Crafting A Pack Sack For The Roycroft Pack Frame

The idea occurred to me the first time I wrapped my gear in the blanket and lashed it to the frame.

Why not hand stitch a pack sack to take the place of the blanket wrap?

It seemed like a good idea. Mainly the thought that it might be possible to access items from the pack without having to unlash and unfold the blanket … items that I regularly use from my kit … items like my fire making and cooking kits.

Also, a cotton duck pack sack offers itself to waterproofing a lot more readily than a wool blanket. Rain is a frequent visitor to the coastal plain so some waterproofing might be a good idea.

That wool blanket used to hold my kit is a handy item to have along when the mercury drops in the cold zone … a nice addition to my bedroll made from 2 wool blankets. 

Realistically though, in the event of honestly cold weather use, one of those fiberfill mummy bags that we have would be lighter to carry. Slipped inside my wool bedroll it would also be protected from errant sparks and embers that would otherwise burn holes in it.

I measured the bundle lashed onto the frame and made a few mental adjustments to the dimensions. 22 inches wide. 24 inches tall. 12 inches deep.  Hit the numbers on the calculator. Somewhere around 6,300 square inches. The finished size of the sack isn’t quite those dimensions. I tried to eyeball calibrate 3/8ths of an inch on the hems. The volume loss isn’t a lot. For practical purposes I’ll just estimate it at 6,000 cubic inches. That’s a lot of interior space and the toggles allow me to lash more on the outside if I’m willing to carry the extra weight.

Dimensions of the panels …

Bottom … 12” x 22”

Front … 22” x 24”

Sides (2) … 12” x 24”

Back … 22” x 48”

I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to assemble the panels. Whatever suits your fancy.

Another thing.

These dimensions suit me, my height, and the size of my kit.

You might be taller. You might be shorter. You might be wider across the rear.

The pack frame that you build is measured to suit your height and stature. (See my previous blog on crafting the frame.)

I attached the front panel to the bottom first. Then I attached the two side panels. The back was then attached. I used a whip stitch for all the hemming thinking it would be the strongest and would not allow for any unraveling. The whip stitch made a nice rolled hem. The entire thing was sewn inside out then turned inside in.

I can’t swear to what kind of braided thread it is. It’s either polyester or nylon. It’s something that we have a big spool of and it’s tough as all get out. With it doubled like it is you can’t pull on it hard enough to break it. You’ll gash your fingers before you’ll break the thread.

I roped the flap and top of the sack rather than hemming them. I wanted these edges to have some rigidity yet still be flexible. That was a little time consuming but I was pleased with the outcome. I used ¼ inch grass rope on the top of the sack. Once that was done I thought 3/8" would be better and used 3/8” grass rope on the flap. The 3/8 is better but, due to the time involved to replace it, I’ll leave the 1/4” roping on the top of the sack. 

I don’t think there is anything magical about the grass rope. It’s what I had laying around so why not use it?

Waterproofing?

Haven’t done it yet. I’m still thinking about how I want to go about that. Something old-timey? Or just get a can of quick drying spray from the sporting goods section? Either way will create some odor that I want to avoid right now considering I’ll be using this rig this coming weekend. It’s supposed to be a dry weekend so I’m not going to worry much about waterproofing before the trip.

The idea of being able to access items without unlashing didn’t pan out. I can live with that. At least with the sack all I’m dealing with is the flap rather than unfolding all the sides then refolding them to lash things secure.

Everything that I normally carried in my military surplus pack fits inside the sack with plenty of room to spare. I’ve taken the pack rig on two mile long hikes to see how it carries and how well it handles its 34 pounds of contents. The trip coming up next weekend will be a good trial run. Part of the weekend involves a two mile hike and overnight.

Initially though, based on these couple of one milers that I’ve taken it on, I have a difficult time imagining me ever dropping the cash to buy another pack.

The sticks were free. Cordage for lashing I had. The cost of the cotton duck? 1.75 yards @ $4.99 a yard and there’s enough left over to make several poke sacks.