Packin' it!
Original post
Sooooo......
Normally, I'm a light tramper. Well, my gear is at least. :P
However, I'm moving towards working only 6 months of the year, hopefully as of 2017.
And as such, I plan on spending EXTENDED periods in the backcountry. I'm not talking TA. I'm talking hitting track after track. I'm talking weeks in Fiordland and other regions.
So, my pack requirements are about to change DRASTICALLY.
I haven't bought a large pack, except a secondhand Tatonka for $20, in..... well, ever actually.
5 months meandering through the jungles and towns of SE Asia, all I had was a 34L Osprey.
I have a Hunter's Element pack, about 45L I think, but seriously, it's crap. The collar has ripped, and buckles are breaking. Terrible pack as far as durability goes.
So suggestions for large capacity, durable yet hopefully not weighing a tonne, preferably comfortable packs would be greatly appreciated.
I do not care what it costs. I'm going to be living out of it for 6 months at a time. Even one or two thousand is peanuts considering it'll basically be my home. Actually, I'll be living out of it all year round. When not hitting the tracks I'll be working as an extended-tour guide.
Cheers in advance for your suggestions and thoughts. :)
Found this list. http://www.cleverhiker.com/best-backpacking-backpacks/
Does anyone have any personal experience with any of them?
Ospreys are nice, I have a couple. But Aarn packs are probably worth a look ?
Local suppliers -
http://www.aarnpacks.com/new-zealand
I suppose the issue is how much food you want to carry. I have an Osprey Atmos AG 65, easily handles 4 days of food (max I've used). I've bought it to do the Richmond Alpine Track one day, so needed a pack to hold 5 to 6 days of food, and I think it'll be fine for that. 90 litres sounds like it's going to be such a heavy pack that it'll slow you down so much, that'll be self-defeating, i.e. due to the heaviness it slows you down, so takes you more days, so you need more food, which makes the pack even heavier, etc etc.
I don't know about the need for water in NZ environments, never have found that to be an issue (especially with our hut system), so I'm only counting food.
the packs in the cleverhiker list wont last if you're doing any bush bashing.
macpac, cactus or heavier osprey or deuter if you're doing much of that.
its hard to go lighweight packs with a big load, its not that comfortable
Is it osprey that have a bullet proof life time warranty?
That could be a consideration.
http://www.ospreypacks.com/us/en/customer-support/all-mighty-guarantee :)
Was thinking more about practicality and comfort of the pack if you're going to be living out of it for long periods. Who wants an uncomfortable impractical pack that lasts forever ?.
The Aarn packs are designed to be light weight but with high mobility with load capacity. Durability ?. Not sure.
@Kreig, what size are you thinking you will need?
I've got a 56L Osprey so I can carry 10 days worth of food, this includes all of Frank's dinners. He carries the tent though.
Jordan Reed has got an Australian pack that is amazingly robust for very heavy packs. He often was carrying 40kg loads when he was in the snowy section of the TAT.
You can find out the brand by googling Wirednomads. He's on FB too.
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| Forum | Gear talk |
|---|---|
| Started by | Kreig |
| On | 30 October 2016 |
| Replies | 36 |
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