Crafting A Pack Frame

It was something that I had not noticed.

We were out on a camping trip recently. A friend pointed it out to me. And, sooner than later, it is going to let me down.

I’ve carried that old external frame military surplus pack for several years now. It’s been a good one and still is. An external frame supposedly allows you to remove the pack in order to convey items other than what is held inside the pack itself. I’m not so sure I would want to do that with this particular pack. It looks a little complicated.

I like the 5 small outside pockets that allow me to categorize contents into designated compartments that allow me to easily access them. It has a main compartment as well as a bottom compartment. The problem is that one of the shoulder straps is about to give out. 

Machine sewn stitching. Time. Wear. Could be that the next trip will cause it to give way and there I am having to perform some jury rig repair in the woods.

So the situation got me to thinking.

A large part, at least it is supposed to be a large part, of woodcraft is about making … crafting … the items you need.

It may not, for most of us, be practical crafting all the items in our kits. A hank of paracord and tarred bank line will always trump anything that we can braid from natural materials. A bought compass is far more useful than a magnetized needle floating on a leaf. A tarp is a lot more versatile than a pile of debris. And so on with items we are accustomed to using on a regular basis. Not that we can’t improvise and get along without these purchased items via the practice of primitive skills. Doing so, however, takes most of us well beyond our rehearsed skills levels.

But what about the pack itself?

I’ve known about the 3-stick Roycroft pack frame for a long time. People that make them and use them think they are great. Mors Kochanski swears by them. The idea that Mr. Kochanski prefers them over bought packs is a lot of reason to consider the 3 stick design.

I figured what the heck. With some time on my hands, and a shoulder strap about to blow, why not just get into it. Give it a go. And use only tools that I would normally have with me in the woods … a folding saw, a knife, and an awl. I used the awl on my Swisse for the center hole on the first toggle then sped up the process on the other 7 with a brace and bit. I fudged a little. Truth is, though, that the center holes in the toggles aren’t necessary. I think the idea of the toggle being held on by a knot in the end of the paracord is simpler and more lasting than tying the paracord around the toggle. Rather than compromising the strength of the side sticks by drilling holes in them, I tied the toggle cords to the side sticks.

3 sticks. The bottom stick should be as long as from the bend of your elbow to the tips of your fingers. The 2 side sticks from your armpit to your fingertips. These lengths tailor the frame to any individual stature … child, adult, tall, or short.

The diameter of the sticks? Large enough to have some strength and small enough to be light. Although not necessary, I notched my bottom stick to make for a better lashed joint.

I used #18 tarred bank line for lashings. #36 is substantially stronger but for this project the #18 is amply strong. Any good strong cordage will work. Otzi and other primitives likely used rawhide or some other natural material. I like the tarred line. The stuff isn’t subject to slippage when you pull it tight and makes for some bodacious lashing.

I’ve not seen it on frames. Not that others haven’t done it. There’s not many original ideas floating around. I thought it a good idea to add some webbing to the frame to insure that a lighter and narrower bundle wouldn’t slip between the sides … whether that bundle is a lighter camping load or a sack of boned out deer meat from deep enough in the woods to make dragging a deer a terrible chore.

Adding the shoulder straps is a simple thing. One length of 2” nylon webbing looped over the top and tied to the bottom stick. I heated the ends to keep them from unraveling. One side is tied close with a short tag end. The other has a longer tag end to allow tightening or loosening depending upon the season and thickness of my clothing.

Everything that I normally carry in what I refer to as my “mainframe” is wrapped in a bundle and lashed onto the pack frame. I borrowed this wool blanket from our collection but will replace it with an old olive green wool one that doesn’t attract so much visual attention. The dry weight of the kit is 34 pounds. Several pounds of that weight is wool blankets. 2 that form my bedroll. 1 that holds my kit.

How does it carry?

I shouldered it and walked around the yard a bit. I was honestly surprised by how easy it carries. The long flat bundle riding close to the body has no tendency to make you lean forward to carry the load. The only flaw that I discover in the design is that accessing the contents of the kit requires unlashing and unfolding then refolding and relashing to continue on. I’m kind of spoiled on all those extra pockets on my surplus pack.

Not that this is a major hardship. It’s just different and something to grow accustomed to.

I am toying with the idea to use some tight weave canvas or denim and hand stitch a pack sack with a top flap, waterproof it, and use it instead of the blanket wrap. I think the sack would allow more convenience in accessing items that are often used regularly along the way and generally packed in the top of my pack.

For now, though, what we have is a good usable means to carry my essential gear.

Monetary expenditure?

Only for the 10 yard roll of webbing. About 10 bucks. 

Everything else was free from the woods or already laying around.

Now? Get this thing to the woods for a trial run. I'll have more on that at a later date.

Note: Sorry about the fuzzy last picture.

Woodsmoke Woodcraft Camp 11-14-15

I felt it within a mile after getting on I-65. Not a lot of it. A little of it.

It really kicked in after I had made the exit onto Highway 21. Seemed like it took forever to make that turn. Traffic on 21 wasn’t real heavy. It was just heavy enough that the semi hauling fuel in front of me had to wait a while to make the turn to the North. It started kicking in real good as I climbed that first hill. Once the hill was topped, and I was headed down the other side, I let out a long breath and it felt like a heavy load was lifted off of me.

Ten more minutes up the road and I would be pulling through the gate.

Little River State Park is one of our favorite places to get away to. It has been from the first time we camped there those years ago. Even more so now that Iron Men Ministries has taken over management of the park.

You don’t go there if you are looking for water slides, scooter rentals, seafood restaurants, bars on the beach, or a host of other entertainments. You go there to be close to the woods. You go there to be surrounded by the woods. You go there to hear the sounds of the woods, see the sights of the woods, and smell the smell of the woods. You go there to escape the grinding humdrum and noise of life lived on asphalt and concrete. 

You go there so your soul can breathe.

I personally consider the place to be one of the best kept secrets in Southwest Alabama. This place and one other. Both with lake views and ample primitive camp sites.

It’s one of those things.

You either have it or you don’t. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that it either has you or it doesn’t have you. Me and Shirli? It has us really good. Incurably good. It is a good thing that this incurable thing is not fatal. To the contrary. It gives life to those willing to yield to its subtle wooing.

This is the side of woodcraft-bushcraft that cannot be taught. Skills can be taught to those willing to learn. 

Not this. 

It is something that catches us and moves us beyond ourselves … beyond the normalcy of our modern day conveniences, dependencies, and subdue the natural world way of thinking … and into a more natural relationship with nature. It’s a relationship where we see ourselves as a part of and not apart from the natural surroundings. It’s something that heightens our awareness concerning our role as hunter-gatherers. It is also something that, when rightly perceived, heightens our awareness concerning our responsibility to respect and protect the various life sustaining elements of our natural surroundings.

For a while there, while I was setting up, I was entertained by the chatter of a Pileated Woodpecker a few hundred yards away. Noisy birds. Noisy when they are chattering. Noisy when they are pecking. And quite humorous to watch when they are pecking on wood. Especially when they know you are watching them. They’ll pound away for a while then stop and look at you. They’ll look at you, look around, then they’ll go back to their business of sending wood chips flying. And they repeat this process over and over. I always find it amusing to watch.

It’s a rare thing to not see various forms of wildlife in the camping area or to hear them very close. Raccoons exploring your camp at night. Deer walking across the campground despite camps and smoky fires. Rabbits hopping along the woods line. Coyotes yipping. Squirrels barking and scurrying about.

I did not have a scheduled teaching program this weekend. This was more of a let’s just go camping event. Camp any way you want with any gear you want. No schedule. No agenda. Just camp and have fun. Funny thing about that is that you don’t have to have a program for learning to occur. Even in this particular setting there were numerous questions raised. There were numerous opportunities to explain or to show.

It also gave me ample time to simply listen to and watch these young guys as they transitioned into their woods mode. Whittling notches in sticks … practicing primitive fire-making skills … searching for bait beneath bark and under logs … building brush shelters …  going for walks … and generally poking around in the woods exploring. Something real … something vital … is taking place when people, regardless of their age bracket, are comfortable on their own without artificial entertainments.

Sometimes the best teaching is accomplished through personal example. Sometimes?

It was a very gratifying weekend of camping. Not a drop of rain. Pleasant during the day. Cold enough at night to keep folks huddled up close around the fire. It was a lot more than being “out there”.  This is a great group of people that are always a pleasure to spend time with. Campfires and conversations. Real comradery. A kindred family that is closer than blood kin. 

The combination makes for a weekend that lasts long after the tents are down and the fire has been doused.

Long Term Practical Self Reliance

There is no possible way to address the myriad facets that are contained in this subject in a brief article or in a series of brief articles. I admit that up front. The subject matter is entirely too vast. I will also admit that I make no boastful claim to being an authority on the subject. I will admit that I have a lot of years of experience where the subject matter is concerned.

I will also admit that my experience is in the realm of the common man … that realm where available cash is not flowing abundantly and time is spent in a gallant attempt to manage the constant demands and dictates of life. It is the realm where fame and fortune do not exist and likely never will. This, I believe, is the realm where most of us live, move, and have our being.

The realm of the common man is not a bad realm to be in. It has its challenges. I consider that these challenges are all the more reason for the commoner to take the necessary steps involved in becoming as self-reliant as possible. Every step taken … every challenge overcome … is one more step away from dependency upon others and fickle systems that delude us into thinking that we can’t take care of ourselves.

Systems exist because we allow them their existence by subserviently supporting them and playing by their rules. We will never be able to totally divorce ourselves from the systems.  However, the more self-reliant we become the better able we are to dance with these systems without winding up intoxicated, seduced, and in bed with them.

Self-reliance does not involve the investment of a fortune. It is not free either. There is an investment of hard earned financial resources. There is a generous investment of precious time. Becoming self-reliant involves a lot of prioritizing. It involves a great deal of redirecting our attention and energies. Sacrifice? That is a perspective thing. I do not consider it to be so. Some may.

What I have noticed over the years is that the less I play by the rules of the various systems … the less I fit into the greater scheme of things and the smaller my circle of close relationships grows. Subservient system folks don’t understand this life. There is no kindred ground to stand upon. They question. There is the drawing back and silent rejection. That stuff kind of hurt my feelings at one time but I grew quite comfortable being an odd duck quacking differently than the large flock on the pond.

It is one thing to prepare for some kind of short-term disaster that takes the power out for a few days or a few weeks. It takes some consideration and planning but it is easily doable. Same thing with putting together a bug-out or get-home bag. We discover a horse of a different color when we start talking about a long-term situation involving months or possibly years. A lot of people consider the idea laughable.

Me?

I reside at the other end of the measuring stick and do so without apology. I make no apology in saying that people are foolish to not have a few months of food stored. There’s a lot of things that people can get along without. Food is not one of them. 50 pounds of rice, 50 pounds of beans, and 10 pounds of salt can be procured at Walmart for close to a Benjamin. That’s a lot of basic sustenance for a small investment.

Another is water. Large containers of water are bulky and weigh a lot. A means to collect and process water to make it potable is a really good idea. That’s one reason I’ve been reluctant to get rid of that aluminum boat out by the shed. It sits there on “stand-by.” A poly tarp (or piece of plastic) hung on some sticks will fill it with rain water in a matter of a few minutes.

Over the course of the next several articles we’ll touch on some important areas associated with long term self reliance. The subject matter, based upon my own garnered perspective, will briefly address the subjects of tools, skills, knowledge, and experience.