This spring my partner and I attended a wedding in Austin, TX. On the way back, our flight got cancelled. It was a Sunday, and since it was supposed to be a quick weekend trip, I didn’t pack my travel work setup. It wasn’t the first time I didn’t bring what I needed to work, but I made a new personal rule that it would be my last.
After that, I got serious about one-bagging — or more appropriately, traveling with carry-on luggage only, since I do allow myself a smaller soft-sided briefcase in addition to my backpack. It has been a slow progression. When we went to Japan last summer, our rule was “only what you can manage by yourself”. On the way home, our host, Mr. Kanai, poked fun at how we still had seven bags.
It is a very hard thing to both pack light and be appropriately prepared for business, even if all you do is run a small digital marketing agency. As a military kid, I thought I was good at packing, but it wasn’t until I limited myself to a carry-on and personal item that I started paying attention to product dimensions in centimeters. I just banked on stuffing military bags as much as possible, trusting they wouldn’t burst at the seams like some cheap sports bag. That’s why I wanted to replace my military surplus backpack with a GoRuck after I graduated from college the first time around.
During this travel gear optimization adventure, I considered switching my GoRuck to something without MOLLE, worried it might at times give the wrong impression. I even bought a premium Dakine backpack, but after being disappointed in the quality, resolved to make my GoRuck work and instead find ways to demilitarize it. Well, first I checked out their website again to see if they made any new 34L GR2 models without MOLLE; they have a lot of new versions now compared to when I got mine many years ago, but none without MOLLE have side pockets for quickly storing or accessing your phone, wallet, or a small water bottle, which is one of my non-negotiables.
Here are my existing mods or accessories, for what they’re worth:
Defy Sternum Strap — Not visible and doesn’t really help to civilian-ize the look, but it’s too badass to replace. Also arguably looks more motorcycle-ey than military.
Defy Tech Mr. Gripper — The white looks classy. Also helps it stand out in a sea of black bags.
Custom Cursive Name Patch — It’s like a Velcro monogram. A small gamble that worked out well.
Twin Falcons Accessory Pouch — One of the few side pouches I could find that is in the sweet spot of 2″ wide. Not helping the “look civilian” goal at all, but the convenience of quick and easy storage is too important.
Kiwi Sneakers No-Tie Shoe Laces as Shock Cord — Looks more sporty than military and holds my jacket so I don’t have to tie it around my waist like a grade-schooler.
Recently, I upgraded my laptop from a 14″ Acer TravelMate P2 to a 16″ Lenovo Legion Slim 7. I’m beginning to explore 3D modeling and needed a laptop with no reasonable limitations. Getting that in a laptop is expensive — double the cost of my old Acer, and something I want to be extra careful about protecting. I tried buying a protective sleeve for the Legion but it didn’t work. When crammed into the laptop compartment, it bulged and ate up space in the main compartment, but when put in the main compartment, it wasted the empty space of the laptop compartment. The problem was the sleeve: The padding was too thick. It would be more efficient space-wise to sandwich the laptop between two sheets of strong plastic, forcing the weight of anything pokey or heavy inside the main compartment to evenly distribute, then replace the existing sheet between my back and the laptop compartment to further prevent back-warp. When I started researching the idea, I learned variations of this were common. The material other people used was called Kydex. I decided to try the same.
Before I start explaining my process, I’ll share my materials list below. Note this is what I began the project with — scroll to the bottom for what I would use if I were to do it over again.
Materials List
- GoRuck GR2 34L Backpack
- 0.118″ Thick, Black 24″ x 24″ Kydex Sheet (x2)
- TACNEX 1″ Belt Keepers
- HARDELL Rotary Tool
- Metallic Silver Sharpie
- Craftsman Tin Snips
- Jorgensen 0.5″ Chisel
- Measuring Tape
- Quarter
- Medium Grit Sandpaper
Removing the existing sheet from the laptop compartment was the hardest part. Even though they’re technically removable, I’m convinced GoRuck sews them in — the only realistic alternative is employing the Hulk for this one job. At one point I had my shirt off, bag grasped between my bare feet like a gorilla, pulling while yelling like Goku going Super Saiyan for the first time. There was no way I was going to get a harder, thicker plastic with the same dimensions back inside, but I realized I didn’t need to.
If you divide the back panel into fifths, the plastic sheet inserts “up” rather than down into the top quintile. This is what makes replacing it such a colossal pain. Although it’s nice to run the full length of the back, it’s likely unnecessary for anyone in my position. My 16″ Legion doesn’t extend into the upper quintile. I imagine you would need a 17″ laptop, and since I once tried and failed to comfortably fit a thick 15.6″ P Series ThinkPad, it would have to be something thin in the 17″+ category, which… doesn’t exist as far as I know.
I thought about it for a while, and on the flip side, some counterarguments are that a shortened Kydex sheet could slide around, or if poorly cut or over time, would wear through the corners at the top since the bag wasn’t designed for the sheet to end there. But the sliding would only be a concern for people putting their bags upside-down (i.e. a workout ruck); mine only ever goes through the range between upright and flat. Whenever I add or remove my laptop, it’s upright, which would push any theoretical sliding down, and once my laptop is in there, the two keep each other snug. As for corner wear from drooping, A full-length sheet in the main compartment makes it a non-issue.
After tracing an outline of the original sheet onto the Kydex with a metallic Sharpie, I measure the distance from the bottom of the sheet to right above the Velcro opening of the insert pocket. I then traced a quarter to round the new corners.
I cut the Kydex roughly 1/8″ inside the traced perimeter for easier re-entry, then sanded the edges smooth. One done, one to go.
The main compartment sheet was more complicated. I wanted to come up with a solution to hold the sheet to the back wall rather than let it sit in there freely. This is why I ultimately decided to buy a cheap rotary tool. I cut slots corresponding with the rows of the back panel’s MOLLE, then connected the two with 1″ belt keepers.
Now the laptop compartment feels more like GoRuck describes it: Bombproof.
What I Learned & Advice to Replicate
- 24″ x 24″ for the Kydex is overkill. The GoRuck website lists the GR2 34L as 12.5″ wide, but both sheets ended up narrower than that. Two sheets at 12″ x 24″ would have been fine.
- Tin snips suck. Unless you already have them and honestly even if you do, don’t use them. The rotary tool came with a saw-bit attachment that made cutting 10x easier.
- Even with a rotary tool to do the sanding, the medium grit sandpaper provided a much more professional finish. Both were necessary.
- Did I mention the rotary tool? Absolute champ of a tool. True MVP.
- The corners ended up needing a wider curve than what was traced with the quarter. If I had one or if you do, a half dollar would be better.
- The chisel, although helpful for scoring, wasn’t critical. It made the job go a little faster and more precise, but isn’t necessary.
- The belt keepers are about 1/4″ shorter than I’d like for them to be and cause the hook and loop to not match up perfectly. I’ve thought about buying 1.5″ belt keepers but they will realistically be too long. For a DIY job, I can live with it.
…just don’t ask me how much it all weighs.