Yes, that's right, I sewed a backpack for Brian to use on the trail. Here's the oh-so-exciting story.
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| Moonshine was really excited to model his new pack :D |
So if you haven't ever heard of
Ray Jardine, he's an ultra-lightweight backpacking guru. He makes a lot of his own gear, and he is a very thrifty gentleman. Besides the gear he makes, he buys much of his gear from thrift stores and the like, and absolutely avoids the big brands of outdoor gear (The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Patagonia, etc.).
Although we don't follow
all, or even
most of Ray Jardine's recommendations and strategies, he is a successful long distance hiker, and we respect his opinion on many topics. Ray Jardine has sewn his own backpacks (and tarps and quilts, etc.), and sells kits so that you can do the same. A home-sewn backpack strongly appealed to Brian, as he is a very frugal man (this works really well, as this often balances out my habits of excess). Our Gregory backpacks that we used for the entire Appalachian Trail are in super condition, considering the mileage we have put on them (after 2,200 miles and 6 1/2 months of daily use, they are still very usable, though more than slightly stinky - impressive!) But, we are looking to
significantly lighten our loads; our Gregory packs probably weight close to, or upwards of, 3 pounds each. (This pack will weigh about 13 ounces.) I have some sewing experience, and received a sewing machine for Christmas gift a couple of years ago from Brian's dad....and so it was a done deal.
So, without doing a ton of research, and sort of jumping into the matter, Brian decided that he wanted me to make his backpack the "Ray Way". We ordered the Ray Jardine backpack kit, which was about $70 -- that's super cheap for a backpack. It included instructions and all of the fabric and notions needed. We had read some reviews claiming the ease of assembly. We even met a guy on the Appalachian Trail who had never sewn before, and he had managed to successfully make his own Ray Jardine Pack. Ray sells an instructional video, which is optional. I figured that since I had sewing experience, I would be fine without the video.
Well, maybe I'm not the seamstress that I thought I was. Or maybe the instructions were lacking. Or maybe I just should have gotten the video. So everything was going along fine; really slowly and tediously, but fine. Until I realized that I had cut the a piece from the wrong fabric, and I had been measuring and drawing lines and seam allowances on it for literally 2 hours. I had a meltdown when I realized my mistake. I was furious at myself for my amateur mishap.
That was the first of many mistakes. I had my seam ripper handy at all times. Fortunately I got snowed in my house during winter storm Julie or Matt or something while Brian was out of town, and I sewed my ass off. In some instances the layers of fabric were too thick, and it angered my sewing machine. My sewing machine began to malfunction and required some constant TLC (cleaning, oiling, needle changing, rethreading, etc.). Very frustrating, to put it gently. Anyway, the freakin' thing is done now.
Initially I thought I may make one for myself....that idea faded REALLY fast. I think I read that the average person completed the backpack in 13 hours....well, I feel like I had to have at least have doubled that, though I didn't count....I was too pissed off to tally the time that I spent sewing the pack. There are a couple of very minor details left to be completed.
I would love nothing more than to never look at that damn pack again, but unfortunately I get to look at it daily for 5+ months. Oh well, I'm really proud of the final product, despite all of the distress that it caused. It better not fall apart.
Happy sewing, and even happier trails!
-Sideways :D
