Looking at other stuff on this guy's website, he seems to be one of the most creative persons I've ever heard of. Amazing stuff there.
Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
101–110 of 136 posts
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#102REI has good ultralight backpacks for like $50 on sale.
when places like REI use the term ultralight, it means an entirely different thing than how an experienced backpacker thinks of the word. To an experienced backpacker, rei (or any chain) does not carry ultralight gear. There is an entire market of specialty gear makers making true ultralight gear and none of it is in retail brick and mortar.
Is there a non-arbitrary definition of ultralight? It seems yesterday's "ultralight" is tomorrow's "lightweight" gear.
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even if we assume there is a logical load, durability is still a huge issue. Ignoring the narrow path issues I mentioned other posters pointed out that polypropolene (sp?) deteriorates rapidly in the sun. All of which is a HUGE problem on a multi-day hike. Understand what your gear can and can't do. I have a really nice (Patagonia) backpack that I take with me when I go into town on the weekends and to work when I do…
Scrolling up, you seem to be exceedingly concerned for this guy and his backpack, almost to the point of an obsession. Maybe you should try to contact him directly to offer your insights?
Are we really at the ad hominem stage of things? Over discussions of the suitability of a sewn together plastic bag on a 3-day hike?
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#104that's pretty cool. reminds me of me wanting to learn sewing, stitching and that stuff. knowing how to do that allows to alter suboptimally fitting clothes or repairing them. not to mention ... what this text is about ... designing yo I'mur own clothes, bags etc!
More generally, skills that make you good at reliably sticking things to other things are very useful. When you have mastered tape, glue, nails and screws, sewing is definitely a good next step.
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
Cordura, which is what most robust backpacks are made of, is surprisingly expensive.
Yeah, I checked prices for ripstop nylon when I posted. Cordura doesn't seem to be a whole lot more expensive than I said. http://www.rockywoods.com/Fabrics-Kits/1000D-Cordura-Nylon
It's also heavy. A better choice for this person's application would be Tyvek. (e.g., https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/18758/ ).
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#106Whats up everyone. I am the maker of the website and the backpack. This was my first sewing project, but it turned out much better than I expected. I loaded the pack with 30 lbs to test it out before I take it on a multi day trip, and it had no problems. I'm currently working on moving my images to a remote site so wish me luck on keeping the site up.
Great job! I looks a lot like the designs by Ray Jardine which were my first sewing products.
http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Backpack-Kit/index.htm
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#107I'm so impressed by this guy, it's well done and the initial problematic very interesting.
It would be awesome if you could made a real website for it (and training your web-skills as you mentioned you are wishing)!
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#108Whats up everyone. I am the maker of the website and the backpack. This was my first sewing project, but it turned out much better than I expected. I loaded the pack with 30 lbs to test it out before I take it on a multi day trip, and it had no problems. I'm currently working on moving my images to a remote site so wish me luck on keeping the site up.
Awesome job, Mitch! I've always loved the ubiquitous Ikea bag. I still use mine from uni for the laundromat, and have a separate one for car camping for all the miscellaneous items. It's essentially the West's version of the "ghana bag" / "chinatown tote" (apologies for the potential derogatory term, but don't know it by any other name).
I've always though it'd be pretty rad to make a backpack or bike panniers out of the blue Ikea bag. It's the idea of building your own otherwise-expensive camping gear for on the cheap. Yes, it won't function as well as something made by a proper company with years of experience, but it's yours. It's like when you were a child, and your parents wouldn't buy you the toy you wanted, so you made your own.
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#109Whats up everyone. I am the maker of the website and the backpack. This was my first sewing project, but it turned out much better than I expected. I loaded the pack with 30 lbs to test it out before I take it on a multi day trip, and it had no problems. I'm currently working on moving my images to a remote site so wish me luck on keeping the site up.
Great job! I've been thinking of doing a MYOG pack; but my minimum requirement is I have to fit a bear vault; and I think some kind of dedicated frame would be a must. Your idea of using the sleeping-pad as a frame is genius!
It can actually hold 4 BV500's: http://imgur.com/a/fK8sj
Re: Ultralight IKEA-Bag Backpack
#110Don't leave those ikea bags out in the sun, they fall apart rather...quickly....
How about nylon mesh bags? Nylon is not UV proof but its more UV resistant than the ikea bags. Some sources would be SOME mesh laundry bags and SOME mesh bags used by homebrewers to hold hops and stuff. For those folks who don't like filtering anyway. Or those folks who really do like filtering but don't want hops clogging up the filter, I guess.
Some (most? all?) HDPE is UV stabilized and you can get HDPE garden mesh in large amounts very cheaply. With a lot of sewing work I bet they'd look tolerably good and last a long time.