Wow. Great guide. I stopped after removing the screws cause I knew I’d never be able to put it all back together. I just sprayed silicone in every opening in the now-accessible shaft I could find. It was a wrestling match to get to those screws and line all the parts back up to screw it back together. I lost a screw, but the handle now goes all the way down. A lot of effort and maybe an hour to make a $10 purchase at Goodwill a great deal! Thanks!

Wow. Great guide. I stopped after removing the screws and accessing the whole shaft—was sure I’d never get it back together again if I continued. I used some silicone in all the openings of the shaft I could find and the handle is now telescoping all the way down. It was a wrestling match to get the screws back in (rivets prevent fully opening the velcroed top) but I did, and now with blackened hands, I have a fully working backpack that I picked up for $10 at Goodwill. (And I only lost one screw!) Thank you!