Simple Insomnia or Providence?

  One night last week I couldn't sleep. One of the things going through my mind was the problem of the belt pack. I haven't had one that worked right for over a year. This is how I had modified a fishing pack for use with Shamu (my previous backpack).

And here's a picture of how I had added clips to Shamu so the belt pack didn't awkwardly slide down over my belly or otherwise drive me insane. You can see my little time/temp dangler, and pace counter beads in those pics too.

Here's the belt pack backstory. Years and years ago, I found a fishing belt pack, made by Eagle Claw, that had pockets that were exactly what I wanted. I adapted it as shown above and wore it for about 10 years. With two sets of the same clips, I could either wear it with the backpack, or by itself without changing anything. This eliminated the annoying need to transfer my stuff (and possibly lose things) if I was slackpacking.

Finally, the fabric began to wear through. Got lucky, and found another one. By then, the company had made some changes, and did not include some of the pockets, so I made the desired pockets and sewed them on. They are the blue ones in the pictures of the old pack.

But over a year ago, the main zipper in the second one broke. I could replace the zipper easily enough, but the fabric had again worn through in several places, and it really wasn't repairable. I've been making do with other packs I already owned, but didn't like any of them. This spring, I found a small one that was OK, but it was really too small, and the zippers didn't stay shut when I walked.

I've been hunting and hunting for anything that was similar with no success. Eagle Claw makes nothing even similar any more. These are now all called "tactical packs." I like that name, so I'm using it. My plan for this trip was to make a replacement tactical pack using the old one as a pattern. Totally do-able, but it was going to take some time.

So, while I was not sleeping, I thought maybe I'd just look at packs one more time. I scrolled through pages and pages of packs for fishing, hunting, hiking, general use. Didn't like any of them. On a sudden whim, I decided to look on eBay, and there it was! A "vintage," unopened Eagle Claw pack of my style. You better believe I ordered it without a second thought. So was I simply filling in a sleepless night, or do you think I was meant to find that pack? I know what I think.

Old and new. The great news is that this is the original design with all the pockets. I don't have to add any. The slightly not-so-good news is that this pack is bigger. Weird. But it works anyway; it just wraps farther around little old me.

Here's how I use the pockets: Big one holds a water bottle, situpon, knife, plastic bag to cover the camera when needed, cough drops, and whatever else I need to deal with in a hurry.

This is the feature I've always loved about this pack. It comes with a tiny tackle box tucked in this flap pocket, but I use it for maps. The daily map packet goes in here, in plastic, with a pen.

On the other side, the small pockets hold compass, chapstick, and bug repellant.

The larger zip pocket on that side holds my songbook, a small notebook, ID and money.

The small front pocket is for my snack. (Spare safety pins on the flap.)

Teeny is constructed differently from Shamu, and this is when I discovered this tactical pack is bigger, so I had to move the clips back farther. Also had to sew them on by hand. Hmmm. But, I got it done.

And, how does it work? Just like it's supposed to. Knowing my gear is where I want it to be, in the familiar places is calming. So, however I managed to solve the tactical pack problem, that was a BIG ITEM. Done.

In other news: This was my morning project. Then I worked on the trailer. Got the two remaining construction jobs to the point where I know they will be done tomorrow. Just waiting for paint to dry, and I need one more trim piece. Then the only remaining trailer items (except cushions) are what I'm calling "details." After I post this, I'll go back to working on cushions.

15 BIG ITEMS to complete or drop (5 definitely in danger of dropping out)- (47 done). Tons of small ones to do (46 done). 7 days to go. Yes, panic is setting in, but tomorrow I should be able to clear out the tools and start putting things in the trailer. That will help.

See Earth Day and Birthday Shenanigans