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DIY Kestrel Clone

Alright, I've got a question for the group of DIY Kestrel builders, lol. Where do you get your supplies? I've got a few cobra buckles on my old flight vest that I was thinking I could remove and repurpose, but as far as the other webbing, and the 1" metal buckles that you use to adjust the leg loops etc, where do you get that?

I was thinking that I could make a loop, or a few that I would buckle through so I didn't have to step through leg loops, just pull it on and reach between the legs to connect the leg loops, not sure if that makes sense or is worthwhile.

Anyway, my father in-law has an upholstery machine and I was planning on getting a list of stuff together for him to sew, and I would have to probably write up specific instructions for him so he doesn't get confused or so it doesn't take forever, lol, he's a great guy but is getting slow in his old age, lol.

List of supplies and links would be awesome! Thanks!
 
skell said:
I dug out "On Rope" this morning...there is some good info on sewing webbing in there. For load bearing stitching it recommends a minimum overlap of 3 times the width of webbing. So minimum of 3 inches each side of the loop.

Sorry if the pics are blurry...I was a little shaky this morning!
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Looks like a nice book to have around, where did you get it? Amazon "On Rope" the name?
 
donnieballgame said:
Looks like a nice book to have around, where did you get it? Amazon "On Rope" the name?
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I found it on Abebooks (look for coupons too) for under $10 used. This is the one to look for. The info on sewing is short but good to know. I learned a few things on ropes/knots from it as well.
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ckossuth said:
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Beautiful, thanks.

As I’m assuming you know based on your design and what I’m learning is I need to play around with more pliable material at the closure of the sack and the more durable material as the body of the sack to accentuate the benefits of both. I’ve made sacks of each but not one utalizing both.

I’ve found a rip stop canvas doesn’t have enough body and can be a bit noisy as the whole sack and canvas (like duck cloth) has great body making it easier to load but bunches at the draw making it more difficult to close well.

What fabrics would you recommend and what size sack did you decide was a good compromise between holding enough and not being too bulky?
 
Buchholz06 said:
Beautiful, thanks.

As I’m assuming you know based on your design and what I’m learning is I need to play around with more pliable material at the closure of the sack and the more durable material as the body of the sack to accentuate the benefits of both. I’ve made sacks of each but not one utalizing both.

I’ve found a rip stop canvas doesn’t have enough body and can be a bit noisy as the whole sack and canvas (like duck cloth) has great body making it easier to load but bunches at the draw making it more difficult to close well.

What fabrics would you recommend and what size sack did you decide was a good compromise between holding enough and not being too bulky?
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This is basically a 6"x 8" pouch. As far as the top goes, you want to play around with various ripstop nylons. Find one that you like and go with it. I'd start here:
https://ripstopbytheroll.com/
 
Buchholz06 said:
Thanks for the link and advice. Sewing is a new world for me and this site looks great. Much appreciared.
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I've made lots of stuff using some of there materials. There hex 2.2 is one of my favorites, might be a little stiff for the pouches you are looking to make. I will make one with that as the top and let you know how it turns out.
 
g2outdoors said:
a butt cupping SitDrag. Interesting.
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This comment made me look back at the pictures...LOL. Its amazing how deceptive the pictures are. Hard to see the curvature the way I took them.

If this turns out to be a butt cupping SitDrag as you put it, I will be a happy camper! I am a big fan of my SitDrag ;)
 
donnieballgame said:
Alright, I've got a question for the group of DIY Kestrel builders, lol. Where do you get your supplies? I've got a few cobra buckles on my old flight vest that I was thinking I could remove and repurpose, but as far as the other webbing, and the 1" metal buckles that you use to adjust the leg loops etc, where do you get that?

I was thinking that I could make a loop, or a few that I would buckle through so I didn't have to step through leg loops, just pull it on and reach between the legs to connect the leg loops, not sure if that makes sense or is worthwhile.

Anyway, my father in-law has an upholstery machine and I was planning on getting a list of stuff together for him to sew, and I would have to probably write up specific instructions for him so he doesn't get confused or so it doesn't take forever, lol, he's a great guy but is getting slow in his old age, lol.

List of supplies and links would be awesome! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Look at parachute stuff for load-bearing webbing and hardware http://www.paragear.com/ for instance, look at the "raw materials" and "hardware" pages. Think I remember a few other parachute sites from back when I was researching diying a treesaddle.

For your fabrics (lot of cool mil-spec stuff) https://www.ahh.biz/. Not sure about the cool Kryptek stuff though
 
skell said:
Finished my clone of your clone last week. Gave it a 4 hour test run yesterday (w/ a RC harness backup). With one sit in it, definitely more comfortable than my sit drag. Now to improve my pouches...
Thanks @ckossuth
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View attachment 7725
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Great job! I've been hanging in my clone of his clone as well. I just went to 30 ft and tested it right out, who needs a RCH (my insurance is up to date). Only a couple sits so far but really liking it. I had the cheapo pouches from Amazon but they were bulky and noisy. Made some fleece bags for now, will see how they hold up, but they are light and quiet. I'd post pics but I'm not experienced enough with my wife's thread injector to make things look nice - just functional.
I see you did the same exact thing I did with the leg strap clip! Same angle and everything - great minds think alike!
 
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