Bicycle Frame Bag for Bike Packing Hooligans
Introduction: Bicycle Frame Bag for Bike Packing Hooligans
Hi People,
As requested here is my tutorial of how I made my frame bag. This was my first major sewing project so it is far from perfect, but also serves to show that a nice bag can be made with limited sewing experience.
My design philosophy for this bag:
I wanted to make a light weight, durable and water proof bag for bike packing. I wanted to achieve this as simply as possible.
I chose Xpac VX21 because it is all of the things described above. I used the dyneema reinforced nylon because I liked the way it looks as an accent and no other reason than that.
I chose to lace the entire bag because I like the security it creates from both shifting and theft. 929
The rigidity it gives the bag is exceptional.
I made one side of the shelf attach via Velcro because it allows for multiple configurations, refinement of side to side slack, and ease of construction.
I wish you the best of luck with your build!
Supplies
Equipment:
* Sewing machine that can handle multiple layers of technical material (I used a singer 4452 heavy duty machine)
+ A zipper foot is advised (my thread kept breaking on the perimeter strip because the foot kept lifting due to the thickness of the foam which destabilized the fabric and resulted in a thread jam)
* Sewing needle (I had to hand sew some of the corners because I didn't have the skill to do it with the machine)
* Sewing pins and clips (I really like the clips I used, I found out about them from watching <PERSON> Tested videos)
+ https://www.amazon.com/Quilting-Wonder-Perfect-Bin... (these should do the trick but just google quilting clips and you will find them)
* Cutting mat (anything will work but I like my olfa mat because it keeps your blades from dulling to fast)
* A good pair of scissors, rotary cutter, or sharp craft knife (preferably olfa, they just do it the best)
* A fabric chalk pencil (or any marker)
* A marker for making the template
* A ruler
* A lighter for fusing the fabric and cord
* A bicycle spoke that has been sharpened to a point (this is the trick to easy lacing)
Materials:
I just want to state that this could be made with whatever materials you want but I chose the materials for specific reasons and they will be listed below. I will also provide where I sourced everything, these are by no means the cheapest or best, I just found sites that had what I needed and bought from them.
* 1 yard of Fabric: I chose x-pac vx21 because its light, tough, waterproof, and I like the way it looks, you could use what ever you want.
+ I paid $27.96 for 1 yard x 53in from rocky woods
+ https://www.rockywoods.com/Soft-Hand-Terrain-X-Pac...
* 0.5 yards of Accent Fabric: I chose Dyneema 120D ripstop because I liked how it looked, it is completely unnecessary.
* I paid $20 for 2 feet x 56in. This is way more than you need, I plan on using it for a bunch of projects in the future.
* https://www.rockywoods.com/210D-Dyneema-Ripstop-Ny...
* 4-5 Yards 3/4in (20mm) cordura nylon webbing (not all webbing is created equal, this stuff is good)
* I paid $3.96 for 4 yards (I had just enough, if I was to do it again I would buy 5 or more)
* https://www.rockywoods.com/3-4-Solution-Dyed-Nylon...
* 2 yards of YKK water resistant #8 coil Zipper. This is more than you need but I didn't plan it out before I ordered, could have probably gotten away with 1 yard, but measure first.
* I paid $16.38 for 2 yards.
* https://www.rockywoods.com/YKK-Water-Resistant-8-C...
* 2 YKK water resistant #8 zipper pulls
* I paid $2.18 for 2.
* https://www.rockywoods.com/Water-Resistant-8-Coil-...
* Structural foam: This could be any thing but I was at Joann fabrics and they had this stuff so I bought it. 787