X-Pac® VX21

X-Pac VX21 is the fabric most people picture when they think of a modern technical pack. Four bonded layers: a 210 denier plain weave nylon face, a 0.25 mil polyester film, a recycled polyester X-PLY reinforcement laid at 22 degrees, and a 50 denier recycled polyester taffeta backing. At 6.2 oz per square yard it is heavier than the lightest laminates on the market, and that weight buys you structure.

The taffeta backing is what the V in VX21 refers to, and it is the reason this fabric behaves the way it does. It protects the film from the contents of your bag, hides the raw laminate on the inside so you get a finished look without lining, and adds enough body that panels stand up on their own. A pack built from VX21 holds its shape empty. That is either exactly what you want or the opposite of it, depending on whether you are building a structured daypack or something meant to compress down to nothing.

The X-PLY runs in a chevron, not a square grid, so it has a direction. Lay your pattern pieces out with that in mind if you care about how the lines run across a finished panel, particularly on anything symmetrical like a pair of side pockets. It is the detail that separates a build that looks considered from one that looks assembled.

The laminate is waterproof. Needle holes go all the way through, so a genuinely dry build needs taped or sealed seams and a roll top closure rather than a zipper. Design for that at the pattern stage instead of trying to solve it at the end.

Sold by the half yard and cut continuously, so ordering four gets you a single two yard piece rather than four separate cuts. Shipped folded. Swatch samples are available.

Specifications

Construction

Performance

Colours are photographed as accurately as we can manage, but screens vary. If an exact shade matters to your project, order a sample swatch before committing to yardage.