backpacking anyone?

K

kevshin21

Joined
Jan 17, 2007
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108
hey guys I was wondering if any of you guys go backpacking alot? I'm trying to find a weekend pack and can't choose what to buy, mainly I have my eyes on the rei brand and osprey stuff. Any recommendations? (I am gonna carry a 2 person tent and a sleeping bag too so if there are packs that are roomy and compatible it would be great.)
 
I used to go to High School with a Kevin Shinn

I like externals and have a Kelty Trekker 4300 and a Jansport Carson 90. I haven't tried out the Jansport yet.
 
I have two Lowe Alpine packs that I have used for 13 and 7 years respectively. I have found them both to be great packs and ver durable.
Can you give some more criteria?
External-Internal?
How much weight do you carry?
Ultralight-Super Durable?
Use for bouldering/climbing,scrambling?
What other gear do you usually carry?
Do you carry all your own gear or do you go with people with whom you will share an equal amount of goup weight?

I ask some of this because there is a lot involved in finding the right pack.
Also if possible always go and put a few of the packs that you are looking for on. Ask salespeople if you can load up a sleeping bag or some weight with it on and adjust the straps to your liking. It can save you a lot of discomfort down the road. You can check out sierra trading post as well as rei. They can have some super deals.
 
i am also an avid backpacker.... :thumbup:

i highly recommend osprey packs...:thumbup: i own 2, one is 4800 cu. in. and the other is 2400 cu. in.... both great packs.... i've had them for about 8-9 years now and they're still going strong.....:D

mike
 
I have been an avid backpacker for about 35 years. The best backpacks I have owned have been manufactured by Arc' teryx and Gregory. The place to buy them here in Canada is the Mountain Equipment Co-op (sort of our version of REI).

Exceptional quality and value.
 
Another vote for the Arcteryx packs. They are my pack of choice for climbing and backpacking. I know of 4 other people, in my group of friends, who also swear by them....and they are the choice of many guides and climbing pros - even when they are not sponsored by Arcteryx.

Bombproof, light and practical - how much better can they get?
 
bcornelis said:
I have been an avid backpacker for about 35 years. The best backpacks I have owned have been manufactured by Arc' teryx and Gregory. The place to buy them here in Canada is the Mountain Equipment Co-op (sort of our version of REI).

Exceptional quality and value.
Click to expand...

Arc' teryx Bora 80 pack is on sale at www.backcountry.com for about 40% off. You might want to check them out.
 
i have a kelty somethinorother and its a great pack to carry a tent and lots of other supplies. i personally like the internal frame :)
 
Any general preferences for internal or external frames?

Personally, my back sweats A LOT, and it seems like an external frame would be more along my route.
 
kevshin21 said:
hey guys I was wondering if any of you guys go backpacking alot? I'm trying to find a weekend pack and can't choose what to buy, mainly I have my eyes on the rei brand and osprey stuff. Any recommendations? (I am gonna carry a 2 person tent and a sleeping bag too so if there are packs that are roomy and compatible it would be great.)
Click to expand...

I just replaced an external frame Kelty with an Osprey, I really like that pack. For fit and comfort, it's hard to beat. I used to Backpack a lot, now, my excursions are one 7 day trip into the Maine woods per year...

Steve
 
wow thanks for the quick replies guys! TLR I prefer internals because of the freedom and form and I usually want to carry around 20-30 lbs on my back. I usually Just carry the 10 essentials (except sunglasses but extra extra water counts as +2 I guess?) and I like to go off trail a lot. thanks for all the replies. Oh yea I thought external frames are bulky aren't they?(my back sweats a bit too sci) anyways I am gonna go hiking, ill visit this thread in an hour or so. (so far I am just using my school backpack and carry only water, clothes, knife and first aid kit so I know not to wander too far off...)
 
I love backpacking, do it monthly!

Try it on with a load. Stores have weighted stuff sacks you can fill it with. Also, most good stores will let you take it home and fill it up with your gear to try it out. It always feels different with the gear packed in it than with weights. Osprey is a top brand, as is Arcteryx. I have Dana Design, now Marmot, and they are as good as it gets. I used to have Lowe which was excellent, but they appear to have gone downhill in the last few years.

Botton line is try before you buy. I have no expereince with Osprey, but I certainly like the design and features of their packs.
 
Inernal frames, internal frames, internal frames. Really.

I use Gregory, my girlfriend uses gregory, our buddy uses Arcteryx. I think Gregory's a step above Lowe's and Kelty (though Kelty comes mighty close) - I just found each thing on the Gregory packs I used to be just a little bit better thought out than on Kelty.

Arcteryx seems fab, but it's a price step up - maybe for the next pack, I'll get one.

People I trust like Osprey a lot too.

Gregory seems to be the standard "damn fine" pack, at least around here.

It may be worth it to pay an extra little bit and get the kind that has the detachable fanny pack built into the top part - that's nice for base-camp/wandering off sort of expeditions.

The rest of my load is a Sierra Designs tent (which I love) and an MSR Whisperlite Internationale camp stove (which I love), and a hand-pump water filter from, er, Katadyn. The PUR ones are great too.

If you want intensive, thorough gear research, check out The Complete Walker IV, by Colin Fletcher - great book.

-thi
 
The Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher has some excellent advice about backpacking. Great book, one of my favorites.
 
Osprey make some great packs and are top quality.Others to look at are Lowe Alpine and Berghaus.
I would suggest that you look for packs 35 litre and above.Don't go for the ultra light models as they are nowhere near as durable and the weight saving is minimal !
 
I have had a few packs. I have kept a Lowe Alpine Classic and a Gregory forester. I would highly reccomend either without blinking! I have been on 2 week trips, and many 1 week trips, with people who have Keltys and other junk. The difference is not in if it breaks (most cheaper packs are very over-built), the difference is in how it fits you. When you buy a Gregory, you buy a Small, Medium, Or large. When you bring it home, you spend about an hour getting it to fit you, and then another hour the first night of hiking. After that, you've got a broken in boot. Gregory's have a suspension system that still marvals me, but you have to keep your max weight under the limit. It takes 10 pounds off my pack at the end of the day. I would reccomend a Lowe Alpine if you want a very tough (much tougher than anything I've owned) mid-priced bag. But I would reccomend going to a hiking store and trying out what they have, they have sand bags to walk around with. Then after you've looked at them all, buy a Gregory!
 
I had until recently been using an Osprey Aether 75 (2003 model) and was very pleased with it. It went all over with me, but very recently I switched over to a granite gear nimbus ozone. This is a great pack, at 3800 c.i. and can expand to about 4200 or so woth the spin drift colar. Also at 3 lbs its about 2 lbs lighter than my Osprey and can carry 40 lbs comfortabley.
 
pit man said:
Osprey make some great packs and are top quality.Others to look at are Lowe Alpine and Berghaus.
I would suggest that you look for packs 35 litre and above.Don't go for the ultra light models as they are nowhere near as durable and the weight saving is minimal !
Click to expand...

Pit man, what are you subjecting you pack to. My Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone is not the most bomb proof pack outhere ture, but for its weight its one of the best. As for ultralight packs not beeing as durable, that goes as how they're treated (not to say you abuse your gear). As for weight, I would be concered as a good 3 lb pack can be as good as a 5 lb pack (ie nibus Ozone).
 
Ghost93 said:
Pit man, what are you subjecting you pack to. My Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone is not the most bomb proof pack outhere ture, but for its weight its one of the best. As for ultralight packs not beeing as durable, that goes as how they're treated (not to say you abuse your gear). As for weight, I would be concered as a good 3 lb pack can be as good as a 5 lb pack (ie nibus Ozone).
Click to expand...

I am only speaking about some of my friends experiences and magazine test reports I have read.
I have never heard of Granite Gear so I may have to stand corrected,I am only speaking generally!:foot:
The light weight packs I was referring to are made by such companies as Go-Lite !
Also you speak of a 2 pound weight saving...have you seen the size of some of the knives people on this forum pack !!!
 
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