HAND STITCHED LEATHER RUCKSACK
I found an old army surplus vintage backpack at an antique store and thought it would make a good project for the instructable backpack challenge.It would require major restoration and repair, or it could become a new pattern and have a whole new life.Military bags were well-made, and this one lasted a really long time. Although it had solid construction of canvas and leather, it was falling apart.My vision was a new backpack following the same pattern and construction but made with Latigo leather for the body and a Horween Chromexcel Lid.It's inspiring to bring new life in to vintage gear.You can check out some other gear I've remade on my instagram HideGear.Step 1: What You Need1. An old backpack to use as a pattern (or you can use mine that I've included)2. Material to make the new pack, I chose leather as that's what I wanted. Canvas, nylon, or any number of other materials would be great depending on what you want your final project to look like and how it will be used.3. Knife or seam ripper4. Dremel handy for grinding rivets off5. Construction tools for the new bag. I used basic leather working tools. Something like this would be a good start: Beginner set For the bag you make you may want a sewing machine, but I hand stitched the leather for a more authentic, organic look.Step 2: Find an Old Backpack in a Style You Want to Make
I like looking in antique stores for old bags that need a new life. It's a great place to find old bag hardware that has stood the test of time, and if the bag is in really bad shape it's usually cheap. This one was $18. I figured the hardware and the use of the backpack as a pattern was worth that much alone.This pack was really solid when it was made (perhaps over 50 years ago?) and if someone would have treated the leather, I think it would have still been a clean and functional bag.Step 3: Tear Apart the Old Backpack
My Spyderco Paramilitary 2 (knife in photos) didn't fail me taking apart this bag.Carefully cut apart all seams while trying not to tear fabric. (This was difficult with this bag because the fabric was weak and the knife was sharp!)I used a Dremel tool and grinding wheel to grind off the peened side of the old copper rivets.Set aside all the hardware and other parts that you may want to reuse.
