An old McHale pack

Dan McHale posted this pack on his website as a "blast from the past." I think the most interesting part of the whole thing is his unique sleeping bag access. He said the customer didn't want any zippers so he used a side mounted drawstring protected by a flap:

I wouldn't be surprised if another older pack had the same feature but I've certainly never seen it anywhere else.

eBay find: Multicam FILBE

The only color variation I have seen to date, I full muticam FILBE pack:

Oddly enough the auction is from Poland, no theories on how it got there.

As near as I can tell there have been no modifications other then the color. Since the shoulder straps are solid cordura even the insides are printed. Apparently the interior stretch fabric for the waist belt could not be sourced and is boring old Coyote.

Red Cloud Collective waxed work pant

I keep an eye on the heritage market and came across these awhile ago:

Red Cloud Waxed Canvas Fitted Work Pants

While waxed pants are mostly for hipsters and old loggers, these pants have one feature I'd like to call out:

Using the double front as the material for a pocket is something I've considered in several different ways but these guys pulled it off nicely with more subtlety then I would have managed. Good use of materials and a nice, unique feature to separate them from the heritage saturation.

Crewboss Elite Wildland Pants

Looking for Nomex pants the other day I found these:

Obviously taking a good bit of inspiration from Vertx with those inset angled single-gusseted cargo pockets, but a few notable differences.

For one they claim to have a reinforced knee, which I hope means it's actually a double knee unlike Vertx's faux-double knee. For two they have an interesting double crotch, this unfortunately replaces the wonderful crotch gusset but it does reinforce what I am starting to think is one of the major week points of many pants. Less knee articulation and the typical wildland fire feature of velcro leg closures as well as a more typical slash pocket round out the differences.

Why was I looking at Nomex pants? I have heard it suggested (in a textiles textbook) that nomex is slightly stronger then normal nylon (which is much stronger then cotton duck, denim or canvas) and I was wondering if Nomex pants might provide a more durable work pant if you could find a good deal on them.

Double seats are fairly common (at least on military pants) but double crotches much less so, I will be keeping an eye out for more now.

eBay find: Lowe Alpine Double Dipper

I thought the design was unique enough to deserve mention.

It took me a few minutes to figure out exactly how it was arranged since it has two very confusing features. For one the zipper lid actually hinges away from the body, and for two both water bottles are held on the outside of the lumbar pack. Most waist packs put them to either side of the main compartment, I have no idea why LA decided to place them there where the weight would be the furthest from the user.

eBay find: Crazy ALICE modification

Found this on eBay awhile ago, can't remember if it even said what company made this.

While it looks purpose-built to me it could be adapted from another pack system. It adds a redundant frame that seems to give an extra inch in frame height as well as some increased belt stability. The shoulder straps and lumbar pad give almost full pack padding, and the system attempts to use load lifters but I doubt the frame is tall enough to utilize them unless the user is quite short.

Very curious about the story behind this, will update if further research uncovers anything.

Another custom Kifaru

This time a coyote ZXR with OD webbing. pretty slick: