Macpac not as good as it used to be

I think Macpac has always been relatively heavy. Its points of difference in the past (besides patriotic loyalty) have been extreme durability and local manufacturing and support/repair by people in a better position to directly understand what's important for local conditions. Not so long ago, you could call up Macpac and ask for a custom variation of one of their existing products, and they'd just do it and apply their expertise, but it can no longer operate that way. When Macpac restructured I think much of the reason for New Zealanders to prioritise it over other options disappeared. That's the decision it's made to keep the company afloat, however, in an environment with an increasing amount of competition from overseas. From a business perspective it seems to be working okay with its more global model. In doing so, however, it's reduced its appeal in a niche range of tramping and other outdoorsey people which it used to cater to.

heavy gear was made specifically to deal with nz's traditional tramping tracks overgrown and requiring a certain amount of bush bashing lightweight gear originates in the northern hemishere where there little bushbashing going on.

macpac make alpine gear too... no bush bashing going on there :/

I bought a Macpac Explorer last year - it's a great little pack, but during its second trip out the stitching on one side of the sternum strap unraveled completely. They fixed it no questions asked, but it was a pretty rough repair and I had to push hard to get it back quicker than the 7-10 days I was originally told. Given their reputation the whole experience was a bit of a let down really.

No point in transferring the old Macpac's reputation onto the new reality. Totally different businesses so far as I can see. Gone are the good old days of superlative quality and service. I'm even wearing a pair of 'Wilderness' polyprop leggings as I type, they are indestructible!

I still feel that Macpac is better quality then the likes of Kathmandu and probably Mountain Design. But their sale price is the most expensive of the three. Out of the three I probably spend the most at Mountain Design (the cheapest), and the less at Kathmandu. If you want top of the line quality, then the only option is to pay quite a bit more and purchase the likes of Cactus, Wear On Earth or EarthSeaSky.

depends what you're doing, if you're not bush bashing then cactus and earth sea sky can be over heavy overkill. theres plenty of other good brands out there that arent nearly as heavy.

I've got 2 Osprey Exos packs. This is the lightweight range. I regularly bushbash with them and did so with the GoLite I had. They have been all been absolutely fine with the abominable treatment I have dealt to them so far. I stopped using the GoLite because I needed to wear a pack with a mesh hammock back for my hot flushes because the close fitting GoLite gave me a heat rash on my back. That said, when I deliberately tossed a full Nazomi Fairydown 50 metres down a bluff onto scree, all it got was a scratch on the lid! Very impressed.

Lost a long post due to the forum logging me out.... Both ESS and Cactus have a few light weight options. I quite like my Miklat Pack, its certainly is minimalistic. But lightweight, durable and compact. Although not overly comfy for heavy loads. In my experience nylon packs are strong when new, but UV can take a toll. So with heavy use the fabric might tear after 5-6 years. But with quality packs now costing under $200 I happy with that life expectancy. I to own a Opsrey Exos, impressed with the quality, design and affordability of the Osprey range. I do like the look of the Deuter Packs but hard to justify the price.

I think the only non-clothing ESS do are pack towels and the Gecko Guard (DWR spray). Interesting about the Miklat though. My partner now wants to check it out in a store somewhere.