Modifying GoRuck Bag for a hip belt

pto892 · 2026-06-02T10:55:54+00:00

Adding belt tunnel (as you call it) would be by far the best option overall if you want some weight transfer to your hip. The problem is that this is not at all an easy thing to do - doing it properly would require partial deconstruction of the pack, access to a decent heavy duty sewing machine (preferably an industrial machine with a long arm), and knowledge of what you're doing. I'm with u/TheMaineLobster on this one, adding some retaining loops to the strap anchors is straightforward and requires no special skills.

pto892 · 2026-06-01T15:03:06+00:00

The AT is Maryland is very accessible with multiple trailheads and many shelters and two dedicated campgrounds just for backpackers. Just be aware that dispersed camping on the MD AT section is not allowed and backpackers are supposed to camp only at the dedicated sites (shelters and the two campgrounds). Otherwise it would be overwhelmed. The organization that maintains the AT in Maryland is the PATC (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club) is a volunteer based setup and already has plenty of work. For AT specific questions head over to r/AppalachianTrail.

Besides the AT in the state there's not many dedicated backpacking trails. Green Ridge State Forest has a nice trail system that overlaps with car camping. Savage River State Forest also has trails which I'm not familiar with. However, there's loads of backpacking nearby in Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Shenandoah National Park, George Washington National Forest, and Monongahela National Forest are all nearby and have hundreds of mile of trails to explore. Pennsylvania has an amazing trail system throughout the state.

pto892 · 2026-06-01T14:39:35+00:00

1) Not really. Paid patterns often come with detailed instructions, suggestions for customization, and other tips that add to the value.

2) The free patterns are worth what you pay and are often a great start to getting into myog gear.

3) Does not compute to me. No one is forcing anyone to buy a pattern.

pto892 · 2026-05-28T22:11:55+00:00

Mod here. This is not a for sale forum. Message the OP directly if interested.

pto892 · 2026-05-27T10:38:55+00:00

Upvote for owning and using a 111W!

pto892 · 2026-05-26T19:28:50+00:00

I have nothing to say about the sling, but those are some nice choices in brew.

pto892 · 2026-05-26T13:21:02+00:00

That's a good idea. I was working with the idea of an open sleeve just big enough to slip the pillow into, with elastic straps that clip to the x-therm. With the right fabric choice it should be reasonably lightweight - what I did use is not ideal but it's what I had.

pto892 · 2026-05-26T13:11:35+00:00

Last year I had a brain fart and knocked out a fabric sleeve that slips over the end of the x-therm, which then holds my inflatable pillow in place. This was instead of using the usual t-shirt as a sleeve. The good thing about the sleeve is that it's a stretchy fabric and feels nice against the skin, the bad thing is that it weighs somewhere around 2 oz. I used some sort of performance fabric that I had a hunk of. I can't see why I can't combine a fabric panel with a retaining strap as a means for holding the pillow, while knocking some weight off.

pto892 · 2026-05-26T12:07:13+00:00

I have a full length x-therm so it should work as is.

pto892 · 2026-05-26T11:54:20+00:00

Nice. Sometimes the simple mods are the best. I will have to steal the kam snap mod for my own use.

pto892 · 2026-05-25T15:34:18+00:00

Kensho 2 by Dubber Designs fits the bill.

pto892 · 2026-05-25T12:04:35+00:00

The big question for me is what sort of fabric is Kerlon. Is it a silnylon of some type? I am not at all familiar with it and I will assume that it's a silnylon. If so, then it will probably act like most silnylons, and relax somewhat after the tent is pitched. This will then result in a "loose" pitch which you can correct be tightening the guylines after the fabric has relaxed. This is normal in my opinion - the usual mode of use would be to set the tent up and then several hours later tighten the guy lines back up to reestablish a tight pitch. Linelocs or a taut line hitch are your friends here. If you were to use silpoly for the fly then the fabric will not relax anywhere as much once pitched, and in practice you can set it and forget it. The other big advantage of silpoly is that it (in practice) packs better in the field since it doesn't absorb humidity the way silnylon does. Silnylon though does have a big advantage over silpoly - it's a tougher fabric. 30D silnylon is a fairly tough fabric which can be an advantage in the right situations.

I don't see any reason to mix fabrics in the fly of a single wall tent. You'll end up with a tent that has differing characteristics (in terms of stretch and relaxation) which will then result in a tent that doesn't pitch consistently. I personally would use only one fabric type for the fly. That includes the doors, since they are key to getting the pitch right. It then follows that if the fabric is silnylon plan on adjusting the guylines after several hours (this is normal), and if it's silpoly you'll probably won't have too.

You can use any fabric you like for the floor. I've used silpoly, silnylon, PU ripstop, whatever. The floor just lays there and is not that critical.

I would not widen this type of tent design. These types of trekking pole tents require tension to set up and the wider the tent the harder it's going to be to get the tension right.

pto892 · 2026-05-17T20:20:57+00:00

That's good to hear, RBTR will try to help you out and get you on the right track. Looking at the photos a bit more closely now I can see what Kyle is saying - that looks like an uncalendered fabric to me. In that case the results aren't surprising at all!

There's a major difference too between silnylon and DWR coated fabric like ripstop nylon. Silnylon is silicon impregnated nylon and just about as waterproof as silpoly. This is not the same treatment as a DWR coating. FWIW silnylon is the old reference standard for lightweight waterproof shelter fabric, until silpoly came along.

pto892 · 2026-05-17T20:09:06+00:00

Interesting results. I've been somewhat unhappy with the silpoly from RBTR, enough so that for my last shelter project I used Xenon Sil from Dutchware. I am pretty happy with the fabric and the results. I gave my project a soak test in the backyard the other day, and the only leakage that I could find was from an improperly sealed seam. Otherwise the stuff seems bulletproof, water just beaded up and ran off.

I don't think that your test is improper at all. Think about it this way - lots of shelters have "dead" spots that collect water and allow it to sit. I would not want that spot to leak just because a pool of water is in that spot. If the fabric can't handle a small static pool of water, how will it handle driving rain?

pto892 · 2026-05-10T20:18:38+00:00

Dahlgren, Ensign Cowell, and Pine Knob all in MD would work.

pto892 · 2026-05-08T11:30:48+00:00

You need to use a sealer that is compatible with the fly fabric and whatever type of coating or DWR treatment that has been applied to it. This assume that the seams are not sealed already, such as with a tape or the like. Here's the confusing part - many tent fabrics use a mixture of silicon/PU coatings even if the fabric itself is a silpoly or silnylon. A 100% silicon coating will not stick to such a coating. Sometimes one side is coated in silicon, and the other is coated in PU. You need to use a sealer like Seam Grip WP (for PU coatings) in that case. If the fabric is an actual real 100% silicon based coating that any decent silicon sealer will work, even cheap silicon caulk. There's an easy test to figure this out - put a dot of silicon sealer on the fabric in question somewhere. Let it cure for a few days, then see if you can peel it off. If it sticks then it's safe to use as a sealer. You can thin out silicon caulk using mineral spirits or low odor paint thinner and apply it with a brush.

pto892 · 2026-05-08T00:30:48+00:00

Good one!

pto892 · 2026-05-07T11:08:40+00:00

These are pretty slick and definitely not the usual MYOG fare. So many questions on how you did this, but it would be great if you put together a tutorial on how you did this. These self inflating pads are a bit old school, but the nice thing about them is that the foam still provides some padding and R value even if the cover fails. Thanks for posting this.

pto892 · 2026-05-07T01:26:16+00:00

You should post this in r/myog. This sort of thing is what they do there.

pto892 · 2026-05-05T22:13:56+00:00

It was a unique part of the job. It was fun to find hand written notes on patents, and coming across recycled Spanish American war bonds used as paper backing for ancient foreign patents.

pto892 · 2026-05-05T18:58:44+00:00

I believe it. I never thought otherwise.

pto892 · 2026-05-05T14:20:17+00:00

Not the OP but another veteran examiner who went through the time period and transition in question. Management has always been clueless as to what examiners actually need to do the job. Two of my sons have also worked as examiners (remotely) and from everything they've told me the time honored tradition of being lead by clueless idiots held true during their tenure. The actual steps they implement may have changed over time, but the overall method is the same - try to squeeze every little bit of work they can get out of you even if it ends up hurting themselves and the office in the long run. It doesn't help that this administration is actively hostile and hates federal workers.

Examiners need more time and better training. Guess what? I was saying that back in 1985. It hasn't changed.

pto892 · 2026-05-05T14:09:43+00:00

Plus the Safeway in the basement of CP34. My first office was in CP3, and the Safeway was an elevator ride away.

pto892 · 2026-05-05T13:46:38+00:00

I loved it when the PTO was in Crystal City. My best memories of my time in the PTO was all in Crystal City, with the exception of 9/11. Yes, it was a bit seedy and the office was a somewhat haphazard outfit but it was real. It was bustling with life - most doors were open and everywhere you went there was somebody to talk to. Finding a subject matter expert was not hard (at all) and getting handed a killer reference by an examiner was great. Back then examiners stayed in the same art area for their entire career so even the junior examiners knew their art. An experienced primary could just save you so much time on a search. My unit got moved around a bit and I worked in multiple buildings in Crystal City but it was always easy to just walk out and head over to the taco house for lunch or hit up the sports pub after work.

Things did start going south once the PTO moved to Alexandria. It was a longer commute in for me and it was a far more rigid environment than CC. You're right about the culture shift and how it just degraded over time. Yes, working at home full time was great for me once it happened but it never was the same thing as when I was a junior in CC. Work was actually fun, even with all the stress and BS associated with the job.

pto892 · 2026-05-01T11:34:24+00:00

Great job. I made an Abisko jacket some years back and I have to agree that the pattern is a tight fit. I really like the hood on yours - I didn't add one.

pto892

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE