The Ray-Way Backpack Kit by Ray & Jenny Jardine

Ray-Way Backpack Kit

Sew your own!

Ray on the AT with a 2,200 in3 backpack (baseline packweight 7.5 lbs).

Sixteen student-made Ray-Way backpacks (2,200 in3) loaded with Ray-Way Tarps and Quilts at one of our outdoor classes. The base-line pack wights of each averaged 11 pounds for a full week of hiking and camping enjoyment.

Backpack Kit Order the Backpack Kit Here

Ordering Options

In order to fit the spcific indivual, we offer our Ray-Way Backpack Kit in two basic parameters: Shoulder Size and Pack Volume.

Shoulder Size pertains to the size of the person.
Pack Volume pertains to the size of the backpack.

Shoulder Sizing

Size	Shoulder girth
XS	less than 34"
S	34" - 38"
M	39" - 41"
L	42" - 44"
XL	45" - 49"
2XL	50" - 54"
3XL	More than 54"

The "shoulder sizing" governs the size of the shoulder straps and their attachment points.

To determine shoulder girth, stand with your arms by your sides, and have someone measure all the way around your chest, arms and back at a distance of two inches below the top of your shoulders. To avoid false readings when taking the measurement, avoid inhaling deeply and expanding the arms.

Pack Volume

2,200 cubic inches

2,400 cubic inches

2,600 cubic inches

2,800 cubic inches

3,000 cubic inches

In addition to shoulder sizing, we offer a range of pack volumes:

Note that this is the baseline volume of the pack body itself, and does not include the volume of the three mesh pockets (an additional 400 in3) or the extra space created by the extension collar.

More info: Choosing a Volume

Hip Belt

Hip Belt Size

To take your hip measurement, wrap a tape measure around your body, just above the widest part of your hips. In other words, where you tend to wear your hip belt. If you don't have a tape measure, use a string, then measure the distance on the string.

We consider a hip-belt unnecessary while carrying a light to moderate load, in fact counterproductive. And of course we don't normally recommend hiking with a heavy load.

But for those that want a hip belt, we sell a specially designed backpack kit with a hip belt. Our Hip Belt is padded but very light-weight. It has a release buckle, and you can adjust the webbing in the usual manner.

To order a Ray-Way Backpack Kit with a hip belt, please see the backpack section of our Order Form, where we ask for your hip measurement. Our computer programming customizes your hip belt to fit you.

More info: Hip Belt, and please read why we, ourselves, don't use hip belts.

Color Options

Our Color Options are shown on our Order form: Backpack Kit"

Sternum Strap

We don't use sternum straps ourselves, but our Backpack Kit comes with a removable Sternum Strap. Once you have completed your pack, you can attach the sternum strap or leave it off - it's up to you. The sternum strap is easy to remove if you find you don't need it.

Included with the kits are all the materials needed, and detailed, step-by-step instructions with many illustrations.

Backpack Sewing Video

Also available: Backpack Sewing DVD Video, showing the construction of the backpack.

More Info

Backpack Sewing Video Order the Video Here

Run time: 1 hour
Sewing by Jenny
Narration by Ray

Choosing a Volume

The Ray-Way Backpack-Kit - How to Choose a Volume

To help with the understanding, please see our Order Form Backpack Kit page.

All Ray-Way Backpacks - with various volume size options - look about the same, but of course the larger ones look larger.

Considerations

Starting with our classic, 2,200 cubic-inches Ray-Way Backpack: it is genuinely lightweight. It will carry a moderately heavy load (up tp 75 lbs) in a pinch, but it is designed to carry light-weight gear and a minimum of it. Even so, 2,200 cubes is not what some would call a "minimalist" backpack.

2,200 cubes is fairly good size, especially as we are not factoring in the three large external pockets and the full-length extension collar.

This size backpack was the perfect size for Ray during his 2009-AT2 Solo thru-hike, and he rarely used the extension collar - only when hiking out of a town with a load of food (see photo above).

The 2,200 was the perfect size for Ray because he was hiking mid-summer with no extra clothing other than what was needed, and a quilt with only one layer of insulation. He carried no stove or fuel, no hammock, no backgammon set, and etc. (There is nothing wrong with these, but he wasn't carrying them).

Backing up to Jenny's and Ray's first thru-hike of the AT, we carried homemade backpacks of the same general design, capacity and weight; same with our third thru-hike of the PCT, and our IUA Hike & Bike trip. During all these trips we carried a 2P two-layer alpine quilt that featured a Split-Zip - so in effect each of us carried only half of a quilt.

During our "Journey Flow" classes, each student carried a home-made Ray-Way backpack having 2,200 cubes volume. Each class was out for a week in the high mountains of Oregon. This was in summer, but still the nights were cold. And each person's backpack weighed around 12 pounds baseline (not including food and water).

So we think that during the hight of summer, under our guidance, a person could do very well with the 2,200 cubes backpack. At the same time, we realize that other hikers have different requirements; so we offer a range of larger pack volumes to give plenty of extra room, say for a 1P quilt of two layers of alpine insulation. Or more room, still, for an insulated jacket. Or whatever.

But please note that our larger backpacks are not meant to carry the profusion of gear found in the typical backpacking stores. If the person wants to carry all that, he or she should buy a heavy-duty backpack of the type found in the backpacking stores.

So we would advise against mixing the two. Carry either a Ray-Way backpack containing Ray-Way type gear, and the minimum of it, OR carry a heavy-duty backpack with heavy-duty gear. But please read "Trail Life" to learn why heavy-duty works aginst a person.

With our larger pack volume backpacks, we would still caution a person not to buy the largest size with the false notion that larger is better. Larger is NOT better. Instead, larger leads to more gear, and that leads to more weight, and that means more klutzy.

So chose the correct size depending on what you plan to hike. Chose your backpack to fit your gear, rather than the other way around.

General Guidelines:

2,200 cubes: Someone hiking solo on the AT in summer, carrying a one-layer Ray-Way quilt with woodland or Alpine insulation, and no insulated jacket, might want 2,200 cubes - with the understanding that this size pack is designed to carry the minimum of Ray-Way gear with nothing superfluous added. In other words, a backpack designed for someone intent on hiking big daily mileages. Someone in shape who has trained for several months prior to his or her thru-hike. And someone who is experienced in hiking and camping in a variety of weather situations. Someone like this is more likely to require only a minimum of gear.

The same would be true with two people hiking as a couple while carrying a two-layer Ray-Way quilt with Split-Zip. They could be hiking the AT, or some other trail such as the PCT, CDT and so forth. But note once again that we recommend this size backpack only for a fit and experienced hiking couple carrying a minimum of gear.

Note that two people each carrying only half of a 2P quilt is a great deal warmer than each person carrying a 1P quilt. Sleeping under a 2P quilt, they share body warmth at night.

2,400: We would suggest this size for a solo hiker carrying a two-layer quilt on the AT in early season, or the PCT, CDT in summer - and who meets our same general criteria - well conditioned and serious about enjoying high daily mileages. This person carries a baseline packweight of about 12 pounds or less (not including food and water). Ray carried this size backpack on his 780 mile section hike of the AT in 2016, with a Woodland Quilt.

2,600: This is an all around backpack size for the average hiker, and yet it is still lightweight. It is intended for someone carrying the usual selection of Ray-Way gear, and including a stove and fuel, a thicker sleeping pad, a water filter, and a warmer jacket. Someone hiking solo or (in pairs) in colder climates, carrying a 1P Quilt with two layers of Woodland or Alpine insulation.

But please note again that that this size backpack is not designed to carry a big selection of the usual store-bought, heavy-duty gear.

The 2,600 is the size that Ray carried during his early season 2010 AT thru-hike, on the central portion (he used a 2,800 at the start and end). He was carrying about 9 pounds and hiking high mileage days, but needed this much volume to carry much warmer clothing, a two-layer Woodland quilt, and thicker sleeping pad, due to the cold, early season conditions.

2,800: This is the size backpack that Ray carried during the initial few weeks on his early season 2010 AT thru-hike. The days and nights tended to be cold, and he hiked through a lot of snow, mainly in the Smokies. In southern Virginia he switched to a 2,600 and carried that for the middle portion of the hike. Then the climate turned cold again in the northern states, so he switched back to the 2,800. And this is the backpack featured in Ray's AT Gear Video.

3,000 This backpack is giant. Beware! It is very big. We even made one 3,200 in3 but that was so ridiculously giant that we are not offering it.

Our philosophy is that the gear should enable the most enjoyment from one's outing. And to us, because we tend to do a great deal of hiking, that means that for the most comfort on the trail, we carry the least amount of gear. But note that we are not minimalists. We like to be comfortable, and never sacrifice comfort or safety. But we have eliminated the superfluous. To learn more, read "Trail Life."

Ray's 2,200 backpack on his 2009 AT thru-hike.

The 2,600 backpack on Ray's 2010 AT thru-hike.

Ray's 2,800 on the 2010 AT thru-hike.

2,800 on the 2010 AT.

2,800 on the trail to Mt Cube, New Hampshire, during the 2010 AT thru-hike.

Ray carries a 2,800 during his 2010 AT thru-hike. The small strap holds a Camera pouch slung over the torso. Mt. Washington in the background.

Jenny at 20,000 feet in Argentina with her Ray-Way Backpack.

Specifications

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Weight and Description of the 2,200 in3:

Weight: 9.5 ounces

Dimensions: Height: 23" without extension

Volume:

Pack body: 2,200 in3
Pockets: 400 in3
Total volume without extension: 2,600 in3
Total volume with extension: 3,800 in3

Description

The Ray-Way pack has three external mesh pockets. The one on the right side of the pack is intended for a water bottle - kept there for accessibility. This pocket is made of mesh to allow the bottle's condensation to evaporate. On the other side is a pocket intended for the fuel bottle, also of mesh to permit the fumes to evaporate. And on the rear is a large pocket that can be used for stowing a tarp or tent fly when wet with the morning's dew, or any kind of day-to-day knickknacks. Each of these pockets is fitted with elastic in the top hem, to help secure the contents.

(Note: Ray invented the mesh pocket in 2003.)

The person on a long hike, fresh from resupply with a load of food, can use the pack's extension collar. This increased need in space is only temporary. Normaly the extension collar is kept tucked inside the pack.

When the backpack is lightly loaded, one can loosen the shoulder straps, tilting the pack backwards somewhat, and giving more ventilation to one's back area. The heavier the pack is loaded towards its top, the tighter should be its shoulder straps, keeping the backpack more vertical.

Why not use a frame and hip belt?

As you hike along a trail, your shoulders, spine, and hips twist, or rotate, in opposition to each-other.

As you take a step, your right shoulder moves forward, and so does your left hip. At the same time, your left shoulder and right hip moves backward. Then as you take the next step, everything reverses. It's like doing the twist. This twisting motion is the natural bio-mechanics of walking, evolved over the millennium, and it saves a tremendous amount of energy.

The Ray-Way Backpack does not inhibit this bio-mechanical motion of the shoulders, spine, and hips, because the backpack does not reach the hips. It sits above the hips. So while carrying Ray-Way Backpack you walk free, as nature intended. And this translates to a more efficient style of hiking with less effort and less fatigue.

A backpack with a hip-belt is longer, and reaches the hips. And this alone interferes with the twisting motion. And when you fasten the buckle, the hip-belt pretty much stops the twisting motion altogether.

This is only one example of why the majority of highly-touted features on most backpacks actually work against a person. They add weight, and of course expense. Contrary to hype, most of those features are designed for marketing rather than hiking.

With a light to moderate load, we find the hip-belt unnecessary. And of course we do not normally recommend hiking with a heavy load.

As you hike along the trail while carrying a load of any kind, your shoulders, spine, and hips twist, or rotate, in opposition to each-other. A hip-belt resists this opposition and so interferes with the natural bio-mechanics of walking. Without a hip-belt, you hike more natural and free. And this translates to a more efficient style of hiking with less effort and less fatigue.

Pack Straps

Our pack straps are adjustable in length with a small buckle on each side. Typically with most packs, these buckles are attached to the end of the shoulder straps, such that you pull down to shorten. With the Ray-Way pack, the buckles are located near the bottom of the pack, such that you pull up to shorten. While this arrangement is unfamiliar to many hikers, it is much more effective. Namely, it moves the buckle and the webbing tail from out of your armpit area, to down on the pack where it belongs. This streamlines the pack, makes it more comfortable to carry, and prevents chafe to the inside of the upper arms.

Pack Closure

The closure is on the upper part of the Ray-Way Backpack, where the pack body joins the lower part of the extension collar. It weighs just a quarter of an ounce.

The main purpose of the Pack Closure is to close the pack when lightly loaded, for example when pulling into a resupply, or when using the backpack as a day-pack. However it works when the pack is carrying a medium load also, as it helps stabilize the load from moving side to side.

The Pack Closure is included in all Ray-Way Backpack Kits, along with the materials needed and the sewing instructions.

Two Stowbags

The Ray-Way Quilt Stowbag is designed to carry your quilt when hiking. We recommend using a second Ray-Way Quilt Stowbag for your spare clothing and other items inside your backpack. First load the heavy food items into the bottom of the pack, followed by the quilt in its stowbag, then the clothing stowbag.

Waterproof?

We are not fond of waterproof backpacks. With use, they don't stay waterproof for long, and then you have wetness inside that you can't get rid of. So in rainy weather, your clothing and gear languish inside a damp interior.

We are not fond of rain covers either. They leak around the shoulder straps and the backside, and then they tend to pool the rain water in the bottom, the part underneath the backpack. So they can turn the pack into a hiking waterbag.

So how do we keep our gear dry inside our Ray-Way backpack when hiking in heavy, prolonged rain? And we have hiked a great deal in the rain!

Pretty simple. We use two trash bags. The first one is medium size to fit inside the quilt stowbag. The second one is larger, sized to fit the interior of the backpack. This system is cheap and lightweight, and keeps the gear bone dry. And the quilt is doubly protected inside two trash bags. We don't care if the outside of the backpack gets wet, because it is fast drying. And because it is fast drying, we can throw it, empty, into a washing machine - when passing through a trail town, when the pack has become a bit smelly from sweat. Larger store-bought backpacks get smelly also, but they can't be washed.

In fine weather we don't use the backpack sized trash bags, but keep them handy, just in case.

Ray demonstrates his two trash bags method on his AT Gear Video

Jenny in Argentina.

Closing the Ray-Way Pack

Jenny demonstrates closing a 2,200 that holds a medium-sized load.

Note that we are showing an old backpack here; we have since added a draw-cord closure at the top of the backpack where it meets the extension collar (shown more clearly on page 8).

Closing a 2,200 holding a larger load.

The Ray-Way backpack can be easily laundered in a sink (by itself) or washing machine (with the other clothing). Washing it often helps to keep it smelling fresh, especially in hot weather. In lieu of detergent just use a bit of soap or shampoo.

Note: for the longest shelf life, do not store the backpack in an air-tight container. The materials must breathe; otherwise they will deteriorate over time.

Coffee break on the AT. This photo shows the proper use of the "sock hangers," the two horizontal straps of light webbing on each side of the backpack. The purpose of the sock hangers is to hang freshly washed socks to dry, while hiking. Or in this case a small face towel (or some other article of wet clothing). The two straps are close together in order to secure the socks in place and help keep them from falling off. The upper strap hangs the article, and the bottom strap locks it in place. To hang a wet sock, feed it up behind both straps, then back down behind only the bottom strap.

On the IUA with 2,200 in3 packs. Each backpack is, in itself, variable in size, depending what you have loaded into it. With a full load, the backpack looks quite large. And with it almost empty, it looks very small. Here we have just come from a town with a load of food. The next photo shows the backpack nearly empty of food.

Ray's 2,200 in3 backpack looking small, carrying only lunch and a few liters of water during a training hike.

Ray's 2,200 in3 backpack on the AT.

2009-AT2, with a 2,200 in3 pack. Heading out of a resupply town with a load of food. Most of the food will fit in the backpack, but I prefer not to load the extension collar all the way up. Instead I usually hand-carry the extra food in a grocery bag where it is more handy. The extra food will not last long; no more than one or two hours and I will have eaten it. (the voracious appetites of a thru-hiker are legendary.) The grocery bag is very light, and when empty of food I can carry my paper trash in it, packed away in the backpack. Then at the next town stop I will dispose of the bag and it's trash in a proper litter bin.

On the IUA, at nearly the end of a 300 mile stretch between food stops. At day's end Jenny is carrying tarp sticks, having just come out of the mountains and into a treeless desert. At this point she had been carrying the sticks for 30 minutes after plucking them from a dead, fallen tree found along the wayside.

Setting up a drinking tube is easy. Rather than use a rehydrating bladder, simply use a water bottle with a tube running out of its top. Carry the bottle in a side pocket, and run the tube externally and secure it to a shoulder strap at chest level where it will be always handy. We have done a few thru-hikes with drinking tubes, but in the end we have always discarded the idea because the bottle itself is so easy to get to, even while hiking.

Kit Contents

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The Ray-Way Backpack-Kit - Kit Contents

Included with the kits are all the materials needed, and detailed, step-by-step instructions with many illustrations.

Fabric Colors Options

Our Color Options are shown on our Order form: Backpack Kit"

Clear Instructions

Each Backpack Kit contains a full set of illustrated instructions, written by us (Ray and Jenny). These instructions guide you through the cutting and sewing process, step by step. Many hundreds of people have completed our Backpack Kits, and most of them had no sewing experience. The key for success is to read our instructions carefully, and to proceed one step at a time.

Note: We have found that people with no sewing experience have the highest rate of success, approaching 100%. This is because they tend to read the instructions more carefully. Virtually the only ones who have problems are the ones who try to figure things out ahead of time. So for the best results, we recommend reading only one step at a time, and concentrating on only that step; then once you have that step completed, move on the next step.

Notions needed (Not included in the kits): thread. A white or light-colored non-permanent marking pencil for marking the dark webbing and fabrics. Clear adhesive tape, such as Scotch brand. Glue stick. Dressmaking Pins (or straight Pins). Recommended: 1/4" brass grommet and installation tools, Super Glue Gel (or plain Super Glue).

What type of sewing machine is required?

Our Backpack Kits use very lightweight materials that are easily sewn. The sewing machine need not be robust.

The Backpack Kit requires only a straight stitch and a reversing lever, which virtually all sewing machines have. And although our instructions call for the use of zigzag stitch, you can complete the job without zigzags, if your sewing machine can't do them. Other than that, special types of stitches are not used on our kits.

How long does the sewing take?

We have designed our backpack kits for ease of construction. Novices at our sewing classes typically have made their backpacks in seven to ten hours. You can complete your Backpack in a single session, or spread it out over several relaxing evenings. Either way, every minute spent on your backpack will be quality time, invested in yourself and your future outings and adventures.

Thread Pro

We recommend our Ray-Way Thread Pro for sewing the backpack kit. We consider it to be the world's finest sewing thread. It is considerably stronger than store bought thread, and produces superior results - so your sewing will look more professionally done. What's more, our Thread Pro is easier to use; it does not cause skipping, and it leaves very little lint in your sewing machine and therefore your machine will need less frequent cleaning and fewer adjustments.

Thread Pro: More Info

Our Thread Pro is not included in our kits, but is a separate item listed on our Order form.

Ray-Way Thread Pro Order your Ray-Way Thread Here

We love this pack design! You can tell it was designed was with the help of mountains, deserts, wind, rain, and long trails! There really isn't a better pack for lightweight wilderness travel! Thanks again for sharing your timeless designs. James and Gena G.

Care and Storage

Always store your camping gear (including Backpack) in a breathable cardboard box, and pack loosely so the material can breathe.

The plasticizers used in coated nylon or polyester must be able to breathe. This is called offgasing. If the item is stored in an air-tight plastic bag or box, or if folded or rolled too tightly, the coating can't breathe and might begin to degrade and become tacky.

Note: The tarp has no plasticizers and can be stored in a zip-lock bag.