Messenger Backpack From Recycled Tarp

I made a backpack out of a tarp from the Moscow Maker Faire. The visuals are changed each year so we have a lot of good quality tarp and posters. They are made of PVC reinforced with fibre so it is really strong.

Take a Freitag bag, take a Brooks bag, mix them together and you obtain this bag. Indeed the concept of using old tarps is from Freitag but it has the dimensions of the Brooks Pickwick. I just decided to use a velcro instead of a strap to close the bag.

Tools

All you need is a pair of scissors and a needle. Of course using a sewing machine will save you a day of labour and some pain in the fingers. Also using tweezers and tape can help.

Material

Appart from a tarp, you need yarn, some strap and Velcro tape.

Choose a place on the tarp or poster with a nice visual. Cut two similar parts as on the linked file.

Put the outsides face to face (inside) and sew up the sides. I used some tape to secure it during the operation. Then sew the corners as in the picture to create the volume.

Ask your friend to help you to return the bag and admire the speudo-random patterns that you chose to assemble.

By the way I present you Valeria and Tuban who are my colleagues and friends from the lab. They are also co-designer of this bag. Valeria did the technical drawing.

You can now add the Velcro tape. I added a 30 x 5 cm band on the rim but I suggest you to use only a 20 x 5 cm band to ease the bag opening.

I secured the Velcro tape with a polyurethan glue.

Measure your old backpack for the straps length. As I never change the strap length, I decided to sew it at a fixed length.

It is better to double or triple the layers at the place of attachement. For that, I added three rectangular reinforcement parts on the inside.

The straps are folded at the attachement place, then a squared sewing with a cross in the middle is done.

Let's rummage through the garbage and find good quality tarp!