For years, there wasn’t much movement in the fidget community but sometime in 2017, fidget spinners hit the scene. The early iterations were created on a 3D printer and consisted of a skateboard ball-bearing friction fitted into the center of a 3-lobe spinner. Circles cut out in each of the three arms allow for additional bearings to be installed, adding weight. The user would simply pinch the center with his or her index finger and thumb and spin the stress-relieving toy.

Soon, savvy entrepreneurs found ways to turn a simple and inexpensive DIY project into something more professional and serious. The first of these inventors was Scott McCoskery who invented the two-lobed Torqbar, the first high-end fidget spinner, and the rest, they say, is history…

Types of Fidget Toys

Despite their popularity, fidget spinners are not the only type of fidget toy. In fact, any sort of device that helps with stress or anxiety, or just boredom, could be considered a fidget toy. Usually, these devices are small, and pocketable, and promote some sort of movement; whether the toy itself or the user handling the device.

Spinners

Previously discussed fidget spinners are still among the most popular fidget toys today. They are typically simple affairs consisting of a capped sealed bearing in the center and weighted arms or wings that allow them to achieve long spin times. Like tops (arguably a fidget toy in its own right), makers have worked on improving spinners by using high-quality bearings and experimenting with different (exotic) materials and weights. For example, Torqbar offers everything from stainless steel to titanium spinners, and even some with Mokuti buttons for that extra show.

Sliders

Enjoying their time in the spotlight right now are Sliders. They typically consist of two plates with flat surfaces that are joined using magnets. Occasionally, sliders like the Lautie Shuffle have small slits where metal nubbins slot in and keep the sliding on track but most rely on the unique and seemingly-magical way magnets work to get things homed to the right position. With different arrangements and numbers of magnets, slider designs can allow for multiple stages or clicks, and some even allow the user to spin the plates before bringing them to a reset position.

Some sliders are downright artistic like the Camera-M, meant to invoke memories of a Leica M-series film camera. Produced by WANWU Studio, the Camera-M has separate clickers for both the lens and shutter.

Finally, makers like Magnus Macdonald of New Zealand have experimented with different textures and grooves on sliders, which add a different dimension and feeling to the sliders.

Haptic

This could be a whole category itself but it simply refers to any fidget toys that provide a tactile and sensory experience. One of my personal favorites in this category is the Chill Pill, which like the name implies, consists of two halves of a (medicine) pill, connected with a pair of strong magnets that you can roll around your palm, clicking the pill apart and then together again. Made from both metal and plastic, and coming in a variety of colors and alloys, the Chill Pill functions as a flipper and slider. A combination that’s super addictive!

Buttons

Button fidget toys are exactly like the name implies – one or more buttons mounted on a device that is often spring-loaded and allows you to click. Lautie, a popular fidget toy maker, recently released the Puffercrash, which is meant to mimic popping bubble wrap, something we’re all familiar with! A variation to a button fidget toy, but a lot less portable, are mechanical key testers. These are small devices that allow the user to install different types of keys to test for actuation, noise, and pressure before committing to an expensive build. However, some users keep them around to fidget with.

Rockers

Rockers are fidget toys that work by snapping a plate back and forth over a fulcrum, much like a see-saw on a playground. Again, utilizing strong magnets, the rocker allows for satisfying repeatable motion back and forth with distinct homing in with each pass. Like Sliders, different grooves and designs can be incorporated to add different tactile experiences. The choice of plate material also has a large impact on performance as well, with Teflon, brass, titanium, and zirconium being popular choices.

Cubes and Combo Devices

The Fidget Spinner’s creator gives credit to the Fidget Cube as a source of inspiration. It still remains the third most backed product in Kickstarter history and was unique in that it brought six different functions (one for each side of the cube) into one vinyl desktop toy. The brothers Matthew and Mark McLachlan went on to raise nearly 6.5M from backers. There are plenty of variations now and some makers even allow you to customize the function on each side.

At the end of the day, a fidget cube is just a specialized multi-function fidget toy. The Camera-M device mentioned above is both a slider and clicker/button. These types of fidget toys are not unusual and offer multiple experiences in one package, which is ideal if you’re the type of user who likes to mix things up.

Rings

Last but certainly not least are fidget rings which look like traditional jewelry you wear, except they are able to freely spin with the use of ball bearings. Like all rings, they come in a variety of materials and sizes and have the added benefit of always being there all the time. Tangentially, a company from Ukraine called Fingears has introduced a unique product with the same name. It’s a set of three rings that attach to each other, magnetically, through the outside surface. With enough practice, there are at least ten tricks you can master, rotating and spinning the rings around each other.

The post Fidget Toys for Everyday Carry | Beginner’s Guide appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Keen to learn more about sustainable products? Check out these posts:

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Green Guide | How to Make Better Choices

The post Carry 101 | Beginner’s Guide to Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Products appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

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So we’ve decided to track the whole thing – a complete life cycle of a backpack. In this piece, I’ll use an actual real-life product. The subject of this story is a backpack produced exclusively for players at the 2020 Australian Open. 

Backpacks currently represent around 10% of all bags sold and this one’s fairly typical. It’s also a bag that I helped create, so it wasn’t hard getting a peek behind the curtain. 

What makes up a backpack?

When trying to get your head around how a bag is made there are two issues that combine to create a headache. Firstly, most bags tend to be made from an inordinate number of different materials. Take a look around the room you’re in, I’d guess that most objects you see will consist of just a few parts. Bags, however, involve a number of materials disproportionate to their price. Looking at the bill of materials for our test pack I counted 23 in total, nine of which are just different fabrics.

Secondly, there are an inordinate number of steps involved in producing textiles. For example, there are around ten separate steps involved in the supply chain to produce nylon fabric. So if making nylon is any guide, it took a possible 90 suppliers just to make the fabrics alone.

To make it easier to understand, let’s break down the bill of materials by weight: 65% of the bag is made from three textiles, two of which come from recycled pre-consumer waste nylon. The other is a virgin polyester which started life as crude oil pumped from the ground in one of the oil-producing countries, for instance, the US or Saudi Arabia. After drilling the oil is refined, processed into plastic pellets and sold to the yarn producer in China. From that stage the process for both virgin and recycled fabrics is similar, yarn is formed and then knitted or woven into a textile. The textiles are then dyed, given waterproofing treatments and in some cases laminated together. Foam makes up another 15% of the bag. The three different foams used are all produced in China and all are oil-based. The remaining 20% is made up of a long list of small items like zips, hardware and trims. Of these only four elements aren’t derived from oil; that’s the zip sliders, press studs, eyelets and the keying which are made from a mix of metals. Production and shipping for this long list of materials is a slow process, taking over three months. In contrast, once they arrived at the manufacturer in southern China it only took a few days to cut and sew the bags.

After the bags were stitched up and QC’d, they were packed into cartons and loaded onto a shipping container which sailed around 5000 nautical miles to Melbourne Australia. In this case, distribution was super simple, but typically there would then be a domestic supply chain needed to get the bags into the hands of loving customers. Typically after a few years together, maybe ten if we’re really lucky, the bag will be replaced. It might be passed on to be reused but eventually it’ll be broken beyond repair, at which point it’ll need to be disposed of.

Talking environmental impacts of producing a bag

Of all the side-effects, inefficiencies and bi-products of the process described above most sustainability innovations address one of the following environmental impacts.

First cab off the rank is resource depletion. In the case of our test bag around 90% originated from crude oil which is a finite resource. Despite the fact a good proportion of the bag used recycled nylon, that resource currently relies on the production of virgin nylon. Estimates are that if we continue the current rate of oil consumption we use all the available oil in the next 50 years.

Water is another valuable resource which is impacted in various ways through the process. Both oil refinement and plastic processing consume water for cooling. Further down the chain, the textile formation causes both water pollution and eutrophication, which is the over-enrichment of water with nutrients and minerals. Of the worlds available freshwater, around 20% is currently used by industry. As the global population grows, access to clean water is a growing concern.

Fabric treatments and finishing processes such as dyeing, printing, laminating and waterproofing each have a unique reliance of chemicals. These chemicals can have severe impacts on both human and environmental health. It’s hard to summarise the chemical impacts of fabric production due to the wide array of chemicals and processes used, for example synthetic dyes may contain sulphur, acetic acid, enzymes, copper, arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, and nickel. In 2012 the World Bank estimated that fabric dying was responsible for up to 20% of global water pollution.

From oil refining down to sewing, all of these processes rely on electricity. Currently, around 60% of China’s electricity comes from coal and gas. This combination of factors has led to China’s infamous air quality as well as it’s rank as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Once the bags are on the water shipping becomes a major source of carbon emissions. The fuel used by ships is low grade and high polluting. In 2014 it was estimated that shipping accounted for 3% of global emissions, that’s more emissions than all of Brazil. Thankfully in our case, we were able to sea freight, air freight emissions are around thirty times greater again. Why are emissions a problem? Evidence shows that human induced emissions are responsible for 100% of global warming since 1950.

Waste management and recycling is a concern through the latter stages of the journey. Firstly at the manufacturer cutting waste is produced and rarely recycled. Packaging is then needed for transportation and at point of sale. But the greatest waste management challenge comes once a bag reaches its end. Due to the fact they’re sewn together there’s currently no practical solution to recycle a bag due to the wide mix of materials that are incredibly slow to seperate. The best case at the moment is to repair bags, if that’s not possible then downcycling them is the next best option. Unfortunately due to this issue, most bags end up in landfill which squanders the possibility of reusing those valuable materials.

And whilst our bag isn’t made from natural fibres like cotton, wool or leather, these fibers have equally damaging impacts associated such as water use, impacts on ecosystems and animal rights issues.

Wrapping up

There’s not anything remarkable about the lifecycle of the pack in our case study. The materials, processes and places involved are indicative of the majority of bags available today. Sure, using recycled materials is one improvement compared with the average pack, but otherwise it follows what is the standard practice. The process itself isn’t inherently a bad one either. The biggest issue is that it’s a process that’s evolved with the single goal of cost efficiency, with no regard for the environment. Today it’s the most competitive way to manufacture a product, which is why it’s also the most common. With no alternative sustainable supply chains easily available in the short term, for now the goal is harm reduction. We have to find ways to improve mass manufacturing as it will remain the most common way bags are manufactured for the foreseeable future. Which leads to the topic of the next instalment, where do we start with harm reduction.

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So we asked Kevin to share his textile expertise, so we can learn a little, brands and customers alike, about how to choose the right backpack fabric for you. Enjoy!

What are some of the things that go into producing a backpack fabric or textile?  And how do you know a good one when you see it? What does “good” even mean in terms of backpack textiles?  Unfortunately, the straight answer is that there is no straight answer. There are many steps involved in the production of finished textile, and with variables that affect the outcome at every stage, evaluating them can be a daunting task.  Here I’ll share a look inside EVERGOODS’ textile selection process with insight for designers and consumers.

The critical first step is to identify what the priorities are for the product.  These may be performance-related things like durability, weight or weatherproof-ness.  They may be considerations of taste and perception like visual aesthetic, hand feel, or tradename recognition.  Or they may be practical and operational concerns like cost, country of origin, environmental impact or any other thing you care to identify as a priority.  Once you’ve compiled your list of wants, try to understand them in order of importance. You’ll never get everything you want from a single material, so be realistic about the priorities.  For EVERGOODS’ main body fabrics Jack and I were primarily interested in longevity and durability*, a perception of high quality and attention to detail, and a clean and timeless aesthetic.

*A note about “durability” – There must be a dozen ways to try to quantify this.  At EVERGOODS we feel that for our product, the most relevant measures of durability are abrasion resistance, pick resistance and resistance to seam slippage (a common seam failure in looser, lower density weaves where the yarns get pulled off a fabric’s cut edge).  Other measurable characteristics include tensile strength, tear strength, cut resistance, puncture resistance, heat resistance, UV resistance, wet flex performance, cold crack performance and on and on. There seems no end to the conditions under which something might physically fail.

“Once you’ve compiled your list of wants, try to understand them in order of importance. You’ll never get everything you want from a single material, so be realistic about the priorities.”

At this point it’s really helpful to cultivate a basic knowledge of textiles’ components and variables so you can narrow the search.  Whether you’re a designer meeting with a fabric vendor, or a discerning customer looking at a wall of backpacks, the more specifically you understand what you’re looking for, the better your ability to evaluate and find that needle in the haystack.  The most basic component of a textile is the fiber, the tiny individual strands of material that make up the cloth. What fiber is the textile made of and what characteristics does this impart to the finished product?

Fiber

EVERGOODS works with Nylon 6,6, a higher tenacity, longer-chain polymer in the Nylon family that is 20% more abrasion resistant and has 15% higher tear and tensile strengths than conventional nylon.  The 6,6 formulation we use is produced by Invista, and so could be branded with the Cordura* name, but EVERGOODS prefers to maintain an uncluttered aesthetic with minimal branding and logos, so we don’t include a Cordura label on our product.

*A note about Cordura – When most folks talk about “Cordura”, they’re referring to the air-textured nylon cloth popularized in the 1980’s.  It was available in typical weights of 1000 denier and 500 denier and renowned for its durability in backpacks and equipment. These days the tradename Cordura can legally be applied to any textile containing yarn produced by parent company Invista.  Cordura-branded fabric comes out of mills all over the world, is available in many weights and constructions, gets blended into apparel textiles and pops up anywhere that marketers believe the name and added cost will imply “durability” in the mind of the target consumer.  Unfortunately, identifying something as “1000d Cordura” helps narrow the field, but in no way identifies a specific or singular textile.

Polyester – Compared to nylon, polyester is less expensive and also generally less durable.  Polyester has inherent UV resistance and is hydrophobic (absorbs no water), making it appropriate for applications like rafting gear or tent awnings that may encounter days and weeks of exposure to direct sunlight or submersion in water.  Polyester is highly recyclable and can be dyed using waterless methods, potentially giving it some environmental benefits. And its lower cost and affinity for digital printing techniques such as dye sublimation lends it to markets like fast fashion or children’s backpacks where a wide variety of colors and prints is desired at lower volumes and costs.

“These days the tradename Cordura can legally be applied to any textile containing yarn produced by parent company Invista.  Cordura-branded fabric comes out of mills all over the world and is available in many weights and constructions.”

Nylon – Since the 1970’s nylon has been the go-to staple of backpack and luggage design.  This “modern” textile is lighter, stronger and more weather and rot resistant than its cotton predecessor.  It’s also generally more durable than polyester without being astronomically more expensive. Nylon can weaken with prolonged exposure to UV or while saturated for extended periods.  Nylon can also be dyed to nearly any color standard, although nylon 6,6 often shows a streaking effect in lighter colors due to uneven dyeing of its extremely long polymer chains.

UHMw PE – Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene is more commonly known by its tradenames Dyneema© and Spectra©.  It’s basically a super long-chain formulation of polyethylene that was originally used in industrial, medical and defense applications, but has seen an increasing presence in the sports and outdoor markets over the past 20 years, introduced primarily through its use in sailing.  The Dyneema name carries a lot of weight due to its extremely high tensile and tear strengths (stronger than steel by weight), and exceptional abrasion resistance. It occupies a highly technical, NASA-like position, with costs that match. The strength and durability of this fiber is without question.  Even at incredibly high loads, Dyneema exhibits zero stretch, making it appropriate for bulletproof vests and racing sails where energy transfer is critical. In addition to being UV resistant and hydrophobic it is also highly chemical resistant. In fact, Dyneema is so impenetrable that it cannot be dyed by conventional means.  Traditionally white, and more recently offered in black with additional colors in the works, Dyneema is restricted to a more limited visual palette than more conventional fibers. It can also present assembly challenges resulting from Dyneema’s relatively low melting point and low coefficient of friction. In short, UHMw PE satisfies the desire for a strong, highly technical material with a tougher-than-steel reputation, but not without some trade-offs.

Yarn

Once the fibers are produced, they get made into yarn.  Yarn is basically a bundle of fiber that gets wound onto spools in preparation for weaving or knitting.  The yarn can be twisted or straight, be processed for different amounts of luster, and comes in many different diameters designated by denier.  “Denier” is a very old textile word originally having to do with yarn weight (I’m sure you can look it up), but I basically take it as a relative indicator of a yarn’s diameter or thickness.  Common deniers for backpack textiles are 210, 420, 500, 1000 and 1680 (ballistic*). Thicker yarns have more fiber material in them, so as a general rule, higher deniers will yield higher abrasion resistance. However, other important factors such as fiber type, weave pattern and weave density also play an important role.

*a note about 1680d – Nylon in this weight is commonly known as “ballistic” nylon because it was first used in early attempts at soft body armor (pre-Kevlar).  1680 makes burly fabric and is most commonly found in airline luggage, haul bags and other heavy-use items. The whole point of 1680 is rugged durability, so these are generally nylon.  Of course, 1680d polyester also exists because it looks just like nylon but costs less (and wears out faster). Similar to Cordura, “ballistic nylon” used to be a specific raw material, but is now more of a general descriptor.

“Thicker yarns have more fiber material in them, so as a general rule, higher deniers will yield higher abrasion resistance. However, other important factors such as fiber type, weave pattern and weave density also play an important role.”

There are several ways that synthetic fibers can be produced. Most commonly they come out of a spinneret, like a tiny plastic extrusion.  Untreated yarn in this form is known as “bright” yarn because its smooth plastic filaments reflect a fair amount of light. This bright yarn is the most abrasion resistant, which is why it is the preferred choice for modern mountain sports.  “Dull” yarn undergoes a chemical scouring treatment that microscopically pits the surface to scatter light, slightly weakening it in the process. Another treatment commonly associated with traditional Cordura is air-texturing. In this process the yarn bundle passes by a hot air jet that lightly “frizzes” the fibers.  Air-textured yarn gives the finished textile a bit more bulk in the hand and also scatters light for a dull appearance without degrading its strength. EVERGOODS uses 420d bright yarns in its Mountain products and 500d air-textured yarns in its Civic products.

Weave

The next phase of textile production is the weaving.  The vast majority of backpacks use woven textiles (rather than knits or non-wovens, though these are not unheard of).  Weaving is done on a loom and involves intertwining a set of vertical yarns called the warp, with a set of perpendicular yarns called the weft or fill.  EVERGOODS uses balanced, plain weave fabrics with the same density of warp and weft yarns for equal strength in both directions. The majority of backpack fabrics however are unbalanced for reasons of cost savings.  Weave density is determined by counting the number of yarns in one square inch of warp and weft and multiplying them together. In general, higher weave densities yield stronger fabrics and more yarn intersections yield stiffer, more pick and abrasion-resistant fabrics.  However, overly-stiff constructions start to have lower tear strengths, so there is a limit to how much stiffness is desirable. There are endless variations in weave, but to illustrate how these factors work together let’s look at three of the most common examples, a plain weave, a ripstop and a twill.

The most basic weave pattern is called plain weave, also known as “1 by 1” because every fill yarn intersects with every warp yarn.  One result of this high number of yarn intersections is that no single yarn is exposed for any great distance, making it less available to surface abrasion and locking it together with the surrounding yarns so that the sharp end of a thorn or wire can’t get underneath and pick at it.  This interconnectedness, combined with a high thread count results in less seam slippage and also creates a stiffer finished product. Stiffer textiles are more prone to tearing because force is better able to focus on a single yarn and break it at an isolated spot. In weaves where yarns can shift and move slightly, a tearing force gets spread across a longer length of yarn, spreading and dissipating the energy and increasing the textile’s capacity to absorb the force rather than tearing.  For the sake of product differentiation brands seek out (and mills offer) decorative weaves galore, but the plain weave is still the general purpose workhorse of the backpack world.

A common variation on plain weave is the well-known ripstop.  The simplest ripstop is basically a plain weave, except that by skipping intersections at regular intervals a grid of double yarns is created in the weave.  So, a 210d textile may have a grid of what are essentially 420d rip yarns. Because these two yarns are not isolated from each other by alternating intersections, they act as one, moving together, combining their tensile strengths and spreading force along their length.  As the name implies, the purpose of this construction is to regularly confront any tearing force with a double strength yarn. The downside to this construction is that these larger yarns stand more prominently on the textile’s surface, creating crowns that are more exposed to abrasion and picking.  Backpack rips most often propagate from some initial cut or pierce in the fabric by a sharp object like an ice tool or crampon. For this reason ripstop is most appropriate for activities that are likely to encounter sharp edges or points like mountaineering. It is also an easy way for brands to add a more “technical” aesthetic to a product.

A third common weave is twill.  Where plain weave makes an intersection at every yarn, twill makes an intersection after every two yarns.  Controlling where these skips and intersections occur creates common patterns like busted twill and herringbone, but these are all twills.  These skipped intersections or “floats” are more exposed to picking, but they abrade evenly because they are consistent across the textile’s surface.  Twills have half the number of intersections compared to plain weaves, allowing more shift between the yarns. This makes them more prone to seam slippage, but also yields a softer hand and higher tear strength, making twill a popular weave for apparel like jeans because it combines durability with comfort.  This weave is less common in backpacks, but included here to illustrate how weave characteristics can affect textile performance.

“In general, higher weave densities yield stronger fabrics and more yarn intersections yield stiffer, more pick and abrasion-resistant fabrics.  However, overly-stiff constructions start to have lower tear strengths, so there is a limit to how much stiffness is desirable.”

As you can see, all these factors work in connection with each other, and strengthening one characteristic often comes at the expense of another.  This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the steps and variables that add up to create textile. Indeed, after weaving most textiles undergo one or more finishing treatments like coating or lamination, adding yet another layer of variables.  Hopefully, this essay has shed some light on your next fabric encounter or helped you contemplate the fabrics around you in a deeper way. More than anything, I think it’s important to realize that there is no “best” textile, only the textile that best meets a narrow set of criteria as defined by the opinions and perspectives of individual users or designers.

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Think of the pack separated into thirds by the horizontal compression straps. The base, the center, and the top are the three sections of the bag that you’ll need to focus on packing.

First, you want to keep the heavier items as close as you can to your center of mass. That means don’t strap your tent to the bottom of your pack. That’s too much weight too far away from your center of mass. Seriously, you’re doing it wrong. If you need to strap a tent to the outside of your pack, run it between the lid and the main compartment.

Second, the more you can compartmentalize, the better.  You’ll see me use compression bags and dry bags for most of my gear. This helps with organization, compression, and waterproofing. I have a dry bag of every size for every category of gear I’m packing.

Now onto the nitty-gritty. When we look at the profile of the pack, it’s easiest to think of it in three vertical sections: the base, center, and top. In the picture below, it’s easiest to visualize the compression straps separating the bag in thirds.

The horizontal compression straps are a good point of reference for breaking the pack into sections on this Granite Gear Crown 2.

The Base

The base of the pack is a good spot for your sleeping system and any additional clothing that you’re packing but won’t be wearing anytime soon. I personally keep these separated into two dry bags: one for the sleep system, and one for additional clothing. My inflatable sleeping pad lives in the bottom section with the rest of my sleep stuff and fits neatly on top of the two dry bags.

I consider my sacred socks, a clean pair of underwear, and a wool shirt as part of my sleeping system. I keep these clothes and a pillow with my sleeping bag at all times and store the whole package in a Granite Gear eVent Sil compression dry sack.

My sleeping system stuff stack holds my sleeping bag, my sacred socks, a clean pair of underwear or thermals depending on the weather, and my medium weight insulation layer. During summer, that’s probably no more than a fresh wool long sleeve. On colder outings it’s either a down jacket or a synthetic layer. The socks and underwear never leave this bag. They’re part of the sleep system. Count them in your spare clothing totals, but don’t wear them outside of the sleeping bag.

A basic array of extra clothes for me includes a lightweight fleece, a long sleeve button up, an extra wool t-shirt, a pair of running shorts, and two pairs of socks. Including the clothes on my person, I can comfortably use this setup for upward of 2 weeks in fair weather.

My extra clothes are dictated by the weather and duration of my trip. An extra pair of socks for every week I’m out, an extra wool shirt, a long sleeve button up, shorts with brief liners sewn in, and a fleece is about all I need in summer weather.

My extra clothes are in the dry bag on the left and my sleep system is in the compression sack on the right. These make up the base section of my pack and keep heavier items higher up in the main pack bag and closer to my center of mass.

“The socks and underwear never leave this bag. They’re part of the sleep system. Count them in your spare clothing totals, but don’t wear them outside of the sleeping bag.”

A first-person view of my bag with a packed base section. The sleeping pad gets rolled up and pushed to the front face of the main pack bag so that heavier items can be placed closer to the back.

The Center

Now that we have that cushy base section filled, we can lay down our hard goods. Your cook kit, fuel, food bag/canister, and any other dense items should go here in the center of the pack, with the heaviest items as close to your back as possible.

Water and food. The Katadyn Hiker Pro has proven itself reliable in all manner of conditions and the Snow Peak Trek 900 gives me plenty of space to nest a 110-gram fuel canister and a Jet Boil Mighty Mo.

This is a generalization of what I’d eat on a weekend trip. I’ll need to fix myself some PB&Js before heading out, but I like the simplicity of the freeze dried meals from Mountain House for impromptu adventures.

I keep my food in yet another dry bag that’ll get tossed as a bear bag before turning in for the night. A dry bag is an easy solution for food storage in most environments where bear canisters are not required.

Your shelter will also go in the center. If you’re carrying a traditional backpacking tent, I recommend running your tent poles through the compression straps and down the side of the pack. This also changes up the standard 18×5” sack that tents are stored in and makes for easier packing and better weight distribution.

Removing any poles from your structure decreases the length of your shelter package and makes packing a lot easier. I like to run the poles between the compression straps and into the side pockets when I do take traditional pole-supported shelters.

On shorter trips, I sometimes use my inflatable sleeping pad as a collar rather than a roll (as pictured) to keep these items pinched toward my body. Just remember that the closer the weight of the bag is to your center of mass, the better it will ride.

Tents are among the heavier, denser items that you’ll pack. Carry them as close to your back as possible in the center section of the bag.

Food is also very heavy and very dense. Make sure you pack it in the center section of the pack. My cook kit and water treatment also find their home here in the center section.

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“Straps and plastic bags are the currency of wilderness living. Compress gear. Lash things. Keep stuff dry. Organize your bits and bobs. If you had to take extra something, it had better be Ziplocs and Velcro.”

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The Top

Up top we’ll stick all our fast-access items like your rain gear, first aid, and insulation. This is really the hodge podge section where anything that doesn’t find a suitable home in a pocket winds up. For me, this top section’s contents are dictated by what bag I’m carrying. For example, with the Stein 62, I’m carrying my rain gear in the large front face pocket. If I’m using the Crown 2, I’m sticking my rain gear in the large stretch woven front face pocket. If I’m carrying the Flex Capacitor, my rain gear is right up top.

Where I keep my rain gear really depends on what bag I’m using. In this Crown 2, I like to keep it at the ready in the stretch woven front face pocket.

Personal preference comes into play here a little for the lighter, smaller odds and ends. I like to keep a snack within arm’s reach, I carry TP in a small plastic bag in the uppermost pocket of my pack, and I typically keep my compass and map on my person in a chest pocket.

At this point, you should have your big items packed. This is a good time to go through the ten essentials and pack anything on that list that you haven’t already. For those keeping score, it should look something like this:

• Navigation
• Protection: Sun + Bug + chap stick
• Clothing (insulator)
• Illumination
• First aid
• Fire kit
• Food
• Water
• Shelter
• Knife+tool

On Person and In Pocket

Like I said, I like to keep my navigation on my person, but in this case, it’s going in the lid of the pack, so we can cross that off. Next is protection, illumination, and fire. Before I move on, I should say redundancy is crucial for things like illumination and fire, especially when traveling with groups that I am responsible for. I take a backup headlamp (and a third in the first aid kit) and an extra lighter (also in the first aid kit). I typically keep these smaller items in an “essentials stuff sack”. For me that’s a silnylon drawstring sack that came with a sleeping pad that I keep in the lid of my pack. If the pack doesn’t have a lid, then obviously this little ditty bag is going to end up in the uppermost section of the main pack bag. That leaves me with Water and Knife + Tool left to cover.

Smaller “essential” items do well together in a waterproof sack. I’d traditionally keep my map and compass on my person, but for the sake of this piece, they’ll be stored in the lid along with the rest of this gear.

Where your water treatment system goes will depend largely on what your primary method is. For me, I’m turned big onto iodine right now after leading groups of 6-8 people out in the backcountry for three weeks at a time. I think iodine is a real winner. So that’s either in a tiny baggie in a top pocket or in my Pelican 1020 which is currently acting as a fire/water kit. As for knife and tool, I carry a small fixed blade around my neck and a larger fixed blade in the uppermost section of my pack or on my hip belt if I’m able. I’ll also carry a Leatherman One Hand Tool, which has recently quit One Hand-ing, in the first aid kit along with my sleeping mat patches and duct tape.

With room to spare, the lid of this Crown 2 will swallow a small first aid kit, a map, my essentials sack, a spork, and a Lion Steel M4.

On the outside of the pack, I’ll stash my poles when I’m not using them. I use a tarp or a tent that uses trekking poles as structural support, so I typically bring them with me. Lastly, I never go anywhere without my Therm-A-Rest Z Lite. More on that in the future, but those who know take one with them everywhere.

Last but not least, the Therm-A-Rest Z Lite lives between the lid and the main pack bag. I never leave home without it.

Pro Tips

Straps and plastic bags are the currency of wilderness living. Compress gear. Lash things. Keep stuff dry. Organize your bits and bobs. If you had to take extra something, it had better be Ziplocs and Velcro.

If you’re going to be out for a long time, I’d take a trash compactor bag as a bag liner. If you’re only out for a few days and the weather looks clear, you’ll probably be fine. Trash compactor bags only weigh a few grams and are worth the weight to reward ratio. Obviously, it gives me a waterproof liner for critical items like my sleeping bag, but it also gives me another item to sit on, collect trash, wash clothes, gather water, etc.

The primary focus of this piece was on organizing the ten essentials and weight distribution. Things like your personal items and hygiene are going to be packed at your own need and discretion. How do you pack your bag differently? Have you discovered any packing hacks that the rest of our carry community would really benefit from? Comment below with tips and tricks of your own and add to the conversation.

The post Packing 101: How to Pack for a Backpacking Trip appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

When you’re after a super durable textile there are two fabrics that instantly spring to mind: Ballistic Nylon and CORDURA®. These two fabrics have been used for over 50 years on some of the toughest military, outdoor and urban goods around. They are carry industry stalwarts and have been the backbone of many great bags and brands, inspiring endless marketing hyperbole along the way. Amidst all the lofty marketing it can be hard to find the facts, but we’ve waded through the jargon to find the answers to the key questions you need to know when choosing between these two heavy-duty options.

What is a ballistic nylon?

What we know today as Ballistic Nylon is a multifilament high tenacity, 2X2 basket weave nylon fabric, usually made with 1050D or 840D yarns. The name Ballistic goes back to the Vietnam war era when it was used for anti-fragmentation ballistic jackets for the military. Multiple layers of the thick fabric were laminated together to help stop exploding shrapnel and fragmentation. By the late ’70s the military upgraded their armor to lightweight Kevlar® and ceramic plate technology that could stop actual bullets. Then in the ’80s Ballistic Nylon had found its way into the consumer market. At a time when heavy-duty, strong luggage was the flavour of the day, the term ballistic struck a chord with customers and the name stuck. The slick finish, heavy weave and excellent strength still make it a popular choice today, although as a single layer fabric it’s lost most of its actual ballistic credentials.

What is Cordura nylon fabric?

The name CORDURA® has meant many things over many years. Originally a rayon product used in WWII tyres. After the war DuPont developed nylon which became a primary component of tire manufacturing. In the mid-70’s, a process was developed to dye nylon fabric and the CORDURA® name was reborn and applied to the now classic line of nylon fabrics. These days you might notice the CORDURA® brand tag appearing on all sorts of gear; the now INVISTA-owned brand have since developed all sorts of textiles including lightweight and apparel fabrics. But when it comes to bags the fabric most people think of is CORDURA® Classic, air textured, 1000D or 500D plain weave Nylon 6.6. Used in everything from school bags to soldiers’ boots, the now ubiquitous cloth has had a huge influence on the carry world for over 50 years.

What do all those technical terms mean?

All woven fabrics are made up of differing combinations of yarns and weaving methods. Most of the technical jargon is referring to the yarn. Firstly, what’s the fiber? Nylon, polyester, cotton, or a combination of different fibers. CORDURA® is known for using Nylon 6.6 which is a particularly strong type of Nylon.

The “D” in 1000D refers to the denier, probably the most talked about stat. It’s a unit of measurement for the weight of yarn but shouldn’t be used as an indication of strength. How denier is measured is a little convoluted. It is the weight in grams of 9000 meters of yarn. So 1000D would weigh 1000 grams for a 9000-meter length. In turn, 500D would weigh 500 grams.

Then there are all sorts of yarn treatments including the air texturing used on CORDURA®. This is where air is blown over the yarn, making it bulkier and more cotton canvas like in look and feel.  

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“The “D” in 1000D refers to the denier. It’s a unit of measurement for the weight of yarn but shouldn’t be used as an indication of strength.”

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Once you’ve got your head around the yarn, there’s an endless world of weaves, with various designs going back thousands of years. Basket weave and plain weave are two of the more basic methods, with the basket weave ballistic being woven 2 ends over 2 ends. The classic plain weave is 1 over 1 and has a flatter appearance.

What are the key differences between Ballistic Nylon and Cordura?

Ballistic is typically the heavier of the two fabrics and it generally has the superior tensile and tear strength. For reasons unknown, CORDURA® Classic typically has greater abrasion resistance. The generally accepted theory is that the air textured yarn has more bulk, which helps spread the wear. The air texturing also creates a canvas-like look and feel, the downside being that the slight pile does tend to collect dust and lint. In contrast, Ballistic nylon has quite a smooth hand feel and gloss finish.

Looks-wise, CORDURA® is quite casual. It’s synonymous with school bags and hiking packs whereas the polished finish of Ballistic is more suited to business environments. On a practical note, it’s quite hard to find Ballistic Nylon in any color other than black.

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“Ballistic is typically the heavier of the two fabrics and generally has the superior tensile and tear strength. CORDURA® Classic typically has greater abrasion resistance.”

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One advantage of all CORDURA® fabrics is that they are easily identified. A difficulty when buying Ballistic Nylon gear is that many manufacturers have begun producing lookalikes that vary in quality. If a brand states they are using Ballistic fabric, it’s worth looking a little closer at what the material actually is before you buy.

What should you choose for what scenario? 

Also at this point we should make it clear that both these fabrics are super heavy-duty, bordering on overkill for most people’s day-to-day needs. For everyday commuter and outdoor applications either fabric is going to be bombproof. The downside being that they are both quite heavy and may produce a bag of some weight before it’s even packed. And although these heavy-duty fabrics themselves won’t wear out, they can wear out lighter clothing that comes into regular contact with them.

It’s true that both fabrics are the preferred choice in a lot of military applications – but remember that the army is an environment with no room for failure and soldiers carry loads of over 50kg daily. Overall, if I was being sensible I would say the best use for Ballistic is when hauling super heavy loads, and classic CORDURA® is ideal in high wear points like pack bases. But then again, sometimes you want something crazy tough – just because it’s crazy tough.

Imagery courtesy of CORDURA®

Janis Lacey is the founder of Soft Serve Goods design agency. 

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