Archival Outing

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a Sunday afternoon paddle by canoe on the McKenzie River. The promise of fish and fine riparian views outweighed our reluctance to venture out into the drizzle. What care we when we have the best waxed cotton outerwear for the worst Oregon Spring in recent memory.

Rick's prized Grumman (a transplant, like Rick, from Minnesota)

Namesake

Prized canvas duck duffle (family heirloom)

Flies tied for the occasion

Preparing to launch

My assignment

In full wax garb

Passing view

Non archival footwear (and Filson fly-fishing strap vest)

Recommended substitution

Success! (first of several)

Rucksack Round-up

Early next week, we'll announce the release of our very own Archival Clothing Rucksack. Let's take this opportunity to round up two historical examples to compare and contrast with our own. We designed our Rucksack as a synthesis of a classic canoe pack (in the Poirier/Duluth style) and the box-style Yucca pack used by the Boy Scouts. The general design and materials of these packs are wonderful, but there were a few key issues that we were eager to address in our version.


That's me, with my Frost River Woodsman pack - a classic Duluth-style pack. Some problems are immediately apparent:
1 - Un-reinforced back panel - just a single layer of canvas. Bag lacks structure and flops when loaded. Cannot stand up on its own. Rigid items in pack dig into wearer's back.
2 - Shoulder straps attach to back panel. Straps can't bend around body, so dig into wearer's back.
3 - Tump line buckles - unnecessary for daily use, dig into back.
4 - No hang loop - hard to carry pack with one hand or hang on a hook.
5 - Lack of useful and accessible pockets.
6 - Two roller buckles mean two actions every time user wants to open pack.
7 - Inside, the bag is unfinished - seams are left raw, so fabric edges unravel with time. Finish quality is functional, but crude.

Duluth packs were designed to be packed with a folded blanket to act as a padded back panel, and to spend most of their life in the bow of a canoe, not on a back. They're wonderful for those purposes, but are challenging to use in a day-to-day setting.

That's Lesli with her Filson Rucksack. It's a beautiful object, but again, there are some limitations.
1 - Overall short and squat shape is awkward to load and is ungainly. Does not ride closely to back.
2 - Narrow shoulder straps dig into shoulders with even moderately heavy loads. Metal hardware on shoulder yoke digs into back. Unnecessary and abrasive.
3 - Redundant closure - a flap, two buckles, and a zipper - make for a lot of work to get in and out. Bag does not stay open for loading.
4 - Bellows pockets are useful, but not covered by the main flap. Even when snapped shut, rain can get in. Main straps interfere with loading smaller pockets.
5 - Unpadded back panel means many of the same problems listed above, though mitigated by use of heavy twill.
6 - Abundant use of heavy twill, bridle leather and brass mean that the bag is very heavy and bulky, even when unpacked.

Don't get us wrong - the Filson rucksack is gorgeous, like most of their luggage (Passage Line not included). It's just so overbuilt that we wondered if we could get the same level of durability while reducing bulk and weight and improving the fit.

At the end of the day, we had the goal of producing a pack that, during real-time use, would retain the gloriously boxy profile of the magazine shot.

Our results to be announced soon...

Guest Baggage: Frost River Canoe Packs

Albert Dorp, who sells Frost River packs through his German web shop, Absolut Canoe, sent me some shots of his Frost River packs in action. Albert tells me that he does not have any additional news about the fate of Frost River as a company. However, his shop still has inventory of Frost River packs (including my favorite, the Vintage Pack). He also noted, in an odd twist, that he just shipped out two packs to a customer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, birthplace of Frost River.

Please send along any news, notes or waxed cotton gossip about Frost River. For example, will Frost River revive their business in 2009? Will Duluth Pack introduce their own line of waxed cotton canoe packs (no dry finish canvas, please)? Will Rivendell, Filson or Billykirk introduce a waxed cotton rucksack in the style of a traditional canoe pack? Is there a third party manufacturer out there sketching up their own design for a staple canoe pack?

For the sake of nostalgia, here's a cameo shot of a canoe pack (by Duluth?) from the Engineered Garment's 2005 Fall/Winter line.

On the subject of waxed cotton luggage, see Adam A/Zugster's new waxed canvas backpack on flickr. I like the large, streamlined front pocket and webbing grid. I prefer my bags with leather straps and metal buckles, but for this type of cycling-courier bag I understand Adam's decision to go with quick release plastic buckles and nylon straps.