Hi there, im after a rather big bag for a 3 month trip coming up, and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations. also, what's the difference between for example a 75+15 litre sack and a straight up 90 litre bag? Cheers, Kieran
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 The + usually means a seperate expandable compartment such as a huge draw string collar and floating lid rather than a fixed lid. Lowe alpine is the bag for you as they have tremendous resale value on ebay after you have finished with it
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im not too keen on the lowe bags as they tend to be pretty heavy and have every feature possible. also, i intend on using it every year for some big trips so not too bothered about resale potential
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 Are you talking about a large pack with full harness etc. that you'll carry everything in for miles over rough terrain, or a large bag to ship from plane to train to bus etc. with some lugging around to link the bits together? If it's the latter then look at one of the large holdalls from TNF, Rab or Berghaus which offer grab handles, shoulder strap and rucksack-strap carry options. If it's the former then see if you can take a look at a POD Xpodition - an exceedingly bombproof load-hauling pack, and POD litres are large in comparison to most! See here: http://www.needlesports.com/acatalog/Mail_Order_POD_56.htmlMacpac are another top make to consider, with good standard packs or 'convertible' travel-type models that still have excellent harnesses.
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| Edited: 04/02/08 22:56 |
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 The Army bergan is a good no frills cheap option worthy of consideration of course. But if you are to be travelling through many a foreign country or border crossings upon your trip, at least for a great many countries, then military looking or cammo bags are not a very sound good safe idea/option for you! As expedition bags go, for example, the RGS in London-the Royal Geographical Society-advises regularly that expeditioners or adventure travellers travelling to rather volatile locations of the world, where there has in the last years past been conflict, should not wear any army style clothing or rucksacks at all! Just in case you were off round Africa on your travels or something similar maybe, do I now mention this rather important simple single fact; from out of of their own vast, tried and tested, sound, and expert catalogue of travel and expedition trip advice!
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| Edited: 05/02/08 05:36 |
I have a Macpac cascade (85l) which i used when i lived in NZ. Used it for trips of between a week - 10 days. Very tough and lived up to a lot of scraping through bush that would have killed a lighter pack. But also heavy and overkill for Uk so doesnt get used that much now
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 im not too keen on the lowe bags as they tend to be pretty heavy and have every feature possible. if you've got a really big load then the extra weight of features like stabilisation frames that Lowe use on their expedition sacks actually makes sense, but also note that they do more pared-down packs in their range too, which might suit (for example, the Frontier is lighter and simpler than the Cerro Torre). I think it's important to try things like this on with a big weight in, as your personal shape will match different packs better: I've been very happy with a big Lowe pack for almost 20 years now, but other folk I know have found it much less comfortable than alternatives that I don't like very much, and you only find this out by trying them on with a load on board. As well as my big Lowe I've got amedium-to-biggish Macpac I like a lot too, and that I've lent out to several folk who found it very comfortable and capable. But my real point is go and try things on, rather than make a decision based on what other people, with different bodies and different loads, think is the mutt's nuts. Pete.
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 and my 'big' pack is an 80L Macpac Glissade which I love but doesn't seem to be available anymore?
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John, the Glissade is still Out There in qite a few shops as current stock, but looking the the Macpac website it looks a bit like the new Cascadehas taken its place. Looks nice on paper, but of course all of these things do... Pete.
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I think Macpac had too many different models covering similar territory. If they can focus on one (with various size options) and keep up their former quality then I wouldn't complain. But if the Glissade is on the way out, perhaps you could snap up a bargain? Still, it's not as big as you were asking for (why I concentrated on some of the American monsters!) Oh... and one alternative worth considering once you start to get to huge volumes is an external frame pack. Funnily enough it seems that Pete has some good things to say here! (unless it's another Pete Clinch?). Kelty (and Granite Gear ?) do some nice ones from what I can tell... Or try army-orientated stuff such as this John
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I still reckon 100L means you're taking way too much stuff.
And your back & shoulders won't thank you either. Try to get all your stuff inside a 60-70L sack instead.
The result is a happy back.
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Paul, in general I would agree with you... but some self-supported wilderness trips would demand a mammoth pack. Especially if you are carrying specialist equipment of any kind (camera, video, sound recording, geology tools etc.) So Kieran, if you can slim your load you'll be grateful - but if you can't then hopefully you'll find some ideas in my links above. John
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As well as North American externals, you can still find them in Norway. Bergans still make a couple (one is 100l, the other is 130!). The Bergans web site should give you some ideas. I don't have any of their kit, but it has a good reputation and I've met plenty of Norwegians using it. I agree with John's comment to Paul: smaller is better if you can, but it may be that you can't. Especially if there's bulky though not especially heavy stuff to be moved. Pete (yes, the same one as wrote the Packs Pages)
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Kieran, how's the quest going?
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What should i get, 90 litre or 110 litre?..........this is for a fishing weekend
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bit of a "how long is a piece of string" question, how much gear do you have and how much money do you have?
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