"Yuppie Packs"

[the wizard]

i've had a magelin sport pack for like 2 years and last summer turned it to shit. i'm probably going to get an alice pack soon.

 

[Sydney]

lol, cute

 

[Sydney]

the above comment isnt spose to be there, its spose to be on page 1 under the girl with the pink packs comment... whatevers

 

[dharma bum]

i had a 50L granite gear vapor trail that got me through a LOT of trail-hiking. it's the most comfortable and practical pack ever. top loading with optional lid (sold separatly) with 2 outside pockets (for maps or water bottles, etc.). very little straps and zippers to cut down on weight. that's good and fine when trying to average 15-20 miles a day, but while traveling, i've stuck with my A.L.I.C.E. pace. it's virtually indestructable and you can strap all kinds of stuff to it. i'm thinking about looking into some of the M.O.L.L.E. packs though.
anyone have any experience with these?

 

[GutterGrayse]

I had a Cabela's bag for a grip, and it treated me very well. I don't think I ever carried more than 50 lbs in it (because I was carrying some of someone else's gear. heh), and even then it was still fairly comfortable. I think they're well worth their money. I would first checkcraigslist or a thrift store for them for cheap, yup's are always gettin' rid of them.

 

[ericafuckyea]

i had a light blue kelte pack for a minute. people made stupid comments. "did your mom buy that for you? har har" actually she did, she's a nice lady and we have a pretty good relationship. that thing not only kept me from fucking up my back and was hella comfortable plus fit all my shit easily, but it litterally saved my fucking life. Four years ago I was walking down the street in elisabeth new jersey (on the sidewalk) and got hit from behind by a semi truck. true story. it hit my pack, and this thing had such a diesel internal frame that i was pretty much unharmed by the impact, just fucked up my face when it hit the pavement. so yeah, i'm all about kelte packs. <3

 

[Myechtatel]

damn. me and my girlfriend bought 2 Kelty Trekkers. They're fucking awesome. I love external frame packs and Kelty's are solid and comfortable as hell.

 

[CXR1037]

REI REI REI REI <33333

I bought an REI membership and an REI Flash 50 pack, used the hell out of it, and when one of the zippers broke, they let me just grab a new Flash 50 off the racks and I was good to go!

 

[Myechtatel]

Yeah I've heard about their amazing return policy. im gonna have to look into a membership. seems like a sweet deal.

 

[Nelco]

View attachment 23158

 

[MrD]

Yeah I've heard about their amazing return policy. im gonna have to look into a membership. seems like a sweet deal.

You dont NEED a membership. ANY returns are accepted and you get store credit, not cash. Still pretty sweet!!

 

[CXR1037]

Member dividend, plus coupons make membership EPIC WIN. Only if you are going to be doing a lot of purchasing, though.

 

[murdermittenkid]

i scraped a car the other day and got enough money to get a new pack and boots.but then i foound boots at the thrift store that fit perfect and were brand new.then i got the osprey kestrel 48 pack for 150.00 and it was worth every penny.its the best fitting pack i ever had and looks like its going to last along time.

 

[trotsky]

Are there any downsides to external frames aside from the size? found an old Bean external at the dump a little while ago.

 

[Myechtatel]

^i'd say in general there are a lot more pros than cons. more durable, easier to strap shit to, stands on it's own, doesn't collapse when it's empty, holds loads better,, etc.

 

[stove]

The only significant downside is heat. Specifically, external frame packs are better in the heat, because they are not directly ON your back, so the wind gets through Conversely, that means that in the cold, an external frame won't keep your back as warm as an internal frame pack.

Otherwise, it's just a different shaped back. Usually wider, but easier to pack correctly and much harder to fuck up, unlike most of the internal frame packs.

 

[trotsky]

I reckon if it's that cold I'll be wearing a coat or something anyway so it won't matter? but thanks!

 

[Myechtatel]

^he's saying it's better in the heat, not the cold. and i totally agree. travelling in the south a lot i couldnt imagine using an internal frame pack.

 

[SleazeLightning]

I've been using an osprey bag...atmos 65 is the exact model. Super comf to wear and does great for lightweight thru-hiking. Dropped a few extra clams on it (I think it ended up being $230) but if you skimp on gear you spend more long term in replacement costs. Fuck...230 bucks?? If it were rent it would pay for a month if you're lucky! Dropping some extra loot on a portable home-in-a-sac ain't nothing to bitch about.

 

[ksleet]

I have an osprey pack as well it's the aerial 65, the pack is comfortable as all get out, you can load it down if you've got to and you won't feel as though you're carrying every bit of weight that you are. The fabric is fairly durable although it's not military, after about a year of use it only has a few tears in it, I could have seen getting two or more out of it before that train got off with it I carried an REI pack for a little bit although the fabric was not nearly as durable it's suffered some structural damages in terms of the straps where you attach the sleeping bag. I would say going for comfort and durability and your not going to get that unless you were in the military with an A.L.I.C.E pack, but you definately will with a M.O.L.L.E pack (those will run the same as a nice backpacking" pack, they are made by Arc'teryx which makes backpacking gear too). It's worth it to spend a few extra bucks on your home if you can.