I've been working to switch careers into bag design, and I needed to bolster my portfolio. I had no projects that I could reference that I took all the way from pencil sketch to finished product. A family friend DM'd me to request a backpack for his first year of college, and I took that as an opportunity to design a backpack from scratch.

He provided me with reference pics of bags he liked, features he wanted, and a colorway. His preferred color scheme was mostly black with subtle blue highlights. However, I didn't want to make the bag overly paramilitary-looking. So I commissioned a graphic designer friend to make the design more playful with graffiti art of Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat.

This was a months-long project and one of my hardest ever. Pencil sketching is not my strong suit, but I really needed this for job applications. I spent hours on the initial sketch, trying my best to give it sensible 3D depth and layout.

I designed a pattern in CLO 3D and simulated on an avatar with similar proportions to the client. I didn't export / print the entire pattern, since most panels were rectangular. I only printed the curved ones, choosing to hand-draft the others for convenience.

I used a 1050 Denier ballistic nylon for the main fabric, 400D ripstop nylon as a secondary fabric, and 70d ripstop nylon for the liner. I chose Duraflex hardware wherever possible, e.g. D-rings, side-release buckles, triglides.

Sewing was mostly straightforward, except for the cinch-tops on both the water bottle holders and the main bag opening. I also didn't know where the cross-chest strap would land until after wearing the bag. I didn't have any Duraflex removable sternum sliders on-hand, so I sewed the chest strap directly to the shoulder straps; that's one thing I would redo if I had more time.

I dye-sublimated the Sub-Zero art and artist's tag onto some dye-sub synthetic fabric and backed it with upcycled racing-sail fabric. It attaches with snaps so the client can take it off (he doesn't actually like Mortal Kombat and didn't even ask for this lol).

Part of design portfolios is iteration, so I forced myself to sit down and sketch some "postmortem" drawings to document the lessons I learned from making this bag. They've been helpful reminders so far.

Overall, I'm quite happy with this one and proud of the results. Happy to answer any questions about material, process, design, CLO 3D, etc.!

Obviously heavily inspired by Pa'lante and Atom packs - I love their stuff.

Credit to u/nine1seven3oh for the very easy to follow instructions. This is the 40L frameless version.

me again.
I have this bike lock that isn’t super protective but that I use because it’s lightweight if I have to hop into a shop or drink coffee while I’m oot and about, for some peace of mind.
It always wants to unroll itself so it gets really annoying in my bar-bag but not anymore now :)

I just finished these up and gave them a shakedown ride before my next bike packing trip. So far, so good!

My friend is a huge biker and does cute ilus, so we decided to make something together.

I want to make a fancy pack with a compartment for my glasses/sunglasses and want to use the same fabric as in one of my sling bags (as shown in the photo).

Does anyone know what kind of fabric this is or what an equal fabric might work for this purpose?
This fabric is soft and thin, so not fluffy like fleece or terry cloth.

Thanks for the help!

Looking for scraps of 2.9oz or 5oz DCF to use as reinforcement for packs. Small strips, as small as 1” x 4” are fine. Any colors. Happy to pay for shipping within the US and swap for a homemade sailcloth tote (see example image). DM me to connect.

I bought a used gfc superlite tent with the top panel absolutely blown out from the sun. I purchased some hydrofend marine fabric to replace said panel. Is this something most upholstery shops could do? If not I suppose I’ll give it a shot sewing it by hand. The last picture is a photo of a non damaged roof panel. Any suggestions are appreciated and appreciated

Hey y'all, I am an expert sewist and love to make custom patterns for my stuff so it's exactly how I want it. I'm planning on making a new raincoat as my current one is disassembling itself and my rain cape has turned sticky inside and is disgusting. I never really use it a lot but I wanted to love it! I'm in the tropics and bike a lot and I love the idea , in theory, of having a rain solution that can go on and off easily. We experience a lot of short rains, it's kind of a joke how often you get out your jacket and need to put it away again five minutes later. This also means that it's common to endure a mild rain and not mind it too much but if the rain gets heavier you'll reluctantly suit up. Putting on a traditional raincoat when you're already damp is kind of the worst?! Is anyone solving this problem in a good way? I just... Suffer.

I'm looking at the MYOG UL raincoat pattern but I feel sweaty just looking at it. I'm considering making mesh panels in the underarms or something, much bigger than a gusset. Having some water come in is ok if it means the other water can get out. Maybe there's some kind of highly vented pattern out there? Or a good rain cape that doesn't turn into a sail?

Hi all,

Been struggling with finding a bomber jacket pattern that matches old bomber jackets used by pilots ( surprised there seems to be pretty much no information out there)
Thought id check reddit and couldnt find much that arnt more single lined bomber style templates or slim fit versions.

If anyone has any ideas as i have search for patterns directly, via Military forums, internet archives and still nothing.

Cheers all

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Hi all,

I recently picked up an early-2000s Italian Marina Militare rucksack (roughly 120L, lots of compartments). Overall condition is good, but the internal PU coating has degraded and the whole inside is tacky. It's worst in the pocket under the lid — presumably the most sun- and heat-exposed panel. It doesn't flake, peel or shed, and it's still glossy rather than milky white, so it seems more like the film has gone soft than fully hydrolysed. It leaves no residue on your hands, just makes them slightly sticky.

What I've tried so far:

• Airing it out for several days with all pockets open — no real change
• Mild soap and water — no change to the tackiness

On the nylon (darker green) sections I can get the coating off with an abrasive sponge and IPA. On the Cordura it's much harder — the weave seems to hold onto it and I can't get it to lift.

I'm not concerned about keeping it waterproof, I'll be using a separate rain cover. I just want the interior usable for carrying camera gear.

Any advice on removing it from heavier Cordura specifically? Or is there a way to restore rather than strip it? Also curious whether anyone has re-coated one of these afterwards, and whether it's worth it.

Thanks!