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Backpack recommendations, features and designs

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  • Backpack recommendations, features and designs

    I am finally retiring some of my older backpacks from the 1980s and 1990s and will be upgrading. I am pretty strong and tend to pack bulky/heavy rather than ultralight. I use tents, like to cook. Liquid gas stoves, etc. Typically, I would backpack camp for 3 to 5 days.

    What backpack features should I look for on modern backpacks?

    Any specific pack recommendations?

  • #2
    Re: Backpack recommendations, features and designs

    Best advice I can give you is to take your gear to your local outdoor outfitter and pack "your gear" into the packs that fit you. Really two items you must satisfy; first does it fit, second will it carry what I need to carry.

    I still tote my Kelty Super Tioga. It fits me and what I carry. I tend to sweat so having air flow between my back and pack is nice.

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    • #3
      Re: Backpack recommendations, features and designs

      I am not sure if bringing my whole "yard sale" kit of camping equipment to the store would be practical, but maybe if the store has a workable return policy, I could bring it home to load and test run in the neighborhood.

      Honestly, I am most likely to order online because of the variety of offerings.

      This, of course, unfortunate because you can't test gear out before buying. When I bought my first backpack in 1978, my friends and I drove to different cities to shop for the best equipment. We really wanted to buy the best and we were proud and confident when we made our purchase decisions. As a result, those backpacks (Kelty, Jansport, Kelty) lasted us thousands of miles and decades of use. Some of the stores had weight lifting weights at the store to use to load the packs for a test run. The internet has radically changed all that.
      Last edited by Mike; 11-28-2014, 01:39 AM.

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      • #4
        Re: Backpack recommendations, features and designs

        It is hard to go wrong with an Osprey Atmos backpack. They are available in a 65 liter and a 50 liter. Top loading. Small wire internal frame/trampolene that holds the pack a bit away from your back. Set up for water reservoirs. Lots of adjustabilty for a custom fit, even after you select the proper small, medium, or large size to fit your body.



        The women's version is called the Osprey Aura. The Exos series is a lighter weight version in similar sizes -- more minimalist/less comfortable shoulder and waist straps, fewer features, etc.

        The Stratos series is similar in smaller daypack sizes. I use the Atmos 50 for winter day hikes and for short overnights. It doesn't have the sleeping bag compartment like the 65 liter shown in the YouTube, but it has straps to hang a sleeping bag underneath the pack. It is insanely comfortable to carry.

        There are lots of great packs, but Osprey gets consistently high marks. Definitely worth checking one out to see if it fits you well.

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        • #5
          Re: Backpack recommendations, features and designs

          Thanks, HWC1954. Insanely comfortable... Is that a good thing or a bad thing? :-)

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          • #6
            Re: Backpack recommendations, features and designs

            OK. Once again I'm late to the party. I don't know your backpacking style, but the Gossamer Gear "Gorilla" is a good choice. If you aren't willing to carry 40 lbs. for a 5 day trip, that is. At my age I don't appreciate the weight of a standard pack.
            2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

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