[pct-l] DIY Gear

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, Todd,

In ’05 I intended to build a G4 because it was a well-accepted design, and
because it could accept a bear ‘can crosswise in the bottom.  Before I
ordered the materials I found, and bought, an older – but un-used -- GVP-4
which was the predecessor of the G4.  In ’07 I used it through the Sierras,
but preferred the smaller Go-Lite Breeze elsewhere.

My observations about the GVP-4/G4 are:

I like the sleeping pad pockets outside the pack.  It makes the pad easy to
remove and sit on during a stop.

For me, the GVP-4 is far too large, and it always hung like any half-empty
sack might.

That bagginess was exacerbated by its poor top securement. I prefer the
option of rolling the top and securing it with a single strap.

The bear ‘can crosswise in the bottom turned out to be the biggest problem:
I didn’t realize until too late that with without padding between the hard
plastic ‘can and the fabric, every time I butt-thumped down a slope –
intentionally or otherwise – the fabric was cut against the ‘can.  It even
happened due to impact with snowpack.  Eventually I learned to spread
something soft in the bottom of the sack before loading the ‘can, but by
then the fabric had been shredded.  After about two weeks the bottom of the
pack was more duct tape than fabric.

I’ve made other gear with good success from various plans, but the best has
been the tarp/poncho from TrailDad:
http://royrobinson.homestead.com/PonchoPlans.html

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/


On Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 12:36 PM, T.Rem <toddremy at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi All!
> Thanks for all the great advice concerning my previous post.
>
> I've made a lot of my own gear over the past couple of years while I
> transitioned to UL mode.  I've made the famous Heineken can cooking pot and
> a down sleeping quilt- both of which I happily used all last hiking season.
>  I'm currently working on my 3rd prototype of the G4 by GVR Gear (link
> below), while making some changes to size and design along the way, and I
> was wondering if any one else has tried making this model and field tested
> it?  Also I'd love to hear about any other DIY gear you guys may
> have experimented with!  Thanks,
> Todd
>
> http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/gvp-pack/index.html
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