Meadowhawk Pack – Downloadable PDF Sewing Pattern

Description

The Meadowhawk Day Pack is your go-to for a day on the trail, whether you’re hiking, biking, or running. I designed this pack to show that you can make your own gear that’s just as sleek, lightweight, and functional as the stuff you might find at a fancy outdoor gear store. This pattern is designed for lightweight coated nylon ripstop or similar materials. For a guide on the materials and hardware required, and where to source them in the USA, click here. 

It’s designed around a 3-liter hydration reservoir, with enough additional space for some extra clothing layers, your lunch, and other necessities. The outside pocket is a convenient place to stash items like trail maps and guide books, while the lid pocket is perfect for your keys and chapstick. The side pockets can hold additional water bottles or quick-access snacks.

The pack is lightweight and built for comfort with breathable contoured shoulder straps and a removable waist belt.

Reservoirs in the vicinity of 3 liters are available from a variety of brands, and they are typically similar to each other in dimensions; the Meadowhawk Pack is designed around this size, which means modifications for a shorter torso will require moving the straps lower. If you want to use a 3-liter reservoir I don’t recommend shortening the whole pack because then the reservoir won’t fit right, but you could shorten the whole pack for a shorter hiker if you go with a smaller reservoir. The standard version will be a good fit for most people around 5’2” and taller. Shorter adults may find it more comfortable with the straps attached lower on the back panel with added “load lifter” straps. This modification is not included in the pattern, but I mention it as a suggestion for how to optimize the fit.

If you’re making this for a kid hiker, it makes more sense to just shorten the entire pack and use a smaller reservoir, since a full 3 liters of water is a lot of weight for a smaller kid to carry in any case.

For an especially ultralight pack, you can also go with more lightweight padding options, the slip pocket reservoir compartment instead of the zipper option, and skip the zippered pockets. The ultralight version I made came in at 7.2 oz not counting the reservoir or the waist belt. I used 1.1-oz sil-nyl ripstop, 1/8″ spacer mesh, and even eliminated the center portion of the foam for the back.

This pattern is definitely not for beginners, but none of it is rocket science if you are patient. It has many curved seams, including zippers sewn on curves. Cutting the pattern pieces precisely and maintaining the correct seam allowance while sewing will be critical to making the pieces fit together properly.

A typical home sewing machine can handle these materials just fine. If you go for the most ultralight materials possible such as sil-nyl, these can be tricky because they are very fine and slippery. In any case, always use a new sewing machine needle of a type made for woven fabrics, in an appropriate gauge for your thread and fabrics.

After purchase, you will receive download links to the following files in PDF format:
• Pattern formatted for home printers (letter paper), to be taped together
• Pattern formatted for A0 large format printers
• Instructions optimized for high-quality printing
• Instructions as high-quality digital file
• Instructions in a lower-quality, lower file-size format

Thanks so much to my pattern testers, whose feedback helped tremendously to make sure the instructions are as clear as possible!
If you have any questions about this pattern, please contact me – I’m happy to help!