Couple of DIY pack ideas

[nobrains]

Stopped in my home town for a bit after I wrecked my car. Now that I'm back on foot I have to find myself something better than a rucksack with a couple of tied-on straps I salvaged from a pack rotting near a yard. Army surplus here wants $60 for an ALICE without a frame, $100 with frame. The fuck? I'd rather stuff broken glass in my urethra than spend that much on something that isn't enough pizza and beer to feed six. So, I've been trying to find DIY ways to make a frame for a pack (or a pack from scratch). Found these, might be helpful to someone:

How to make an Alaskan packboard backpack
Making an ALICE frame out of PVC for $3

Thinking I might just make a little PVC frame like the one in the bottom link and screw it into my ruck, a la the Linyera pack, and bungie my roll to the outside. Maybe find a way to bolt a MOLLE kidney belt on as well.

 

[KootenayRambler]

I tried a makeshift PVC frame once. It works well if you're just hitching from place to place, but it wont survive long if you're throwing it off trains.

 

[nobrains]

right. I've never hopped trains but I figure I'd go for a frameless pack if I was