Kifarwho 41 Mag - A Stretched 357 Mag

[BRTreedogs]

Your work does look great.

 

[bootstrap]

I really like the orange inside. Awesome work Sharps.

 

[4090Sharps]

Your work does look great.

I really like the orange inside. Awesome work Sharps.

Thanks guys! It was a lot of fun to put together.

I'm exploring hammock camping this year, so my next projects will probably be in a different direction. First up will be a 10'x12' tarp.

 

[Dos Perros]

Idk but im pretty sure they shut down Jimmy tarps.
Aron mentioned something on the podcast about going after someone copying shelters. And bam within a month no more Jimmy

That seems unlikely, Jimmy used silpoly. The hunting market is peanuts compared to the backpacker market, and if you look around there are tons of different geometries, and many of them very similar from brand to brand. I'm just not sure what someone would sue on, it's not like tents are in a separate section of patent law.

 

[BRTreedogs]

That seems unlikely, Jimmy used silpoly. The hunting market is peanuts compared to the backpacker market, and if you look around there are tons of different geometries, and many of them very similar from brand to brand. I'm just not sure what someone would sue on, it's not like tents are in a separate section of patent law.

Idk man. He had a prymid and one that was similar to a super tarp.
Aron mentioned having to take legal action on the podcast because someone was copying shelters to closely and Jimmy was gone.

Sure it won't hold up in court. But when your a Dad and daughter in a garage fighting a large company even 10k of legal fees could smoke you out.
Jimmy is from a very rural area and was already older.
All it may of took was a cease and desist letter to scare him off.

 

[Dos Perros]

Sure it won't hold up in court. But when your a Dad and daughter in a garage fighting a large company even 10k of legal fees could smoke you out.
Jimmy is from a very rural area and was already older.
All it may of took was a cease and desist letter to scare him off.

I totally get that part. I wouldn't have buckled as easily.

But I also would never play the 'similar product at a lower price' game.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I totally get that part. I wouldn't have buckled as easily.

But I also would never play the 'similar product at a lower price' game.

Like you said tho.
Its just a dang tent...

And It could be total coincidence, but I did think the one shelter was a little close. And soon as Aron mentioned it i was like ohh boy.

To bad Jim is a great guy. I met them out in the field a couple times.

 

[Dos Perros]

I had heard it was a game bag thing.

I like Jimmy, had bought a Hudson and game bags from him. Also think it's a pretty tough business to be a one-man shop doing everything. I knew he had some help but still. Cutting and sewing large stuff is for the birds.

 

[Bender]

Good job @4090Sharps, looks great. I got no problem with people trying my designs or tearing things apart. I know what a kick it is to head into the woods with stuff you've made on your back and the journey it is to get there. If you guys have any questions on patterns or techniques, feel free to hit me up. I have a feeling most people in the DIY thread just like making gear and/or solving problems they had with their gear. I can relate and am totally down to see what you guys are making.

 

[4090Sharps]

Good job @4090Sharps, looks great. I got no problem with people trying my designs or tearing things apart. I know what a kick it is to head into the woods with stuff you've made on your back and the journey it is to get there. If you guys have any questions on patterns or techniques, feel free to hit me up. I have a feeling most people in the DIY thread just like making gear and/or solving problems they had with their gear. I can relate and am totally down to see what you guys are making.

Man... I really appreciate the feedback. The designs you guys are able to come up with are impressive, especially with the considerations for manufacturing at scale.

Would you mind sharing what software you've used and/or prefer for drawing up designs?

 

[Bender]

Thanks Sharps, I appreciate that. I use a combination of AutoCAD, coffee and metal music to make all our gear. One thing I learned quickly is to use the colors to keep seams separate and help differentiate which pieces go together. You can see below how some seams are the same colors on different pieces. Helps me line up all the measurements and keep me on track. I have notes on the left (previous feedback and changes) and notes inside the pattern box (changes needed). I have another file that has all my marks and reference items drawn up like the camelbak and buckles so I can copy and paste those as needed.
I also never delete drafts in between prototypes, just copy the pattern block and start the adjustments on the copy. This lets me take notes and back track if I get stuck on a part. It also lets me grab good to go parts and shift them around to new projects, revisit old stuff or if I'm stuck on another project with similar problems I can see how I fixed it. Below is the prototype chain for Kutthroat, Minikeg and 357mag. There are a few that never made it past prototype, those are the single drop down blocks. If it's all jacked up, everything goes red and I move on. If it's close, I use a yellow box and adjust. Green means good to go pattern wise but there might be some feature or layout changes. If there are any patterns that I copied over from other projects then they are usually just outside the pattern block and all one color per the bag they were jacked from. You can see the ones at the end that have "markers" which are printed out for stack cutting on the production floor. I lay up 1x, 2x and 4x markers so we can cut a lot or a little.

If you need some inspiration, pick up some old hand drafting manuals. Everything in there will help you with 2d cad and pattern making. How to project lines, use circles for rotational measurements, dividing objects equally and messing with geometric shapes. A lot of this knowledge isn't being taught anymore because 3d programs do a lot of the heavy lifting. It really helps trouble shooting patterns and working in 3d space when you have a grip on the 2d fundamentals. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[4090Sharps]

I use a combination of AutoCAD, coffee and metal music to make all our gear. One thing I learned quickly is to use the colors to keep seams separate and help differentiate which pieces go together. You can see below how some seams are the same colors on different pieces. Helps me line up all the measurements and keep me on track. I have notes on the left (previous feedback and changes) and notes inside the pattern box (changes needed). I have another file that has all my marks and reference items drawn up like the camelbak and buckles so I can copy and paste those as needed.

This is amazing. Thank you for the insights into your process--it's extremely clear and helpful. I especially like the idea of having a file of reference items.

If you need some inspiration, pick up some old hand drafting manuals. Everything in there will help you with 2d cad and pattern making.

Good tip, thanks again!