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. :)
37 comments
Jordan's pack was a One Planet McMillan Backpack 85L (epxpandable to 95L). I didn't think they made them that big.
I'm thinking this one.... https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/4400-porter.html
Light, good capacity, waterproof. Durable? Not sure. Reviews read favourably though.
And as for a tent.....
http://zpacks.com/shelters.shtml with the free-standing tent poles.
Also, for those times when I'm going sub-alpine, not too hard a tramp, with a plan to hang around for awhile....
https://www.tentsileaustralia.com/products/flite
Have to agree with Gaiters,the Macpac Cascade 85L.Yes it weighs 2,9kg.But it`s bulletproof & oh so comfortable with a multi-day load aboard.Get a reputable shop to fit it to YOU,with 20kg in it.It makes a big difference.Yes,I have one.
I like my Zephyros 1, but that's for short, quick trips. I think the Hexamid, given it's total weight (including free-standing poles) is under 1kg, it could be THE go-to tent. A two-person tent lighter than a one-person? Free-standing or secured? Full tent or tarp only? Versatile, relatively spacious, and light enough to pack EVERY time.
Winner winner, chicken dinner!
Cheers Lew. Appreciate it. But 3kg of pack? I've already got that with my Tatonka. And I like the idea of a roll-top. Compresses down for smaller loads really well.
I had a roll top (GoLite) and used it with a sea to summit packliner to give me confidence that my gear would stay dry.
IMHO, you probably won't need too robust a pack if you're carrying gossamer gear like the Z Packs tent. My GoLite for e.g. was made of Dyneema (Spectra) and withstood bushbashing just fine.
I notice Macpac do a dyneema-based fabric and have a 40L pack weighing only 600g like my GoLite was. (I got rid of the GoLite because my Osprey has a lovely gap against my back and the GoLite was making me too hot with the hot flushes I was getting).
I have an Aarn pack but never use it because I enjoy my Osprey too much, especially with the cheeky front pockets I tied on to it using sandal bags and shoe laces - sorry, Aarn.
I like the look of that Hyperlite Mountain Gear 70 L pack - big enough for a long trip but they've kept it quite simple and as a result light enough. 3 kg for a pack seems way over the top now days, sure they're tough, but a lot of the weight is in the excessive features - pockets here and there, zippers, buckles, lots of adjustments all over the place.
If you can keep the rest of your gear light, the savings cascade as you don't need as big or as heavy a pack to carry it all. I'll be curious to see how that zpacks tent goes under the use you'll put it to.
I have some fabric from them, am building my own fly/tent at the moment, aim is to fit me and the three kids with insect protection for a similar weight to one of these tents.
cuben fibre of the hyperlight mountain gear packs has poor abrasion resistance
Yeah Honora, I keep umming and ahhing about Aarn packs. I know some people who swear by them, and others who tend to revert to a more traditional pack.
If Aarn made these out of cuben fiber (which he does, but not at the moment) I might consider it, but I really like the simplicity of the HMG Porter.
Ian, I'll be curious as to how the Hexamid Duo goes too! :D
@waynowski:
It looks like the fabric of these hyperlight mountain gear packs is a woven polyester - cuben fibre hybrid. The lightest cuben fiber fabric they use on tents and the like is a polyester membrane with non woven dyneema threads reinforcing it. Its strong for it's weight and completely waterproof, doesn't absorb any water, but as you say, not very abrasion or puncture proof.
This pack material is 150 denier Dyneema®/Poly hybrid, so it will be a woven polyester fabric on the outside, polyester menbrane on the inside, dyneema thread reinforcing in between, so it should be reasonably abrasion resistant.
One big thing about this polyester membrane material is that the sticky tape made of the same stuff sticks to it extremely well on the polyester membrane side, so you can make quick and permanent waterproof repairs to it quite easily. The dyneema reinforcing means it doesn't stretch so that also stops a patch from popping off in use.
All these 'normal' woven canvas/nylon/polyester fabrics won't hold an adhesive patch for long, so you end up having to hand sew a patch on which is a pain / non waterproof / comes off again.
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| Forum | Gear talk |
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| Started by | Kreig |
| On | 30 October 2016 |
| Replies | 36 |
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