A couple summers ago, I found a thread on here by LanceR about how he made a canvas portage pack. I thought that was pretty slick, and decided to make my own. I borrowed a Portage Pack Company #4 from a friend to copy the design, bought some materials and hardware, and got to work. I made a pattern, started cutting leather and sewing canvas, and then got busy with other stuff. The project got put on a shelf in the garage for 2 years, until last week, I finally got it down and finished it up!
It's pretty faithful to the Portage Pack Company #4, but I added side panels. The final dimensions are 24" high, 27" wide, and 6" deep. It's really big! I picked the dimensions so I could fit my 3 35L dry bags in it side by side, but I think I could have made it a bit smaller and still fit them quite nicely, even when they're fully packed. But I suppose it's never a bad thing to have some more space.
The pics of me wearing it show it with the dry bags inside, packed fairly full, but not stuffed. Overall, I'm quite happy with how it came out, although I made a few aesthetic mistakes that I'd rectify next time, and forgot to sew a second canvas reinforcement panel underneath the leather attachment point for the top of the shoulder straps. I don't think this will be an issue, and if it is, it's possible to drill out the rivets and correct it. I used 12oz canvas, as that was the thickest I could find. I think it will hold up fine, although I wish I'd found heavier-duty stuff.
I'm mostly posting this as encouragement to folks who want to try this. I've done a bit of sewing and leatherwork before, but I'm certainly not an expert. The principal challenge was finding a sewing machine that could handle multiple layers of the canvas. I ended up using my girlfriend's Singer CG-550 commercial machine, as my Singer 404 straight stitch machine couldn't handle it, despite reading many places online that the old, all-metal Singers were beefy enough for the challenge. I highly recommend the CG series—they're powerful, but are easier to use than industrial machines, and you can find them for a reasonable price on eBay.
It's pretty faithful to the Portage Pack Company #4, but I added side panels. The final dimensions are 24" high, 27" wide, and 6" deep. It's really big! I picked the dimensions so I could fit my 3 35L dry bags in it side by side, but I think I could have made it a bit smaller and still fit them quite nicely, even when they're fully packed. But I suppose it's never a bad thing to have some more space.
The pics of me wearing it show it with the dry bags inside, packed fairly full, but not stuffed. Overall, I'm quite happy with how it came out, although I made a few aesthetic mistakes that I'd rectify next time, and forgot to sew a second canvas reinforcement panel underneath the leather attachment point for the top of the shoulder straps. I don't think this will be an issue, and if it is, it's possible to drill out the rivets and correct it. I used 12oz canvas, as that was the thickest I could find. I think it will hold up fine, although I wish I'd found heavier-duty stuff.
I'm mostly posting this as encouragement to folks who want to try this. I've done a bit of sewing and leatherwork before, but I'm certainly not an expert. The principal challenge was finding a sewing machine that could handle multiple layers of the canvas. I ended up using my girlfriend's Singer CG-550 commercial machine, as my Singer 404 straight stitch machine couldn't handle it, despite reading many places online that the old, all-metal Singers were beefy enough for the challenge. I highly recommend the CG series—they're powerful, but are easier to use than industrial machines, and you can find them for a reasonable price on eBay.
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