Daypack suggestions

**Rik** · 06-21-2005, 09:02 AM

Zac,
I love my Dana Designs Bombpack. It may feel a little heavy for some but it is pretty durable. I use mine both winter and summer. It has a "beaver tail flap" that is pretty useful for snowshoes in winter or my wet shirt in summer. I think it is about 2500 cu. in.

**redhawk** · 06-21-2005, 09:48 AM

You can probably get a good EMS daypack.

They are durable, well designed, comfortabl;e and a good proce, especially if you catch them during one of the sales.

**hikercop45** · 06-21-2005, 10:36 AM

Hi - I use a Eureka MOAB day pack - plenty of room and good size side pockets - it also has a slot for snow shoes or a snow shovel - I got it at the Eureka tent sale that they have in Binghamton every year - it has taken quite the usage since Ive owned it -

**Adk Keith** · 06-21-2005, 11:36 AM

I like my Kelty Redwing 2400 I've struggled with packs that were either to big or to small and this seems to fit. It has ski slots behind the side pockets and lots of extra attachment points (that I haven't needed to use yet) Pretty confortable up to 30 lbs. Lots of room for winter clothes. Fits close for bushwacking and skiing.

Price is right.

Keith

**erica** · 06-21-2005, 01:18 PM

I agree with Redhawk, EMS makes good packs for the money.

GoLite makes durable packs that still fit the ultralight bill. I'd look at the GoLite Jam pack - 1 lb 5 oz, 2300 ci capacity (plus 450 ci extendable top sleeve). I used it on my last trip to the adirondacks for a four day trip. Its made of some type of Cordura that seems pretty tough to me.

**Kyler** · 06-21-2005, 08:59 PM

I'm also looking for a new daypack. I've looked at the Kelty Redwing 3100, Northface Terra 40, and Northface Terra 50. I think the Kelty is a better value, it fit me better, and my large backpack is a Kelty and has held up nicely for many years.

FWIW if you are near Syracuse, the Gander Mountain store in Cicero had some Dana Design packs on clearance, but I didn't look at them too closely.

**Kevin** · 06-21-2005, 10:01 PM

Zac, I'm down to a lumbar (fanny) pack. Think it's 650ci, and has 2 pockets for full sized nalgenes. Reason I mentioned this is that when bushwacking recently the lumbar pack was a huge saving grace when pushing through the thickest stuff. It saves weight and forced me to shave my usual daypack contents to maximized efficiency. I still manage to fit a full emergency kit, plus a headnet, deet, purification tablets, batteries, waterproof matches, trioxane tablet, and emergency blanket, water filter, enough food for a day+, toilet paper, GPS, headlamp, and strapped to the outside my ems rain jacket and baseball cap.

Just my $0.02

**Boreal Chickadee** · 06-21-2005, 10:15 PM

Kevin, I also use a large lumbar pack (Mountainsmith) as my preferred choice of daypack. I have the shoulder straps that I added on to mine. Mine is old enough there aren't the external bottle pockets nor were the shoulder straps original equipment but it's very large. Well I even added the better waist belt when they came out with that. Guess it's old enough that I had to add on all the improvements as they came out. Fortunately Mountainsmith makes such a good product that everything was an easy attachment.

My reason for going to a lumbar pack was to keep my back cooler in the summer. Before then I always felt like I was an overheated oven. The open back is a world of difference.

Now Paul's summer daypack is not a lumbar but it has an open airy net on a layer of foam to help cool his back. It was originally marketed I think as a bike pack. Those tend to have much better designs for back cooling.

In winter, I sometimes take over his summer day pack and he takes on the large day pack. It's just a matter of greater volume for clothing. If we're cross country skiing I still like the lumbar pack because it is so easy to overheat with such an aerobic activity.

**redhawk** · 06-21-2005, 11:31 PM

I normally use a lumbar pack for dayhikes. If I need to carry more gear, I just wear one of my regularpacks.

**shoty2982** · 06-21-2005, 11:56 PM

zac have you checked out the marmot eiger 36, it is a tad on the heavy side side (3lbs 8 oz) (2160 cu in) and costs about 100 bucks, very stable and very comfortable. also check out the osprey switch 40+5 although it is a tad pricey (289 bucks!!!) weighs 3lbs 11 ozs and is 2500 cu in.

p@uL

**Neil** · 06-22-2005, 07:48 PM

Zac, I was looking at fancy and costly lightweight day packs for summer use thinking I would simply put on a pack cover for bushwhacking. Then I dusted off a 25 year old very light and inexpensive MEC daypack that holds 30 liters. (30 x 60 = 1800 cubes roughly). This is fine for summer hiking.

I love the idea of a lumbar pack. Pin-Pin was on his way to do Marshall, Iroquois and Algonquin the other day and that's all he had plus a small fanny pack turned back to front.

**lumberzac** · 06-23-2005, 09:30 AM

Thanks for the suggestions so far everybody. The more I think about this the more Iâ€™m thinking that I should get something to replace my Golite Race. The silnylon that the pack is constructed of is breaking down and some of the stitching is starting to fail. The pack will probably need to be replaced by the end of the season. This is my most vestal pack because I use it as my regular weekend backpack as well as a daypack for summer and winter. If I can Iâ€™d like to find something that has a little bit of a better suspension system. Right now Iâ€™m just beginning to look and see whatâ€™s out there and I would like to try on as many different packs as possible. So far the only thing Iâ€™ve tried on was an EMS Ridgeline. I also saw a Granite Gear Vapor Trail that Iâ€™d like the try although Iâ€™m a bit worried about how well the fabric will hold up.

Please keep the suggestions coming.