A little snaz for my new pack

I bought a new pack – a beautiful pack.  It’s an Osprey Stratos 36.  I already had a beautiful Osprey Kyle 48 (which I used on the Camino in 2017) but I wanted something smaller, that would hurt my back less, and that would not tempt me to go over my self-imposed weight limit, which is now 14 pounds.  I’ve read one shouldn’t carry over 10% of one’s weight and since I weight 140, that’s my limit – suuuure!  I would be ecstatic if my weight were 140, but sometimes facts ARE facts, and 140 I am not.  Wishful thinking aside, I don’t get the logic that smaller people should carry smaller packs.  My theory is that for every 5 pounds I am over my good BMI weight, I should subtract 1/2 pound of cargo because I have to carry that extra 5 pounds.  Following me?   So, if an acceptable BMI for me were 155, and I was at that acceptable BMI, my goal should be 15 ½ pounds.  Alas, I need to carry less because my body carries more.  All you smarty pants out there, who love to solve higher math problems, feel free to calculate my weight.  Just keep it to yourselves because gossip is rude.

Anyway, that is not where I meant to go with this story.  My new Osprey is perfect except it doesn’t have many attachments upon which I can hang a jacket, socks to dry, etc.  So, I took some pictures at REI of the kind of attachment apparatus I would like to have, I ordered some 5/8 inch nylon webbing, and I took my pack to a tailoring shop.  I explained my dilemma and proposed solution to the tailor, who briefly pretended to listen, then cut me off with a smirk.  She explained that her machines couldn’t get to the spot I needed work done on (I knew that!. I just thought she would have more talent, therefore be better able to get to it manually 😊.) No luck.  She directed me to JoAnne’s fabric shop to pick up a leather needle.  I got one and now I’m thinking about just how badly I want a place to hang my socks and jacket.

I did it!  I am my own hero.  After much futzing around, I had webbing, needle, thread, and zero expertise collected, and started sewing.  It might have taken me an hour – 5 hours if preparation and worry-time are included. The original plan was to do two strips of webbing, one on each side of the center zipper.  I’m not sure about the second one now.  I’m not sure I have it in me to do another 5 hours.  That smirking tailor was no dummy.