004 - A Little Project On The Side

So I was playing Sons of the Forest with a friend, and going back and forth into the inventory case had me thinking, and then literally say on stream, "I could probably build this in real life." So then I got to looking up prices and what basic materials I would need to make such an object. 

A heavy duty 10' x 12' tarp gives enough sturdy, waterproof material to work with. A pack of 1/8" x 12" x 12" birch panels gives me plenty of solid backing required, pre-cut, and lightweight. A pack of 12" steel rods gives me framing support when needed, at least on the top and bottom. An electric staple gun to attach the tarp to the wood panels. I have a bunch of strap adjusters for 1.5" webbing, so we get webbing and clips to secure the overall structure. All the basic concerns are now covered. 

So what will actually be put inside the case?

This was the biggest question, because while building something for the sake of building it is cool, yes, having an actual utility function would be even better. The solution was simple: this is my bug out bag now. Emergency shelter kit, emergency sundries, emergency food, everything goes in its own little place. 

With that in mind, I can take the panels and comp out what supplies would be going into it, pencil out how much space is needed for each item, and design the layout in Corel Draw. This will greatly help when determining how the panels will be setup in terms of folding and how much space between layers is needed. Once I have the panels comped out and the dimensions needed, the layout will be sketched out, and I will also be using 1" webbing and mesh netting for pockets. 

Ideally, the setup will be a square/rectangle when opened, so I can fold the tarp in on itself before stapling, waterproof both sides of the panels at once. The gear won't be floating around loose, but individual compartments will be setup using the mesh netting, and 1" webbing as both outside border and divider between pockets. The real tricky part will be keeping it low profile at 12" x 12" in terms of thickness. I'm thinking 8" x 12" x 12" to keep it in "backpack" dimensions, probably with reinforced top and bottom and a webbing handle on top for carrying, as well as a diagonal webbing strap for wearing on the back for short periods. 

Right now, until I have everything I need to include measured out, we will just sketch possible layouts for the panels. 

The project begins.