Sharpfinger
Slightly Addicted
- Messages
- 438
- Points
- 750
A friend recently mentioned that he was in the market for a small, robust, visually low profile shoulder bag which he could carry a waterproof; snack rats; a beverage and a few field tools etc in whilst out and about on country walks.
He’d been looking at military surplus and had been drawn to the offerings of several east European, former Soviet bloc countries which could best be described as ‘tat’.
During a conversation with him he made reference to a commercially produced piece of kit which we had both previously used for work purposes namely, the North Face messenger bag and how they might fit the bill if only slightly larger and in a ‘better’ colour.
“Don’t buy owt, I’ll see what I can seek out”’ I told him, but the cogs had already begun whirring and as soon as we had ended our conversation I began to track down the materials - to make one.
I’d already done this once way back when we’d used those TNF bags, making for myself what became known as ‘the desert bag’ for a trip to the sand pit. (It was until I had begun work on the new ‘Monsoon Bag’ that I remembered how difficult the Desert bag had been to make!)
Past experience told me that most of the materials required for the new project would come from existing military surplus items, so I ordered a Swiss M90 backpack; a British surplus leather combat jerkin and various other bits and pieces like heavy duty zips; straps; lining material.
The items gradually arrived and work began, first de-structing the backpack and jerkin, working out which pieces would work where on the shoulder bag to be. Most of the sewing was done by hand whether final fixing or tacking before a lesser amount of machining.
I even threw in a few extras for him.
Five weeks later the result -
He’d been looking at military surplus and had been drawn to the offerings of several east European, former Soviet bloc countries which could best be described as ‘tat’.
During a conversation with him he made reference to a commercially produced piece of kit which we had both previously used for work purposes namely, the North Face messenger bag and how they might fit the bill if only slightly larger and in a ‘better’ colour.
“Don’t buy owt, I’ll see what I can seek out”’ I told him, but the cogs had already begun whirring and as soon as we had ended our conversation I began to track down the materials - to make one.
I’d already done this once way back when we’d used those TNF bags, making for myself what became known as ‘the desert bag’ for a trip to the sand pit. (It was until I had begun work on the new ‘Monsoon Bag’ that I remembered how difficult the Desert bag had been to make!)
Past experience told me that most of the materials required for the new project would come from existing military surplus items, so I ordered a Swiss M90 backpack; a British surplus leather combat jerkin and various other bits and pieces like heavy duty zips; straps; lining material.
The items gradually arrived and work began, first de-structing the backpack and jerkin, working out which pieces would work where on the shoulder bag to be. Most of the sewing was done by hand whether final fixing or tacking before a lesser amount of machining.
I even threw in a few extras for him.
Five weeks later the result -
quality workmanship 