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Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

Author

Duffle Bag/backpack

russianSpy

20-Jan-2010
2:13:58 PM

so i'm in the glorious US of A at the moment, wasting money on all the shiny goodness that it almost half price here as opposed to back home. It will definitely require another bag/backpack to bring it back in so I might as well go for something I will use again and again.

Seeing how most of the shopping is done online anyway (at this stage), I figure I'll ask for personal experience as to what you guys have found sturdy, comfortable and most importantly, durable. Oh, and preferrably light =) that won't make me cry too much whilst carrying 30+kgs. I DON'T want an expedition bag at this stage though, so figure a good duffle with comfortable backstraps is the go..

any words of wisdom?

Fish Boy

20-Jan-2010
2:47:17 PM

If you want to carry 30kgs or more, you will want an "expedition" pack as you call it. That is a good anount of weight, and any cheaper backpack will have a lesser quality harness.

The most important single factor in a big back pack designed to carry weight is the harness. Does it fit you well, can it be adjusted if you are wearing different cloths and is it comfy.

Try it on in a shop with the weight in it. Leave it on for half an hour and see what happens.

Lurking Dave

21-Jan-2010
1:19:44 PM

TNF duffel bag. Since getting one 7 years ago backpacks have been redundant (except for dedicated trekking expeditions)

LD

nmonteith

21-Jan-2010
1:32:30 PM

I use a light weight duffel bag (pack cover?) that my main backpack can fit inside. On flights i put the back pack inside it, and fill the empty space with other crap. On arrival at my destination i split it into two bags - the duffell bag is for stuff i leave in the car day to day (clothing, books ect) and the backpack is what i take cragging each day. The duffel bag is compact enough that it can be folded up and stuffed in the top lid of my backpack, so if i HAVE to walk with all my stuff i just stuff the backpack, clipping extra stuff to the outsides as much as i can. That way i can march around major airports and bus terminals comfortably. The duffell bag i have can hold 35kg without the shoulder strap breaking - although my shoulder does break.

russianSpy

21-Jan-2010
3:54:50 PM

Sweet, thanks for your replies so far.
by the way,I realise that I can also read reviews on gear forums and all that, and search by how many stars each item is given, and all that =)

There's a few options out there, thus me asking for personal experience with them. from people I know or know of. (maybe)

Neil and Dave,that's pretty much exactly the type I'm after.
Neil, what brand/name is your bag if you don't mind?

Dizzy

21-Jan-2010
4:19:37 PM

I second this. TNF duffels are excellent (unlike the rest of their gear) - tough as buggery and not that uncomfortable to lug around when fully loaded. I bought mine when I was in the same position as you - in the US, loading up on cheap goodies and wanting a bag that would be used again and again. Since then, it's my duffel of choice for trips to NZ when it's fully loaded with mountain gear.

nmonteith

21-Jan-2010
4:44:43 PM

I bought the bag from Bogong Equip in Melb - but it doesn't seem to have a brand name on it? It's much more foldable and simple than the North Face bags.

russianSpy

22-Jan-2010
12:26:56 PM

TNF it is then... all the online reviews seem to rave about them, too!

I don't really like internet shopping for bags, gear is so much easier to choose (probably since I know what I want there and used it before)

cheers for your replies, guys!

There are 8 messages in this topic.