- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
I recently made c ouple purchases that I thought I'd share with fellow forumites because they are awesome products. I know this is a knife review forum, but most of us travel and are outdoors-types, so I thought these reviews may be relevant. I ordered this stuff through JANDD, a small company based in Santa Barbara, CA. They have a website with contact info at http://www.jandd.com although I do not think there is product info there yet. I would deifinitely call them and get a catalog if i were you. JANDD is all American-made from high quality materials, and their stitching and construction is the best quality I have seen. They do backpacking, luggage, and lots of bicycle bags, panniers, etc and I own a lot of their stuff. It is best described as bombproof, and that is a serious understatement. It's tough to find their stuff in any stores, but I have not seen better quality from any companies, including North Face, Arc'Teryx, Jansport, or any of the other big companies.
The first item I'll look at is the JANDD Barad internal frame backpack. This thing is a monster at 5000ci, and I think it expands to like 7000 or something like that. It is a top-loader and has a sleeping bag compartment on the bottom. It has a unique suspension design that is infinitely adjustable, and it took me about ten minutes to get it set up for my own body. It doesn't have a ton of zippers and external pockets because, in JANDD's philosophy, those are stress points that can blow-out and leave you screwed in the field. There are several compression straps that distribute the weight of the load better and also keep it from rocking. There are four main sets of straps centered around getting proper fit, and they make adjustments of loads while you are on the move possible. There are wand pockets for walking staffs, two collapsible water bottle pockets, and the back of the pack has a shovel pocket lined with daisy chains and dual ice-axe rings. The hood for the backpack is removable and the hidden-away straps convert it into their full-size lumbar pack, so you don't need to carry a daypack with you. The lumbar pack is pretty cool because it has a hidden pocket that is perfect for carrying a large fixed blade where it isn't likely to get lost or found, for that matter! I could write for days about this backpack, but after looking at probably a dozen backpacks from all the "top" companies, my decision was easily made after looking at the JANDD catalog.
The second product is the Geshem garment bag. This thing is the mother of all garment bags, honestly. If you have seen a good quality garment bag, then double its quality and you'll get a rough idea of how good htis thing is. First of all, it is big. Plenty big to carry a week's worth of clothes for a person. It has four compression straps on the outside so it will be a stabilized load when all folded up. It has a leather carry handle and also a super-nice shoulder strap. There is an external zipper pocket with the hook for throwing it over a door. Also on the outside is a zippered pocket that is about the size of one folded half of the bag, then the other side has two shoe pockets with zippered pockets piggybacked on top. When you open the Geshem, it converts to a gigantic portable closet. The zippers open up and reveal a really wonderful hanger retainer which locks, so all your clothes stay where you want them. There is an internal compression strap which also serves to keep everything where you want it. There are two zippered sock pockets inside, and also there is another huge mesh pocket for shirts, underwear, etc. I think I am forgetting some of the pockets, but you get the idea. I can't wait to travel with this thing, because it is AWESOME! Anyway, JANDD heat-stitches all the zippers so they will not fray and catch in the mechanism (an annoying factor on most other quality bags) they bartack all the high stress points, and they use the highest quality Corduras available. Their catalog is an essay on how to make quality items, and every detail of construction is meticulously explained. It is worth reading even if you don't want to order something. I have been using JANDD bags for about three years and they are the best I have seen anywhere. They will replace any zippers free of charge because they know they will eventually wear out. If any problem occurs with any stitches, they will resew or replace the bag free of charge. This company stands behind its bags 100%, and that is a great thing. Anyway, check them out if you are serious about your equipment. They make everything from tiny kid's backpacks to expedition packs and travel and bike stuff. Prices are VERY competitive, too, which is cool considering most of the big companies make all their stuff in Asia at sweatshops.
------------------
My Knife & Sheath Pages:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/frames.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Sheath Makers Referral Directory
chiro75@yahoo.com
Madpoet (Mel Sorg, Jr.) Tribute page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/madpoet/main.html
The first item I'll look at is the JANDD Barad internal frame backpack. This thing is a monster at 5000ci, and I think it expands to like 7000 or something like that. It is a top-loader and has a sleeping bag compartment on the bottom. It has a unique suspension design that is infinitely adjustable, and it took me about ten minutes to get it set up for my own body. It doesn't have a ton of zippers and external pockets because, in JANDD's philosophy, those are stress points that can blow-out and leave you screwed in the field. There are several compression straps that distribute the weight of the load better and also keep it from rocking. There are four main sets of straps centered around getting proper fit, and they make adjustments of loads while you are on the move possible. There are wand pockets for walking staffs, two collapsible water bottle pockets, and the back of the pack has a shovel pocket lined with daisy chains and dual ice-axe rings. The hood for the backpack is removable and the hidden-away straps convert it into their full-size lumbar pack, so you don't need to carry a daypack with you. The lumbar pack is pretty cool because it has a hidden pocket that is perfect for carrying a large fixed blade where it isn't likely to get lost or found, for that matter! I could write for days about this backpack, but after looking at probably a dozen backpacks from all the "top" companies, my decision was easily made after looking at the JANDD catalog.
The second product is the Geshem garment bag. This thing is the mother of all garment bags, honestly. If you have seen a good quality garment bag, then double its quality and you'll get a rough idea of how good htis thing is. First of all, it is big. Plenty big to carry a week's worth of clothes for a person. It has four compression straps on the outside so it will be a stabilized load when all folded up. It has a leather carry handle and also a super-nice shoulder strap. There is an external zipper pocket with the hook for throwing it over a door. Also on the outside is a zippered pocket that is about the size of one folded half of the bag, then the other side has two shoe pockets with zippered pockets piggybacked on top. When you open the Geshem, it converts to a gigantic portable closet. The zippers open up and reveal a really wonderful hanger retainer which locks, so all your clothes stay where you want them. There is an internal compression strap which also serves to keep everything where you want it. There are two zippered sock pockets inside, and also there is another huge mesh pocket for shirts, underwear, etc. I think I am forgetting some of the pockets, but you get the idea. I can't wait to travel with this thing, because it is AWESOME! Anyway, JANDD heat-stitches all the zippers so they will not fray and catch in the mechanism (an annoying factor on most other quality bags) they bartack all the high stress points, and they use the highest quality Corduras available. Their catalog is an essay on how to make quality items, and every detail of construction is meticulously explained. It is worth reading even if you don't want to order something. I have been using JANDD bags for about three years and they are the best I have seen anywhere. They will replace any zippers free of charge because they know they will eventually wear out. If any problem occurs with any stitches, they will resew or replace the bag free of charge. This company stands behind its bags 100%, and that is a great thing. Anyway, check them out if you are serious about your equipment. They make everything from tiny kid's backpacks to expedition packs and travel and bike stuff. Prices are VERY competitive, too, which is cool considering most of the big companies make all their stuff in Asia at sweatshops.
------------------
My Knife & Sheath Pages:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/frames.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Sheath Makers Referral Directory
chiro75@yahoo.com
Madpoet (Mel Sorg, Jr.) Tribute page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/madpoet/main.html
