USA Made Hiking/Bush Backpack, Need Assistance

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Dacus_Nomadic

Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Messages
122
I'm currently looking for a new backpack, that can hold me over on hikes, excursions, or just plain grab-n-go. I'd like it in OD green, preferably with a frame, along with the straps/lashings to hold a sleeping bag on the bottom of the bag. My price range is between 200-300 dollars. My old bag has finally bitten the dust, and all i've found at most retail establishments have been complete cheap garbage or either too small/short for my liking. I'm 6'5", and most of them feel like a kid's backpack. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks so much.
 
More information required:
Internal frame or external frame?
How big? Volume and weight capacity requirements.

Check the offerings from:
Mystery ranch (extremely heavy), hill people gear (expensive), goruck (small), and duluth (bad ergonomics) for heavy weight packs. Gossamer gear, ULA, McHale packs, Zpacks, and mountain laurel designs make ultralight gear.

That said, I wouldn't recommend any of them without the chance to test them out. Fit trumps country of origin and being tall limits your selection. Wanting a frame limits it more and wanting it for under 300 bucks pretty much guarantees your aren't going to find anything. Looking at the options I am not very impressed with any of the American made offerings. All of the big name manufacturers who can afford to spend big bucks on design make their packs overseas.

I suppose there is always the alice pack. :D
 
Check out some of the Kelty offerings. I currently have a Redwing 50 and a Redwing 32. Both are great packs that I use all the time.
 
If you are looking at going external, you may have to build it yourself. Otherwise you will have to look at your needs and decide what your priorities are, You will have to balance cost, weight and durability. Most of the major pack makers do a tall size pack, it just may be that not every place carries it (or that every salesperson knows it exists)

Generally retail places are going to have pretty low end stuff, you need to hit something like an REI or a specialist retailer to really get into the good stuff.
 
I will second a Kelty pack. You can find them at your price range on the infamous auction site. :-)
 
I was mostly just looking for brands, so thanks for the suggestions. I haven't bought a pack in over 12 years, so needless to say, i've been out of the loop. I really like the look of that ILBE. It looks like it would be fine for a taller person.

Any brands of the ILBE to stay away from? Or multiple brands that manufacture it? If it's tough enough, I can stitch some straps to the bottom to hold my sleeping stuff.
 
Isn't that ILBE an import as well? An Arcteryx Tango pack that got the military designation ILBE.

You might also want to look at imports. Gregory, deuter, osprey, arcteryx, and fjällräven are a few good ones. Then there are in house brands like the ones you get at REI.
 
Isn't that ILBE an import as well?
Click to expand...

No. Marine Corps items are not imported. They have to be made in the USA by contractors. Arcteryx designed it and Propper made it.
 
I'm going to concur with TheJeepster on the USMC and Army packs. My brother bought a surplus ILBE pack and my wife has the MOLLE II pack she was issued in the Reserves, which I've worn in a couple of instances. Both have used these for week-long camping/hiking/canoeing trips where everything had to fit and still allow for good mobility. Now, none of us is 6'3" (my brother is 6' and I'm 5'11") but neither of these packs is going to be a problem for someone taller. The MOLLE II frame looked uncomfortable to me when I first saw it, but after wearing it while almost comically overloaded, it wasn't bad at all.

All that said, these are not my packs. I usually only need something for day hikes, which for quite some time now has been a Condor pack, although I do own an older Kelty Yukon external frame back (bought used from REI) and a "large" ALICE pack. While either one of those could carry a pretty serious load, the Army pack is far more comfortable and allows for a lot more flexibility. I've looked at the current selection at REI, and while there are some nice packs there, I think I'd opt for one of the military-issue packs for anything other than ultralight use.
 
In another thread I recently posted about getting rid of my beloved ILBE for a Kelty redcloud 90. I'm not missing the ILBE anymore, great bag, but there's just many other better options nowadays. Your height doesn't matter as much as your torso measurements do. I'd suggest getting out a flex measuring tape and get those numbers down. Doesn't matter how much the bag can carry if you can't pick it up.
 
I'm 6' 5" Also & after some trial & error finally went with Kifaru's bikini frame with 26" stays. will hold anything you can pick up. I think they also have the best waist belt that secures most of the pack
weight on your hips. i paired it up with their HiCamp 4800 in Foliage green. it has a generous amount tabs for multiple lashing options. They are a bit pricey , but you get a suspension custom fit to your body
specs.

http://store.kifaru.net/bikini-platform-frame-and-suspension-p116.aspx

http://store.kifaru.net/highcamp-p114.aspx
 
I'm 6'4" tall and have a 23" Torso. The Army Molle II Pack's frame is to short for me. And I think the ILBE is the same way. If you have a long Torso like me, you'll want a USA Made Civy pack setup for a long Torso. I think Gregory's higher end packs are still made in the USA. Worth a look.
 
For 300 you can get a Mystery Ranch Dragon Slayer which should fit you easily if you get the right sizing. I would give them a call tell them your measurements and let them make you a pack that will last a lifetime. It will be extremely durable and has one of if not the best internal frames currently on the market.
 
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