It's rare now that I want a 70-80L pack when the ak57 takes all I need most of the time.
Wait until you start wild camping trips with the shorter members of the family and then I think the Mac will be coming out to play again...
Pete.
Quite right, Pete. I've taken my little'un camping a few times but not self-propelled yet. Now she's out of the macpac vamoose (sold here a few weeks ago) so I can start being a mule instead of a thoroughbred again...
John
Yeah I know this very good. Now I use a cart with my family. But the kids can hike almost the whole day. So the time is nearing when I can leave the cart at home. I'm even looking toward a Klatermussen Mjolner (the biggest)
But toward the question of the OP. Indeed look to the second hand market. Big ruksacks are not so populair in the U.K. it's all UL-gear and methods that are populair. Finding a second hand Arc'teryx motherloader or a MacPac or a Lowe Alpine is the key to a cheap but good mother loader. oh and don't even try to look at a Klatermussen Mjolner, it will burn your eyes if you're looking for a real motherloader.
Zuma,The US market has plenty of 'mother loaders' as you call them. The sadly-obselete classic was the Dana designs Astralplane ( old pdf catalogue here ) which had a 115 litre capacity. Dana was bought out by Marmot and most of the big packs disappeared... but Dana himself started up another big load specialist company called Mystery Ranch. They are well worth a look for monster packs. The Astralplane has essentially been reinvented as the Mystery Ranch G7000. Similarly, McHale still do (custom) high capacity packs that are outstanding quality and prices that give the Klattermusen a run for its money!
There are plenty of more mainstream big packs in the US too – Kelty, Gregory, Arc Tery’x etc. And there are some very good military supplier packs.
But I'd still like to work on keeping the loads as light and small as possible! Teddy, crayons and the complete book of childrens bedtime stories stay at home!!!
Nice info John. I already wondered where the Dana backpacks stayed.. I knew them from early on. Mainstream brands you mentioned I've all fitted as long as I could find them (gregory and Arc). But they somehow don't cut it right for me. I loved more the heavier and sturdier bergans backpacks. They were more comfy than those big mainstreamers. The klattermusen I still have to fit but I like the low weight of these Mjolner motherloader. Every kg that stays at home or is saved in your kit is a very big win. Mystery Ranch is impossible to fit... so it's going to be a Klattermusen (if I like it really) or a Bergans.
Thanks all. Went for a TFX Appalachian from Lowe 65:85, £105 at F&T. Used it the other day for a 2-night wild camp with full camping kit plus food & booze - pack was v good. Not the lightest or the least fussy, but it was comfortable, kept my kit dry in the rain and offered enough pocket options to help organise stuff easily.
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. I knew them from early on. Mainstream brands you mentioned I've all fitted as long as I could find them (gregory and Arc). But they somehow don't cut it right for me. I loved more the heavier and sturdier bergans backpacks. They were more comfy than those big mainstreamers. The klattermusen I still have to fit but I like the low weight of these Mjolner motherloader. Every kg that stays at home or is saved in your kit is a very big win. Mystery Ranch is impossible to fit... so it's going to be a Klattermusen (if I like it really) or a Bergans.
