david taus

Special Modifications

music: Deltron 3030- The Instrumentals

I talk not about a space ship, but when Yoda himself can count down the days to Star Wars Ep. III on one hand then the mythology of my generation weighs heavy on the brain. More on that later. But about those special modifications…

I had a real problem when I backpacked Europe in the summer of 2000: I had to carry my buttpack by hand when I was wearing my big hiking pack. I bumped into the same problem this past summer and this spring break. Upon returning from Utah, I assembled a gear outfitting list, the top of which contained two projects: sew a tight form-fitting case for the travel guitar and modify my buttpack to become the top of my hiking pack. I must give credit where credit is due, however: Reuben is a couple years ahead of me on this one. His Mountainsmith Tour has been the top detachable part of his hiking pack for some time now, but I think that’s because the daypack that came with it was stolen or lost.

I took my buttpack to the same cobbler who sewed in a panel of pockets about two years ago and in 20 minutes the straps were perfectly in place: two 1” female clips on either side, slightly above the hipbelt compression strap facing backwards, and two 9” pieces of webbing with 1” male clips along the bottom also facing backwards. These lock into the Osprey’s clips perfectly. Stuffed full of gear it’s hard to tell whether or not the buttpack was made to go there. It is superior to the detachable daypack that comes with the Osprey on all levels: more room, more pockets, more flexibility. It fits so nicely I think it’s worth writing Mountainsmith a letter to see if they can’t engineer their stand-alone buttpacks to somehow become modular with their bigger hiking packs.

The bonus is that when not attached to the Osprey, the buttpack now has two webbing straps that run underneath and clip to the front (two more new 1” female clips, halfway up the front and next to the Nalgene holers) so I can carry jackets and layers outside the main compartment and still have the webbing open for other things. It’s actually an attachment the new model Mountainsmiths have built in. The buttpack is itself improved. Genius.

I still need to do some field testing, but things are looking good. I’ll have my buttpack, but will also be able to do extended backcountry trips without having to leave it somewhere or carry it in my hands. Once the travel guitar case (customized to fit on the Osprey as well) is finished I’ll be one unstoppable mobile modular musician. New levels of buttpack dorquedom, really, but you have to be a dorque about something. For me it’s camping gear. And Star Wars.

Yeah, she’s got it where it counts. Now my buttpack rating is just plain illegal. Which is a good thing. Travelling through the Outback isn’t like dusting crops.