First the part you all care about:
A Tour Divide bound frame bag for an XL El Mariachi, made tough with #10 WR zips all around, heavy VX51 fabric, fully padded tube panels, and a custom dual compartment with the lower diagonal pocket meant for carrying a bladder. There is a hydration tube exit port at the front below the top tube, or of course it can come out the zipper opening too.
Here is the only other frame bag I've made like this one.
Wifey and I went for an overnight hike earlier this week, to Rattlesnake Arches and beyond. Last September we got engaged on this trail, and never made it all the way in to the arches.
How to make a two person 800 fill down sleeping bag for $13:
Take your homemade quilt and your Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32, and buy another #5 two way separating sleeping bag zipper. Sew the zipper onto the quilt, and poof - there you have it. Cheap and easy.
After hiking to the arches and attempting to sleep on one sleeping pad, the next morning we descended into the canyon and hiked down to the Colorado River.
We did bring two sleeping pads, but I still need to sew a sleeve to hold them together - cord didn't work.
Sorry, no pictures of the front end loader mechanics.
A few weeks ago I rode to the end of Butterknife, and rode up West Bangs Canyon Rd to the Tabeguache Trail. After riding up to there in perfect dry trail conditions, I got on the Tabeguache which was in the shade and covered in mud and slush. A couple hours of muddy slushy hike a bike is refreshing. Then wifey was nice enough to pick me up in Whitewater so I didn't have to ride US 50 back in the dark.
