Home made bike bag

[jeremy11]

Homemade gear on this ride: Frame pack, seat bag, wind pants, wind coat, fleece hat, puffy mittens, pogies, primaloft pants, little tool pouch.

[bmike-vt]

Homemade gear on this ride: Frame pack, seat bag, wind pants, wind coat, fleece hat, puffy mittens, pogies, primaloft pants, little tool pouch.

nice looking rig!

[sean salach]

Good stuff, Jeremy. And it all matches!

[Outsider]

Homemade gear on this ride: Frame pack, seat bag, wind pants, wind coat, fleece hat, puffy mittens, pogies, primaloft pants, little tool pouch.

Nice!

I made a small bag to sit between the top tube and steerer tube to hold a camera and some snack. It is not pretty and I will still trim some material from the lid, but it seems to work. It is closed by velcro and it should be possible to get a camera from it with the right hand while riding.



I still have some material left, so I will probably try to make some sort of pogies for the Midge bar.

[jeremy11]

Homemade gear on this ride: Frame pack, seat bag, wind pants, wind coat, fleece hat, puffy mittens, pogies, primaloft pants, little tool pouch.

Also homemade backpack, harness inspired by my Nathan HPL #020 hydration pack, but with much more volume.

[sean salach]

Got photos of all the other gear anywhere? Specifically the clothing. Especially the primaloft pants...

[jeremy11]

homemade primaloft pants - 11 oz - Momentum shell and liner, 3 oz Primaloft Sport insulation for 0.6" loft, with full side zips (#3 ykk molded tooth zippers) and little velcro tabs at the bottom for ankle adjustments. they'll fit over everything else I'd be wearing and over telemark ski boots. Made with thru-hiker.com materials and their Liberty Ridge windpants pattern, modified for insulated pants.  I oversize the pattern a bit, then once I pinned it up, ended up downsizing it back to almost normal.  I've also made the thru-hiker minima vest, which is a great intro to making synthetic apparel.  Quite simple, really.
I rarely wear them, but for 11 oz its dumb to leave home without them.  Excellent insurance.

my windpants and windcoat are from thru-hiker.com Liberty Ridge kits.  The coats have full zip and hood, one pair pants has ankle zips (can fit over my boots) the other pair has no ankle zips but has pocket slits so I can access stuff in my shorts pockets for trail running.  The green 1.1oz uncoated fabric in the windcoat has held up incredibly well.  Tons of use for about 5 years running, skiing, biking, backpacking, etc.  I use it often in winter for a semi permeable vbl (see Extreme Alpinism, by Mark Twight) to slow but not stop evaporative cooling.  Also blocks more wind.  I have another windcoat in the 1.1oz teflon DWR fabric, but it is heavier and less breathable, so I use it less.



Thin baselayer, diy windcoat, Paramo Aspira jacket.  This is what I wear almost all the time for biking and skiing in CO, just venting as necessary.  It works really well in most conditions here.  The pack harness can be seen somewhat, and the fleece hat is in there somewhere.
I don't have any real good pics of the pack.

Here is the Nathan HPL 020 http://nathansports.com/our-products/hydrationnutrition/race-vests/hpl-020 harness I copied it from:  Very comfy and stable while running downhill, and pockets for quick access.  Amazing for trail running.  I just traced these straps and mimicked them with gridstop outside and a Momentum liner.  There are also two straps per side under the arm.  The lower ones go to the bottom of the pack as normal, the upper ones attach to an elastic triangle in the lower back of the pack.

Ray Jardine had me against sternum straps for years, until I got this pack, and love it.  For hiking I still prefer no sternum strap though.

[daveB]

Here are some pictures of my homemade gear:


pullover silnylon rainjacket with hood, half zip, and netting in the pits.
pattern mostly knocked off from an Equinox jacket (not for sale anymore) with improved shaping of hood.
4.4 oz. size XL tall

Uncoated ripstop nylon windshirt remarkably similar to jeremy11's.  Even the same darn color.
2.8 oz. size XL tall
No picture.

Tent stake/camera monopod

Modified an Easton tent stake and epoxied in a standard 1/4"-20 thread stud which fits cameras nicely.

Tarptent

more details: http://www.studiozoic.com/house/index.htm
34 oz. fits 2 people comfortably

Backpack (while on the Chilkoot Trail, Alaska)

23.7 oz, ~3200 cubic inches.  
Made from the same xpac fabric I used for my frame bag (photo earlier in this thread)

[nyounie]

Any thoughts on using rip stop nylon for a frame bag? I'm more concerned about weight and cost than having something that will last forever. At $6/yard is it worth trying?

[daveB]

*Most* people would probably think that ripstop nylon doesn't have the puncture or abrasion resistance to serve well in a frame bag.  You'll also be limited to a low strength thread, which won't help either.  Of course, there are the fringe ultralighters who make packs out of silnylon...I don't see that would hold up well enough to be a reasonable investment.  But, if you go for it, at worst you'll test out your pattern (not that I think that is a genuine issue, plenty of folks here with modest sewing skills have put together frame bags that are plenty functional).

Check this out: http://www.questoutfitters.com/coated.html#PACKCLOTH
8oz. Packcloth or 4oz. Oxford would both be a LOT better than 2.2oz ripstop.
You could get 2nds which are likely to be good enough, or look at their remnants.

[nyounie]

Thanks Dave... About how much fabric do I need for a frame bag. I do have an XL frame and I know there are some variables but just looking for a ball park number. Also, with zippers, straps and such, whats the average weight. Withen reason, I'm trying to go as light as possible.

[daveB]

A yard is 36" x roll width, usually 59-60", but sometimes 45" or 54".  1/2 or 3/4 yard might be enough, but only if you make a pattern first to be sure.  A full yard will be plenty of get the job done with some buffer for "operator error".  Finished weight will depend on individual part weight and size, mine weighs 3.9oz, also XL.

[12wheels]

DaveB
Nice rainjacket. I've been considering making one from silnylon.  Does netting allow enough air in to keep you comfortable?

Two recent projects
A new seat pack and bug bivy.
The 400 denier packcloth is easy to work with and rugged.  I used the black ripstop from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics:
http://www.owfinc.com/Fabrics/NylonWoven/PackclothOxford.asp#Nylon Packcloth

[daveB]

12wheels-
Netting piece in armpit is a diamond shape about 4"-5" on a side.  Comfortable?  I consider the jacket to be a cold+rain or just cold layer.  If you're not sweating a lot, condensation won't be out of control and you're comfy.  If warm+rain, then nothing is going to keep me dry if I'm on the move.  I'd guess that the netting doesn't do a whole lot.  But it dries out really fast and is super lightweight.  Note that I run warm and sweat a ton when its warm/hot.

[12wheels]

Thanks for the info.  I'll probably make one after finishing my current project, a down quilt. 

[donkey]

Here's what I made recently for my Pugsley.....

[DaveC]

Nice work fellas.

Here's the current iteration of my ski/adventure/everything pack.  Next up: stretch hipbelt pockets.



Seat pack.



Karate Monkey partial frame bag.  I want to make a full frame bag soon.



Leviathan frame bag and gas tank.  This frame bag has a zip on the other side and is a simple compartment design, and is the best I've made thus far.

[Outsider]

...
Two recent projects
A new seat pack and bug bivy.
...

How does the bug bivy work in practice? I've contemplated doing something similar for my summer bivy, since my previous system with just a head net is somewhat suboptimal.

[12wheels]

Very impressive folks.  Keep the pictures coming.  

Outsider
I haven't used the bivy outside but the design, it's based on the SMD Meteor- http://sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=61, gets excellent reviews from the folks at Backpackinglight.com.   I've tried it in the house and it doesn't feel confining at all and the netting stays out of my face.  You can't see it in the pictures but my version has a 2 1/2in bathtube floor and a top panel which can be extended to 65 inches for additional protection from wind and water.  It was pretty easy to make and weighs 8 1/2oz with the modifications.
http://sixmoondesigns.com/community/myo_MeteorBivy.html

[GreenBikeGuy]

Hey, that's the same leg-Velcro-thingy that I wear!