military duffel bag

bush guy

bush guy

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i have a us military duffel bag great bag but i was wondering would it be a great bushcraft pack i would like ur opinions thanks jason
 
I have been thinking of modifying an old duffel bag I have to use. I am thinking I want to shorten it a bit.

Anything you have is better than something you don't have. So yeah it will work. I have humped one full of all my military gear in White Sands New Mexico for miles upon miles in August. Not the best pack, but it carries more than you probably can.

I mainly use mine now for winter camping in the pulk. I keep my sleeping bag and tent along with my mattresses. Then stuff whatever else is left loose on top.

Just remember to load the heavy stuff on the bottom.
 
Personally I don't think it would work very well. It has mediocre shoulder straps, no back support, no stabilization (the load would constantly shift). All my old duffel bags are used as storage.
 
You learn to work with what you have. Many Hobos during the depression wrapped what they had in a handkerchief and the rest fit in thier pockets. Takes very little gear to get along. My granddad on my moms side sure had some stories
 
Dutch253 said:
Personally I don't think it would work very well. It has mediocre shoulder straps, no back support, no stabilization (the load would constantly shift). All my old duffel bags are used as storage.
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I usually pack an old army closed cell in the bag first, opened up. This gives the bag some form. Makes it easier to fill, stands on its own and holds everything in place. If loaded correctly they do hold well enough. Not going to hike the AT at 40 yrs old with one, but i could camp for the weekend with it and have many times.
 
a kit bag would be a better option IMHO. It is shorter, yet wider, and you dont have to dump your pack every time you want to find something.

If I were to use a duffel bag, I'd at least mod it with a zipper running the length.
 
u guys are giving me some ideas im thinking of making a frame for it idk yet i put my sleeping bag hammock tarp and cook kit and other personal items worked great just gets lopsided every so often
 
I have an old army duffel that I used to carry my laundry to the laundromat in, it actually wasn't terribly uncomfortable with 50+ pounds of laundry in it...I'd imagine it would be good for using as a pack if you modified it with a kidney pad and a waist strap for more weight support...it gets kind of rough on the shoulders after a while just due to the placement of the straps and the height of the bag. I have never really thought about using mine as a pack as I prefer the compartment style bags to keep my stuff organized.
 
I'd think it would work fine, I've used mine before for the same thing, but if there is a lot of weight in it you need some padding between the metal clip at the top and your shoulder or it digs in pretty bad.
 
im broke no money so im using what i have id love to get a medium alice pack with frame but idk but u gotta make due with what u have



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poor is just a state of mind
 
Attach it to an Alice or Molle frame then maybe, but by itself it would probably kill your back in short order.

I just bought a medium Alice off of ebay for $12. The frames are the expensive part, but even the pack itself is probably better than a straight duffle.
 
csogbk said:
Looks like a great project but way beyond my capabilities. Anybody here who could do such a mod? I have plenty of great condition duffle bags...
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If you can use a sewing machine with even mediocre beginner skill, you can pull this off. Whoever put the tutorial together makes it look harder than it is. Basically all you need to do is draw a line where you want the bag to be cut off at. Now draw a flap...by leaving the flap part attached to the pack section you save some sewing. Now draw a line about an inch past your first mark. This is your cut mark. After cutting, fold that inch part over and sew it down to make a lip (a hem) around the opening and the edges of the flap. You can leave opening at the ends for a drawstring if you want one. I would.

Now snag a worn-out backpack from goodwill and cut the back out of it. This will have the all-important shoulder straps on it. Sew that to your new bag, add some tie-downs to close the flap and yer good.

The how-to guy wanted to make his orange, so he added more material to it. Thats cool if you want to and it makes a stiffer pack, but I personally see no real reason to do so unless you are using worn out or too-light fabric to begin with...or you want it orange instead of OD green.

solocanoe said:
Howie made a nice one awhile back (I have it saved as a favorite, lol)

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37897&highlight=duffle
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Way good thread! I may have to do this one. Best conversion I've seen yet.
 
I did this mod and it worked out great. I don't hike too far with it since I set it up as my BoB for rock climbing. With blanket tarp big knife and emergency supplies. If you pack it right with stuff toward your back it is pretty comfortable.
 
I've used my duffel bag for travel plenty of times and for hiking around the airport stuffed with gear it was passable. Packed light, I used it a few times for real hiking. Kinda sucks, but it works. Has plenty of room for the extra sleeping pad you'll need for your aching back. If it's all you've got, learn to pack right and deal with it until you can afford better.
 
If you put your mind to it you can make anyting work. Kephart speeks of using a bag similar to this one in his book. Obviously that was many years ago, but the principle is still the same. If you can get good straps on it, keep your weight down and create some sort of internal support it will work for the time being and you can work on getting something better down the road. Just do what you need to do to get out there.
 
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