Update on my homemade daypack

This is what my pack looks like now:

This is what my homemade day pack looks like now.  I've replaced the front pocket and both side pockets with stronger material.  I also made a new interior pocket that is lighter.  The interior pocket came off a couple of times then I attached it to the strip of webbing that holds my shoulder straps it place and it has stayed put ever since.

I am very happy with my pack because it was built just for me. It has all the features that I want and it is exactly my size.  I had to repair this pack about every other month at first due to some design flaws. Now it does not need as much repair work and  I know how to make a stronger pack next time around.

Things I would do different include sewing the pocket edges into the body seams instead of outside of the pack.  I knew that was the right way to do it from the start but my old sewing machine could not sew through 4 layers at once.  I would also use stronger material to hold the sit pad in place, it rips from time to time and has been patched up with duct tape.

I bought a new sewing machine shortly after I made this pack  sewing machine shop was amazed that I was able to make any outdoor gear with the crappy machine that I had.  My new machine cost me just $75 but it is a tank.  My old machine was like a 2 stroke engine, it revved way to fast and was hard to control.  My new machine is like a 4 stroke engine or maybe even a Caterpillar truck engine.  I can have total control over the speed from super slow to almost too fast.

For years and years I suffered with my Dressmaker brand machine.   This new old Kenmore machine makes sewing so much easier.

One of these days I will make myself a new day pack with my new machine and my new skill set.  But for now I just love my current day pack too much to retire it.

I am really enjoying the freedom of not having a hip belt on my day pack.  I like to be able to just shrug the pack off when ever I want to.  At first I did not like the extra weight on my shoulders but now I never even think about it.  The only bad thing about no hip belt is that when I am brush crashing if I lean over too far the pack can come off over the top of my head.  Keeping the shoulder straps tight will prevent that though.