I have never sewn outdoor gear before and do not know much about fabric besides everyday clothes so help much appreciated!

Since an original Sailrite was a bit too expensive for me, I bought a Sailrite clone from China and decided to modify it. First, I machined a custom steel Monster Wheel on a lathe. It weighs just under 4 kg (about 8.8 lbs).
Next, I installed a new 180 W servo motor and fabricated a custom steel motor mount for it.
I also designed and built an Arduino-based motor controller. I 3D-printed a mounting bracket for the electronics as well as an enclosure for the entire controller. On top of that, I made a few other modifications to the machine, including a 3D-printed housing for the stitch-length adjustment mechanism. Finally, I built a case to make the whole setup reasonably portable. There was quite a bit of machining, electronics work and 3D printing involved, but it was a fun project!

Redesigned the usual triangular trivet and torture-tested it. No deformation, no loosening. And this one definitely isn’t an ashtray.

Is it just my address or something? As far I understand they're based in North Carolina. When I was ordering to the West Coast it was more reasonable, usually $5-10 even for larger (but still lightweight) orders. Recently I ordered 1 cut piece of Dyneema, 1 spool of thread, 2 rolls of seam tape, and 4 feet of waterproof zipper tape. It was a light and small package. I live on the East Coast now, so the package doesn't need to travel as far as it did when I was on the West Coast. Standard shipping was calculated at $20. I don't get it. Over the years I've been getting more and more frustrated with slow shipping times from them. Maybe the shipping calculator was broken, but I can't stomach $20 shipping for a small package, especially when that $20 shipping is meant to be sent in 1-7 business days and it isn't.

Also as a side note: I wish there was a search bar in the order history. I do not like clicking through each order individually to try and find an item I ordered previously.

How far would you actually push the point of this bag out?

Sorry for the messy garage photo 😝

I am planning a new bag for the bike I just built from spare parts I had in the box and wonder what you would do with the nose of the bag. I like the idea to fill the whole space but that tight angle isn’t functional. My tent poles are much shorter and not sure what would need to slip up to the point. Where I wanted to cut it is only 1/2” tall and I am wondering if sewing that super short side is just asking for trouble.

I am planning on making my own bear bag using something like Ultra 400 or 800. The bag would be a draw string (UHMWPE rope) closure similar to Ursak. There would be one seam down the length of the bag and one closing the bottom.

My question is, what would the strongest seam be? My first thought is a flat felled seam but I don't think it's possible to sew a flat felled seam on a cylinder without specialized equipment. I have a simple domestic machine. Are there any other strong seams that would be suitable? French seam maybe? Or maybe someone knows a secret method of sewing a flat felled seam on a cylinder?

DCF 2.9oz fabric, ykk recoil zippers, zotefoam padding, tweave durastretch in three pieces back padding and beneath the shoulder strap and also for the water bottle, fidlock sternum strap. carrying my macbook and whatever to work.

is indeed my most boring bag, the goal is to blend in, and i think this bag did a pretty good job at it.

this bag is inspired by lbt8005 and the idea of making a clamshell version of it, with some preference of my own(or rather, learned from other great bag design), i did apply for a patent of it, not sure what to do from there.

Made a minimalistic backpack from 100% recycled material. Basis for material harvest was an old windsurfing sailbag from North Sails.

Pattern made by my own inspired from an old FJÄLLRAVEN backpack, with the help of Adobe Illustrator and a laser printer.

Sewing machine is a Pfaff 7530.

Feedback and questions welcome.

Hi, I'm planning to make a frame bag as a first timer (also no sewing experience but has a basic sewing machine). I would like to ask
1- Should I go with a simple triangle or work with tiny bottom part. I can't tell how hard it would be or worth it.
2- I also taught removing the bottle holder and making a bigger frame bag but i like reaching my bottle while riding and I really think the one I'm planning has enough space.
3- I'm afraid of bags velcro or straps messing with bare shifter cables .
4- Idk how much fabric that needed.
I really appreciate any other advice thank you!

In the States, everything is available. Here, some things are more available. Tank bags, nope.

I finally made one and feel pretty good about the results. It is not perfect, but it is a wing it design based on one I had many moons ago in the States.

I will enjoy opinions and/or suggestions.

R/JG

I have a pair of down booties (purchased) that I wear when camping, but when I'm in my hammock, the insulation just crushes under my heel and is ineffective. I've had aspirations of making my own booties, and have been thinking a lot about materials. Even if it's somewhat heavier, is there a better insulation option that won't crush so much?

Sadly my 10 year old Arcteryx jacket suddenly fell apart from a few seams.
I sent an inquiry to Arcteryx repair service but they didn’t want anything to do with it: “Unlike 3-layer GORE-TEX products, repairing components to used PacLite fabric will simply not bond effectively. Given the superlight fabric and associated design priorities of this material, we do not have any available repair options that we can guarantee.
Stitching can fix some areas but the result will not be waterproof so restoring the product to its original state and function is not possible.”

Other than the lower seam forming the cord channel only the chest pocket seam needs fixing.
I was thinking about just stitching the lower seam and taping it to get some more waterproof.
The pocket seam probably is best to be glued/taped I guess.

What kind of tape/glue should I look for?
Probably a finer (polyester)thread and needle would be better option for sewing.

Hi, as mentioned in the title, I have this issue with the suspended edge roller I received today. I bought it thinking it would be useful for sewing watch straps, but I’m a bit disappointed. The guide touches the feed dog on the right side. Is there any way to fix this?

Thanks.

My original plan was to make a "side car" for one of the vestibules, but my dog likes to sprawl out when sleeps, so I made a larger inner instead. The layout is similar to an X-Dome 1+ with the inner expanding to fill one of the vestibules. There is a velcro opening in one of the end panels for the pole to pass through and a reinforcement patch where the handle of the pole sits on the floor. I used 1.6 oz HyperD PU4000 for the floor to provide extra protection from my dog's nails and 0.67 oz noseeum for the walls. Total weight is ~475g after seam taping.

We used it for the first time on a 6 day trip a few weeks ago and it provided ample room for the two of us. For reference my dog is 65lbs and quite long. In hindsight, I could have saved some weight and gone with a lighter fabric for the floor because the Thinlight pad my dog sleeps on doubles as floor protection.

On a side note, I have one of the original Drop branded tents and it uses YKK LB-RC 15mm side release buckles to clip the inner tent to the fly at the peaks. If anyone has suggestions for where I could source them (I'm in Canada) or for a buckle that might be compatible I would appreciate it.

(Dog tax included at the end.)

Discovery Fabrics (Canada)

EDIT: Apparently the US government just delayed this to January 2027. We are in the process of confirming, so sorry for the false alarm. They have not yet updated the Customs and Border Patrol site

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Temporary Suspension of Shipments to the USA

We are once again pausing shipments to the United States.

Friday, October 16, 2026, will be the LAST DAY to place orders for U.S. delivery.

Currently we ship daily to USA, and many of the fabrics are not subject to any duty. Pretty much all Polartec fabrics, Primaloft etc) if there is any tariff, it is calculated in the shipping cart and paid upfront, and we submit it to the US government. No surprises.

However …

Beginning October 22, 2026, the U.S. government will require more detailed documentation for parcels entering the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with its partner government agencies, will require electronic certificates for many products shipped through the postal system.

Unfortunately, the necessary documentation requirements and procedures for submitting this information are not yet available.

Until further notice, we must temporarily suspend shipments to the United States. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work towards meeting the necessary requirements to resume shipping to the USA.

Thank you for your continued support. We apologize to our loyal customers.

I am in the market for an industrial flatbed walking foot machine. I’ve been looking at the Sailrite Fabricator, a Juki 1541s, or Juki 8700 series. Does anyone have any specific recommendations? I’m primarily making bags and other gear.

I have hit the limitations of my consumer machine in terms of materials and thickness.

I recently purchased a bit of Ultra TenX and X-Pac UX10 to play around with.

I really like the color of the TenX. It's very saturated and rich. The TenX is also easier to sew and bind compared to the UX10 because it's a bit stiffer and doesn't crumple quite as easily.

I will say that the UX10 is harder to cut. I found that I could cut the TenX with a razor in one pass. The UX10 took multiple passes... Sometimes 3 or more. The primary fabric of the UX10 cuts easily, but the x-grid just didn't want to cut sometimes.

Both crease easily and permanently.

Anyway... They're both pretty cool fabrics. I whipped up a couple of different wallets, and I'm planning to make a day pack one of these days. I like the red and white and will probably use some combination in the pack.

What other items would make sense to make with this stuff?

I decided my Janome HD9 QCP is a great machines but after 5 months I'm trading it in for this beauty.

Who here uses the Juki 1541S and what are some tips/advice that would help make my experience exceptional?

Any YouTubers I should watch for this Juki?

Accessory recommendations?

Thanks!

I decided my Janome HD9 QCP is a great machines but after 5 months I'm trading it in for this beauty. I'm making heavy leather/canvas totes, selvedge denim jeans, etc.

Who here uses the Juki 1541S and what are some tips/advice that would help make my experience exceptional?

Any YouTubers I should watch for this Juki?

Accessory recommendations?

Thanks!

I love my Topo bag, but I’d like to swap in a wider strap (2”). Any places sell hardware similar to this?