View Full Version : new backpack
hi all! I'm kind of looking for a new pack. Maybe 70-100+ liters. Olive green. And one that wil fit a military tds 2 sleeping bag in with room to spare for other items. I'm kind of on a fiver a week budget(only 13) so something up to about 70 quid would be nice. Any ideas?
Jack go for a surplus PLCE - second hand you can get them at a good price.
Failing that a new Web-tex PLCE will do you just as well - most outlets retail these these at around £70-80 - just shop around and you'll find one.
any shops that you suggest?
I can't really recommend a backpack of that size for you, as a matter of fact i wouldn't recommend such big packs for you at all. i have to say that a combination of a 100 liter rucksack and a 13 year little boy carring it would be a intesting to see say the least. Most backpack of that size are usually ment for grown up folks, so unless your quite tall already the back lenght would be a issue. A person of you age carring a full 100 liter pack with the wrong backlenght wouldn't be the healthiest thing to do with your back. Also since you still so young, you would proberbly still grown much in little time, so don't invest to much. You don't want to buy a nother one next years, right ?
PC2K the webtex 3/4 would be stop on. My sons 13 and his is perfect for this size.
C_Claycomb
23-11-2004, 09:21
I am interested what makes you feel that you need a greater than 70lt capacity? Not saying that you don't :-) , just wondering what gear you have that needs that sort of space?
Do you have any other rucksacks of smaller capacity, or is this one going to have to do it all?
Jack,
the webtex stuff is good but as you are on a tight budget you might want to try the highlander copy of the old berghaus cyclops - a great bag for the money.
you can get it from here http://www.becketts.uk.com/beck/product.asp?mscssid=2UNDTARF9H D59LF71C8AU5G35DR7406C&dept%5Fid=900&pf%5Fid=HIG8 for £60 delivered to your door. I would also say that once full you would be struggling to lift it so you might want to go for the swedish 35l sack (about £16 incl delivery) which Gary raves about and modify it to accept plce side pockets - this would give you a 55l sack which should be enough for most outdoor needs.
Best of luck with your search.
Cheers
JFW
Just checked out Becketts by phone, they haven't got any Forces 100 sacks... which is a shame cos I've been looking myself. Highlander no longer make these, they now do a PLCE type 100 litre sack called a TT Military pack instead. Apparently, the old Forces 100 is equivalent to a size 3 Berghaus Vulcan, and looks identical in every way.
However, Highlander also do various other sizes of olive green sacks with adjustable back systems, which might help if you are growing at the moment. Forces 88 could be plenty big enough, but side pockets don't come off.
Try www.highlander1.co.uk for info, but they don't sell direct from that site.
Good luck!
i wanted that size because when i fit my sleeping bag into my 55 l bag it takes up half the room. Then theres no room for my clothes etc.
Have you got a stuff sack for your sleeping bag? Or is it a really big, really warm one!!
i have got a stuff sack but the one that i got supplied was too small. i bought an outdoor designs large stuff sack but that was 2 small aswell
what clothing ? Wenn you start to do outdoors things most start with a huge pile of clothing. But as most people can say, we no longer are willing to carry that much. If there is a chance i fall in to a river or bad wheather, than i got a set of clothing in the pack. To prevent hyperthermia. If not i just carry one extra fleece or wol, in case it gets a little bit colder. Maybe one boxer extra...
Your trouwsers are getting dirtier everyday in the field, why borther to change it ? Same goes for the shirts. Only thing that might feel fresher are a change of underwear. I personally never changed my undies more than once. Than again i never stayed longer in the field for more than 5 days...
It's all up to you, make sure you find your balance between nice fresh clothing and the comfort of low weight.
ofcorse you can also buy a smaller sleepingbag to make space for other goodies...
don't even go to clothes. Thats another topic. Any views about backpacks?
arctic hobo
23-11-2004, 19:24
Well. I can pack my Nanok Endurance -25, (which is HUGE), clothes, three weeks marching food, and emergency materials as well as climbing equipment into an 80 litre bag. Why on earth do you want one bigger?? :?:
Also, at 13 years you won't want a heavy bag, it'll make you short :yikes:
i want a big bag because i'm not going to be walking very far and i cram a lot of kit into it. Anyway what 80l one have you got?
arctic hobo
23-11-2004, 19:52
Just checked - a Karrimor Solitude. Aptly named, that's how I like to use it :-)
It's fairly run of the mill as 80l hiking rucksacks go. It was about £110 when I bought it about three (four?) years ago. Never given me trouble, nothing has broken or bent, on many expeditions :biggthump All I'll ever need.
Though that £180 Bioflex Berghaus kit looks gorgeous...
went to sports world in nottingham yesterday to look at the karrimor saber,they`ve got plenty in, but they`ve also got a lot more of the karrimor range in and there nearly all REDUCED, might be worth a look and theres one in leicester on humberstone gate / haymarket, might be worth a try.
i've never seen that shop before. Is it in the haymarket shopping centre or on the main road?
on the other thread about 35L rucksacks theres a link to there site but they are only a sports shop , the one in notts has a small camping section on the top floor, but i`ve never been to the one in leicester, they have a phone No on the site, i`m working at braunstone at the mo,if you can get to notts i`d be quickish as i`d bet they go quick.
A small backpack will force you to take less with you, in my opinion thats good. So my advice of finding the right size backpack isn't getting a pack almost TWICE the size of you previous one. Try to fit al your kit you ever need on the longest trip and try to put it in to your 55L pack. It will force you to make compromises ( read: LESS WEIGHT ). If you still have some essential kit that doesn't fit. Than you put the essential left overs in the smallest sized pack with a know volume, where you can just fit the pieces of kit in. The 55L + the volume of the other pack (+ 5L in case you like some luxeury with you ) = the size pack you need.
remeber it's beter to reduce the size of your kit, than getting a bigger backpack. Getting multipurpose kit helps too.
i can easily put all the kit and food for a week in mild conditions in my 65 liter combination ( sabre 45 with vulcan sidepockets ) with nothing sticking out. I can get even more things and cold wheather equipment in my pack wenn i strap the sleeping pad on the outside.
C_Claycomb
24-11-2004, 08:56
For the money, and the capacity, and everything else, you probably couldn't go too far wrong with an ex-issue PLCE type Bergan. The new ones can be a bit pricey, but if you can find an army surplus they should have some older ones in at some point. There used to be an army surplus place called Irish Men's Store, or something like that, not too far from the Shires in Leicester. Don't know if they are still there.
Back length is really important. I bought a Snugpak Rocket pack, but the back was too short for me and carrying anything more than a 100 yards or so started to hurt. Other than that it was a great bag, the short back was meant for use with web gear/belt kit.
Have a look at www.hikinghq.net, the guy who writes there is a bit of a light weight nut, but there are good ideas.
Most of the experienced people I know manage a week with a Sabre 45+pouches (65lt) no problem. That includes food and often has spare space. Give some serious thought to how to pack what you NEED into a smaller space.
Junk expands to fill the space available. If you can pare your gear load down before getting a bigger bag it will work out better than getting the big bag, then trying to pare things down.
i know irrish is preety good. I've bought a few things from them
did ya get the pack sorted
what do you mean did i get the bag sorted?