HPG Tara Tweaks

Hammer67

Hammer67

Joined
Nov 9, 2012
Messages
9,762
I love my Hill People 'Tarahumara' pack. It's tough, comfortable and simple - the perfect day hike pack for me. But over the last year or so of using it, I've started thinking of different ways to increase the capacity, while still balancing the fact that it is not a pack designed for heavy loads.

I added a Maxped "Tactile Pocket" (size - med) to the exterior of the pack, which can be attached in different ways and easily removed. It is the perfect pocket for a small first aid kit, snacks, etc. that you want to be able to get to easily without having to rummage through the whole pack. There is enough room that you could actually attach two of these to the pack compression straps and slide them to either side of the pack, if you need even more capacity. I've attached it to the lower compression straps, which still allows me to unzip and access the main compartment of the pack without the pocket getting in the way:

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I also picked up a Kifaru "Pod" which mates perfectly to the bottom of the Tara pack. For those unfamiliar with the Pod, it's basically a cinch sack, made out of heavy duty ballistic nylon, with straps that feed through a daisy chain and clip to the Tara with buckles. It's great for an extra layer or two, and I can even fit a 40F down summer bag and a light fleece pullover in it (which is making me start to wonder if I can pull off an ultra-light overnighter with this pack in conjunction with the Kit Bag...). Even when filled with the above, the Pod adds very little weight to the pack, and I dont even really notice that it's back there.

Kifaru Small Pod:

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Attached to the Tara pack:

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I also added one of these "Web Dominator" doohickeys to the shoulder strap, for attaching a hydration tube and keeping it from flopping around:

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I'm working on another add-on that I'll post more about soon.

Anyone else found creative ways to tweak their Tara?
 
Never had a pack like this to play with, but I do like adding a few acessories to a pack, mostly to the front shoulder straps and waist belt. A slip on pocket to hold a camera handy. A pin on ball compass for quick reference. And sometimes a zipper pull thermometer and a P-38 can opener. Small things that don't weigh much, don't get in the way but are handy to have available without digging or dismounting the pack.
 
I love my Tara as well. I hope you don't mind me adding some pics of mods I've recently made. I added a Tarainsert, which is a nice way to organize, but I really like the way it adds a little stiffness to the pack. It's slight, but gives it some form. I also added some Coughlan's (sp?) organizer pockets clipped to a Grimloc hanging from the top loop. They cost $7 to $10, which is much less than some other pouches. The Tarainsert and pouches are on two seperate Grimlocs and all can be removed and replaced quickly. The pouches are set up for certain things, like the large pouch is for clothing items, and the small for basic survival gear (with the GSI cup shockcorded onto the end of the pouch). The small pouch Molle connected to the Tarainsert is first aid gear. There is a ton of room still and this system organizes it so the small pouch and cup occupy the top of the pack which garvity would normally leave empty and the other items layer down the middle, leaving space for water bottles (which can be tight if the pack is loaded). Otherwise, I used paracord to secure the loose ends of the chest strap and paracord and cord locks to make simple water bottle security locks. Hopefully the pics are self-explanatory. Thanks and take care.

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jdk1 said:
I hope you don't mind me adding some pics of mods I've recently made...
Click to expand...

Not at all - that's what I was hoping would happen! It's a pack that is ripe for all sorts of customizing and tweaking imo, and I like seeing what others are doing with theirs.

Thanks for showing the Tarainsert in action - I was curious about how it worked. :thumbup:
 
Thanks you 2 for showing pics of your packs. That style of pack really looks like a great one.
now you have me thinking about getting one.



Bryan
 
sicily02 said:
Thanks you 2 for showing pics of your packs. That style of pack really looks like a great one.
now you have me thinking about getting one.



Bryan
Click to expand...

Longknife3 said:
Yup, I'm sold! Time to round up a HPG pack(s)
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You guys would NOT be dissapointed. It's a very simple, yet very well designed and produced pack. I've been looking for a pack for a while. I have various Maxped Versipacs (Jumbo, Remora, Sitka) and they either don't have the carrying capacity I want or the single strap design limits the amount I want to carry. I discovered really early on that single strap, while convenient, quickly tells you when you've gone too far. The problem is when your haunts include Texas and New Mexico, you'll be hauling water and it gets heavy, especially when hauling for a family. I'm the designated pack mule:D The Jumbo still gets the nod as the perfect short trip bag, but sometime I need more.

If I need to haul more water or want to pack a soft sided cooler with lunch for the family, which we really enjoy, the Versapacs are out. My next in line is a Maxped Condor II, which is a great pack. I bought it for real SHTF use and I think that's where it'll shine, but I find it weighs more than the contents at times. It's just too much bag for what I normally want to carry into the field. And even in khaki makes me feel like I'm hunting Tangos instead of smelling the wildflowers:)

This past Spring, my oldest son and I took a trip out to East Texas. We saw weather ranging from balmy '70s to late night bone chilling '40s with high winds, along with clear skies and heavy rain. We were busy day and night. This showed me I need:
  1. Plenty of water
  2. extra food
  3. Foul weather gear/poncho
  4. Cool weather layers
  5. Plus the usual basic survival type gear and protection.
I toggled between the Condor II and the Jumbo. The Condor was too heavy and cumbersome at times (and half empty) and the Jumbo had no way to adequately hold extra jackets and such. On the last day, I went for a "short" hike with my son, got turned around and ended up spending 5 hours on the trail. I had even forgot to transfer my basic survival goodies from my pack to the Jumbo. I posted another thread about this situation, which prompted me to creat a small knife based Janus pouch kit I could always have on my belt, just in case.

Fast forward a few months and I've got the perfect set-up. The HPG Tarahumara is simple and light. It will easily hold the gear I listed above and can handle a good amount of thick and fluffy stuff lashed to the outside in various ways. I paired this with a HPG Kit Bag for carrying protection, some basic survival gear (emergency blanket/fire gear/etc.) and even a camera, which I was also carrying in East Texas. This set-up does it all and carries easily. The way I've got the kit organized allows me to grab my more advanced survival kit from the pack and stuff it into the kit bag and go with that alone. The only issue with that is carrying water. If I threw my Maxped Water Bottle carrier over my shoulder I'd have everything taken care of.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to give you guys an idea of why I went with this particular pack and Kit Bag. It's perfect for my day hike needs and I don't plan on any overnighters anytime soon, though this pack could handle light overnighters I believe. Take care.
 
Another way I've found to increase the capacity and organization of the Tara - Maxped 'cocoon' pockets. I have them set up on the lower part of my backpack straps on both sides like this:

lwda.jpg


I find that they are the perfect size for this location - they are out of the way and unobtrusive when hiking (for me), yet I can reach them easily, and slide them up the strap to access them when needed. They're a great size for a pair of wool gloves, a light fleece hat, snacks, etc. that you want to be able to get to easily:

fo04.jpg


The cocoon pockets in this location do not interfere with wearing a Kit Bag in conjunction with the Tara, and like the other options above, they are attached/removed easily. You could also mount then horizontally on the compression straps on the back of the pack - however, they obviously won't be as accessible then.

:thumbup:
 
I love those cocoon pouches! Did you have to undo the shoulder strap to get it to attach? I am unfamiliar with the cocoons design. Great idea!
 
Yup - the cocoon pouch has webbing on the backside, and you just undo the back strap, feed it through and re-attach it.
 
Good idea for the cacoon:thumbup: I have one and have had a hard time figuring out exactly what to do with it, but that's a pretty good place. It's tan, but oh well! In "parks" you could fit a normal-sized belt knife in there for easy access, but out of site as well. A Mora type would disappear. I'd like to figure out a way to carry a standard disposable water bottle on the strap (that's what I seem to carry if we travel somewhere and hike), as the water bottle holders on the pack hold the bottles great,they just aren't easy to re-insert on the move. It would be nice to have a holder for my "working" bottle. I've seen Maxped Rolly's attached to the Kit Bag, but that may be too much for a 20 oz. bottle. I'm sure i'll figure something out. Take care.
 
Smithhammer said:
Another way I've found to increase the capacity and organization of the Tara - Maxped 'cocoon' pockets. I have them set up on the lower part of my backpack straps on both sides like this:

lwda.jpg


I find that they are the perfect size for this location - they are out of the way and unobtrusive when hiking (for me), yet I can reach them easily, and slide them up the strap to access them when needed. They're a great size for a pair of wool gloves, a light fleece hat, snacks, etc. that you want to be able to get to easily:

fo04.jpg


The cocoon pockets in this location do not interfere with wearing a Kit Bag in conjunction with the Tara, and like the other options above, they are attached/removed easily. You could also mount then horizontally on the compression straps on the back of the pack - however, they obviously won't be as accessible then.

:thumbup:
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That's an awesome idea. I'm ordering a few for mine as well!!!
 
Any new feed back on the cacoon add ons, love the idea, just want to know if your arms rub or hit them while yhey are on the pack? Thanks
 
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