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MODIFYING the LK35....again

lol said:
Teef: when I had an ALICE pack, although amazingly capable, I never found that frame too comfortable...
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sadly i have to concur. my issue with the ALICE packs is the damn mounts for the hip belt. why do they have to come straight off the frame at 90 degrees? who has 90 degree shaped hips? sure as hell not me and those mounts end up killing me after a few hours. i've tried extra padding, cinching up the belt mounting straps, etc but none of it has actually solved the problem.

i've seen on U-tube where guys take a ballpeen hammer and bash the mounts to splay them out as much as they can but that seems like a hell of a bodge to me and only a fraction of a proper solution to the problem. not for me.

what i have found is that there is a NATO version of the ALICE frame -- it accepts ALICE bags without a hitch -- that solves exactly that problem: the belt mounts are splayed way out so there'll be no hip gouging no matter how you wear the thing. sturdy little frames too, but of course there's a catch: stripped bare the thing weighs almost 4 kilos!
 
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lol said:
Sorry Saxonaxe: just went and saw your thread...should have done that first: that pack does look good!!
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I have used the Lk quite a few times Lol, I find it very comfortable but as I said earlier I only bought it out of curiosity really. If I compare it with my original Bergan ( made by Bergans) the LK is a single bag pack,on a frame....The Bergan has 2 side pockets, but the Lk is almost twice the weight empty!!
I appreciate the Bergan is a civvy pack but I've had it from the 1960's and it's been well used and still going strong. Common sense says, never mind about Bushcraft fashion...take the Bergan walkies...
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That does look gorgeous...a light weight LK 70?????
The LK35 is heavier than my Snugpak Bergen (100litres).........but for one/two night trips, I just love it...what can I say?:rolleyes:....but then again, if your Bergan fell in my lap.......:lol::D:rofl:
 
I think I may be the last person on the planet not to have owned an LK35. Seeing SaxonAxe's frame Bergan takes me back to my DofE days when all decent rucksacks had external frames and felt like you could carry anything.
These days I use a small rubberised Swiss Army engineers pack (about 30litres) Not great for volume but comfortable. The downside is that it's quite heavy, even empty.
Great thread!
 
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That puts you on a par with the only person in the world not to have bought a lottery ticket..............I await the prize for that!!
 
I AM a Tim Vine joke............. :rofl:

I have just bought from fleabay, a vintage alloy framed Karrimor...more for the frame, not dissimilar to Saxonaxe's Bergan........more to try with trying the LK35 on it.......might save a couple or pounds weight.......keep me amused in these darker afternoons...... :rolleyes:
 
Following on from the above, I have just "built" my first rucksack!!! Huzzah!!!

The frame is an alloy Karrimor one with no dimensions, so I took a punt.....anyway all arrived with an orange 70's nylon sack about 40 litres and all in good condition. Straps and waistbelt were good for nothing (as yet?) as too lightweight and toy like (Its a Karrimor Pack?) But the frame is an H frame with removeable and moveable cross bars and a good ledge on the bottom.
I was to find out that it was a lot taller than the diminuitive LK frame, and a bit wider.
Initially I raised the shoulder strap bar to bring the whole thing down a bit (if that makes sense?) once the bag is on. Then I trial hung the LK on, only to find the hanging loops would not reach, the frame was too wide.......but the LK has TWO sets of hanging loops and the longer ones juuuuust reached.
The bottom rucksack straps work better on the Karrimor frame than the LK frame, so that was good.
I use the original shoulder straps, I like them, and there should be next to no weight on them anyway as I use a hip belt. I used the newer ones from MM that they advertise for the LK...I had to improvise a new backstrap for it, and I put on a simple webbing handle at the top (not in photo).
Put some stuff in it, wondered around like an idiot.......and it felt really good. It did before, so I was pretty chuffed.
It's probably a good kilo lighter.....and theres loads of space to put tents or bags on the shelf underneath. I have added ttwo tie straps there to help with the abundant strapping the LK already has, top and bottom.

Job jobbed.........until I put it t a proper test...................:rolleyes:

1. front : Karrimor back strap/ waist belt

2/side with sewn webbing for pouches or various sizes

3/ back, showing shelf/waist belt. Also little black slider buckles on bottom pack straps to keep anything in place when lid is undone (in this case a small g/sheet.
 

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nicely done LOL! looks like a beaut of a frame. colour me jealous. :bow:
 
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Brilliant stuff Lol, glad you're happy with it. Looks like you've put some thought into it all.
 
Bam said:
Brilliant stuff Lol, glad you're happy with it. Looks like you've put some thought into it all.
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Thought??? :oopsy: :rolleyes: :sad:...........dammit!

Seriously though, no, not really, just offer bits and pieces up, and then try and optimise the attachment points; for example the tie downs for the pack bottom.....also hold the hip belt in place? That sort of thing.............:sleepy:
 
That early Karrimor frame and nylon pack were considered serious kit back in the day, I seem to remember. I've got an old " Cobmaster" pack from the same era, but they were popular with students and the like who couldn't afford to lash out for the real thing.
The Cobmaster frame is ok though, I took the red bag off and hung a kind of East European Alice pack on it, which is fine for day trips, and easy to d-rig too.
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I thinks it was one of Karrimors lesser packs, similar market perhaps to the Cobmaster.........
This was it:

www.ebay.co.uk

Rucksack Karrimor K2 Pack Frame Bag and Straps | eBay

Condition is Used; the appearance is mainly down to being moved around in my garage rather than being out in the wilds.
www.ebay.co.uk

Straps very light and short as poss., with cheap alloy buckles...... The shoulder straps and waist belt may well be dissembled for something else? They are useless for any serious use as designed, lol!
 
lol said:
Seriously though, no, not really, just offer bits and pieces up, and then try and optimise the attachment points; for example the tie downs for the pack bottom.....also hold the hip belt in place? That sort of thing.............:sleepy:
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very much the same process i go through: see interesting pack, lash pack to frame of choice, load it up and give it a go, rinse and repeat until exhausted or a satisfactory combination is found. later: decide that the best pack is the one you are going to make for yourself. :D
 
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Loaded it up today with a tent underneath, and 2 x 5 litre containers (full) and whatever else I could ram in , to try. All up weight was in excess 30kg (the scales bottomed out!) and it was excellent, still using the original thin lk shoulder straps.
The only problem for me I can see; is portaging the canoe on my head as the pack and frame are now a little above my shoulders.......will the carrying thwart sit between pack and shoulders?

Another little test sometime...........
 
Stupid arrrse......... and that's just Haglofs.......:mad:.......has anyone notice the sewn/stitched seam on each side of the LK35, a few inches from the bottom?

Yes?
That's where I measured from to position the webbing for the pouches to hang from....................... except....................... they are not equidistant from the top rim of the bag :mad::mad:...which accounts for why my pouches always looked a little on the huh...... (local parlance...), yet every time I measured each side, the gaps seemed spot on........the seams are sewn at differing heights from the bottom or top of the bag.......BOLL*X.

As the song says, "Its a nice day to..........START AGAIN!!"

:D
 
These pouches (now levelled up!!) shrink to fit with elastic cords when not filled, but potentially they are big!! But with the replacement frame, replacement belt and pouches, I think we are done.
Unless.............................. 🤔 ...............
 

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interesting side pouches Lol, have you mentioned what they are? apologies if i've missed it.
anyway, looking good! only thing left to add now is miles. ;)
 
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