Best Lumbar Pack?

ROCK6 said:
I use to have an older Mountainsmith lumbar pack it was great; I currently have the Maxpedition Devildog and it's a pretty decent lumbar pack if you don't over-load it...and that's compared to two Kifaru lumbar packs I have. The benefit of the Mountainsmith is the "stappets" or shoulder harness attachment (which my Kifaru Scout has) and it really helps, but don't let that make you over load it because then you might as well upgrade to a full pack.

I don't know how well the new Mountainsmith stuff is made these days, but I can say that the Maxpedition is well built and quite heavy duty:

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BendDevildogContents.jpg


That Scout is a beast. Thank you fro that info. I had never heard of Kifaru.
Here's my Kifaru Scout (used shoulder straps and carries considerably more than my Devildog):

ScoutBack.jpg


ScoutLayout.jpg


ROCK6
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That scout is a beast. I have never heard of Kifaru. Thank you for that information.
 
zman308 said:
I have had a maxpedition Devil Dog for years and it is my favorite day hiking rig. It is heavy but well made and holds all my gear plus snacks. I take two liters of water in Nalgene bottles which fit in the side pouches. I have it rigged up with Blackhawk suspenders to keep it from sliding down while I walk.
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Can you elaborate on the suspender rig you put on the Devildog? I love my Devildog, but there are definitely times I wish I had some extra support for it.

Thanks,
desmobob
 
crossada said:
Hey Rock6, do you have a kifaru tailgunner too. i have the scout and love it but i have always wanted a tg too and would like any opinions on how they compare. i see you can get the harness system on the tg if you want to carry extra weight.
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No, I just have two Scouts, but the Tailgunner is a pretty great rendition and a tad smaller.

ROCK6
 
The best lumbar pack I've ever used is an old Dana Designs Gallatin, it has a small fiberglass stay (for lack of a better term) to help transfer the weight to the hips. The Marmot Flathead looks to be pretty similar but doesn't appear to have the stay.

I also feel that if I need to put straps on a lumbar pack then I might as well move up to a regular pack. IMO having a heavy load at waist level messes with your balance more than if that same load is carried higher.
 
Just to confuse the issue more you could also look at http://www.specopsbrand.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=16

I had a Devil Dog but I didn't like the way it fit as a Lumbar pack and I didn't like the idea of having the waist belt if I was never going to use it. Other than that it looked like a great bag.

I replaced it with a Spec ops SOB with the optional shoulder strap. I can fit either a Guyot or Nag bottle with a GSI steel cup in the end pockets. It is a bit heavy with both bottles full but fine with one or the other. I would like to rig a set of suspenders for when I want both bottles.
 
zman308 said:
On a recent hiking trip to the Smokies I purchased a Mountainsmith Tour with the optional suspenders. It worked out great. It is well made and lighter than the Maxpedition, less tactical looking, and was easy to carry. I recommend the optional "Strappets" or suspenders. Again they make it easier to carry and keep it from sliding down when you hike.
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Started to buy the same rig last time I was in the Happy Hiker. Main reason for wanting one vs. a small daypack being that the Tour is enough for what I need without the temptation to overpack, plus having the weight on the hips is always a plus.
 
It's an incredibly cool sheath/holder! But wouldn't you want to insert the business end of the lighter into the sheath to protect it from the elements?

DancesWithKnives
 
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