Ruck’mups pt. 7

Wanted to put some ventilation pads along the spine, to try and help mitigate that sweaty back thing. Being a small time tinkerer, and not having much money, and not wanting to order just a yard of some sort of moisture wicking material mail order, I tried something more accessible and cheaper. While at Len’s Mill, I found some plasticized mesh, similar to what Maxpedition uses. I tried several approaches to a foam, until I bought an anti-fatigue mat for $3 at a dollar store.

The tube is a paper drill.

Making things holy.

Punchy.

And the result.

Attaching the two sides was a tedious process. I wanted to make them more shaped, (I had cut the foam in a more angled shape originally) but ended up going for a straighter shape, since the squares of the mesh kind of pushed me in that direction.

And covered with webbing. The stitching looks brutal, but it works.

This will hopefully give a bit of breathability. Oh and there are two of these. (Only had the one when I took the photo.)

It might be a slightly ghetto solution, but I’m fairly confident it will work. I’d love to have a full roll of the latest, greatest high tech breathable fabric to play around with. I don’t so I make do with what I can easily get my hands on.

Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.