DY Woods Canvas Pack Refurb

Great news for those seeking out some quality, vintage canoe packs! Chris A from Damn Yak Drygoods has begun to restore and sell some old Woods canvas packs salvaged from kids camps in the Muskoka region. My own pack restoration was a fun side distraction from paddle making that turned out to be very useful as my main tripping pack. In the time since, I've been routinely asked about where to source out refurbished packs like this. Chris is the only person I'm aware of who is making the effort to salvage these vintage packs and give them another lifetime of usage. A quote from his blog post:

"The goal of this project was to save these iconic pieces of Canadian outdoor history from the trash and to put them once again into the hands canoeists and adventurers alike. To breath new life into these beat up, used and abused canvas packs."

Here are some pics of the pack in its original condition...

After removing the old rivets and other weakened parts, the soiled pack was washed revealing that wonderful faded colour of a traditional pack. 9oz veg tan leather was used to replace any worn leather and is solidly secured with copper rivets. Chris placed a little leather logo on the front of the pack to add a personal touch. You can see more photos of the restoration process here. Here's the  photo of the final product. 

The price is $120 plus shipping based on customer's location (paypal only) or pickup in the Milton, Ontario area. Extremely reasonable price since some retailers are selling the "new" Woods packs at a (rediculous) price of over $230 + tax for thinner canvas, low quality leather and cheap splash rivets that would likely tear out once this pack is loaded to capacity. If interested in these refurbished old-school packs, you can contact Chris directly - Damnyak(at)gmail.com