My Pack

So, I have been cruising the interwebs, looking for a pack to bring with me. I wasn't totally surprised by the cost, but I was a little disheartened. Then I went to http://hikinghq.net/ and read some of Sgt. Rock's tips for getting started. He suggested rummaging through the closet and seeing what there might be in the way of an old backpack. Turns out I have one of those old rolling backpacks from my college days that I wasn't doing anything with!

It's a pretty good size and all nylon, but it needs a little work. First of all, The extending handle that you pull it around with... I don't need that, and it's just extra weight, so out it goes!

Well, now I have this empty space, where I think I am going to put a water bladder. If I can carry 3L in my pack, I can eliminate some of the steel water

bottles I had planned to bring. As a side note, I am going to try to boil water directly in

the steel bottle before I go, just to see if I can do it without damaging the bottle. Maybe I can forgo a cooking pot if I just boil water in the container and pour that into my freezer bag meals. More on that later. For now, let's get back to the pack.

This is where the water bladder will go.

I plan to make a cover to go over most of that gaping hole, but it does give me a place to run the hose out, and there is a nylon wall between where the bladder will be and the rest of my supplies. The pack is pretty roomy and has a few dividers, which means I can separate my gear if I need to. I tried to take the wheels off, but I stripped the screws. Those wheels are coming off, I just haven't figured out HOW yet. The other modification I made was adding a waist strap. There wasn't anything to it, really, but I felt like a genius anyway. All I did was clip on a long strap from another bag to the same place where the shoulder straps clip on. That's all I've done to the pack so far, but I am pretty excited about it. As I make new things and figure stuff out, I will keep posting!