Getting the frame and harness done was a huge relief. After I ordered all the supplies, I had a bit of a panic moment when I realized I had just spent more on material, HDPE, aluminum and buckles, than on any pack I had previously purchased, and I basically didn’t know if I had the ability to make anything with it (up to that point I hadn’t done a whole lot of sewing in my life). Once the frame was done, I figured I at least had something useable.
The month of May and the first part of June flew by, and between yard work, a little turkey hunting (far too little), and a pretty hectic time at work, I didn’t really work on the pack at all other than thinking about what I wanted, and sketching out some different options on grid paper.
I am really blessed in that I live in the center of the unit I hunt for elk and deer, so a lot of the scouting and hunting I can do in day trips with a few overnight and multiple night trips mixed in. When deciding what I wanted to do for a pack, I knew I wanted something that could function well as a day pack/meat hauler primarily, with the capability to adjust to multi day pack occasionally as well.
Once it got too hot to enjoy working in the yard it was back to the sewing room in the basement. In the end I decided to do a batwing style pack, each one is 24”L x 5.5”W x 5”D. The front pockets are for a tripod and trekking polls, and they also have a stretch back pocket and interior pocket. They can fit a lot more than I imagined they could, I’m not sure if that is good or bad, hahah. I also sewed up some compression straps, they can run independently of the batwings and either in front or behind.
