foxyrick
British Pork
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2006
- Messages
- 2,254
I really want to like the Vulture II, but the lack of a back system in a pack of this size makes it sag when loaded up. It's a real shame. Given a simple internal frame and a couple of inches in height for more shoulder lift, it would be a great sack.
Also, there is a problem if a full water bladder is put into the bladder sleeve. The bladder pushes the back out towards the wearer giving the sack the shape of a barrel, with the shoulder straps and belt pushed away from the wearer's back. Not exactly comfortable!
Nothing can really be done about the height, and I think it's just about workable as-is anyway, but I have done something about the stiffness. Previously, as I've mentioned before, I've used an Epicurean cutting board slipped into the bladder sleeve to alleviate both the above problems but now I've gone a step better.
In the attic I found a sheet of aluminium off a rack-mount case. It was just about right at 42cm x 30cm and 1.6mm thick. Ideally it could have done with about 4cm more height, but it's good enough. After some experimenting with a piece of board, I determined the dimensions to cut the aluminium to:
(p.s. sorry about the really bad 'phone pictures - the San Francisco II has by far the worst camera I have ever known!)
Having cut the sheet to shape, I rounded the edges and corners with a file. That's not enough to protect the sack though, so I sliced a length of mains 15A twin-and-earth cable down the side and pulled out the wires. With that slipped onto the edge of the sheet, the sack should be well protected from the thin edges:
Corner bits snipped off a little so there are no sticky-out bits:
The whole edge is now taped up with duct tape:
The panel fits just right, the zip can just close. If I had a few more cm of height on the panel, I could have taken it to the very top of the sleeve but it should be good enough as it is. Offering the panel to the Vulture II:
Finally, the worst picture of all - a stiff Vulture:
It feels good so far, in the house at least. The last step is to bend the panel a little to fit my back, but that will wait until I've taken it out with some weight in it to see where it rides best. Certainly the bottom edge (about the bottom inch) will need curling into the sack a little, to move the hard edge away from my back.
Also, there is a problem if a full water bladder is put into the bladder sleeve. The bladder pushes the back out towards the wearer giving the sack the shape of a barrel, with the shoulder straps and belt pushed away from the wearer's back. Not exactly comfortable!
Nothing can really be done about the height, and I think it's just about workable as-is anyway, but I have done something about the stiffness. Previously, as I've mentioned before, I've used an Epicurean cutting board slipped into the bladder sleeve to alleviate both the above problems but now I've gone a step better.
In the attic I found a sheet of aluminium off a rack-mount case. It was just about right at 42cm x 30cm and 1.6mm thick. Ideally it could have done with about 4cm more height, but it's good enough. After some experimenting with a piece of board, I determined the dimensions to cut the aluminium to:
(p.s. sorry about the really bad 'phone pictures - the San Francisco II has by far the worst camera I have ever known!)
Having cut the sheet to shape, I rounded the edges and corners with a file. That's not enough to protect the sack though, so I sliced a length of mains 15A twin-and-earth cable down the side and pulled out the wires. With that slipped onto the edge of the sheet, the sack should be well protected from the thin edges:
Corner bits snipped off a little so there are no sticky-out bits:
The whole edge is now taped up with duct tape:
The panel fits just right, the zip can just close. If I had a few more cm of height on the panel, I could have taken it to the very top of the sleeve but it should be good enough as it is. Offering the panel to the Vulture II:
Finally, the worst picture of all - a stiff Vulture:
It feels good so far, in the house at least. The last step is to bend the panel a little to fit my back, but that will wait until I've taken it out with some weight in it to see where it rides best. Certainly the bottom edge (about the bottom inch) will need curling into the sack a little, to move the hard edge away from my back.
