Backpack Thoughts/Recommendations

Aubrey, what-- no stash of Krugerrands?

That's all good advice. And how I eventually went to nothing but carry-on. I started losing my checked bags half the time, the other half of the time, it was missing stuff. I started carrying enough in my pack to be able to be self-sufficient for a couple of days. A couple of days turned into a week and eventually, I just did away with the checked bag.

I used to check a larger Pelican case with wheels but it was so heavy itself, even the little bit of stuff I put in it would put it over the weight limit.

As for Africa, you can keep it. I've only been in the northern part and that wasn't anything like East and West Africa. Although I hear Durbin and that part of the continent is absolutely gorgeous--I guess I'll have to get over there one of these days.

Thanks for the post. I always love to read info from hard-core travelers.
 
I have with me always!
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I have with me always!
031b589951ed54e720d978ede5d76791


I can help you out with a backpack on my site and save you some cash. email me or send me a PM.
 
Expatriated said:
Aubrey, what-- no stash of Krugerrands?
QUOTE]

No Krugerrands ...... :D Cannot eat it, pay a taxi with it or drink it. Worthless in Africa. Also, if 1oz is lost, big knock. Always have about USD 100 in 1's and 5's at hand and VISA. Most ATM's in Africa give cash from VISA acc's. ... main areas only. For some reason East Africa does not have MC :o AMEX and Dinners, only accepted at top hotels and venues ........ and often approval is a long call to the UK.
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I have a The North Face Terra 40 that I am in love with. Its not a ultra light or anything and pretty simple with 3 shallow pockets for small items, top pack storage and main storage. Very comfortable and padded with small straps for bringing the weight higher and against your body. Has a few straps but no many. I also add velco strips to the end of my pack straps so they can be rolled up and tight to the pack. Military habits die hard.

Its claimed to be made for long day hikes or over nighters, but that seems to be off. I've used this bag on many 3 and 4 day trips with no problems. Feels very comfortable to wear when running, hiking, climbing or whatever.

I'm not into the tactical packs so much. Between the general public going insane with tactical its starting to become a joke amongst those in the military. I like tactical for tactical applications. It has its places but I've done the crazy amount of crap hanging off my bag and body armor for awhile and I like a nice slick pack. Unless im in the field or deployed, i try to keep everything tight and compact.

There are exceptions to what I think but its vary situation depending.
 
ironmike86 said:
FWIW I have a Lowe pack and Kifaru. The Lowe pack isn't nearly as rugged. That's why the price differents. Mine doesn't feel as good when carring heavy either. And it wasn't 1/5 of the co$t. Maybe 1/2. But Kifaru maynot be the best of the best but I belive it's the most "rugged " of packs. But you get extra weight for rugged.
I think Maxpedition is to small for the size you are asking JMO
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Well I agree that my EMS and Lowe packs aren't as "rugged" as a Kifaru... but like I said, I have been carrying mine since 1989 (EMS) and 1991 (Lowe) and my wife has been using hers since 1989 (Lowe) and we have yet to have any issues. No real wear, no blown zippers, no tears. Of course I tend to take care of my packs after the trips are over too. Each of my packs has flown all over the place, been dunked during canoe trips, sat on during hiking breaks, and Frozen during winter trips and they are still going strong.

I have a bunch of Maxpedition packs, and Camelbak's, and quite a few others as well. Like a lot of folks I enjoy trying out new gear a lot, but I haven't HAD to replace one of these packs. I checked the Base price in a Kifaru AG1, and it is $692. A Navigator is $543, a Zulu is $342. Huge money in my opinion for a pack of any kind. My most expensive pack, my HUGE EMS Blackfoot, was $169.

All I was saying is that I have had good luck with those two brands (and others) and that while they we not considered military grade gear, they have held up great. Kifaru makes a great product, I wish I could afford one. I just happen to think there are other great products out there that work just as well for what Expatriated was looking for.
 
MrCoffee said:
Well I agree that my EMS and Lowe packs aren't as "rugged" as a Kifaru... but like I said, I have been carrying mine since 1989 (EMS) and 1991 (Lowe) and my wife has been using hers since 1989 (Lowe) and we have yet to have any issues. No real wear, no blown zippers, no tears. Of course I tend to take care of my packs after the trips are over too. Each of my packs has flown all over the place, been dunked during canoe trips, sat on during hiking breaks, and Frozen during winter trips and they are still going strong.

I have a bunch of Maxpedition packs, and Camelbak's, and quite a few others as well. Like a lot of folks I enjoy trying out new gear a lot, but I haven't HAD to replace one of these packs. I checked the Base price in a Kifaru AG1, and it is $692. A Navigator is $543, a Zulu is $342. Huge money in my opinion for a pack of any kind. My most expensive pack, my HUGE EMS Blackfoot, was $169.

All I was saying is that I have had good luck with those two brands (and others) and that while they we not considered military grade gear, they have held up great. Kifaru makes a great product, I wish I could afford one. I just happen to think there are other great products out there that work just as well for what Expatriated was looking for.
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I've never had any Lowe packs but I've hiked with plenty of guys that have had them and no one's had any complaints. EMS is generally very good, too. For Appalachian Trail-type hiking, I have a Gregory that has held up well but it's huge, something like 4,500 cu in or something like that. And heavy. It handles serious weight better than anything else I've ever used, though. Back before I was smart with packing, I used to carry 45 lbs in that thing for a week and a half on the trail. With smarter packing and better equipment, I can do half of that weight now so the Gregory doesn't get used too much. I like the Go-Lite packs for general trail and hiking use.

I tend to go overboard on pack quality when I'm traveling because in most instances, there's no way to get another one if something breaks. Except in Tibet. Even stalls where gang green meat is hanging up, you can buy a brand new North Face pack, a Patagonia down jacket and a Mountain Hardware fleece hat. That place is crazy--you can't find a hamburger in the entire country but you can get completely outfitted for $100 and look like you just went shopping on Michigan Ave.:confused:
 
I recently purchased the Gunslinger II pack from Eberlestock. I bought the Gunslinger due to the fact that I wanted a pack to assist with my rifle on long trips to and from base camp. What I found was that the scarab easily tucks into the pack and the Gunslinger is a great pack for use everyday. I've heard great stories about Mystery Ranch however I am not in a position to spend that kind of money and from what I've seen from my Eberlestock, I think I made a great choice.
 
Thanks g23, now I've got to find a dealer who will ship it here. Buying it here in Oz costs $200+shipping, in the US it's about half that.
 
Well I checked out the Camelbak Motherlode I got last night. Seriously rugged pack, like more so then anything I have owned to date. Remove the bladder and you have a really nice daypack with plenty of room that feels like it will widthstand a small nuclear blast.

Going to pack it up for an overnighter and tackle Monadnock this weekend to see how it handles on the trail.
 
I have used my Kodiak as a day hiking pack in the NC mountains and in VA. It worked nicely. I carried water in a nalgene. This year I want to hike and use the hydration feature. I got the Camelbak blader for it but never got use it last year. You would really need to pack lite for an overnight backpacking trip, but I think you could do it. It is a great pack, holds a great deal of stuff. I did not find the sling type strap to be a problem when hiking.
 
Ok, well I am going to take a step back here, and admit that I might have been to quick to judge a pack by it's price. Over on another forum I stated talking to a couple of guys I know that have Kifaru gear, and got some feedback.

The word I got was not only was the Packs in general bulletproof, tough as nails, go a head and drag me behind you pick I'll laugh tough, but the company stood behind their packs very well. As in one guy even mentioned that when he was having trouble getting his pack to fit correctly (his own fault), the customer service rep or one of the other CS folks there gave him his home number so that he could call when he was at home and had the pack, to walk him thru adjusting the fit correctly. I be blunt about it, I only found a couple of folks that had issues with them, and they all said the same thing, the customer service was amazingly good.

Given that I had to ask myself a question. Would I pay more for a knife, simply because of the customer service? Answer, of course I would and I have. Otherwise I would be in the Becker forum or the whatever brand forum, not here.

So I gotta say, I was too quick to judge Kifaru based on the simple price of it. I guess if I could afford one, and with all the good things I have heard about the company itself, then I would get one too. A nod to Expatriated for getting me to look a little deep into Kifaru then stopping at the price tag.
 
MrCoffee said:
Ok, well I am going to take a step back here, and admit that I might have been to quick to judge a pack by it's price. Over on another forum I stated talking to a couple of guys I know that have Kifaru gear, and got some feedback.

The word I got was not only was the Packs in general bulletproof, tough as nails, go a head and drag me behind you pick I'll laugh tough, but the company stood behind their packs very well. As in one guy even mentioned that when he was having trouble getting his pack to fit correctly (his own fault), the customer service rep or one of the other CS folks there gave him his home number so that he could call when he was at home and had the pack, to walk him thru adjusting the fit correctly. I be blunt about it, I only found a couple of folks that had issues with them, and they all said the same thing, the customer service was amazingly good.

Given that I had to ask myself a question. Would I pay more for a knife, simply because of the customer service? Answer, of course I would and I have. Otherwise I would be in the Becker forum or the whatever brand forum, not here.

So I gotta say, I was too quick to judge Kifaru based on the simple price of it. I guess if I could afford one, and with all the good things I have heard about the company itself, then I would get one too. A nod to Expatriated for getting me to look a little deep into Kifaru then stopping at the price tag.
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I was on the same boat as you and so I asked people I know with Kifaru products why I should buy Kifaru and they said, "Awesome customer service + they stand behind their products 100%." Does that remind you of anyone?

I have since ordered an E&E and love the pack and since I loved it so much I saved up some money and ordered a Molle Express.

Once I get all my pockets and pods for my packs in I will do a review on them....or try to.
 
Well for what it is worth, I can't think of anything I would put my backpack thru (including airlines) that would damage the Camelbak Motherlode OR Maxpedition Typhoon/Monsoon, but I guess you never know. Dolars to donuts you'd be fine with either, but I can understand wanting a company that has no "black marks" on their rep for customer service.

And yes, Roar-K, it DOES sound familar, exactly what I was thinking. A NO BS customer service policy..... :)
 
MrCoffee said:
Well for what it is worth, I can't think of anything I would put my backpack thru (including airlines) that would damage the Camelbak Motherlode OR Maxpedition Typhoon/Monsoon, but I guess you never know. Dolars to donuts you'd be fine with either, but I can understand wanting a company that has no "black marks" on their rep for customer service.

And yes, Roar-K, it DOES sound familar, exactly what I was thinking. A NO BS customer service policy..... :)
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Maxpedition is built pretty solid but the packs lack support= good suspension with internal framing and well made fitting belts. Good Ospry like packs made for hiking that may have decent suspension, lack being bullet proof. Kifaru will adjust when making it to your size if needed. Good support and made in USA. Military ppl use them to carry there gear. If you want to get in and out you need something rugged and comfortable. There's other good packs out there but Kifaru is very rugged.
 
blake g49 said:
If you find the Becker Patrol Pack to be a bit on the small size, Eagle also makes a Large Becker - might be what you're looking for. I really liked the standard Becker that I had and may have to pick up one of the large ones to check it out...


blake
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I have both the Becker, the Large Becker, and an 05 Gunslinger as mentioned in the other post. To be honest, I do not think you would be happy with those packs for air travel. I love my Beckers, but in terms of size and shape, they will not be the most convenient for stashing in the overheads. Too bulky, especially with the waist belt. As for the Gunslinger, it has a more streamlined shape and the benefits of being a top loader, a side zip, and the ability to carry the firearm, but I wonder if it is too long for standard carry on baggage.

ATS makes the RAID pack. I also have one of these, and I think it would fit your needs much better. If you need to have flexibility, you can use the MOLLE pouches and PALS channels to add carrying capacity. As it is alone, it holds a lot of stuff and is about 2400 ci's. Price is a tad less than the Beckers and the Gunslinger, and has the advantages of also being very well constructed like the Beckers. Eagle at one time made the RAID's.

Anyhow, just another option to consider.
 
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