Who Needs a Bag When You've Got Skin!

[HUM469]

Ok, well this is not a new idea, the brilliant people at Moonbow Gear. Designed as a way to keep your pack ultralight, yet still have the durability and flexability to go from 15lbs load one day to 45 the next, it is called a gear skin. Basically a compression strap attached to the harness, it holds everything tight, adjusts infinately, and weights start at just about 1 lb. I understand that the one from Moonbow does not have any stays, frame, or suspension of any type, but for my experiment below I simply wanted to see how the concept of no bag would affect a harness and frame I was already very familiar with. In fact, I picked this bag specifically because I know it sucked, therefor I wanted to see if the ride would be any better. So how did it turn out? Let's see....

First off, the gear skin concept is that you keep your sleeping bag and ground pad inside your tent, hammock (in my case), bivy or tarp. Whatever shelter you choose to reside in. The ground pad, and the tightly bunched nylon of the shelter and sleeping bag is what makes up both the structure of the frame, as well as the "bag" inside which everything else goes. If you don't carry any type of ground pad, you are not out of luck as the fact that everything gets compressed together very tight actually makes the whole thing rigid. You just have to be careful how you pack so that nothing is stabbing you in the back. For those having trouble visualizing it, here is my experiment all packed up...


How I made mine was as you can see, I cut off the top, all the straps and draw strings, extra pockets, and sides of the pack body, leaving me with a flap of material still attached that was the front of the old pack. That flap measures about 13" X 24" or so that is all that is left along with the frame area/harness, and the origional bottom. The cup shape meant that I could not lay it out completely flat like the Moonbow version, however I found this not to be a problem. I even liked that little space in the bottom as a location to stuff my rain fly incase I needed it in a hurry, so it could double as a pack cover/poncho. To finish making my experiment, I sewed on three straps across out of left over pieces I had around the house, if I were to spend any money, I would buy quick release buckles, but has I was short on time and money, I just used compression strap buckles which meant having to re-thread the straps on each side every time. Moonbow uses four, but I really did not have much of a problem. Also, I have one strap going over the top. Moonbow uses two, and in this case I can see that being more important. With my one, things wanted to squirt to one side, making packing slightly annoying.

As you can see here, it is incredibly convinient to store stuff as you are hiking. As I shed first my fleece pants (black) then my fleece pullover as the day warmed, I was able to reach over my head and stuff them in without having to stop or take the bag off. Also, anything else I needed was very easy to reach. By simply undoing one strap, nothing else in the pack moves, but I can reach in and pull out anything I need, then cinch it all down tight again. Sort of like this...

Also, with the flexability things can be organized in any manner one chooses. Of course, some layouts are better than others in terms of balance and whatnot, so this is where the learning curve comes in. But then balancing and optimally packing a new pack is always a learning curve. One example is this...

Because in mine, I kept the cup shaped bottom for durability, as well as simplicity of manufacture, the hammock/pad/sleeping bag bundle did not sit all the way down, which left a void I needed to fill. After a little experimentation, I figured out that I could fold and stuff the rainfly in such a way that very quickly, and without taking the pack off, I could pull it out around the pack and myself, therefor staying dry. As for everything else, here is what I came up with....
[img]http://www.arizonahikers.com/forum/albums/albuq89/Dsc00753.sized.jpg[img]
The top of the pack is to the left. The bottom of the pack is in the middle, and the right hand side of the pad/hammock is what wraps upward and holds everything. From the top down we have the black bag which is a lightened Camelback Narrow Gauge. It carries my energy bars, my water bladder, my compass and map, all my first aid/survival items, a spare knife, water tablets, tissue paper, a couple plastic bags, flash light, and any other little items I might bring with like rope and such. Basically all I need to survive, day hike, or otherwise get by. That way I have easy access when I stop for a break, and should I need to quickly drop some weight and venture on light and fast (like finding a lost scout, rescue mission etc.), all I have to do is undo the top buckle and yank this smaller pack out. Next down, in the black and yellow waterproof stuff sack is my clothing. This sack, when compressed down good and tight, keeps my clothes dry no matter what, and even before I carried my clothing in it, so keeping it in this case is no increase in weight. By the way, I always had some form of day pack with me too. Whether it was the top of my other backpack that converts to a fanny pack, or something like that, so the Narrow Guage is nothing new either. Finally I have the green bag down at the bottom which contains my pots, stove, utensils and most of my food aside from the above mentioned emergency food. This is at the bottom because both it is the heaviest, as well as the least compressable with the pots.

Here's a different view, looking down the top showing how everything is arranged.

And here is how it looks, with the skin pulled out from underneath to show the orientation to the gear itself.

So how does it perform then? Well simply great. Set up once I got into camp was very fast. I just undid the straps and set the hammock up. No need to unpack any food or clothes, no need to unpack a sleeping bag to allow it to loft. Both the pad and the sleeping bag were at full loft almost as fast as I could set up the hammock since they had not been in stuff sacks all day. That by the way is an aditional weight savings as well, albeit a small one. All my day hiking stuff was ready in its own bag. Had I wanted to do an additional hike from where I camped, I could have been set up and on the next trail in under 5 minutes. Had I gotten into camp late and needed to go to bed quickly to get out of a storm or rest a little befor dinner, I could have been in my sleeping bag in 4 minutes. As for the rest of my gear, all my cooking stuff was in one bag I could grab and carry with, so I could set up camp in 3 minutes, then hike on up to the top of the hill for a little "dinner picknick" if I felt like it. All my clothes was in a nice neat stuff sack, so I could pull out what I needed, and when I went to sleep, I just use the stuff sack as my pillow so my clothes stayed nice and neat. When I was done with dinner, I just hung the food bag in a tree. When it was time to pack up in the morning, again it only took a couple of minutes since everything was in neat little modual organizers I basically could throw in a heap and clip all together. No need to roll things, stuff things, fold things, and otherwise organize, it was already done.

And on the trail, the missing weight of the extra bag was definitely a blessing. As for the carry, it was very tight. Nothing swung, nothing shifted when I stumbled, and nothing moved the opposite way when I went another. If I needed something out, I simply loosened the strap nearest to the appropriate area (Ditty junk, food, clothes) and pull it out. No need to unpack anything. If I needed to add something like a layer that it got too hot to wear, I could stuff it in one of 10 different locations and it would stay. If I had to pick up something new, like if a scout was having trouble carrying the weight and I needed to help with his gear, I did not have to worry since I had virtually unlimited capacity. In fact the only problems I came across we endemic to the pack I started out with. The harness hurt, but this was because the padding has always been hard, and it always dug in just a bit. But before I modified the pack it was worse because the pack by its self was some 5 lbs heavier. The hip belt started to rip off by the end of the hike. But this was because the quality of the pack was always suspect, and I had had to make frequent repairs to the stitching in the past before the modification to a "skin".

The amazing thing though is that for the first time, it did transfer weight to my hips instead of my back. This is amazing because the frame (2 aluminum stays and a thin foam sheet) was completely incapable of transfering weight before the cutting began. I think then that this helps prove that the Moonbow without any stays or frame will work just fine. It was the tightness of the whole unit, rather than my frame that was doing the weight transfer. Keeping in line with the improvements over the pack before the modifications, it also rode much better. It hugged up tighter so it did not feel like it was trying to pull me over backward. That made it feel as if it was riding higher and more balanced than before. Also, with nothing shifting or swinging, it followed my movements 1000 times better, making for surer footing and less fatigue in terms of making up for a less tight setup.

I think with a good comfortable harness, and quality stitching and materials, this style will be the ultimate in terms of light weight backpacks. As much as I love my Osprey, it will be hard to go back to it after such a lighter, simpler system, and will be eagerly awaiting either the day when I order one of Moonbow's, or the day when I sit down to make my own. Please feel free to ask questions about anythin I missed, and I hope this is helpful to some, thank you.
_________________
-Dylan Anderson
(602) 628-4327
Consultant
Real Estate Executive to AZ
Special Projects Manager, AZCDE.com

[Shihiyea]

Dylan, That looks pretty awesome to me! I so love light weight gear! It seems very functional too. Mary

[Hikngrl]

Dylan, considering it hugged your body so tightly did you find that your equipment got moist from perspiration where it was against your body? And what is a camelback narrow gauge?
_________________
~~~Diane~~~

I want to shine!

[matt gilbert]

That's neat, it kind of reminds me of the old trapper nelson packs (that I've only seen pictures of). They were the original frame bags, they consisted of a wooden frame with shoulder straps and then you put all your stuff in a tarp, rolled it up, and tied it on the bag. Funny how everything comes full circle.
_________________
Cogito ergo ambulo cum sacculo
-Matt Gilbert

[GTG]

[Hikngrl]

Thanks GTG! Guess I will have to look else where for something else if I decide to do this... I really want to try it but would have to replace my Peak bagger first and can't justify that move! I have scoped it all out and my peak bagger would be perfect for this set up if I were to tear it down...
_________________
~~~Diane~~~

I want to shine!

[GTG]

Try here Hikingrl
http://search.ebay.com/backpack_Internal-Frame_W0QQfromZR3QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ36111

GTG
_________________
Good things come to those who walk.

[CatValet]

Hikingrl:

Internal Frames always are hotter than external frames. Persperation has less chance to evaporate than with external frames. I've found that my gear in my pack has never gotten wet from it though. Externals are way cooler in hot weather, but most of us old time external frame fans have finally gotten the message. Randy's Gear Garage (TM) will shortly be all internal frame except for my Dana K2 behemoth, which is being retired except for very heavy loads (like when Mike snuck in my pack for a free ride to Supai).

Internals have better balance for hikes like the upcoming Grand Canyon trek to Yuma Point along the Boucher Trail. In his Sierra Club guide to the Canyon, John Annerino describes the trail as "some of the most exposed and exhilirating hiking in the canyon." You would not want to be wearing an external frame on that trail when the wind kicks up. DAMHIKT. See what you have to look forward to! -R

[mike]

[HUM469]

Hikngrl
Well the others have already answered these questions to some extent, but I will address them from my experience as well.

[pfredricks]

[HUM469]

I could, yes, but in some of the travels I have gone on, being able to grab the strap on top of the Narrow Gauge, rip it out, and take off at a run with my water and all my survival gear is a real plus. That and I have to put all my little stuff in something, so even if I threw it all in a stuff sack and had my water separate, it would only save a couple ounces while slowing me down in an emergency. Therefor I choose to have it, but that is why I pointed it out that the Narrow Gauge is simply a convinience option I have added, sort of an organizer and emergency escape pack all wrapped in one.
_________________
-Dylan Anderson
(602) 628-4327
Consultant
Real Estate Executive to AZ
Special Projects Manager, AZCDE.com

[pfredricks]

Great idea anyway, I really like it.

And, yes, I did scan a bit in reading. Geesh, that's alot to read.
Thanks again for showing all that detail.
_________________
"I am just going outside and may be some time."- Explorer Oates' last words before crawling out of his tent in -40 C temps. Sacrificed himself so as not to hold back his 1912 South Pole expedition teamates.

[HUM469]

Yeah, sorry about the length. Too many years spent teaching kids, and sitting here with nothing to do but write for an hour, so perhapse a little over complete.
_________________
-Dylan Anderson
(602) 628-4327
Consultant
Real Estate Executive to AZ
Special Projects Manager, AZCDE.com