Need help designing/ making a backpack

[paper wave]

Ive been waiting to make my own backpack for a while but didn’t really know where to start.
I made a few drawings but Im not good at drawing. Just don’t know how to continue I guess. All help is welcome.

[hazy pebble]

have you done any sewing or leather crafts before?

[paper wave]

Nope

As you can see I can barely draw 😂

[hazy pebble]

that never stopped me 😛

Some suggestions I have for you;

• watch a bunch of videos about bag-making

• start with a simpler bag project in either leather or nylon to get a better feel for your materials

• make a mockup before using any good materials

[paper wave]

Yeah definitely

But Im still wondering about the design

Not sure how many compartments I want

[hazy pebble]

that may be something that changes after you start looking into how to actually make one

I've made a leather messenger bag (with a Dieselpunk pattern) and my own phone holster w/ multiple pockets for some small tools, and it's really easy to make a stack of pockets/pouches that you'll struggle to fit anything into

but the end result can sometimes be guided by what you want to use it for

In general terms of making stuff, I've found that it gets easier to dissect (with your imagination) a finished product into component pieces once you've done a few of your own projects

[paper wave]

Would love to see your projects, this is my very first one

[hazy pebble]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyJUZpbg61H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

j_reithur

Made a new phone holster recently, with extra pockets to hold some other stuff.

This was a complicated build, made a prototype out of paper to help figure out how everything would fit and build order. The last few stitch lines really pulled everything together

#leathercraft #diy

Instagram

[paper wave]

But I know the purpose of the bag. I have the stuff that I want to put inside it.

[hazy pebble]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDo21y9A2PI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

j_reithur

I made a leather laptop bag this spring
I've never made a bag before, so I followed a pattern by @dieselpunk.ro

Instagram

[hazy pebble]

this will help a lot, bc you can measure those things and figure out how much space you need for them

[paper wave]

To give you an idea of what it’s gonna be, its a edc/ hiking backpack

[remote canyon]

GG @paper wave, you just advanced to level 1!

[paper wave]

Yeah but was wondering on how to make the pockets I guess. Should I have decided pockets or just a few general lager pockets

Your stuff looks great btw

[hazy pebble]

I still recommend seeing how other bags are made first

[hazy pebble]

thank you!

[paper wave]

Will do

[hazy pebble]

an EDC bag suggests something lightweight, but idk if you have a specific material in mind already

Material type will strongly affect how you assemble it

and whether it needs any other components for structure

[paper wave]

No haven’t thought of that yet

I have a few backpacks I sorta want to make in to one

Cause there are things I like on one bag I have but not everything

[hazy pebble]

having a clear end project in mind will help guide how to get there

[paper wave]

Yeah Ill make a list of things I want to have

[hazy pebble]

here's a short vid on a very simple bag to get you started
https://youtube.com/shorts/29IJBQLW9Fk?si=AGW_MNxoMpOoZFmd

[paper wave]

Okay so this is what I came up for for now

Also made this

Was also thinking about the admin pouch

Maybe I should make a pouch on the inside for pens, pencils and a notebook

[hazy pebble]

it's relatively easy to add extra panels to make pockets on the interior

[paper wave]

Yeah I thought so

I watched o lot of Skill tree videos so Im somewhat familiar

Been watching for years just never joined the discord

[hazy pebble]

Adding pockets to your pockets also starts to look easy until you run out of space :p

[paper wave]

That’s true

[remote canyon]

GG @paper wave, you just advanced to level 2!

[paper wave]

I want it to be like a sorta survival bag as well if you catch my drift

Dry bag is for sleeping gear, clean clothes and electronics mostly

[hazy pebble]

the dry bag part may be the most difficult without resorting to higher-tech materials

[paper wave]

I understand but for now Ill use one I have

Making paper versions of it now

[hazy pebble]

the real thing will need seam allowances, maybe multple layers for a back plate, strap padding, etc.

tbh, a backpack is a fairly complicated starter project, I still think you should practice on some smaller projects until you get a feel for your materials

a pocket organizer, then one of those EDC pouches would build up some of the necessary skills

[paper wave]

True could be a good idea but really wanted a bag so thats why I started with that

And would definitely add good padding

Was thinking about a sort of metal support

What I made so far

[hazy pebble]

you said you've never done any sewing or leather projects before?

You're going to need to learn something about those lol

[swift kite]

Stitch type as well as layering will help immensely with waterproofing and strength of the bag. Grain direction can help as well but thats less of an issue. Please start with smaller projects to go on the bag before starting on the main bag. Like start with sewing up the pockets or bag organizers first before the main bag since those can be completed easier if you find you don't like this type of hobby

[paper wave]

Will definitely do something smaller before making the whole bag

And probably gonna do nylon just to start with

[forest ingot]

I found nylon to be a bit tricky due to it's slippery nature. May I suggest a heavy cotton or a canvas material when practicing and for creating a prototype?

[native mason]

I can recommend Eva foam sheats. Behaves like leather but is much cheaper and easier than leather.