sweat shop

In our Marion home (sans AC) there has been little motivation for any type of physical movement. Lily has started to pack, so I figured I should probably do the same. The pending move to Brevard seemed like a good excuse to purge some of the fabric and hardware that I've been squirreling away for over a decade. However, as the floor to the guest room exploded with materials, I found myself gathering up bits and pieces not to throw away, but to start on yet another MYOG project! Is this the life of a hoarder?! So it goes...

Inspired by one obvious shortcoming of my beloved mesh pack, I set out to assemble a 'schwack pack version of similar design. I salvaged the same black spectra gridstop used on my packs in 2002 on the Colorado Trail, 2004 on the John Muir Trail and 2007 on the AT. Incidentally, this external frame pack used on the AT was later run over by a 15-passenger van in 2008 while working up in WV (I don't really want to talk about that). So... this fabric has proven quite durable and worthy of one final(?) duty as the go to pack for fast-paced off-season treks in notoriously overgrown country.

Below are some pics highlighting some of the features of this 12.5 oz. pack slapped together from scraps of fabric and hardware (some over a decade old). Maybe I'll hold onto some of this stuff a little while longer... (Seriously, contact me if you're in need of certain MYOG supplies and I'll see what I have to spare!)