papa john
09-10-2005, 10:29
These instructions will tell you how to make a very nice, lightweight and strong stuff sack without so much as a needle and thread! The stuff sack measures about 6 inches square and about 10 1/2" tall.
Materials needed:
6 Priority Mail Envelopes
36" of drawsting cord
1 cordlock
NOTE: Priority Mail Envelopes are the property of the USPS and as such are not to be used for non-Priority Mail uses.
Step one. Put on your most non-descript clothing, hat and sunglasses and head on over to your local Post Office. Better yet, go to one across town where maybe they might not recognize you. Park outside and casually walk in the front door, pause a moment to scan the lobby. Somewhere in there will be a table or a rack with the Priority Mail shipping supplies. Saunter over to the display and pick up 6 of the envelopes. Pause, look at your watch and then head quietly for the door. Do NOT look the Postal Workers in the eye. Do NOT show fear. They can sense fear and uncertainty and will pounce on you so fast you'd think "Why can't they deliver the mail this fast?" Once outside in the fresh air you can head back to your home.
Step two. Designate one of the envelopes as the actual stuffsack. The others are donor envelopes and their purpose is to donate the adhesive strips. NOTE: There is a bonus project that can be made with the remnants of the donor envelopes. Take the envelope that you have chosen and cut off the end with the adhesive strip squaring off the top of the envelope. Save the adhesive strip.
Step three. Take the remaining envelopes and cut the adhesive strips off of them. Put the remaining pieces of the envelopes aside for later.
Step four. Back to the designated envelope. With the envelope printed side out insert your hand into the envelope and start to spread the corner apart so that a triangle starts to appear. Maneuver the factory fold so the the edge fold matches up with the bottom fold. Use a ruler and measure across 5 3/4 " and then make a sharp crease ensuring that the point lines up exactly with the bottom fold. This will ensure a perfectly square bag.
Step five. Repeat Step four for the other side of the bag. Once this is done you should start to see the way the bag will form up.
Step six. Take 2 of the adhesive strips and trim off the excess Tyvek material so that all you have remaining is the adhesive. Be sure to leave the release paper on.
Step seven. Cut the adhesive strip into 3 pieces each about 3 1/2" long. You will need four of these strips.
Step eight. Fold each strip in half lengthwise with the adhesive on the outside of the fold.
Step nine. Take one of the strips and place it under the triangular points of the bottom of the bag with the folded edge of the strip facing out. (You will need to remove the release paper at this point) Not that the adhesive is very sticky and you won't have too many chances with it. Make sure that the adhesive is not sticking out, you can actually set it back from the edge about 1/8".
Step ten. Repeat Step nine 3 more times until you have the bottom of the bag sealed.
Step eleven. Take the remaining adhesive strips and trim them like you did in step six. Fold them in half lengthwise.
Step twelve. Along the upper edge of the bag, fold over to the outside 3/4" to form the pocket for the drawstring. Crease sharply.
Step thirteen. Unfold the top of the bag and using the strips you made in step eleven place them along the upper edge of the bag with the fold of the adhesive strip to the edge of the bag. Do this all the way around the bag. Remove only enough release paper to adhere the strip to the bag.
Step fourteen. Refold the top of the bag along your 3/4" crease. Now the remaining release paper will be inside the fold. Carefully remove the release paper making sure that your fold is flat.
Step fifteen. You should now have a stuff sack that is completely formed but is inside out. Turn the bag so that it is right-side out. The printed side will now be on the inside.
Step sixteen. Cut 2 more adhesive strips to fit into the pockets at the bottom of the bag. This will seal the bottom of the bag and make it that much stronger.
Step seventeen. Cut a 1/4" slit in the top of the bag for the drawstring. Fish the drawstring through the pocket until the end of the string comes out the same hole as you started. You can use a stiff but flexible wire for this step. Be sure to leave enough length. I make mine about 36" long. I use a stiff string like 1/8" Spectra and a mini cord lock.
All done. This seems like a lot of steps, but once you have made one, you can do another one in about 5 minutes. This could even be done on the trail if you have a need for a stuff sack. To make the stuff sack softer, roll it up lengthwise and start to twist the bag one way then the next. Repeat this several times. Flatten it out and roll it up the opposite direction. Repeat the twisting motions a few times. This will limber it up nicely and it won't have that stiff feeling to it.
Bonus project: Take the remaining envelopes, cut the bottoms off and also cut them along the seam making it into a flat piece of tyvek. Tape the pieces together and you will end up with a 27" X 66" groundcloth.
Materials needed:
6 Priority Mail Envelopes
36" of drawsting cord
1 cordlock
NOTE: Priority Mail Envelopes are the property of the USPS and as such are not to be used for non-Priority Mail uses.
Step one. Put on your most non-descript clothing, hat and sunglasses and head on over to your local Post Office. Better yet, go to one across town where maybe they might not recognize you. Park outside and casually walk in the front door, pause a moment to scan the lobby. Somewhere in there will be a table or a rack with the Priority Mail shipping supplies. Saunter over to the display and pick up 6 of the envelopes. Pause, look at your watch and then head quietly for the door. Do NOT look the Postal Workers in the eye. Do NOT show fear. They can sense fear and uncertainty and will pounce on you so fast you'd think "Why can't they deliver the mail this fast?" Once outside in the fresh air you can head back to your home.
Step two. Designate one of the envelopes as the actual stuffsack. The others are donor envelopes and their purpose is to donate the adhesive strips. NOTE: There is a bonus project that can be made with the remnants of the donor envelopes. Take the envelope that you have chosen and cut off the end with the adhesive strip squaring off the top of the envelope. Save the adhesive strip.
Step three. Take the remaining envelopes and cut the adhesive strips off of them. Put the remaining pieces of the envelopes aside for later.
Step four. Back to the designated envelope. With the envelope printed side out insert your hand into the envelope and start to spread the corner apart so that a triangle starts to appear. Maneuver the factory fold so the the edge fold matches up with the bottom fold. Use a ruler and measure across 5 3/4 " and then make a sharp crease ensuring that the point lines up exactly with the bottom fold. This will ensure a perfectly square bag.
Step five. Repeat Step four for the other side of the bag. Once this is done you should start to see the way the bag will form up.
Step six. Take 2 of the adhesive strips and trim off the excess Tyvek material so that all you have remaining is the adhesive. Be sure to leave the release paper on.
Step seven. Cut the adhesive strip into 3 pieces each about 3 1/2" long. You will need four of these strips.
Step eight. Fold each strip in half lengthwise with the adhesive on the outside of the fold.
Step nine. Take one of the strips and place it under the triangular points of the bottom of the bag with the folded edge of the strip facing out. (You will need to remove the release paper at this point) Not that the adhesive is very sticky and you won't have too many chances with it. Make sure that the adhesive is not sticking out, you can actually set it back from the edge about 1/8".
Step ten. Repeat Step nine 3 more times until you have the bottom of the bag sealed.
Step eleven. Take the remaining adhesive strips and trim them like you did in step six. Fold them in half lengthwise.
Step twelve. Along the upper edge of the bag, fold over to the outside 3/4" to form the pocket for the drawstring. Crease sharply.
Step thirteen. Unfold the top of the bag and using the strips you made in step eleven place them along the upper edge of the bag with the fold of the adhesive strip to the edge of the bag. Do this all the way around the bag. Remove only enough release paper to adhere the strip to the bag.
Step fourteen. Refold the top of the bag along your 3/4" crease. Now the remaining release paper will be inside the fold. Carefully remove the release paper making sure that your fold is flat.
Step fifteen. You should now have a stuff sack that is completely formed but is inside out. Turn the bag so that it is right-side out. The printed side will now be on the inside.
Step sixteen. Cut 2 more adhesive strips to fit into the pockets at the bottom of the bag. This will seal the bottom of the bag and make it that much stronger.
Step seventeen. Cut a 1/4" slit in the top of the bag for the drawstring. Fish the drawstring through the pocket until the end of the string comes out the same hole as you started. You can use a stiff but flexible wire for this step. Be sure to leave enough length. I make mine about 36" long. I use a stiff string like 1/8" Spectra and a mini cord lock.
All done. This seems like a lot of steps, but once you have made one, you can do another one in about 5 minutes. This could even be done on the trail if you have a need for a stuff sack. To make the stuff sack softer, roll it up lengthwise and start to twist the bag one way then the next. Repeat this several times. Flatten it out and roll it up the opposite direction. Repeat the twisting motions a few times. This will limber it up nicely and it won't have that stiff feeling to it.
Bonus project: Take the remaining envelopes, cut the bottoms off and also cut them along the seam making it into a flat piece of tyvek. Tape the pieces together and you will end up with a 27" X 66" groundcloth.