Putting stays in G-4 pack

Posted by: Pika

Putting stays in G-4 pack - 04/29/10 11:26 AM

I just finished making a G-4 pack. After trying it out with my gear, I think it might work better for me with stays and have decided to try installing a set. Has anyone done this? If so, can someone provide me with a reference or describe how it is done? Thanks.
Posted by: Dryer

Re: Putting stays in G-4 pack - 04/29/10 12:48 PM

I've used a GPV4 for a few years now. My ridgerest foam pad rolls up to line the inside, which provides rigidity for the pack. The pack is designed for a z-rest pad which becomes the "stays" in those outside back pockets at the top and bottom, between the straps. I've never needed actually stays when loading within it's design limit.
If you have to have them, it shouldn't be too hard to sew in pockets. Might try some sail batten material from West Marine...stiff, thin, and light.
Posted by: ChrisFol

Re: Putting stays in G-4 pack - 04/29/10 12:54 PM

Originally Posted By Pika
I just finished making a G-4 pack. After trying it out with my gear, I think it might work better for me with stays and have decided to try installing a set. Has anyone done this? If so, can someone provide me with a reference or describe how it is done? Thanks.


Why don't you shoot the guys at GG an email, I am sure they would be more than happy to help since they post their designs online for all to make their own.

I am with Dryer though, my Z-lite or short Thermareast provides all the frame that I need for the weight that I carry.
Posted by: Glenn

Re: Putting stays in G-4 pack - 04/29/10 02:25 PM

I may be way out in left field on this, so take it for what it's worth. I did own a G4 briefly; it was just way too big for the load I was carrying. I do still use a Granite Gear Virga frameless pack, and developed a trick for making it act like it has stays - maybe it would work with the G4, too.

Have you ever wanted a camp chair? I started using one several years ago; I find I sleep better if I can rest my back while sitting around. But, I found it hard to justify the half pound or more they weighed.

Then came my Virga - and the chair kit became a necessary part of the pack: I would leave my pad (a Prolite 4 short, though I suppose any pad that fit its chair would work) in the chair, deflated, and fold the chair in half across the middle. This put two stays side-by-side on each side. I then rolled the sides of the chair in toward the center, until the pad was the width of my back panel. I then slid this down the back of the Virga, locking it in place with the sleeping bag, and packed in the rest of my gear. Then I opened the valve to slightly inflate the pad to give it a little stiffness and thickness, for comfort. I found the resulting pack rode just about like an internal frame, and the chair stays became the pack stays.

It seems like this might work even better with the G4, since they'd have the pocket to hold them in place. Just make sure you put the rolled chair/pad in with the stays on the side toward the pack.

I'm even happier using that system now: my Thermarest Compack chair kit and NeoAir 66" chair kit together weigh only 18 ounces, saving me 3/4 pound over the old Trekker/Prolite combination.

I'm assuming the same idea might even work without a chair kit, using a closed cell pad and your tent pole (assuming you use something like the TT Rainbow), with the tent pole inside the pad, in the center. (If you had two poles, you could run them up either side.

Not sure if this is really what you're looking for, but just thought I'd toss it in for whatever it's worth.
Posted by: Roocketman

Re: Putting stays in G-4 pack - 04/30/10 12:20 AM

Originally Posted By Pika
I just finished making a G-4 pack. After trying it out with my gear, I think it might work better for me with stays and have decided to try installing a set. Has anyone done this? If so, can someone provide me with a reference or describe how it is done? Thanks.


I was starting to sew a G-4 pack, and got hooked on the idea of stays to stiffen it up, since I had only experience with external framed packs at the time.

I called Gossamer Gear and talked to them. They described the modification as easy to do.

If you use aluminum tubes (arrow shafts) you need to make a sleeve in which to contain them and to have the containing sleeve sewn to the back of the pack. You make the sleeve with nylon webbing and pick the width that will work with your reinforcement.

Suppose that the pack needs a stay of 20 inches, then you will need something like 45 or so inches of webbing. Start at the top of the stay and lay the stay on the webbing at the end of the webbing. Fold up the webbing over the other side of the stay and imagine sewing up the sides of the webbing giving a relatively snug fit to the stay. Then, with velcro, take the remaining portion and imagine that you construct a foldover top to keep the stay nicely inside this webbing structure. Then, imagine sewing this reinforcement structure to one side of the back of the pack, preferably on the inside. And imagine repeating this for the other side of the back of the pack.

Now, you can imagine the structure you would like to build.

Figuring out how to build it is relatively easy if you haven't yet built the pack, because you don't have to undo any seams to get the pack parts onto the sewing machine. It is harder to figure out how to do this if the pack is all sewn up, but maybe you can turn it inside out and with a free arm machine, you might be able to get all of the sewing done.

Otherwise, you will have to pop open some seams to do it on a sewing machine, or you could hand sew it together.

By the way, I never did this as I never finished the project... Bought a pack instead.

Here is a related link to look at.

http://www.backpacking-lite.co.uk/diy/ultralight-external-frame-pack.html

Go to nearly the bottom of the page to see putting a frame into a Golite pack.

Posted by: Pika

Re: Putting stays in G-4 pack - 04/30/10 09:00 AM

Thanks everyone for all the info and the ideas. I think that for the immediate future I will try working with the pads rather than trying to install stays. I spent some time packing and unpacking the thing yesterday and can see better ways to pack it.

The G-4 turned out to be bigger than I expected and so for trips without my bear can I will likely continue to use my Jam2. I made the G-4 with the idea in mind of a repeat of the JMT on my soon-to-be 75th birthday; I wanted a light, roomy pack that would carry well and that would hold a bear can. The Jam2 will work but it would be more of a squeeze.
Posted by: Glenn

Re: Putting stays in G-4 pack - 04/30/10 09:27 PM

Happy Birthday a bit early. Just remember: you're not 75, you're just taking a third shot at being 25 - and they say the third time's a charm!
Posted by: Pika

Re: Putting stays in G-4 pack - 04/30/10 10:03 PM

Glenn, thanks for the encouraging words. Sadly though, while I often forget my age, my body seldom does. I'm just glad to still be moving.
Posted by: frediver

Re: Putting stays in G-4 pack - 05/01/10 05:38 AM

I just carry my tent poles in the folds of my z-rest, the length matches the width of my pad.
If you wanted to make some then stop by TAP plastics for carbon tubing or an archery shop for arrow material and cut it to whatever size you need then put some plastic caps on the ends, done. IMO you don't need no stinkin pockets !