A wet rib is a high volume accessory pocket that hangs from your backpack's shoulder straps, below the padded part, in front of your ribcage. It's super handy for carrying extra hiking gear, like a map, compass, gps, extra gloves, or hats, especially in winter, because it doesn't interfere with your hip belt the way a fanny pack does. Made by Mystery Ranch (formerly Dana Designs) wet ribs are hotly sought after, but nearly impossible to find because Mystery Ranch never has them in stock, and they're snapped up instantly when used ones appear on eBay or GearTrade.
If you've searched for similar pouch or pocket, you've probably found that there is not much out there to choose from. Quite a few folks use some sort of waist pack and turn it around so the pack is on the front. This requires that you offset the buckle so it's not in the middle of your back, but buckling your pack hip belt under it can be a nuisance.
Fortunately, it's not hard to make something yourself to address these issues. In this article, I'll show you 3 different projects to make your own wet ribs. Hopefully, one of them will fit your needs.
Materials
What you'll need for all these projects is:
- ¾" Strap webbing material
- Pack buckles
- 1″ Sternum Strap Adjuster Triglide Slides (available at Amazon)
I cannibalize old gear and collect these kinds of components so I usually have them handy. If you do not have such a collection to work with, you can easily purchase the hardware on the Internet from places like Strapworks.com or Ripstopbytheroll.com to name a few. Also handy for some of these applications is ¾" duct tape.
#1: Wanda's Walmart Rib
This is made from a $7 Outdoor Products waist pack I picked up at Walmart. I like this pack because it's reasonably big and large enough to hold gloves, a hat, your phone, a bandana, etc. There are also sewn-on loops on the sides of the pack. These offer attachment options beyond what I've done in this project.
This project takes about 10-20 minutes to complete and will come in well below $10. It's the easiest of the projects listed here.
Here's the finished product.
I was able to utilize the 1" straps that came with the pack for this project. On the left side of the picture below, I attached the triglide slide mentioned above.
I also added another slide to keep the strap from slipping out, but you could also sew the strap together, or staple it, and wrap some duct tape around the staple. Here's I simply duct taped it to the triglide slide, shown below.
#2: Wanda's Fanny Pack Rib
This wet rib is made from an old LL Bean waist pack that I found at the bottom of my gear closet. It's a good size for me and can hold my gloves, head band, arm warmers, map, etc.
Making the Fanny Pack Rib is also easy, but a little bit more involved. It's about a 2 on a scale of 1-5 in difficulty.
Here's the finished product.
The buckles on this project were part of a sternum strap system that was on a pack I retired. I love these buckles and they were essentially free. The straps that came on this pack were too wide to work with the triglides, so I turned the pack inside out, and with a seam ripper, ripped out the stitching that held the straps to the pack.
I cut appropriate lengths of ¾"strapping and carefully melted the edges over a burner on my gas range so they wouldn't fray. On the left side of the rib (above) you'll see that I looped a strap through the triglide. Then I inserted this loop in the hole I had made in the pack when I removed the old straps. I stitched it up with my sewing machine while the pack was still inside out. You could sew this by hand if you don't have access to a machine.
I used the same process on the other side using another piece of recycled strap and the rest of the buckle system from the old sternum strap. This project was entirely free and is probably my favorite of the 3 projects.
#3: Wanda's Dyneema Rib
This project was made from a size large Zipper Pouch Kit with Dyneema composite fabric purchased from Rip Stop by the Roll for $12.50 plus shipping.
Dyneema is an ultralight, abrasion and water-resistant fabric. The kit comes with ribbon to be used for loops on each side of the pouch, but I substituted more of my recycled strap material. There is a video online that helps in figuring out how to make the pouch along with instructions. I found that the video very helpful since there are no pictures with the instructions.
Here's the finished product.
This project requires a sewing machine and a little skill with using one. I'd rate it as a 4 in terms of difficulty on a scale of 1 to 5.
One of the hardest aspects was determining the proper tension for the machine so the stitches wouldn't be loose on the top face of the fabric. Dyneema is a little weird to work with that way. The other challenge was in putting together the zipper, although that probably gets easier with practice.
The buckle in this project is created the same way as the Walmart project, but uses a recycled buckle from my collection which is then duct taped to the triglide.
I find that this bag might be a little small for my needs, but it might work great for someone else. You could make a bigger version of this, but that would rate a difficulty of 5+ since you would need to buy all the materials piecemeal and make it from scratch.
Wrap Up
I hope these projects illustrate that anyone can make a perfectly fine wet rib out of a fanny pack. Simply find one you like that is the right size and has any other features you like. It's a bonus if you can use a fanny pack or pocket you already own. Then, attach the needed straps and buckles and you are set to go.
About the Author
Wanda Rice has been backpacking since the late 1980's. She has climbed the New Hampshire 48, the New Hampshire 48 in winter, the New England 67 and is working on the New England Hundred Highest and the Four-Season 48. Wanda also teaches for the Appalachian Mountain Club's (AMC) Mountain Leadership School, the AMC New Hampshire Chapter Spring and Winter Schools as well as the AMC NH Winter Hiking Series. She leads day and overnight trips for AMC NH year round and loves mentoring new leaders. She is a gear junkie, a self-proclaimed Queen of Gear Hacks and loves sharing her tips and tricks with others. Wanda lives in southern NH and is looking forward to moving closer to the mountains in the next few years.Editor's note: Help support this site by making your next gear purchase through one of the links above. Click a link, buy what you need, and the seller will contribute a portion of the purchase price to support SectionHiker's unsponsored gear reviews, articles, and hiking guides.
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