What fabric to use in a camera insert for backpack

[gregvds]

Hello,

I'm sure it has already been discussed here, but I can't find it.

So, I got a very good backpack (Haglöfs Mountain Surf, 30L) in which I put for the moment the insert of my Billingham Packington. Nicely protected camera, lenses and stuff, but a little bit too small for my gear, and openning on the small side.

The bag is very well made, and opens on the back, not the top nor the front. Perfect.

So I want to sew (I can sew, no prob) a photo insert, 40x25cm, 12cm thick, that would hold side by side, the folded camera (Chamy 4x5) and 3 to 4 fidelity, accounting for the 25cm wide, and 12 cm thick, and half of the height. The other height would take 3 to 4 fidelitys again, on the same relative place, and then 4 10x10x12 places, for lenses on plates, cells, stuff. That would be perfect for me. And of course, it should open on the 25x40 side. I'm still designing it, trying to figure out how it should be best laid out, and how to design a simple way to protect things and access things too. Not really an easy stuff, when you begin to think about it...

I know already that closed foam from camping pad, 0.9cm to 0.7cm can fit the bill for cushionning and structuring the inserts and dividers. I got my roll today :-)

Now I'm wondering for the fabrics.
Outer fabric could be a Cordura? maybe 500D?
Inner fabric has to be soft and Velcro tooth compliant, for the insert to hold. Does the Veltex Fabric fits the bill, specially regarding the soft part?

I mean, what fabric is used commonly inside Lowepro, Billingham, other well known and well built photobag brands? And where to find it, of course...

I found Seattlefabrics a good source, I got also Shelby in Finland, for the Meshs and Cordura, but not Veltex...

Many thanks for your help on this.

[bsimison]

Have you considered the zippered camera cubes made by PhotoBackpacker.com?

[gregvds]

Yes, and I find it way too paddy. For each piece of equipment, you add two layers, while with a custom solution, you only add one.

The photobackpacker solution is nice, but I really want to go the DIY way. I like it, and I like to custom all the aspect of it.

And their logo is ugly, and everywhere on their stuff :-)

But thanks anyway for your suggestion.

[bsimison]

No problem, and I understand what you mean. I use it with my Tachihara and a Kelty Redwing and it works fine, if a little bulky. One thing I like about it is that I can transfer the padded cubes to a cheapo roller luggage bag if I'm going to be working in a place with smooth ground.

One more suggestion, if I may: have you thought about using the velcro-lined padded inserts from a Pelican case? Before I bought the PhotoBackpacker cubes, I used a Pelican 1505 Padded Divider Set with a sheet of closed-cell foam from a camping mattress sandwiched on top. This actually worked pretty well in my Kelty.

Yes, and I find it way too paddy. For each piece of equipment, you add two layers, while with a custom solution, you only add one.

The photobackpacker solution is nice, but I really want to go the DIY way. I like it, and I like to custom all the aspect of it.

And their logo is ugly, and everywhere on their stuff :-)

But thanks anyway for your suggestion.