View Full Version : What have you cut off your Backpack?
I've got a Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude. I'm just wondering what all of you have commonly cut off or cut down to save weight.
A second question - Did you sew loops into paired down straps, or did you melt the ends and leave them open?
Thanks for any opinions :)
Jim Adams
02-07-2008, 17:46
actually my pack trimmed my ass!
geek
I've got two GG packs, and I wouldn't cut anything off of either one. Except for this: the spindrift collars are pretty long... I might shorten them up considerably -- if I had the nerve or the skill to do that.
Appalachian Tater
02-07-2008, 18:03
I did cut down many of the straps on my GG Nimbus Ozone and the ones that had loops, I re-sewed with loops. The waist belt I did cut down, but don't go overboard with that if you cut it down well into a thru-hike or you may end up with a too-short belt after you regain weight! But the flopping straps are very annoying and heavy. By the time I cut the waistbelt down, I was having to tie a knot in it which was aggravating.
I also remove all labels unless embroidered, and sometimes then, but I have been doing that for decades.
A gas stove or candle can be used to melt the ends but practice on scraps first.
The load-lifting straps I did not cut down, and I tuck them under the straps sewn to the shoulder pads so they don't flap.
I bought a zpack that didn't have a whole bunch of stuff that needed to be cut off.
is there a particulary "good" method of sewing those loops back into the pull straps? :confused:
Appalachian Tater
02-07-2008, 18:19
is there a particulary "good" method of sewing those loops back into the pull straps? :confused: I used a short, thick needle, two strands of heavy-duty thread, a flat-woven dishtowel on a hard surface, some candlewax for lubrication, and a thimble. The loops are mostly just to keep the strap from coming out of the buckle, globby melting of the ends would do the same thing. I do put my thumbs in the "load-lifter" loops occasionally.
I haven't cut anything off my V. Ki.
YeOldeBackpacker
02-07-2008, 18:38
If you have a shoe repair shop locally they can do a great job at sewing the straps.
is there a particulary "good" method of sewing those loops back into the pull straps? :confused:
Find out what it's like to make trail repairs on a pack. Get some dental floss and a needle big enough to thread the floss through and go for it.;)
i cut the 2 useless (to me) ice-axe loops off my golite gust. i just left the stumps... if they fray, oh well... i have no intention of sewing them back on. i did add 2 water bottle pouches (useful) and some loops to weave elastic through (also useful). probably a net gain of an ounce.
when i had a kelty trekker, i left everything alone, though the waist belt was way too long and i thought about trimming it.
I haven't had to resort to cutting off anything on my DEUTER 50. But when I had my kelty Redcloud 5400,I ended up making many motifications to that one. It was the old style and had the big heavy snap buckles. I first did away with the detachable hood and that shaved off 2 1\2 lbs by itself. I think altogether I shaved about 3 lbs off the weight
Trimmed down cowling, shortened length of waistbelt strap webbing, removed all labels and hip belt adjusters(almost useless), replaced draw cord and cord locks w/ lighterversions on GG Vapor TRL. Saved more than 5 ozs. Recently, removed backpad, hydration sleeve, ice axe loops and shortened webbing on GoLite Jam 2. Shaved almost 4 oz. This is what can happen when U spend too much time at SUL websites!
aaroniguana
02-07-2008, 20:31
I'm just wondering what all of you have commonly cut off or cut down to save weight. :)
My wife's hands. She kept putting my backpack and the tarptent I was working on in the attic.
If you have a shoe repair shop locally they can do a great job at sewing the straps.
My X-Wife use to work at a fabric store (Joann Fabrics) and they would have guys sometimes come in to buy fabric or other craft item for some project they were working on. Usually for a car or truck. And they would ask one of the women that worked at the store if they wanted to make a few bucks sewing up whatever item they needed. Almost always one of the girls that worked at the store was willing to take it home and do it for them.
If you are a guy that needs something like this done, go your local craft / fabric store and ask employees if they want to make a few dollars. If so, they take it home sew it and bring it back and you pay. Safe for them to do as you don’t go to their home or call them on the phone, it’s all done in the open at the store. They make money, you get your project made, everyone walks away happy.
Almost There
02-07-2008, 21:12
My X-Wife
Is she a member of the X-Men, what's her superhero name and secret power?:D
BTW, the only thing I cut off my pack are the tags.
My X-Wife use to work at a fabric store (Joann Fabrics) and they would have guys sometimes come in to buy fabric or other craft item for some project they were working on. Usually for a car or truck. And they would ask one of the women that worked at the store if they wanted to make a few bucks sewing up whatever item they needed. Almost always one of the girls that worked at the store was willing to take it home and do it for them.
If you are a guy that needs something like this done, go your local craft / fabric store and ask employees if they want to make a few dollars. If so, they take it home sew it and bring it back and you pay. Safe for them to do as you don’t go to their home or call them on the phone, it’s all done in the open at the store. They make money, you get your project made, everyone walks away happy.
Are U reading my mind? Just did exactly that? Someone in JoAnne fabrics added some hipbelt pockets to the Jam2 I mentioned on another post in this thread for a ridicuously low cost.
Trimmed down cowling, shortened length of waistbelt strap webbing, removed all labels and hip belt adjusters(almost useless), replaced draw cord and cord locks w/ lighterversions on GG Vapor TRL. Saved more than 5 ozs. Recently, removed backpad, hydration sleeve, ice axe loops and shortened webbing on GoLite Jam 2. Shaved almost 4 oz. This is what can happen when U spend too much time at SUL websites!
how/ how much did you trim down the cowling? what lighter versions for draw chord/locks? thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
Is she a member of the X-Men, what's her superhero name and secret power?:D
BTW, the only thing I cut off my pack are the tags.
I wouldn’t call her a Superhero.
how/ how much did you trim down the cowling? what lighter versions for draw chord/locks? thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
I warn U, going down this path leads to becoming a lite wt. fanatic like myself. And, it may not stop at hiking gear! Just the other day I was wondering how much more my cup of coffee would weigh if I added a little more sugar and half n half to it! When my friends or family want to know how many stamps to put on their mail they ask me. I'm considering joining a carnival so I can make a fortune accurately guessing the wt. of carnival sideshow contestants.
The cowling on the Vapor Trl. is excessively long(at least to me). The long cowling makes it hard to see what is where inside the bag and makes it harder to put gear inside the pack. Although, really minor issues(I love this pack) I decided to cut off about 4-5" of the cowling to remedy these issues, shave off a bit of wt., and lower the packs center of gravity when fully loaded. The downside was decreasing the overall volume of the pack slightly; this was OK with me because I had been downsizing my gear for awhile and it was time to go to a smaller volumed pack anyhow(just something to think about if you're considering cutting down the cowling on your pack). I've since, simply bought lighter wt. backpacks with decreased volumes. I just cut off some of the cowling length(don't cut off too much or U will not be able to cinch the bag closed) and restitched a new hem to accept a lighter wt. draw cord and cord lock. U can find lighter wt. cord and cord locks at places like REI, Thruhiker.com, many gear shops, UL sites, and backpack manufacturers. Look for super strong UL cord at gear sites that specialize in lite wt. gear or tarps. Since I'm a med. framed guy I can often cut down webbing straps a bit too. I did this with this pack. The extra webbing on the shoulder straps and hipbelt were too long for me. SO snip snip singe singe(just lightly singe the ends of the webbing with a lighter or hot butter knife to keep from unraveling). When doing any of these modifications approach it like a haircut-U can cut it off but U can't put it back on! With a pack this well made and lite to begin with there is only so low U can go with the wt. before it makes more sense to just buy a lighter wt. pack!
thanks, dogwood. think i'll give it a try.
I have a GG Latitude Vapor. There just isn't much to cut off! A few inches of extra webbing, particularly the internal straps, is about all. An ounce or two of savings. Some packs have literally feet of straps hanging all over.
I take the top off of my pack and leave it at home. No cutting required.