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Lozzer86

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Posts posted by Lozzer86

    Machine's Pack #1 - Superlegerra !

    in Field Backpack

    Posted

    I'm looking forward to seeing how you attach the radio face plate to the foam :)

    Small Neodymium Magnets ;)

    1 in each corner, countersunk and hot glued into the foam, then corresponding ones glued onto the faceplate with CA.

    It's got plenty of hold (not forgetting that my pack has a strap that goes all the way round the front too).

    Machine's Pack #1 - Superlegerra !

    in Field Backpack

    Posted

    *** UPDATES ****

    Here she is finished !!!!

    (Sorry, we did a massive fast forward as I only had 2 days to complete it between troops)

    i1h37d.jpg

    This was actually harder than I thought. It's not the construction (removing weight but keeping it light), it's the sourcing of lightweight versions of the same components....

    I must have spent 3 hours picking up bits of pipe and checking their weight against other similar pipes in my local hardware store.

    You also need to me mindful of OD and ID when ordering stuff. Not everyone makes it entirely clear what a 2 1/2" pipe is, and it can be widely out !

    Things that cannot be changed or lightened;

    1. The aluminium Karrimor frame

    2. The Radio Faceplate (because I love the quality)

    Things that can be lightened;

    Everything else :)

    So everything else was lightened by removing material from unseen areas, using nylon bolts instead of metal, replacing existing items with lighter weight versions.

    As an example, my Mortar Tube was made from 'solvent weld' pipe and was held onto the frame with metal hardware. It is now held on with cable ties. The old pipe had a specific pressure rating for use in plumbing applications, so the walls were quite thick.

    By replacing this pipe with a similar outer diameter (OD) of a plastic postal tube, I saved a lot of weight. Same goes for the lab pipe !

    You'd be surprised between all the different weights between waste pipes :)

    My foam radio saved a lot of weight too. I didn't weigh everything individually, but each component was was taken down to it's absolute bare minimum to keep it as light as possible.

    This went as far as using the minimum amount of pleather for the wrap around.

    I even cut the top off the antenna and glued it in place, as that's the only part you can see.

    No extra touches on the radio, no steel wire, no feet, no din socket etc.

    Again, it's grams we are looking at saving.

    I removed plastic from behind the air filter box and tool box on the seed tray areas, only used the shell of the air box (not the lid), even cut out the back of the tool box to save a gram here and there.

    The seed trays were fixed to the frame with nylon bolts and glued together with E6000. Again, all in the pursuit of weight saving ;)

    I removed lots of material from the rear of the seed trays, but still keeping them strong...

    34y2t8j.jpg

    I told you it was going to be drastic !!!!!!! :P

    I won't go into why cutting circles retains the strength, but it does if done correctly. This was an old trick from my racing days ;)

    Again, it's only grams saved, but all the grams add up.

    Then I covered the holes with adhesive felt.

    1zzkqpu.jpg

    I also upgraded my Radar Dish to a more accurate smaller sized one and added the much sought after toilet syphon.

    The radar dish backing pad and radome were made of nylon instead of rubber to save even more weight.

    Even the toilet syphon had a shave before it was bolted to the seed tray (again, with Nylon bolts).

    And the end result of this extreme diet ???????

    2d0cgo5.jpg

    3.84 Kilograms !!!!! (8.58lb) including all parts, straps and ammo pouch :thumbsup:

    Heres a comparison from my old vs new pack weight.

    de7o7b.png

    So against my old pack, I saved almost 2 and a half kilos and it's still just as strong :thumbsup:

    Machine's Pack #1 - Superlegerra !

    in Field Backpack

    Posted

    Have faith, brother !

    The top tray of my current pack has some lengths of wood behind the front of it, so that I could screw in the Exhaust Port and Tool Box.

    All that can go :yes:

    I used steel fixings to hold everything together, this time we'll use Nylon nuts and bolts....

    There's plenty of small savings that could add up to a big difference :thumbsup:

    Machine's Pack #1 - Superlegerra !

    in Field Backpack

    Posted

    Ok, here's our benchmark !

    slk2sn.jpg

    My full size Pack #3 weighs an impressive ......

    1zn5tth.jpg

    6.23 KG or 13 lbs and 11.76 Oz.

    I'm not sure how that stacks up against other Pack 3's, but I do know how it feels after 3 hours on the shoulders ;)

    I'm up for any suggestions folks, so if you have a great weight saving idea.... let's hear it !

    Machine's Pack #1 - Superlegerra !

    in Field Backpack

    Posted

    Right, on to business....

    Let's go part by part and see if we can shave some serious weight down ;)

    Number 1, The Radio...

    My new radio will basically be a block of high density foam, with CrashMann's faceplate.

    243qmn9.jpg

    The hole in the middle is for a self powered, rechargeable MP3 Bluetooth speaker that i've stripped down, removed the weight from and rewired to trigger from an external switch.

    It starts to play as soon as the external switch is activated.

    Doing it this way, has cut down the need for external batteries and circuit boards.

    r0s26s.jpg

    I removed the bulk of the weight from this MP3 speaker by removing the outer steel cover and top mesh.

    I replaced that with a small piece of lightweight pipe to amplify the sound.

    Here it is, inserted into the foam block...

    5mcpqc.jpg

    Once this foam block has the radio faceplate attached and a pleather wrap around, it'll be indistinguishable from any other radio.

    But it'll weigh considerably less.

    I can't do a weight comparison yet, as I need to troop in a TFA launch before I start disassembling my Move Along Pack.

    More to come ;)

    Machine's Pack #1 - Superlegerra !

    in Field Backpack

    Posted

    Time for something a little different !

    When I built my 'Move Along' Pack, it was built to last (probably indefinitely), but that made it really heavy to wear. Now that I've built it, I've come to realise that I could have made tremendous weight savings with a lot of the components....

    So I've set myself the task of building a replica Pack 1 that's as light as I can possibly make it.

    This is the Pack we are aiming for....

    2d0xk6s.png

    It's seen a couple of times in ANH (Road Block, Falcon Take Off) and worn primarily by a Private with the black pauldron.

    I chose this pack because it's missing a couple of items (Exhaust Port, Bottle from the bottom of the Syphon etc.) which already reduces the weight.

    It's also got a really short mortar tube length.

    So this is my target... Make this Pack as light as humanly possible !!!

    This will be my build thread. I hope you enjoy it :)

    Fieldpack Cover

    in Field Backpack

    Posted

    Friends,

    Can anyone suggest a link to a nice inconspicuous cover to transport my Fieldpack on troops ?

    I bought the biggest one I could..... it fits over the pack and has an elasticated opening, but it's just a bit too small and unless I poke a hole in it to allow the stinger out, it just won't fit.

    Most of the covers i've seen come in sizes measured by the litre ? 60ltr, 80ltr, 100ltr and so on...

    But I have no idea how much of a 'Litre' our packs are.....

    Any help would be appreciated :thumbsup:

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