with a variety of dry bags for camp and day packs for hunting gear over the past several years. I will try to post some pics tonight of what did and didnt work well for me. One suggestion I can make is to cut the vertical stays off the pack that stick about 4" past the top horizontal bar of the frame. I always hunt with the goofy top bar removed, and by cutting off the 4" horns the profile of the pack is reduced dramatically. It lowers the profile enough that I always hunt with the frame, with a light day pack for arganization. Good luck with this project. Although I'm sure we all covet a high-end pack (I drive by Kifaru almost weekly), sometimes we need creative solutions to make do with what we have.

 

[tttoadman]

My brother used this frame for a 9 day setup last year. He had the tent on the bottom. We had 3 dry bags vertical and compressed them to the frame before pulling the load strap up and over. It was pretty nice. We are taking the same frame this year for some weekend trips. He is likely going for the 55 ltr durable dry bag.

I too am giving my Camp Trails frame a makeover. I have the light bag like the cabelas Alaskan I. I love this frame and bag. I am setting it up for the kid to use this year. I hope to share some pics when it is done.

 

[JustOneMoreShot]

I will be running my old school Cabelas frame pack and bag on my sheep hunt. I've used it in Alaska twice previously for moose and it has done the job. Maybe I will get a new and improved pack for my next big trip. I'm not positive but I think this is the model that I have:

 

[Hunt'nFish]

Now I wish I had finished my sewing project for my 30 year old camp trails frame. for years I have been running it with 5 foot long sleeping bag cinch straps to hold down a dry bag. I tie the buckle end to one side of the frame leaving about 6 inches wild with the buckle hanging. I then tie the free end to the other side of the frame. When you tie both ends of the strap to the frame you can better secure the load since the strap does not slide up and down the frame. It also allows for a tighter cinching.

My sewing project plan was to install grommets on the ends of short lengths of webbing and have three bar cinch buckles sewn into the free end. The pins that used to hold the bag on the frame will now hold the grommeted pieces of webbing. Then I would have a compression panel or something similar to a Paradox Talon pack/panel with free webbing ends to compress the load down. Or just use long sections of webbing to go from side to side, or top to bottom, or in an X.

What I have typically done over the last several years is to just strap down a large dry sack and use the dry sack as a day pack. I learned a few decades ago to never leave the truck or boat with just a day pack.

There is an ultra light backpacking website some place that makes and sells extremely light tube frames and they use a stacked dry bag system for holding gear. Nothing more than about 30 pounds of hiking and camping stuff. You would need to get some long lengths of webbing and make your own cinch straps to hold stuff in a stack on the frame.

Ray, I have a pack where the load straps are grommet'ed on the ends that were pinned to the frame and this has been a major fail point. The webbing where the grommets were installed ripped & grommet pulled out. I will say that I don't think they melted the hole for the grommet, and that might've helped. A better method is to sew a loop onto the end of the straps and loop it around the frame tube and pass the long end through the loop and pull tight or you can use a 3-bar slider. I've done both and the looped method was tighter and slipped up/down less then loads were cinched up. Just make sure you loop it around the frame tube just above any cross tubes. Locating horz compression straps close to cross tubes also help keep the frame tubes from bending when you get to cinching down really heavy loads.
Don't want to stop you from your plan, but I did want to share my experience. If you do grommet the ends make sure you double over the webbing & melt the holes for the grommets as that really helps preserve the strength of the webbing. And sewing a bar tack through the doubled over webbing above & below the grommet hole really helps as well. If you did that it should work fine.

Oh also, forget sewing those 3 bar slider cinches to the ends, they are hard to cinch up tight. I hate them.

Instead use a std ITW double cinch buckle. (note: in this pic the male side of the buckle is obviously improperly flipped upside down.)

They don't requiring sewing and you can pull on both tag ends to cinch up the load. I know they are slightly heavier but the buckle is nice when it comes time to "pop" the load loose.
Hunt'nFish

 

[Carlin59]

Rob,
It sounds like you have a handle on how you are going to organize/lash your kit onto your frame, so I will spare you the ridiculous pics of how NOT to attach multiple compression sacks/stuff sacks/day packs to the Cabela's frame! I still think you may find it helpful to cut off the vertical "horns" to significantly lower the profile of the pack. My apologies for the "selfie", but it shows how the height of the frame is much lower by chopping off those vertical posts.

I took out the plastic sleeve that helps guide the extension bar before cutting, and reinserted after the chop job. This way, the extension bar is still usable if you ever need to haul a very tall load.

 

[robtattoo]

Thanks Carlin! That does look a lot better, for no loss of function.
I decided I'm going with all the advice so far: Chopping off those pesky ears & putting all my kit, individually packed, into one large stack. The extra compression straps I added make it a lot simpler to see where I need to go with it.
I've got a local sewing whizz stitching me up a large silnylon sack, with a pull over lid.
I'll put up a few pics once she gets it done. Ultra light & simple, but it will make life a lot easier I think.
Thanks for all the advice folks!

 

[tttoadman]

Cutting the top off shorter and lowering the bag mounting points is one of the ideas I have for Camp Trails frame. The only thing I plan to do different than Carlin is to leave a little more length out the top to make sure I can hang my gun sling on it safely.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

My apologies for the "selfie"

What no duck lips?