View Full Version : Duluth...
innocent bystander
29-08-2005, 21:33
Anyone notice that Tamarack are doing some of the Duluth range now ?
Perfect for that retro look.
Or the Mears look. :rolleyes: :D
Squidders
29-08-2005, 21:48
Who are supplying what now?
:confused:
bothyman
29-08-2005, 22:20
Anyone notice that Tamarack are doing some of the Duluth range now ?
Always fancied the Duluth stuff but not at that price :eek:
You could try >> http://www.frostriver.com/ same stuff allegedly set up by ex Duluth employees
MickT
I think you can remove the "alleged." :) It's well known that Frost River was started by long time employees of Duluth Pack, right after it was sold a couple years ago. Their packs are every bit as good as Duluth packs if not better and they come standard in waxed cloth.
Here's one of each:
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/images7/canoepacks1b.jpg
jamesdevine
30-08-2005, 09:07
I have always wanted a Duluth pack but I'll have to do more canoeing to justify it.
Having said that do. Frost River do a nice Nessmuck style pack which i really fancy.
James
I've talked to the guys at Frost River about that Nessmuk pack. I have always thought of a Nessmuk pack as an envelope pack but the fact is that Nessmuk's books give only a small glimpse of Nessmuk's gear.
I've noticed in canoe books that a very similar pack was well-known as a Nessmuk pack and I believe Woods of Canada made a model. Evidently there is a record of Nessmuk somewhere, ordering a pack of this design. However, it's not shown in his books. A similar pack in the northeast here is often referred to a a Maine Guide Pack.
mojofilter
30-08-2005, 23:49
I think the Duluth stuff and the Frost River stuff are lovely, but are a bit on the expensive side!
Is there any British companies that do similar traditional stuff?
mojo
Squidders
31-08-2005, 09:17
Yeah, I really like the look of it too... looks well made and like it's only going to get better with age.
Are there any UK companies that do similar stuff?
BlueTrain
31-08-2005, 12:38
I have not yet bought my first Duluth (or Frost River) pack but they really aren't so expensive, compared with other packs. Other packs may be better for backpacking trips but they aren't sold for that purpose. But Duluth packs are (or were) made in the United States and they might be a little more expensive for that. By the way, I never heard of Tamarack.
I have seen stacks of Duluth packs in Minnesota stores but only one around here (Northern Virginia, U.S.A.), so they sort of have only a regional following.
Oh, they might be expensive compared with a surplus army pack. Only by buying surplus could I afford the six or eight rucksacks I own! I think I'm getting to be more of a collector than a backpacker.
BlueTrain
31-08-2005, 13:00
I had intended to mention that Horace Kephart recommended a Duluth pack as the lightest and most economical pack to use. But that was in 1920. Warren Miller, who I believe was the editor of Field and Stream or something like that, also writing around 1920 or a little earlier, made his own pack. He had attempted to design a combination sleeping bag and pack. The result looked an awful lot like a Duluth pack but I don't think he used a tumpline.
I don't recall other writers in the past recommending a Duluth pack. Packs with aluminum (aluminium) frames have been around since at least the 1960's and that is almost beyond living memory. Packboards used to be somewhat common up until then but nobody talks about them now. It is interesting to me that armies keep coming up with fairly advanced (and large) backpacks at a time when no soldier should have to carry a heavy pack in the first place. Which point has nothing to do with Duluth packs.
The nice thing about duluth packs is that they ride well in a canoe.
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/images7/merlinii1b.jpg
There's an interesting story in the Sept issue of tactical knives about a guy who used a Duluth pack to go on a little Kephart outing. ;)
Did I say interesting? Fascinating really... :D
TK (http://www.tacticalknives.com/)
They can get a little heavy if you have to carry them over a long distance. :(
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/images6/hiking1c.jpg
beachlover
31-08-2005, 15:46
Hoodoo, is that the original Duluth in the photo? Have you tried any of the other models in their range? I quite like the look of the rambler and wanderer packs too. :rolleyes:
By the way, how do you always manage to get such good photos?? I mean the sort we'd all like to take but elude us continually :confused:
Haven't tried the rambler or the wanderer so I dunno.
Thanks for the compliment on the photos. I don't really do anything special that I know of. Just try to avoid the harsh shadows and glaring light when I can. Diffused light is my buddy. :)
The pack I'm wearing is a Duluth pack.
beachlover
31-08-2005, 16:25
Haven't tried the rambler or the wanderer so I dunno.
Thanks for the compliment on the photos. I don't really do anything special that I know of. Just try to avoid the harsh shadows and glaring light when I can. Diffused light is my buddy. :)
The pack I'm wearing is a Duluth pack.
Thanks for the reply. I think that seeing a pack in use or being worn is a much better guide than the catalogue blurb. I quite fancy a rucksack that doesnt look too military and one that has inherent water-resistance, with the bonus of natural materials. Maybe others have tried some of these packs or own them???
sandbender
24-09-2005, 19:13
For those who are interested, here are the costs of ordering a Duluth pack direct from the manufacturer.
Duluth Northwoods $165.00
Freight $41.00
VAT £19.91
Parcelforce Clearance Fee £8.00
Quite expensive really, nice pack though.
:)
For those who are interested, here are the costs of ordering a Duluth pack direct from the manufacturer.
Duluth Northwoods $165.00
Freight $41.00
VAT £19.91
Parcelforce Clearance Fee £8.00
Quite expensive really, nice pack though.
:)
Hmmm, heavy wax fabric £3.50 a metre x 1.5m wide. Five different colours available. Leather straps and buckles....speak to Eric or Troy, maybe Leon-1 or Wayland..... well under £20 a pack. Someone show me one of these packs so I can work out patterns? Or if someone has one maybe work out the sizes and positionings for us?
Cheers,
Toddy
qweeg500
25-09-2005, 10:31
Toddy,
What a great idea. I'd too would love to have a crack at making one of these.
Matt
qweeg500
25-09-2005, 10:45
Alternatively, for those with heaps of cash you can fore go getting it from the states by ordering from Tamarack.
http://www.tamarackoutdoors.co.uk/dispprod.pl?filtera=Bushcraft&filterb=Shelter%20and%20Storag e
Matt
happy camper
25-09-2005, 14:12
Hmmm, heavy wax fabric £3.50 a metre x 1.5m wide. Five different colours available. Leather straps and buckles....speak to Eric or Troy, maybe Leon-1 or Wayland..... well under £20 a pack. Someone show me one of these packs so I can work out patterns? Or if someone has one maybe work out the sizes and positionings for us?
Cheers,
Toddy
good idea :)
i've always fancied these for my canoe but can't afford the price (champagne taste, but beer money!) They look great, but how do people find they perform in the bottom of a wet canoe? is there room for improvement in a home made one?
cheers
There are very few canoe packs that you can buy that are waterproof. Even the ones that claim to be waterproof are generally not to be trusted. The key to using Duluth-style packs is to pack the gear in waterproof bags. If done right, it also makes the packs buoyant, which is important if you plan to recover your gear after a spill.
Here's one way (http://www.piragis.com/cliffjacobson/cliffjacobsonnotesv25.html) to deal with it...but not the only way. :)
Personally I like dry saks that roll over and lock. The better ones have valves on the bottom to let air out as you roll the bag up. These also can leak if poorly made, worn out, or not sealed properly.
Always test your pack to see if it will float. :)
Hmmm, heavy wax fabric £3.50 a metre x 1.5m wide. Five different colours available. Leather straps and buckles....speak to Eric or Troy, maybe Leon-1 or Wayland..... well under £20 a pack. Someone show me one of these packs so I can work out patterns? Or if someone has one maybe work out the sizes and positionings for us?
Cheers,
Toddy
Hi Toddy, the packs depending on model are approx 5 or 6 inches in depth (base and side panels) and 21 inches width by 23 inches in height according to the Frost river dimensions.
If you said the lid was 15 inches from the top of the pack running down that would require about 1.9 meters at 60 centimetre width. This would give you easily enough extra for the side panels and reinforcement of high wear areas from the 1.5m width.
Making a harness could be fun, the shoulder straps possibly made from two different grades of leather (a slightly lighter grade on the inside to make it more comfortable) and use saddlery straps running from the shoulder padding.
The Nessmuk type that they have on thier would be even less as its depth is 5 inches height and width are 16.
sandbender
25-09-2005, 17:11
The key to using Duluth-style packs is to pack the gear in waterproof bags.
This is what I do.
As tough as Ortlieb or similar bags are they can still be damaged when unloading on a rocky shore or if they end up being separated from the canoe and float down the river. If they are stored in a tough canvas Duluth pack they are better protected and easier to portage.
BlueTrain
26-09-2005, 11:43
A suggestion to those thinking of attempting a pack project using leather shoulder straps: Try attaching the straps so that the smooth side is on the inside, with the rough side on the outside. It is a matter of taste but I like to have a lot of slip on straps where they are in contact with my shoulder. Another factor is that leather shoulder straps will be a lot more comfortable after they are broken in and are a little more flexible.
Some Duluth packs have web shoulder straps and that is an alternative. I personally find unpadded shoulder straps to be more comfortable because when the strap is flexed as it is when it goes over your shoulder the padded part (the underside) ceases to be smooth and is less comfortable. Of course it depends on the nature of the construction and some are better than others.
Although it wouldn't be easy to find any more, the web shoulder straps from a 1944 pattern (British) web set is about ideal for this purpose and even a P-37 strap isn't all that bad. Come to think of it, a P-37 large pack is similiar to a Duluth pack except for size.
My opinion of web shoulder straps comes from experience with using a U.S. mountain rucksack first introduced around 1942. The 1952 model has padded shoulder straps and is not nearly as comfortable, at least for me.
Always fancied the Duluth stuff but not at that price :eek:
You could try >> http://www.frostriver.com/ same stuff allegedly set up by ex Duluth employees
MickT
I would love to know if there are any bags out there that look like a Duluth or Frost River sack but slightly cheaper. Something that has leather straps, something with a bit of character. I can't really justify shelling out that amount of money for a day sack.
Or is this a Holy Grail?