Trying to get from A to B with a unicycle has been a constant struggle since I started unicycling around 2016. I’ve had many attempts trying to ride a bike and carry the unicycle at the same time, which is stupidly dangerous. There are a couple of unicycle backpacks available for sale around the web, but they all look either uncomfortable or unsuitable while riding a bike. Often the only solution was to drive or walk, so I decide to make a backpack myself.
The original backpack
I asked for ideas on how to make the backpack at my local makerspace and someone suggested that I find a cheap hiking backpack and use it as a starting point, instead of building it from scratch. I’m very glad they did because I might never have thought of it and gone on to reinvent the wheel.
This is the original backpack. I bought it secondhand because I figured a broken one could go to better use as a unicyle backpack that buying an new one and tearing it apart. I wanted a bag that clipped at the waist to take most of the weight and also the chest to keep the unicycle close to my body. It also needed thick padding where the the crank would meet my back.
Quick prototype
I took off the the bag portion of the backpack and conveniently all the parts I wanted to keep seemed to be assembled into one unit before adding the bag, so I was left with a fully function bag-less backpack. To test the idea, I used a bum bag to secure the wheel and I used a loop of velco on the panel to keep the neck of the unicycle in place.
Building the backpack
The modifications ended up being quite simple. I used one of the panels and some of the clips from the original bag to support the wheel from below and I rotated the velcro so it was oriented with the neck of the unicycle. Other than tidying up the edges that was it and the new backpack was fully functional.
What’s next?
I would like to add some pockets or possibly even another bag that can be attached on top of the unicycle to carry the rest of my equipment too. But I’m still trying to figure out what exactly that should look like. And I would also like to make it look a bit nicer if possible.