SEW A BACKPACK
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Based on Ray Jardine's design,
this pack has no frame but your sleeping pad is rolled into a cylinder inside
of the pack to provide a frame and padding. You load everything
inside the rolled pad. The original
design does not include a waist strap, it is in these instructions if you wish
to use one. You can always cut it off later.
Required Material
- To adjust pattern for taller hiker; use measurements in bold.
- Lay out side and front sections prior to stitching.
- Stitch the sections lengthwise and double check fit and matching of seams prior to
basting/sewing together.
4 ½ yds ¾ inch webbing
1 yd 1 ½ inch webbing
1 ½ yds elastic cord
¾ yds mesh
1 ¼ yds drawstring
12 inch length of ribbon
12 x 4 inch piece of closed cell (tall: 14 x 4)
1 cord lock
3, ¾ inch ladder lock buckles
1, ¾ inch side release buckle
collar material: ½ yd 1.1 oz coated rip stop
sides and front: ½ yd 1.9 oz coated rip stop
back and bottom: ¾ yd 59 inch wide 330 denier coated cordura
strap pieces: 4 x 14 inch foam padding, tapered at lower end
A - Cut all pack pieces (and label to make things easier)
count | regular | tall | comment |
1 ½” webbing |
2 | 12” | 14 inch | |
1 | 3 ½” | 4 ½ inch | |
¾” webbing |
2 | 8” | | shoulder straps |
2 | 20” | | shoulder straps |
1 | 13” | | top front |
2 | 11 ½” | | ice axe loop and shaft attachment |
2 | 7 ½” | | top side band |
1 | 2 ½” | | collar belt clasp |
1 | 7 ½” | | top handle |
1 | 36” | | collar belt |
1/3” wide Elastic |
1 | 10” | | |
1 | 14” | | |
foam pad |
2 | 12 x 2 | | tapered at one end |
Cordura |
4 | 4 x 14 ½ | 4 x 16 ½ | strap casing |
2 | 8 x 4 ½ | | cut to the shape of a capital “D” (round off the 8 inch edge) |
1 | 13 x 32 | 13 x 35 | main back piece |
1 | 13 x 3 | | top back piece |
1 | 13 x 7 | | reinforcement panel |
1.9 oz ripstop |
2 | 8 x 19 | 8 x 22 | side panel |
2 | 2 ½ x 11 ½ | | topper of side pockets |
1 | 2 ½ x 16 | | topper of front pocket |
2 | 13 x 19 | 13 x 22 | front panel |
1.1 oz ripstop |
2 | 16 x 7 | 19 x 7 | rectangle side collar pieces |
2 | 16 x 13 | 19 x 13 | rectangle front and back collar pieces |
Mesh |
2 | 12 x 12 | | |
1 | 17 x 15 | 20 x 15 | |
Notions |
1 | | | draw string long enough to fit in top casing |
B - Preparation
Sear all cut edges of webbing.
Group webbing shock cord and notions with their respective sections.
Straps and strap attachments
- Cut two 3 x 4 inch
rectangles in half into triangles.
- With right sides together
stitch along legs of the triangles inserting 20 inch length of ¾ inch
webbing.
- The hypotenuse will be
sewn along the side- back seam after the mesh pocket has been basted into
place.
- Reinforce the tail of
the webbing in the triangle.
- Thread the 8 inch
length of webbing through bottom rung of ladder lock.
- Fold bottom edge of 12
inch length of 1 ½ wide webbing under and attach 8 inch length of ¾ wide
webbing (buckle facing top side) up overlapping webbings by ½ inch.
- Line up the two wide
webbing pieces top to top and stitch together 2 ½ inches down from top
edges.
- Strap pieces: 4 x 14
inch casing for padding, tapered at lower end.
- Stitch wide webbing to
right side of top piece of strap casing
(before sewing casing together) 3 ½ inches down from top of doubled
up webbing and 1 inch down from top of strap casing. Use tight zigzag
stitch to attach webbing to casing piece at 4 evenly space intervals on
the wide section. Zigzag stitch the narrow webbing at 1 inch and 4 inches
from the bottom of the strap casing.
- Stitch casing for strap
pad tapering the bottom end to 1 ½ inch width.
- Stuff 14 x 2 ½ inch
length foam tapered at both ends into strap casing, top stitch to close
top end of casing.
- (?) inches down from top of
wide webbing, attach strap webbing to strap pad.
Side pieces and side pockets
Coated ripstop
- Cut two 8 x 19 rectangle of rip stop. Top
width 7 inches tapering* to 8 inches at 10 inches from the top. * The taper
should be cut off of the side edge that will eventually attach to the back.
- Cut two 8 x 4 ½ rectangle of rip stop cut to the shape of a capital “D”.
- Cut two 2 ½ x 11 strip of rip stop for topper.
Collar material
- Cut two 7 x 16 rectangle collar piece.
- Cut two 13 x 16 rectangle collar piece.
Mesh
Notions
- 2, 7 inch lengths of ¾ wide webbing.
- 2,14 inch length of elastic draw string.
- 2, 3 inch length of ribbon.
Sides
- Stitch all 3 pieces collar, rip stop and cordura (collar piece at the top, rounded
edge of “D” piece at the bottom), total length of side and front sections is
about 37 inches.
- Attach side strap webbing to side pieces 1 ½
inches from top of side pieces.
- Sew draw string toppers to top of pockets.
- Thread elastic through topper, knot or pin so
as not to “lose” the draw string.
- Stitch side mesh pocket to side piece inserting ½ inch pleats in the mesh pocket about
2 inches from the bottom of the pocket.
- Baste shoulder strap triangle to the side edge that will attach to the back of pack. The ladder buckle should be lying “face
down” on the side mesh pocket, pointing to the top front corner of the side section.
- When pack is complete reinforce the seams at the points where the pocket toppers
intersect with the “main” seams.
Front section and front pocket
- Thread 2 inch piece of lightweight webbing through female part of 1 clasp.
- Center 2 inch piece of webbing with clasp 2 inches from top of front section.
- Stitch reinforcing webbing 2 inches from the top of front piece stitching 13 inch piece webbing strip
running from side to side over the “tail” of the clasp so the clasp points to
the top of the front piece.
- Stitch pocket topper to large front mesh piece as for side pockets.
- Thread elastic through topper and stitch in place.
- Baste large front pocket inserting two 1 inch
pleats in the bottom of the front piece (two inches in from the edges, or ¼ of
the way in from the side edges).
- Stitch an 8 inch ice axe shaft holder strap and buckle on a 2 inch piece of webbing on
the side edge three inches from the top of the front pocket piece.
- Stitch ice axe loop to the bottom edge of front pocket piece, centered around the
pleat in the mesh pocket.
Back
Collar
- Cut one, 13 x16 rectangle collar piece.
Cordura
- 13 x 27½ rectangle of 330 coated cordura
- 13 x 3 ½ rectangle of 330 coated cordura
- 13 x 7 rectangle of 330 coated cordura
Webbing
- 7 ½ inches of ¾ width
- 36 inches of ¾ width
- Stitch collar and small piece of cordura along 13 inch edge.
- Placement of shoulder straps should be about 3 inches in from side edges.
- Center collar belt in between the ends of the top handle.
- Stitch A and B together along 13” edge inserting the shoulder straps, top handle and collar belt into the seam.
- Top stitch to reinforce shoulder straps handle and collar belt.
- On wrong side of pack, attach reinforcement patch over strap attachment section.
Putting it together
- Stitch front and back sections joining at bottom of mesh pocket.
- Stitch side sections to front and back sections.
- Stitch buttonhole 2 ¼ inches down from top center front of the collar.
- Zig zag top edge of collar to form casing for drawstring.
- Insert drawstring and thread through cord lock.