View Full Version : rucksack advice
I'm now after a new rucksack. I'm looking for something in the 65l plus size. I could do with advice on the rucksacks themselves and any reviews you can point me to. There are some lowe alpine ones I've looked at but not much else. If anyone comes across a sabre for sale at a good price I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks in advance
sandbender
28-12-2004, 13:53
...I'm now after a new rucksack...
Thanks in advance
Hello Andy
I've gotten through an awful lot of packs over the past ten years and am now using a sabre 45L, however the brand which I had been using prior to this is worth a look...
http://www.crux.uk.com/product.html
Crux produce stripped down, very tough and very light packs, and they now produce their range in darker colors.
I once fell about two to three hundred meters down a scree and thorn covered cliffside while wearing an AK50, the karrimat attached to the side of the pack along with me and my clothing were ripped to shreds, however the pack survived intact, not a scratch!
In total I would imagine that I probably walked 1500 to 2000 miles with this pack, with no strain or damage either to me or the pack.
In the end the only reason I changed was because in those days it came in any color you liked as long as it was red!
From my experience you cannot go wrong with Mountain Equiptment. Their quality is superb and attention to detail is amazing...
whats the budget.. if you can afford/find a Karrimor sabe i would say go for it!
arctic hobo
28-12-2004, 22:15
65+ I suggest you get a 65+15, that gets bigger if you need it. I use a Karrimor Solitude that I love to bits, but since they're bust or whatever has happened to them, obviously you can't do this. Second hand I suppose is your best bet.
I would very strongly recommend Karrimor though. Mountain Equipment are good, but their bags are not up to the standard of the dedicated bag manufacturers.
2p :?:
I recomend vango 70ls.not fussily designned,tough and comfy.dont think they do them in green,if thats an issue.got mine 1/2(£40) price intheir factory sale(think its always in january) ,a few years ago.
I'm looking at packs in the £100 range. I hope to spend less in a sale though. I will go up to that for a real bargin though. 65l plus 15 is just what I'm after.
I haven't been too impressed with how vango packs hold up. the padding just seems to go really soft and stops working. They have just brought out some force ten packs which are good for the size but they are too small for my needs. I do like karrimor. My old alpinist as held up to a hell of a life without any problems. The hip belt is still firm and if the pack was a couple of inches longer it would be great. It's fine for weights upto about 15kg but when you hit 20kg it becomes a bit of a problem.
PLCE for me!! Always has been and probably will be for a long time to come. Bombproof and functional without all the annoying gimmicks and cost!!
I still swear by my old Karrimor Jaguar 75. Great bag. If you can get something similar, Vango possibly or Berghaus would be my suggestion.
Go into your local Altimus, Blacks or what-have-you and try a few on to see which you prefer, and if you can, get a mate to let you try whatever they use, loaded, to give you a more realistic feel.
When I used to work in a camping shop down in Kent, we used to have bags of stones to load sacs so people could get a feel for how good the shoulder straps were...
my primary concern in a ruck is how tough is it!!. I am the demolition tester of gear, it geats used and used hard!!. I hate the very idea of "will this activity somehow damage my ruck",, for me that means military surplus!!. [ granted I make many modifications], but still, for drag thru the briers toughness can commercial stuff really compare??.
Go for the very best sac you can afford. i am always amazed how much people spend on a knife then skimp on a sac to carry their gear, ending in aches, pains and a throughly miserable time.
I recommend an external frame pack.
When it comes to rucksacks I would say there are only two manufactures that make tuff bombproof usable sacks and they are Berghaus and Karrimor but only the military sacks. All other sacks are made for specific uses and most are made of lightweight materials.
My Karrimor rucksack and Berghaus day sack have both been thrown out of helicopters and C130s during tactical landings. Both have been to the jungle without rotting, survived artic winters in Canada and Norway with out freezing up and splitting and even survived war in the desert. Both sacks are 15 years old and both are still going strong.
Second the last comment - There are some really nice innovative designs out there in the ultralight market but for durability plus top design in larger sizes berghaus and karrimor are by far the best.
If I was shopping now, I'd almost certainly be looking for a sabre.
My advice would also be keep the size down - if you have space, you end up filling it. It's not clever to carry more than you absolutely have to - I lose that battle every time I go out !
For a good number of years I've also held the view that a narrow climbing style sack without pockets is a darn sight easier to maneover and I 've been happy with that approach BUT since getting into bushcraft I've found it a pain. My next bushcraft pack will definately have 2 good side pockets for carrying cooking kit, basha, etc.
Cheers
arctic hobo
02-01-2005, 13:15
My advice would also be keep the size down - if you have space, you end up filling it. It's not clever to carry more than you absolutely have to - I lose that battle every time I go out !
Now that is very good advice and very true :You_Rock_
Carpe_Diem
02-01-2005, 15:21
my primary concern in a ruck is how tough is it!!. I am the demolition tester of gear, it geats used and used hard!!. I hate the very idea of "will this activity somehow damage my ruck",, for me that means military surplus!!. [ granted I make many modifications], but still, for drag thru the briers toughness can commercial stuff really compare??.
Agree with woodrat. Even though some of the companies such as Berghaus et al make great gear...i dont think i've ever seen civy packs from anything heavier than 600dn nylons etc. The toughest part of these sorts of gear is the base which is usually a double layer. Inevitably, civilian gear has gone more towards "lightweight" end of the market. To that end, i always lean towards military hardware because i know it's built to last.
Luckily for us most of the Australian and Kiwi gear manufacturers use either 8oz or 12oz poly cotton canvas (same with Australian military backpacks etc). (one of the reasons that so little American/European gear is available in Aus is that the aussie bush tends to shred it very easily...the trade off with overseas gear is that it's very lightweight. For an American shopping in the Australian marketplace for gear, he'd be shocked at some of the weights of the packs)
I can't think of any American manufacturers that still use canvas and only a few specialist military manufacturers that use 1000dn Cordura as pack body material. Even the Karrimor Sabre's that are 35L and less and made from 600dn material.
I personally wouldn't touch a pack with anything less than 1000dn nylon no matter how big. It would still need to have a double layer base on top of that. HAving said that, the Karrimor 1000dn nylon that they use is one of the toughest i've ever seen. It has a very robust and solid feel to it compared to say Blackhawk Industries or EAgle Industries 1000dn nylons...it may have something to do with the PU coating which seems a lot thicker and more rubberised on the KArrimor.
cheers
Jeelan
Danceswithhelicopters
02-01-2005, 21:20
Got a North Face Rogue rucksack which has been superb on the few occasions I have used it. 70L plus an extendable lid pocket which adds 10L and comes off to form a bumbag. 2 removable side pockets and a removable kangaroo pouch on the front which allows you to stuff wet stuff on the outside of your pack. 2 small wing pockets at the hip-accessible on the move-and 2 mesh pockets for the meths. Quite fancy a black Karrimor though as I could get work to pay for it!
The amount of variable space allows me to use it to carry loads for me and my 6 year old as well as lighter days with everything stripped off it. It isn't the lightest of pacs though but not an iota of wear to any strap, cloth or buckle.
I've never found a better ruck than my old Karrimor Jaguar 6 from 1985. Simple, big and now on the back of a thieving git.
how would you get work to pay for it? You might have a buyer for the northface one (if the back would ajust to fit me)
My advice would also be keep the size down - if you have space, you end up filling it. It's not clever to carry more than you absolutely have to - I lose that battle every time I go out !
God, how many of us think, "yeah, I'll just bung that in, it might be useful... I can fit that in... OH MY GOD I'VE JUST GOT A HERNIA! HOW MUCH DOES THIS PACK WEIGH!?!?!?!?!"...
:o): :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao:
I personaly like a big ruck, its my basecamp warehouse!. I organize my gear to break down into smaller units,[modular style],. if you use a big ruck you can get year round use, if you use a smaller one where do you put the additional gear for winter use or for longer duration trips?. every army in the world works on some variation of this theme, and who "yomps" more miles with gear than soldiers.
FJS90-91
04-01-2005, 08:14
well.. this is a nut to crack.. I choosed like this, i want a tough backpack, i travell in far away countries so i need a carrying system that holds for everything and i want it light.. Sooo, i needed a simple, light and heavy duty backpack.. Well, its simple.. Just get a Berghaus Vulcan and hit it with the sissors, cut everything unessesary away and u got a simple, light and heavy duty backpack at 80l and just 1,879Kg..
arctic hobo
04-01-2005, 10:32
God, how many of us think, "yeah, I'll just bung that in, it might be useful... I can fit that in... OH MY GOD I'VE JUST GOT A HERNIA! HOW MUCH DOES THIS PACK WEIGH!?!?!?!?!"...
:o): :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao:
Welcome to my world :wave:
:rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao: :biggthump
cann't recommend Aguille enought
andy - However if your in Sheffield check out POD sacs. Great tough comfy sacs. That are made... in Sheffield - the only sacs that are in the same league as Aguille.
greg2935
04-01-2005, 12:46
If you intend to use this rucksack in countries other than the UK, DO NOT go for a military pattern (i.e. no camo) as this is illegal in a number of countries (Zimbabwe), and may lead to major problems in others by paranoid government officials (i.e. Chile, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambeque etc.). You can sometimes get away with green but I would brighten it up a little to make it look less military like.
Greg
greg2935
04-01-2005, 12:49
Forgot to say, I prefer external fram rucksacks DOH.
Greg
greg2935
04-01-2005, 12:50
grrrr that should read external frame