Goto Chockstone Home

  Guide
  Gallery
  Tech Tips
  Articles
  Reviews
  Dictionary
  Links
  Forum
  Search
  About

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

  Shop
Chockstone Photography
Australian Landscape Photography by Michael Boniwell
Australian Landscape Prints





Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 25
Author
The ideal hiking pack

Jess
6-Jul-2006
7:28:10 PM
hi,
im looking into buying a hiking that would be used for both long and short camping and climbing trips, maybe even days trips when i have enough gear and possibly instead of a suitcase while travelling. i was just wondering what the ideal pack is, in terms of size, features, brand and price and what would be needed for these trips.
thanks
Jess

Super Saiyan
6-Jul-2006
8:16:49 PM
Hybrid Pack
JamieF
6-Jul-2006
10:03:33 PM
>im looking into buying a hiking that would be used for both long and short
>camping and climbing trips, maybe even days trips when i have enough gear
>and possibly instead of a suitcase while travelling. i was just wondering
>what the ideal pack is, in terms of size, features, brand and price and
>what would be needed for these trips.

Worry first and foremost about getting a pack with a good harness that sits well loaded up. I've had a really basic macpac hiking pack (ravine maybe?) for about 13 years that's been fine for hikes of up to a week, climbing trips and holidays. It's something like 65-70L. I used the same pack travelling overseas for a year as well and had no problems. I don't think a hybrid pack is a great idea personally. No real need to worry about the harness on planes with a hiking pack if you strap them down hard or even better, put your pack in one of those big plastic bags airlines often have. Also, my wife has a 65L macpac esprit, which has a much better harness than mine, and is apparently designed for women however I'm not sure exactly how the designs differ. I think from memory the esprit was about $400, but that was quite a few years back. Again, it has been on plenty of hikes and plenty of plane trips in various parts of the world and has performed really well.

climbau
7-Jul-2006
8:47:26 AM
I would agree with JamieF. Get the fit right for you!
+Look for firm foams in the waist belt and shoulder straps.
+ Soft squishy foams break down and flatten out quickly and don't distribute the weight as evenly. Test by squeazing(?) straps across their width and through the depth. Plastic sheeting is often used to give additional support, just make sure it is in conjunction with the firmer foams.
+ Foams should be laminated.
+The two ends of the hip belt should not meet (or come anywher near to meeting) at the front.
+There should be no sharp angles when the harness is fitted to your back
+ You can always get a pack tote bag, or have your pack shrink wrapped, or wrap it in tough plactic when travelling.
+ Try on packs with weight bags properly loaded (if there is a divider sleeve, sit the weight bags on top of it), and try as many packs as you can.
+ Think about your body size. If you are 5'1" and 45kg, you probably won't be able to carry an 80Lt pack full of ropes and climbing gear. However if you need to carry that sort of volume and weight of gear then thats a different story.
+ Bar-tack stitching on all straps and stress points (can be hard to see on some packs as they hide it under layers of material)
+Get brochures on the different pack brands and look at their sizing reccomendations. Each pack differs in its fitting procedure. The basics are the same, but the fine tuning may differ.
+ worry about features after fit.

I have a bias towards Macpac and WE packs due to the harness construction and materials used, but make sure whatever pack you get fits well.

I hope this helps
Have fun shopping
Andrew
kd
7-Jul-2006
10:03:15 AM
I recently got a macpac torre pack. Which for me fits great. Apparently the main difference between the womens fit, and the same back length mens/unisex fit is;

shoulder straps are narrower, so will be less likely to fall down, or require strapping to stay up.
Hip belt is more curved, to suit womenly hipx..

But that said I know other girls where they didn't like the fit of the at all.

As Climbau said, try on heaps loaded up, and you will soon get an idea of which brands harness system feels good to you... then take it from there.

nmonteith
7-Jul-2006
10:05:22 AM
> You can always get a pack tote bag

What are these worth - and where do i buy them? (normal city outdoor retailers?)
armyiain
7-Jul-2006
10:44:47 AM
I recently bought a MD Foxlite alpine climbing pack (heavily discounted). It is one of the most comfortable packs I have ever worn - plenty of room and extra compartments too.

Super Saiyan
7-Jul-2006
11:04:36 AM
On 7/07/2006 nmonteith wrote:
>> You can always get a pack tote bag
>
>What are these worth - and where do i buy them? (normal city outdoor retailers?)

Yep all the major brands stock them in various sizes... Good for packs with crap strapped on all over them. Securable and they save your straps on the conveyor belt...

Robb
7-Jul-2006
11:13:43 AM
I just bought a big sack made from poly like material in the bolivian markets and cut out some holes (4) for the shoulder straps. added some shock cord to the bottom to cinch it closed. the sack fits from the top down and the shock cord is on the bottom end of the pack.
the benefit is the bag looks non expensive , a good thing when travelling and can still carry it with the protecting bag on it.
cost me $2 and still lasting well after 4 years and many trips
James
7-Jul-2006
12:29:17 PM
On 7/07/2006 armyiain wrote:
>I recently bought a MD Foxlite alpine climbing pack (heavily discounted).
> It is one of the most comfortable packs I have ever worn - plenty of room
>and extra compartments too.

I've had nothing but problems with my MD's pack, numerous holes after only a small amount of use, & MD's didn't want to know about it when I complained. post-sale customer service was non-existent.

Romfrantic
7-Jul-2006
2:10:36 PM
On 7/07/2006 Super Saiyan wrote:
>On 7/07/2006 nmonteith wrote:
>>> You can always get a pack tote bag
>>
>>What are these worth - and where do i buy them? (normal city outdoor
>retailers?)
>
>Yep all the major brands stock them in various sizes... Good for packs
>with crap strapped on all over them. Securable and they save your straps
>on the conveyor belt...

Yep, I got a cheap 'krapmandu' tote (less than $40 from memory), which I use to protect my rucksacks from conveyor belts, etc. Have had it for 7+ years, been great on numerous o/s trips.

billk
7-Jul-2006
2:46:39 PM
On 7/07/2006 James wrote:
>On 7/07/2006 armyiain wrote:
>>I recently bought a MD Foxlite alpine climbing pack (heavily discounted).
>> It is one of the most comfortable packs I have ever worn - plenty of
>room
>>and extra compartments too.
>
>I've had nothing but problems with my MD's pack, numerous holes after
>only a small amount of use, & MD's didn't want to know about it when I
>complained. post-sale customer service was non-existent.

Is it canvas?

That's the only material strong enough for a cragging pack, that will have to deal with rough rocks, sharp branches etc.

There are some really nice looking alpine packs around made of cordura, which would probably be fine for ski-touring etc but can't stand up to cragging and bushwalking.

The person serving you should have asked about what you were going to be doing with the pack.

climbau
7-Jul-2006
2:51:58 PM
You can pay up to $120 for tote bags.
The really good ones have 450+ denier fabrics and features like shoulder straps, blah blah blah.
Most people I know make something for themselves.
You could always ask for a heavily discounted one when buying your pack.

Andrew.

gremlin
7-Jul-2006
4:48:28 PM
The best advice for packs is at: http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Packs.htm
armyiain
7-Jul-2006
6:47:23 PM
James, what MD store did you buy your pack from? I think it has a fair bit to do with the salespeople at each individual store. The Canberra guys are pretty good.
LGJ
8-Jul-2006
8:05:54 PM
I won't repeat all the good advice people have given re the harness etc.

All I can say is that whatever you get, make sure it's made by One Planet! They're the bomb! And bomber! And they're still made in Australia for Australian conditions (ie they'll last you a lifetime). Summit gear are the only other mob that still make their packs here, but they're a bit more specialised/limited range compared to one planet.

JamesMc
8-Jul-2006
9:03:22 PM
billk,
Why do you say canvas is more durable than Cordura?

I thought that the reason why canvas packs like my Macpac Torre have Cordura on the bottom was because Cordura is tougher than canvas.

About 20 years ago I had a Cordura Macpac Cascade, and the sack lasted really well in spite of lots of rough / scrubby bushwalking. I only retired it when the straps etc wore out. Canvas packs I have had since then have developed lots of little holes from rocks and scrub.


James Mc

climbau
10-Jul-2006
8:55:07 AM
Cordura seems to be a bit more hardier when it comes to certain types of abrasion.
If you pack something hard (i.e a gas canister) to the outside of your pack and then come a gutsa whilst walking and the pack hits a rock at the point where the gas canister sits, then canvas is more likely to cut through than cordura. However Canvas is much more weather proof. I have also heard that canvas will withstand general rubbing/abrasion better than cordura.
To prevent above mentioned cutting scenarios, just make sure you pack those hard solid items to the inside, or wrap them in softer articles.

LBJ wrote stuff re one planet:
I reckon their harnesses need more work, thay absorb heaps of water, snow sticks like shit to a blanket, and the foams are too soft (heaps comfy, but deform under heavy loads). The sacks are quite good, and it is nice to be made in Australia. And if you want to stay "made in Australia" then Sea to Summit is where my mone would go.
But, as always.....Horses for Courses.

shmalec
10-Jul-2006
12:44:48 PM
Have a macpac torre and very happy with it. Had it for 10 years and its very durable. The harness is wearing out on the shoulders but the rest is in great shape.

You want something that fits well and is durable. And get a size thats as big as you can carry comfortably.

It should be made from tuff stuff like the canvas macpac uses not the light nylon ripstop stuff. If you are going to fill it with climbing gear, skis, tents, crampons and all the other crap you drag around over the years then you want something that will go the distance.

Harness should be comfy without pressure points, particularly on your spine. Make sure its the waist belt thats taking the weight. Ignore anything gimicky.

If you take it to remote equipement , they will stick gear loops on the waist strap for the cost of a round of drinks.

billk
10-Jul-2006
1:18:37 PM
On 8/07/2006 JamesMc wrote:
>billk,
> Why do you say canvas is more durable than Cordura?
>
>I thought that the reason why canvas packs like my Macpac Torre have Cordura
>on the bottom was because Cordura is tougher than canvas.
>
>About 20 years ago I had a Cordura Macpac Cascade, and the sack lasted
>really well in spite of lots of rough / scrubby bushwalking. I only retired
>it when the straps etc wore out. Canvas packs I have had since then have
>developed lots of little holes from rocks and scrub.
>
>
>James Mc
>

Interesting to hear a counter-example. I've had a few friends complain about cordura packs not lasting too well when used for cragging.

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 25
There are 25 messages in this topic.

 

Home | Guide | Gallery | Tech Tips | Articles | Reviews | Dictionary | Forum | Links | About | Search
Chockstone Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | Landscape Photos Australia

Please read the full disclaimer before using any information contained on these pages.



Australian Panoramic | Australian Coast | Australian Mountains | Australian Countryside | Australian Waterfalls | Australian Lakes | Australian Cities | Australian Macro | Australian Wildlife
Landscape Photo | Landscape Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Fine Art Photography | Wilderness Photography | Nature Photo | Australian Landscape Photo | Stock Photography Australia | Landscape Photos | Panoramic Photos | Panoramic Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | High Country Mountain Huts | Mothers Day Gifts | Gifts for Mothers Day | Mothers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Mothers Day | Wedding Gift Ideas | Christmas Gift Ideas | Fathers Day Gifts | Gifts for Fathers Day | Fathers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Fathers Day | Landscape Prints | Landscape Poster | Limited Edition Prints | Panoramic Photo | Buy Posters | Poster Prints