Kabala Teatro Colombia Travel Tips

Posts Tagged ‘backpacking’

Cheap backpacks can be made, but I don’t recommend it. Unless you are extremely skilled at sewing, it isn’t likely to come out like you want. Also, even if you are an expert, it will probably take less of your time to pick up an extra day at work and buy a pack with the earnings.

On the other hand, if you have an old backpack frame, you can make a cheap backpack with it. Remove the old pack, and tie a plain nylon duffel bag to it firmly, with the zipper facing out. Small bungee cords will work for attaching it too. I did this using an old aluminum frame that still had straps and a waist belt, and for the cost of a $15 duffel bag, I had an external-frame backpack that not only held a lot, but weighed just two pounds.

Buying Cheap Backpacks

There are several ways to buy cheap backpacks. The most obvious is to just wait for a good sale. A quicker way is to shop for a used pack online. Try Ebay.com, or go to a backpacking or other outdoor forum that allows people to sell their gear, like whiteblaze.net. The forums are nice, because you can easily ask questions about the pack.

You can also buy used backpacks cheap at rummage sales. Watch the ads for any mention of outdoor gear, and call to see if they have a backpack you might want. You may be able to buy it before the sale starts. Otherwise, start shopping early, and negotiate a bit. I recently sold a beautiful Kelty frame-pack for $15 at a garage sale.
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Ultralight backpackers are always looking for the lightest backpacks. Unfortunately, lighter usually means more expensive when it comes to backpacking gear. There are some ways around this, though, for those on a tighter budget. There are ways to buy a lightweight backpacker cheaper, and also ways to make them. The latter is easier than you might think.

Making A Cheap Lightweight Backpack

There are some, like ultralight backpacking guru Ray Jardine, who sew their own backpacks. I have sewn some backpacking gear and clothing before, and I can tell you from experience that unless you are extremely skilled at sewing, it isn’t likely to come how you expect it to. Also unless you want to become an expert at sewing, making a backpack this way takes too much time for the money saved. It would be better to just work an extra shift at your job and buy a good pack.

Don’t give up on making a lightweight backpack yet, though. There is another way. I made a backpack that weighs just two pounds even, and it is a full frame-and-hipbelt pack. It started with an old frame pack I have had since I was fourteen-years-old. I removed the old pack, which had been chewed by mice and was beyond repair. Now I was ready to build my new backpack

The straps and hip belt were still good, fortunately. The frame was aluminum, and surprisingly light by itself. I took a large nylon duffel bag, which by itself only weighs eight ounces, and filled it full of my gear. Then I simply used bungee cords to attach it too the frame (zipper out) and it was ready. For the cost of a $15 duffel bag, I had an external-frame backpack that not only held a lot, but weighed just two pounds.
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I wouldn’t have thought a backpack with wheels would actually work for backpacking, but when I saw the web site for the “Wheelpacker”(TM), I was impressed. You wear a frame that attaches you to a wheeled pack. It can even go over logs and rocks. It started me thinking about what other backpacking innovations are just waiting to be marketed. Here are a few of the things I came up with. Steal these ideas, please.

Inflatable Frame Backpack

With frame-less backpacks we often put folded sleeping pads in the pack for cushioning against our backs and some support for the load. Why not just have the part of the pack that rests against the user’s back inflate. With the same technology used for lightweight self-inflating sleeping bag pads, it would only add about six ounces. The backpack could then double as a foot-bag/pad for sleeping.

Taking this idea further, I imagine a self-inflating backpack that folds out into a sleeping pad. The backpack “frame” would be the pad, in a “U” shape for some rigidity in the pack. Self-inflating sleeping bag pads are as light as 14 ounces now, and frame less packs 12 ounces, so the combination could probably be made to weigh just 20 ounces.

Wax Paper Food Bags

Put backpacking food in wax-paper packaging instead of plastic. The packages then double as emergency fire-starters, since wax paper will usually burn even when wet.
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