If you are handy and have some woodworking tools you can make a two panel carrier that is very compact and lightweight for well under $2.

The design is similar to the Panel Pak but at 1/10th the cost as a DIY project.

You will need the following:

A table saw OR a Router / Router Table
Hand Miter Saw or Power Chop Saw for 45 Degree Cuts
Grabber Screws or something similar
Hand Drill, countersink and bits
Wood Glue
1x2x6 or x8 Pine Furring Strips or similar 1×2 or 1×3 lumber.

I prefer Basswood or Poplar to pine, but pine works fine. The higher grade lumber is much nicer to work with than the furring strips but the cost goes up a bit.

Using either a table saw or a router, cut a rabbet on both sides of the narrow edge of your 1×2 or into both sides and both edges if you are using a 1×3 board (to be ripped in half later, making two lenghts) so that the rabbet edges have a T shaped cross section. I cut mine 1/8″ deep on the widest sides of the boards and 3/16″ in from the edges to form a shelf to hold my 1/8″ thick panels. You may want to adjust that to fit the thickness of your panels.

If you routed both edges of a 1×3 or wider board, rip the board in half, giving you two finished lengths that are flat on one edge and T shaped on the other. 1×3 ripped in half lumber gives the perfect frame piece thickness for me. See the one with the 45 degree corners. It was made with 1×3 poplar, double routed and then ripped in half on the table saw. If you use 1/2 furring strips I would not recommend routing both edges and ripping in half. They end up too skinny like the smaller pieces with 90 degree corners are. I don’t make them like that anymore.

Cut the four sides of the frame using your miter box or chop saw, just like you would if you were making a picture frame but with the double rabbet inside the frame rather than a single sided rabbet. Measure from the inside of the rabbet and add 1/8″ to the dimensions of your panel so it will fit into the rabbet easily. You may need to experiment with this a bit to get it the way you like it.

Drill a pilot hole for a grabber screw diagonally across the 45 degree joint or at 90 degrees if you want to do 90 degree joints. 45 degree joints are much easier to do if you have a miter box or chop saw. 90 degree joints can be done with a table saw. I counter sink the heads on the grabber screws. Feel free to use other joining methods. I went with grabber screws because the look didn’t matter and it was cheap and easy.

Assemble and test with your panels without glue. If the panels fit, then glue it up and screw the corners tight, let dry 24 hours before using. Sand any rough spots and apply some oil or stain if you want it fancy.

Hopefully you can figure this out with the so-so photos. It is a pretty simple process. Exactly the same as making a picture frame. The photos show rotating panel retaining hardware from a frame supply source used hold the panels into the frames. A large rubber band from my experience is much better if you can find them. The metal parts on the rotating holders chew up the backs of your panels when stacking multiple carriers in your backpack or luggage. You can get larger rubber bands, 8″ and longer, on Amazon starting at about 13 cents each. Use enough to keep the panel from popping out if you dropped it by accident. (Test it…)

I will add the photos in a separate post.