To Order a Mithril, Mithril II or Mithril III...

Because we want the pack to fit you perfectly, we've devised a somewhat involved ordering process.  So, we suggest you print these pages after you've read through them and referred to the examples.  After you're done, use the "back" button on your browser to return to the Mithril main page.

Step One

You'll need the following: two or three pieces of three foot long butcher, art or heavy wrapping paper; two push pins or pieces of masking tape; a fairly new (long) soft pencil; a magic marker; a tape measure; a bathing suit; a mirror; a six-pack of beer; a friend; a manila envelope; some stamps and some money.  Don't substitute cardboard or poster board for the paper, because you're not going to be able to fold the stuff small enough to get it into the manila envelope.  Further, you should choose the friend carefully and follow these instructions to the letter.  Otherwise, you risk ending up naked, painted blue and tied to a tree, and Moonbowgear cannot be held responsible for consequent delays in the ordering process.  

Step Two

Put the beer in the refrigerator.  Summon the friend and promise him the beer when you're done.  Pin or tape the paper to a wall with the top edge even with your ears.  (Don't lay the paper on the floor and try to follow this process while lying down, as you will not get an accurate result, and you'll probably just wind up going to sleep.)  Wearing the bathing suit, stand with your shoulder blades against the paper.  Stand normally - don't force either the back of your head or your shoulders against the paper, but hold your arms out from your sides just enough so that you can get the pencil under each arm.

Step Three

Tell the friend to put the beer back in the fridge and come help you.  Ask him to draw a pencil outline of your torso on the paper.  The outline should begin just below your ears and end just below your hip bones, including about six inches of each arm.  This is actually harder than it sounds and may take several tries.  In order to get an accurate outline, instruct the friend to hold the pencil near the eraser and keep it perpendicular to the wall as it gently touches your body on the way round.  To check the accuracy of the outline, have him step back several feet to see if the pencil outline barely appears while keeping his eyes perpendicular to the wall and the "edge" of your torso.  Tell him to pay particular attention to the accuracy of the outline of the neck and shoulders.  When he feels that the outline is right, have him go over it in magic marker.  (Note: make sure the marker will not bleed through the paper onto the wall.  You may need several layers of paper.)  The completed outline should look something like this.  

Step Four

Stay with your back against the wall and tell the friend that you're not finished, so please come away from the fridge.  Then have him reach behind you and find the protruding vertebra between your shoulders.  Once it's located, have him mark it's location on the paper with a finger.  Then step away from the paper, take the magic marker, make an "X" where his finger is (on the paper, not the finger), and label the "X" "vertebra."  The outline should now look something like this.

Step Five

Order the friend away from the fridge.  Then get back against the outline and have him make sure you're properly centered.  Pin the tape measure to your navel with your forefinger, and have him stretch the free ends of the tape horizontally around you until they touch the paper on each side.  Have him mark the paper (with the pencil) where the tape touches it.  Then tell him to go get the beer, for heaven's sake.  While he is rummaging around for snacks to go with the beer while making long distance calls on your phone, use the marks to find the location of your navel on the paper.  Unless there's something very interesting about you, your navel should be midway between the marks.  Put a second "X" in magic marker on the location of your navel.  Label this "X" "navel."  The outline should now look something like this.

Step Six

Tell the friend to take the beer, the snacks and the phone and go sit on the kitchen floor, which is easier to clean up.  Then measure the circumference of your chest, over your nipples, with the tape measure.  Record the measurement in magic marker midway between the outlines of your torso at the level of your nipples.  Then measure the circumference of your waist, over your navel, and record it in magic marker next to the mark labeled "navel."  Finally, measure the circumference of your hips over the points of your hip bones, and record the measurement in magic marker at the level of the points of your hip bones. The outline should now look something like this.

Step Seven

Pressing the tips of your thumbs into your sides, find the top of your hip bones (i.e., the top lateral "edges" of the pelvic girdle).  Then cajole your friend into crawling out of the kitchen and helping you mark their vertical location, relative to your navel, using a variation of the "pin-the-tape-measure" method described in Step Five.  To wit, using the tops of your thumbnails as a guide for the bottom edge of the tape, have the friend stretch the free ends of the tape horizontally around you until they meet over your belly.  Have him keep the tape as horizontal as possible.  If the tape is horizontal, the point where the ends meet will indicate where the top of your hip bones are in relation to your navel.  Mark the location of the top of your hip bones on your outline, using a "cross-inside-a-circle" symbol.  The outline should now look something like this.  

Last Step

Before you place your order, understand that backpacking is not for everyone.  It can be and often is a very strenuous activity, and while we don't consider it dangerous, it's not like carrying packages at the mall.  It entails genuine risks.  Falls are not uncommon, especially if you're carrying a heavy pack, and an injury twenty miles from the nearest road can be...interesting, to say the least.  So, if you plan to go backpacking with a Mithril, Mithril II or Mithril III, acquire the necessary knowledge and skill, prepare yourself physically and mentally, LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD, and be careful.  We really don't want to hear from your attorney that an enraged Mithril wrestled you to the ground and rolled you off a cliff.  Finally, note that all three packs are semi-custom items.  If you haven't already, please read the guarantee and return policies on the "The Mithril" main page.   

Still interested?  Then you've got more patience than we have, but go ahead and write your name, gender, height, weight, shipping address, home phone number and email address on the bottom left corner of the paper.  In the bottom right corner indicate which options you want included (or not included).  If you ever intend to carry a bear canister under the top flap, also write "bear canister" in the bottom right corner.  If you're ordering a Mithril III, on the back of the paper list the upper-body clothing you'll normally be wearing under the pack.   Make out a check to Moonbow.  If you want a "standard" white Mithril, the cost will be $250.00 plus $10.00 for Insured Priority Mail shipping inside the U.S.  If you want a "standard" white Mithril II, the cost will be $275.00 plus $10.00 for Insured Priority Mail shipping inside the U.S.  If you want a "standard" white Mithril III, the cost will be $300.00 plus $10.00 for Insured Priority Mail shipping inside the U.S. Contact us about the cost of shipping a pack outside of the U.S.

The cost of each option (effective 03/01/04) is as follows:

• If you want a Mithril without a hip belt, subtract $15.00 from the cost of the "standard" Mithril (this option is not available on the Mithril II and III).

• If you want the pack without one side pocket, subtract another $5.00.  Double it for two.

• If you want no hydration bladder/drying pocket or snow shovel pocket, subtract another $7.00.

• If you want an elongated side pocket, add $12.50.  Double it for two (standard on the Mithril II and III).

• If you want a Spectra^TM hydration bladder pocket, add $10.00.

• If you want a custom-fit Spectra^TM snow shovel pocket, add $12.50, but email us before sending in your order (standard on the Mithril III).

• If you want a zippered map pocket in the top flap, add $12.50.

• If you want a non-removable 250 c.i. top lid with a zippered opening on either the front or back of the lid, add $25.00.

• If you want underbody straps on a Mithril that will allow you to carry a sleeping bag under the pack, add $7.00 (standard on the Mithril II and III).

• If you want 2" hip belt straps and associated hardware on a Mithril (recommended if you're going to regularly carry 25 to 35 pounds, necessary if you insist on carrying more, and standard on the Mithril II and III), add $5.00.

• If you want the Mithril or Mithril II's standard hip belt permanently attached, subtract $7.00.

• If you want a Mithril or a Mithril II with the Mithril III's non-removable hip belt with a stiffening element and 2" hip belt straps, add $15.00.

• If you want a fitted pack liner, add another $22.00.

• If you want a fitted pack cover, add another $32.00.  Please specify color (we recommend gray).

• Email us regarding gear attachment loops, hip belt pockets, or other unspecified options.

• Finally, if you want a "stealth gray" pack, add $30.00.

Fold the paper, put it in the manila envelope with the check, attach the appropriate postage, and mail it to Moonbow, P.O. Box 25, Glencliff, New Hampshire, 03238.  On the way to the Post Office, drop the friend, the beer and the snacks off at your ex's.  Grin all the way home.  If there are any problems with your order, we'll contact you.  For instance, if you're very tall, big around or have extra appendages we might have to make a fully custom pack for you.  Otherwise, you should expect a pack in the mail in eight to sixteen weeks (remember that you're ordering a semi-custom pack that will be customized expressly for you and handmade in the good ole USA by a highly skilled craftswoman).