I love my backpack. I also love the fact that it was custom made for me (so yes, this is a sponsored post)
Scott Littlefield of http://www.diygearsupply.com custom made me a backpack for this South American Trip, based on hand-drawings and notes I scratched down on paper of what I wanted.
I’m an urban backpacker. I wanted my backpack to be rugged. I wanted lots of external placed pockets to hold stuff (and keep my socks and underwear separate from the rest of my clothes and easy to find). I wanted hidden pockets on the inside and in the spine area (the stiff part against my back) to keep money, papers, ID’s, etc. in when I’m traveling and when I’m in a hostel and obviously don’t want to have all my credit cards and passport on me while walking the towns. And I wanted the backpack to not only open at the top, but also front-load, so I could lay it down and zip it open like a suitcase so I could get to my things easily without having to constantly dump my pack to find that one item; which will always have fallen to the very bottom.
I got it all!
I’ve been backpacking around South America for 3 months now and beating the crap out of this bag. Dropped it, walked in rain with it, overstuffed it many times, flung it in/on many a trunk, bus luggage, hostel floor, ground, and on 6 flights so far….and this bag is still rockin!
Not a scratch or tear (due to it being made from rugged canvas-like material and not that rip-stop nylon crap). The zippers (which are waterproof) take a beating from me and I’ve had no issues at all. The worst thing that has happened with this bag is the top flap is dirty.
Oooooooo….
Scott at http://www.diygearsupply.com sells al the items to make/fix all types of backpacks (fabrics, hardware, thread, accessories) and offers DIY guides to making your own things like a hammock, or bug net, and links to many other companies with a variety of supplies. ). Scott is a long-time traveler himself, working all over the world in all sorts of environments. now he sells backpack making supplies and guides on his website http://www.diygearsupply.com.
Scott worked with me to create this backpack when he saw my posts (ok whining) that I couldn’t find a backpack for this trip that had everything I wanted and was rugged enough for an urban backpackers needs like mine. I wanted a smaller backpack (we made me a 40ml) but with all the bells and whistles my little heart desired (was being a brat about) …and no major company had what I wanted. Scott took my handwritten and scanned chicken-scratch drawings and we worked together for a couple months sending pictures and specs back and forth. He made sure he fully understood what I wanted (and was trying horribly to explain) when creating this…
and he got it dead on!
If you need any gear to fix a pack, make a hammock, make a bug net, alter a pack, make your own pack, or need help/guides to anything related, I totally recommend going on http://www.diygearsupply.com or contacting Scott directly if you have any questions. He is awesome.
(or check out his links page for other great companies and information pages he recommends… http://www.diygearsupply.com/links.html ).
I’ve taken so long to write this, because I wanted time to use my backpack and beat the crap out of it a bit so I could honestly review how it holds up (not just that it looks like what I wanted). I needed time to have an honest, unfettered opinion of this product, especially because it was sponsored.
and my opinion?
THIS BACKPACK ROCKS! and Scott is amazing and super helpful and professional.
http://www.diygearsupply.com is a great place to get supplies, information, and things to fix/make backpacks while you travel. Check it out!
Cheers!