I have come into possession of a ALICE pack in woodland camo, since I'll be using this bag as my vehicle BOB, I thought it would not be unwise to paint it a different color. the camo is a little too "paramili" for this purpose.

I want to paint it a high visibility color since if I have need of this bag, that means I need help and if the bag happens to be lost in a pile of others, I can find it easily.

I'm thinking either fluorescent yellow or orange, assuming I can find paint of that color.

The main thrust of my question is will the paint stick to the material?
the bag appears to be nylon, will the paint stick or just peel off after drying?

Thanks.

Most paints don't flex enough for use on fabric, and I would bet it wouldn't stick well to nylon in particular. I think dye would be your best bet, ACID DYES in particular. (Do not use RIT from the grocery store!)

Go to http://www.prochemical.com/index2.htm and look around there. They are the big name in dye, and were probably around when God was making color choices. Make sure that the ones you are looking for SAY they are for use with nylon, and pick your color.

*****Before you order, you will need to know the DRY WEIGHT of the pack fabric (empty, of course), and buy enough for that weight.*****

Follow the directions, keep kids and pets away while you're dyeing, wear old clothes, don't try to take shortcuts, make sure all your wife's belongings are out of the room before starting the project. THE DYE IS PERMANENT on nearly anything it touches. Don't use food utensils for mixing or handling.

If you need info, talk to the people at PRO. Tell them you've never done this before. IT IS OKAY TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sue

Do you have the frame? If you do, I used to just put a tire cover over my old one when I still had it. You can get them fairly cheap, change them if you want (or take it off if you need), and they help waterproof the pack more. Don't be suprised if you need to take it in a little, though.

Save yourself some time, hassle and perhaps a little frustration by thinking about a high visibility pack rain cover.

It may not be the slickest looking option, but some are made in high visibility colors and they offer rain protection to boot.

There are a ton of different covers made by a load of manufacturers out there. Here are a few I just took off the top of a google search:

Pack Cover

Ultra-Lite Cover

Respro

Cheap Cover

Amazon Search

CamelBak (Couldn't link to it on Camelbak's site)

Personaly, I wouldn't worry about it lookin' to paramilitary. It's just a pack.

Now if your wearing "Realtree", have a Desert Eagle in a drop leg, and a BK7 hung upside down on the chest strap THAT might be a little over the top. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

thanks for the suggestions.

hey, I have a BK7, still no DE though. Guess I'm just not cool enough yet. LOL, I tried wearing a Buck nighthawk upside down on a vest when they first came out lo many years ago. Not the most comfortable position to wear it and the BK7 is even bigger than that.

I do have a frame with it, but I wo't be using it. tire cover is a good idea but I haven't seen any that comes in a hi-vis color.

I've thought about the paint / dye situation and I've come to the same conclusion with Nicodemus/ironraven. A raincover in a good color is probably a better choice over all.

I will probably still paint/dye the shoulder strap though. they look to be canvas or the like so the paint should stay.

Thanks.

david.

On some of the military forums, I have heard solders talking about spray-painting their packs, so it must work reasonably well, but they would be painting camo ON, not painting over camo...
Just a light dusting of spray-paint is needed, you do NOT want to coat the fabric, you just want a powder of paint on it, so that it does not get stiff...You can always spray some touch-up on it every year or so, if you are picky about that sort of thing...

It doesn't have to be super hi-vis, either.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JEEP-SUV-...043789527QQrdZ1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JEEP-SUV-...044080612QQrdZ1

Put one of these bad boys over your ALICE, and no one is going to mistake you for anything remotely military. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Now this one, this one just screams "They threw me out of the Taliban for bad behavior":

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JEEP-SUV-...041109988QQrdZ1

*grins*

On a more serious note:
http://www.discountvantruck.com/van/83_rv_van_tire_covers/continental_kits/vanvinyltirecover.htm red, maroon, blue
http://www.central4wd.com/category.aspx?page=id%7C15338 bunch of colors and sizes

Hope these help

Ironraven: LOL, they really are something, aren't they? and starting at $50 a piece!

just loaded the pack with my vehicle stuff, I think I should have gone with the large pack. LOL, I carry too much stuff in my car!

Looks like the cover will be the least time-involvement. wrap-and-go, I think it fits me the best.

hopefully the only time i will need this pack is like the last time I got trapped on the interstate in slushy snow. by then the camo really would be the least of my worries.

thanks

david.

Forget the spray paint. Go to your local fabric store and find some nylon/polyester fabric in a bright color. Cut out a large sqare or squares and sew onto your pack. Alternatively you can take some brightly colored vinyl tape and wrap the frame with it
When I was in Uncle Sams Canoe Club I wrapped the handle of my seabag /kitbags in a couple of contrasting colors so it could be spotted quicky in a big pile of green bags