cleaning an internal frame nylon backpack

[Anymoose]

Hello, I own a nylon internal frame backpack, brand name of Kathmandu (a brand from New Zealand). Unfortunately I have had mishaps with food and the like and it has sat, dirty, for awhile now. I feel guilty about mistreating this pack as it has suited me well, but I have no idea how to go about cleaning it! All the advice that I've read so far details how to clean external frame or frameless backpacks. I cannot seem to remove the frame from this one as it is sewn in (I believe, I do not have it at hand right now to take a look at it). How would I go about cleaning this? Thank you for your time.

[moxieman]

Well, I don't own that style of pack. I own a "traditional" external frame backpack. But there is a non-removable bracket within the top section which holds it open for easy loading.

 

The few times I've needed to wash it, I've used my bathtub, cold water, and Woollite or similar soap designed for hand washing.

 

I let it soak an hour or so. Rinse it the best I can and then hang it to dry.

 

Again, I don't know if that will help you or not as I don't know what your internal frame is made from.

[Nike]

What does it say to do should you drop your pack overboard? Have you tried contacting the manufacturer or looking up how to clean the fabric from which it was made? Unless you've got nasty sticky, stains or ground in smells, I don't see why a good damp cloth for a once over and time air drying shouldn't do the trick.

[ntrog8r]

Generally speaking, do NOT remove the internal frame! The Internal Frame is either two aluminium, plastic, fibreglass, or composite staves that run vertically from the top to the bottom of the pack. In some internal backpacks a ridged HDPE frame sheet is incorporated in the design for extra stability and back protection. These frames are NOT removeable.

 

Fill your tub with lukewarm water, add Woolite, agitate for suds. place the entire backpack in the water and get it wet, inside and out. Let it sit for 15 minutes or so. Go back and scrub, mash, palpate, etc. If there is ground in food, stains, etc use a toothbrush and gently scrub the area. Rinse well and drain all the water possible out of the bag, don't forget pockets that can hold water. Hang dry over the tub for an hour or two, then hang dry in the shade with good ventilation until dry.

 

You can also just take it to the dry cleaners.

 

Hope this helps.

[Anymoose]

Thanks for the replies! I think I will try the woolite option first; I am cheap and drycleaners cost money. If the woolite doesn't seem to work I will suck it up and bring it to the cleaners.

[The Blancmange]

Generally speaking, do NOT remove the internal frame!

I learned that the hard way. I have a pack with 2 metal bars inside which had become bent awkwardly due to poor packing in a move. I removed them from the sleeves to reshape them and have never been able to get them completely back into the sleeves. The pack is still functional, but the bars have a tendancy to start to pop out.

[Eagledad]

>>The pack is still functional, but the bars have a tendancy to start to pop out.

[CalicoPenn]

If your pack is designed so the vertical stabilizing bars can not come out (because they are sewn in), then don't remove them.

 

If it's designed so they can come out, then it's generally safe to remove them - but mark them RF and LF(for Right Front, Left Front) at the top of the bar (I determined the orientation based on the way I hold my pack in front of me when I'm packing it) so that they get put back the way they were taken out. The packs with removable bars are designed so that the bar can be adjusted to the curvature of one's back. Most of these are in flapped pockets - with a top flap that velcros down which holds the bar in. As long as you keep the orientation correct, and don't overly bend or twist them, they should slide back in fairly easily.

 

If you can remove the bars, then you can easily turn the pack inside out to clean it.

 

Now for cleaning - I like the suggestions given so far about Woolite, or some other gentle soap. What I don't agree with is soaking it in a tub of water. Unless you've had a bottle of maple syrup explode in your pack (as an example), there should be no reason to soak an entire pack. There are parts of an internal frame pack that just doesn't take soaking well - like the straps (which are usually foam filled for comfort) or the lumbar support pad (also foam filled). The packs are also water resistant - soaking the pack pretty much removes any water resistance you have - be prepared to re-seal seams and the pack itself.

 

Instead, you want to spot hand wash with a sponge (only use a brush as a very last resort - and very gently - if your pack is truly 100% nylon, that material doesn't take rigourous scrubbing well - unlike a 60/40 denier cloth (which is a nylon/cotton mix - cotton can take the abuse, and mitigates the affect on the nylon), or canvas (which is 100% cotton)). Be prepared to re-treat for water-resistance if needed - but treating a small spot is much easier than trying to treat a full pack.

 

If you've pulled the backpack out of the closet and it now has a funky, mildewed smell (with corresponding mold growth), you're better off consigning the pack to the dustbin of memory and getting a new pack. If it's not stinking the joint up, then clean away - by hand, and gently.

[packsaddle]

Unless someone's tom cat crapped in it, why on earth would anyone clean a backpack? It's only dirt. Let it dry and then shake it out. Come to think of it, I'd even apply that to the cat crap. It's just going to get dirty again. Right? Heck, this strategy even works for shoes, maybe clothes.

[The Blancmange]

Jansport?

High Sierra. About the same quality-wise.

[eghiglie]

the cleaning of my pack is limited to a washcloth and soap. Its not a red color, the stains show up, but it doesn't quite bother me. Makes people know that I use it.