"Yuppie Packs"

[dirtypants]

In kentucky I had two different people pick me up and comment on my pack. I feel if I didn't have my 80$ "Yuppie Pack" I may not have got the ride. But make sure you buy a nice "Yuppie Pack" not all are what they're cracked up to be. This pack was "Name Brand" but not that comfortable. I even let others wear it for hours at a time to make sure it wasn't me. I now roll with a cfp-90, free, army Navy store Ohio, just had to sew the straps back on. Sure I'd love to have a 200 dollar pack that felt like a jet pack and would morf to fit in any space needed with the camilion fabric on the back. I guess I just don't work that hard.
Does anyone have that new cell phone with mind link function :idea:

 

[dirtyfacedan]

Fuck anyone who deliberately uses cheaper gear for punk points. I've never really gotten shit for my pack, though someone threatened to cut the straps off in an unrelated incident. If you're going to pay for one, go to REI and then you can keep exchanging packs when something breaks.

It works at MEC in Canada as well. I just brought in a pack, the guy at the desk said i was over loading it, and let me use it to get a bigger one. Even after 6 months of use, and many rides.

 

[Antics]

MEC is extremely easy to steal from too.

 

[Matt Derrick]

after rocking various alice packs and other backpacks for years (and having a LOT of back pain), i finally broke down and bought a deuter hiking bag for 150 bucks... and let me tell ya, it was WORTH EVERY PENNY. those bags are fucking amazing. i can carry 3 times more than most people (it has a really good hip design), and after 3-4 years it's still going strong. it's waterproof too. so yeah, paying some money for a good bag isn't always a bad thing. :wink:

 

[kai]

waterproof and comfortable...for 150 bucks? that`s not a bad deal at all...now that I think about it I am getting a little sick of un-padded leather straps and agonizing frames...i always just went military cause they held up better then other packs. I`m gonna do my research.

 

[byrdster7891]

i have a swiss mountain puckpack that i got from a surplus. the straps were kinda harsh so I stole some thick fluffy material and made shoulder pads. other than that its the best pack ive had yet. its waterproof, not too big and fits my back perfect. i guess it doesnt work for everyone because im small, but its only 20 dollars and its waterproof. :S

 

[Cush]

a "yuppie pack" is the only type i will EVER own. I do a lot of serious camping so i owned one anyway. I have a kelty durango with 1400 cubic inches of space. I tend to carry more than the average traveler but that's because i come from a camping background so i carry a lot of frivolous extras. it holds everything i need plus more and it's comfortable enough to sprint with even if i have 40 pounds of gear in it. i've got pockets on the side for easy access at important stuff and i have straps on the outside to hold things like a tent or a bedroll depending on the weather. i love my 120 dollar pack and i won't use anything else until this one gets so old and beaten that it falls apart while on my back(which, judging by it's durability, won't ever happen.)

 

[dirtyfacedan]

I just got a new 80L pack...i spent 155 bones on it. I gave my old one away to an after work drinkin buddy. I like having a good pack. I guess i'm gettin old early, but my joint's are starting to hurt a bit....and juice squirting out from my joints. Every bit of comfort is nice to have...even though i can't really afford it...it only cuts into my drinking a bit, (Canadian booze ain't cheap).

About the stealing from MEC....the people who work there know the dif between someone who steals for use...and someone who steals for useing. They don't forget where they come from...they are explorers, like us.

 

[rideitlikeyoustoleit]

When I travel I just use any kind of back pack (waterproof) that I can get my hands on. I bought a really good, small, mummybag and a really big compression sack, so with my sleeping bag, clothes, and most other stuff in the compression sack, all I need is a regular back pack, and I usually still have plenty of room. Granted, I travel really light, though.

 

[jack ransom]

When I travel I just use any kind of back pack (waterproof) that I can get my hands on. I bought a really good, small, mummybag and a really big compression sack, so with my sleeping bag, clothes, and most other stuff in the compression sack, all I need is a regular back pack, and I usually still have plenty of room. Granted, I travel really light, though.

I envy streamliners such as yourself but just can't seem to do it. traveling in the midwest/northeast for months and during the fall can be no joke and the extra gear makes travel a lot more enjoyable for me personally. maybe I'm just a wuss!

 

[spoorprint]

I've got an Rei Mars but I'm not that happy with it.I miss the way external frame pack pockets help you organize-and that you can always lash more to them.Then again,I
used them mostly for hiking and thumbing, I have no train experience.

As for the issue of color, can't you improvise a pack cover out of a tough trash bag?
Thats what I always did when I needed a raincover. Cut two vertical slits (not all the way to the bottom) in the bag, then put the bag over the pack and pull the shoulder straps through the slits. Should camouflage the pack.

 

[Poking Victim]

I've got an Rei Mars but I'm not that happy with it.I miss the way external frame pack pockets help you organize-and that you can always lash more to them.Then again,I
used them mostly for hiking and thumbing, I have no train experience.

I have the same pack. There are a few things I'm not happy about as well. The way the top pocket is connected to the rest of the pack sucks.

 

[spoorprint]

The top pocket rides loose,and while its supposed to detach for use as a fanny pack, I can't see how to do that without cutting a couple straps.Also, the sleeping bag compartment divider creates a small awkward sleeping bag space, and is kind of irrelevant since the pack is a panel loader.I'm reluctant to take scissors to such an expensive thing, but it could use modifications.

Gee, I'm off to any awfully negative start here, aren't I?

 

[TBone]

Well I ended up getting a Mountainsmith Cross Country 3.0

http://www.mountainsmith.com/products.asp?productId=76&categoryId=8&subCategoryId=7&subCategory2Id=1

Last night I loaded all the shit from my Alice pack and everything came in at about 22 lbs. minus food, water, and beer. The 22lbs felt like 10lbs compared to my old pack. I think I only have a few little qualms about it though. I miss the external pockets the alice pack had but most of these packs don't seem to have pockets along the lines of the alice. My big ol' military bag doesn't fit in the sleeping bag compartment but with the extra space in the bag itself it's not that big a deal to just throw it in with everything else. I have been wanting to get a light weight 3 season bag once winter is over so that would take care of that.

The way the bag feels and carries a load is fucking awesome though. Overall I'm really happy with it I just need to get used to organizing it and remember the pockets, straps, etc.

 

[macks]

I picked up an external frame Outdoor Products pack that fits me quite nicely for 35 bucks at a second hand store. It's not completely waterproof but the top flap has a thick uhh "rubber-ish" layer on the underside so anything right under that will be dry. I like it because it's simple and you can strap stuff onto the bottom of it. Oh, and the little tiny pouches on the side that are great for keeping the small shit (guitar picks, sharpie, toothbrush, etc..) from disappearing into your clothes or whatever.

It's way better than my neon turquoise oversized single-pocket hand-me-down chionard equipment bag, altough it served me (and others) well in it's time. But man, it was a pain in the ass to have to pack the things you think you won't need in the VERY bottom then be a day out and have to repack EVERYTHING in the bag to get that thing you didn't think you'd need for a while.

My only problem is that my new bag is bright red, not only my least favorite color but very easy to notice in the bushes. I was thinking about just spray painting it black.. anyone done this before?

 

[macks]

sweet, i'll do that. thanks

 

[finn]

I'm a streamliner, but I try to avoid long trips and bad weather, since wet and cold will mean serious misery. All my rides will have to have wind protection and probably from the rain as well. Extra insulation comes in the form of free newspapers, which I can crumple up and stuff into layers of clothing. Needless to say, you stay warm only if you stay dry. I like streamlining, because after I clean up, I can blend in and not have to lug around so much stuff. If I were seriously traveling, I probably wouldn't carry a small pack.

 

[hellomonday]

Just get a rubber maid container and a bottle of liquid rit-dye and boil water and soak the pack... I dyed my pack this way and I love it.

holy hell i love rit! i dyed my pack to a really nice brown color really easily. rit has never dissapointed me yet.

 

[BenjiRidesBoxcar]

interesting to see this thread posted. I was curious about the dangers of wearing an expensive pack. I had been using a cheap pickle pack i picked up at a drop in for while. That shit sucked balls. It held a fuckload of gear, but the pain in the shoulders was unbearable. After a year I switched to the cheap alice pack (without frame, the canvas one). Then, I got my hands on an "REI Bag" it was free so I was all over it. I was hesitant to use it, considering the fact that I would be walking around some sketchy neighborhoods in my future travels. Boy was the REI pack a comfortable fit. On top of that there was a water balloon (similar to that of a camel-back or whatever you call it). The pack weighs about a pound and a half itself, and has a VERY COMFORTABLE FIT. It's a really good pack too. The hardest part was parting with my old pack. But after seeing the advantages I had, catching on the fly was much more easy and SAFER. I noticed that your body takes time to adapt to the pack if you are used to another pack, but after 2 days, you get used to it. I did have some thoughts running through my head. Mostly worrying that other riders would assume i was some railfan bitch. I was wearing what was once a white t shirt that is now caked dark brown with filth and overalls that hadnt been washed in over 2 years. I mean shit. It looks kinda funny when theres some bummy lookin fellow with a bright colored pack. That's when i thought of smearing charcoal all over it. Worked like a charm.

And fuck those dickbags that say shit cause "you lost punk points"

they can be little foamer kids and go get mauled by some happy homebums.

Cheers n Beers

-benji

 

[Ravie]

i like this thread. I just finally bought be one of these. it was getting top heavy up in here so i had to. alice packs are great, but not for some people. fucked with my shoulders majorly because my muscles are at a slant and not horizontal it was cutting off circulation and totally fucking with my balence. lets put it this way, if i tried to hop a train with that thing ide die. haha so i found me a great one for $80 at big5. trying it out for the first time tonight.