Hyper D 300/Dyneema X Backpack

**spaceantelope** · 01-19-2016, 20:53

Just made this pack recently and have been wanting to show it off a little. The pack has 50 liters of internal capacity, about 60 liters or so with all the external pockets combined. It has two hipbelt pockets, two trekking pole/ice axe loops, front shock cord lashing, and full internal 1/4" foam back pad and aluminum stays. The hipbelt and shoulder straps are both made with 1/4" foam, 3D spacer mesh, and Hyper D 300. The main pack body is made out of Olive Yellow 3.9oz HyperD 300, the back panel and all the external pockets are made out of Dyneema X, and the roll top closure is made out of silnylon. When stripped this pack weighs 14oz, the weight with shock cord and hipbelt pockets is 16.5oz, and fully loaded with everything including the foam back pad and aluminum stays it weighs 22.5oz.

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I took this thing out and walked for about two hours with it loaded up with about 25lbs and it handled it beautifully. The pack ended up fitting me great, and it is very comfortable. All in all I’m very happy with how the pack turned out and with how it carries. I am also making a 25 liter SUL/weekend pack with some of the leftover material and it'll be done as soon as I get the last of the materials in the mail. I’ve really caught the MYOG bug recently and I am somewhat obsessed with making gear right now!

Here are some pictures showing the removable back pad/aluminum stays:

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The last picture is of the 25 liter pack. It will be a streamlined summit style pack with two daisy chains along the front of the pack. I am also making a removable front pocket out of Dyneema X that will be about 10 liters bringing the total capacity to 30 liters. I'm hoping this pack will have a finished weight of about 9-10 oz.
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**justsomeguy** · 01-19-2016, 21:16

wow! great job

**boulderv7** · 01-19-2016, 21:20

Sweet looking pack. Very nice job. It'll feel good to go out on a trip with a pack you've made yourself.

**Georgia_boy** · 01-19-2016, 21:34

Very cool! Where did you source the stays? Been wanting to make a pack myself.

**TFC Rick** · 01-19-2016, 21:47

That is very cool! Where did you source the design? I would love to tackle one of these.

**spaceantelope** · 01-19-2016, 22:17

Right now I'm just using some HMG stays from my southwest 2400 pack.
I have some aluminum on the way though.
http://www.metalsdepot.com/
Sourced the stays from here. Its actually pretty cheap for the aluminum itself, but shipping is outrageous. It was about $7 for two 2' sections of 1/8"x1/2" aluminum, but shipping was something like $18, and for some reason every website had about the same shipping prices.
I have some more ordered and I'm going to try two different designs though. I'll post pictures when they're done.

**johne** · 01-19-2016, 22:23

there is stuff available at lowes:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_55956-37672-...t=aluminum+bar

saves shipping... 8' piece for $8.18...

i also have a local place i can get aluminum from... about a 45 min drive away

**spaceantelope** · 01-19-2016, 22:23

I created the design myself based on the last few packs I've had that I have really liked. No matter how much I like a pack, there always seems to be something that could be better about it, so I decided to start making my own. I think I'm actually gonna make one more pack soon with some final adjustments and tweaking. I plan on using the pack for a PCT thru this coming summer, so we'll see how it holds up.

**TFC Rick** · 01-19-2016, 22:25

Any chance you could share plans or was it a more on the fly kinda deal?

**spaceantelope** · 01-19-2016, 22:30

Originally Posted by johne

there is stuff available at lowes:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_55956-37672-...t=aluminum+bar

saves shipping... 8' piece for $8.18...

i also have a local place i can get aluminum from... about a 45 min drive away

Nice! That's good to know!
I think I'm probably gonna end up going with a 1/4" round rod in the long run though, because I feel it will give me more stability with the modular set up I have in there.