Modified gear

[wrongway_08]

Would just like to hear some mods everyone has done to gear they own.
1) brand and model
2) Mod done to it
3) Did it help or not?
4) Problems you ran into?
5) Photos if you have them

[wrongway_08]

1) Big Agnes, Insulated sleeping pad
2) Cut it down in size
3) Worked great, fits me perfect now. I save a lot of weight and space in the pack also.
4) Getting the supports to seal, had to add a little bit of glue to each of those areas before using the iron to seal the seems.

Here is the amount I cut off.
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/wrongway_02/bigagnespad002.jpg

After the cutting. What a difference in pack size!
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/wrongway_02/bigagnespad001.jpg
* I called Big Agnes, they said the seams are heat sealed, So a iron, set to the highest setting will work.

You need:
- Razor blade
- Hot iron
- High strenth Fabric glue * only used by where the supports are located, in small amount!

1) Measure the size you want, make sure you try every position you might want to sleep in!
2) Cut it.
3) push the insulation away from the edge about 3/4" .
4) Take the hot iron and work it down the edge in 5" sections. You cant slide the iron down the edge, you have to walk it down. I held the iron down for about 5 seconds each time. Press down on the iron to make sure it melts the seams together.
5) When you get to the lenght cut (going across the pad) The supports need to be dealt with. You need to trim them a little and then apply fabric glue. Just use a small amount and only by the support areas! Then walk the iron down that cut.
6) fill the pad, press around the edges of your cuts and check for any spots the look like they may lift. It you find any spots just hit that area with the hot iron again.
7) when you get done your leak check, fill the pad as much as you can, then lay on it, try to make it leak. Thats it your done.

This is the end peice support, as it looks after you slice the end off with your razor blade.
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/wrongway_02/2001.jpg


This is how you need to cut it so you can glue and iron the seam.
The white material you see is part of the insulation Big Agnes uses.
Of course I have taken out the insulation for the photo.
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/wrongway_02/2002.jpg

[Skidsteer]

Have you tried it on trail yet?

Might be best to reserve your judgment until after you've slept on it a few times. Jus' sayin'. :)

[Passionphish]

Was that sleeping pad modification hard to do?

[wrongway_08]

Skidsteer - Have not tried it on the trail yet, slept on it while watching TV. Filled it all the way up and then bounced on it, everything held tight.

Passionphish - Nope, easy to do. Would take me about 30 - 45 minutes total now that I know what to do :) .

[wrongway_08]

Go-Lite Jam 2 - 3100cu in.
Added a 2nd compartment to the main one.
Keeps all my gear from shifting around
No problems, just time consuming sewing by hand.



This pack has a large main compartment, little too large for me. All this room allowed my gear to flop around, I decided to add a 2nd compartment into the main one.

Went to the store and bout some ripstop nylon, needles and thread.

First thing I did was to flip the pack inside out and measure the support that rest against my back:
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/wrongway_02/pack001.jpg

Then, with the pack inside out, I stitched that section to the inside front of the pack,
this took 1 hour 45 minutes. Man I hate needle and thread work, could not use the machine because the reinforce edge was too small. The botom edge was a little tricky, it did not go all the way to the bottom of the pack, instead it stops a little shy of it so I had to sew a large curve to follow that section of the pack seam.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/wrongway_02/pack002.jpg

This is the finished shot, now I have 2 compartments inside, and this keeps all the gear from moving around. Everything inside stays stacked and fits against my back better.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/wrongway_02/pack003.jpg

All said and done, it only added .30 oz to the pack