My MontBell backpack

Around 1990 I bought a MontBell backpack at their store in northern California. I was interested in their packs, since they made the legendary Chounard Zero Point pack, which was very big and very light. The pack I got was about 5000 ci and was supposedly made of tensilite, a special nylon from Japan that was very strong, and very abrasion resistant. The internal frame consisted of two pieces of hollow, plastic, with internal plastic ribs, and a cross section of about 2"*1/8". Each rib had a metal rod at each edge, for a total of 4 metal rods. The pack was not very comfortable, nor very supportive. It didn't look like a well designed or well built pack. I loaded it up for a easy backpack in Joshua Tree. The day of the backpack found me in a campground in Joshua Tree. I dragged the loaded pack about a foot in the degenerate granite gravel, so common there, and wore two holes through the pack. After the backpack, I called MontBell, and they explained that I got a demo pack (which I knew). They also explained that the demo pack had the same weight nylon as the real pack, but wasn't the elusive tensilite, but rather common nylon. Being very light weight nylon, it simply wore through. Since we had a misunderstanding about what 'demo' meant when I bought the pack, I sent it back. Not recommended.

My Kelty backpack

I bought a slightly used Kelty large daypack. It looked almost unused, except for a broken zipper slide. I would guess it was around 3200 ci. The internal frame consisted of two aluminum stays, each about 3/4"*1/8" in cross section. I took it on an easy backpack (2 or 3 miles on a fire-road in each direction). I strapped on a backpacking version of a Coleman stove, which was about 1 foot * 2 feet * 4 inches, and weighing about 5 pounds. I strapped it to some daisy chains (aka bartacked webbing) on the outside of the backpack. I made the straps tight enough so the stove wouldn't fall off. After the backpack I noticed that several of the bartacks had failed. This was quite unexpected. It is possible that some seam also blew out. I was unimpressed that the bartacks blew out. Obviously of inferior construction. I sent it back to Kelty for repair, and sold it when I got it back. Not recommended.

My REI backpack

I bought a factory second large external frame REI backpack. I would guess it was about 3500 ci. It was only $40 (around 1986). About the second time I used it, some sewing holding some webbing failed. I sewed it back together, and it has been fine ever since. The sternum strap webbing also failed shortly thereafter, and I fixed it also. It is a reasonable pack, though the quality control used in its construction is unimpressive.

My Chounard / Black Diamond pack

I bought a Chounard daypack. It is about 2500 ci. I use it to carry my climbing gear. It is reasonably well made, with somewhat inexpensive materials. The straps are unpadded and the waist strap is removable. I don't use it very much, so nothing has broken on it yet. I did use it on one backpack in Joshua Tree uneventfully.

My The North Face packs

I bought a The North Face Snow Leopard II (large). This is a large internal frame pack. I would guess it is about 5500 ci. I used it on a 3 day backpack. It seemed to be reasonably made (much, much better than the MontBell), but I did not find it very comfortable. I suspect that the regular sized pack might have fit me better. I am 5'11", but I think the pack was designed more for someone at least 6'3". I sold it for a modest profit.

I bought a The North Face Voyager (large). This is a large daypack, 2700 ci and 2 lbs 3 oz (it is now 2 lbs, 5.8 oz perhaps due to the TNF repair below). The internal frame consists of a sheet of soft foam sewed to the back of the pack. I have used this pack quite a bit. It doesn't have much support, so it is important to pack heavy loads very carefully. It is not very comfortable, but it isn't very uncomfortable either. After a few years of use (including some chimney climbing) I wore a few holes through the pack. I took it on a backpack, and I noticed that a seam holding the heavy nylon bottom to the lighter main pack material had failed. I could have fixed it myself, but since the pack had a few holes, I decided to send it to TNF for repair. I included a note saying I would pay for the holes to be fixed, but that I considered the seam failing to be a warranty item. They repaired the seam, but did nothing about the holes. Their repair job was unimpressive. I could have done a job at least as good. I sent it back again, and I got the pack (about a month later), with a new panel where the holes were. They didn't charge me any money, which I thought was pretty nice. I was quite surprised to examine the pack and find they had simply sewn a big piece of nylon over the original pack side (still with holes). I could have done this. Not impressive. It has been a few years since, and the pack now has a dozen more holes. I am planning on getting a nice pack, but I haven't done so yet. The zipper on the top pocket failed, but I was able to fix it, by pinching the zipper slider. A reasonable pack, which is reasonably durable, but not very impressive.

I bought a The North Face Polar Circus pack (large). This is a small daypack, 2400 ci and 1 lbs 15 oz. It is made of spectrum, which is nylon with spectra ripstop. It is not a coated material (likely due to the spectra fabric), so has an inner liner of a coated nylon. This is actually a good idea, because it can reduce abrasion damage to the pack. The first time it was used, the nylon cover to the shoulder strap seam failed at the top of the shoulder strap. It seemed that the fabric margin of that seam was zero. It has been returned for warranty service. The rest of the pack seems serviceable. The poor quality control is a bit of a concern.

I am still in the market for a reasonable durable, light daypack. If anyone has any good ideas, let me know. I have thought about the Kelty White Cloud, but the cost and uncertainty about quality are concerns... I heard their spectra packs are made in the USA, and are much higher quality than the rest of their packs...

My Warmlite backpack

An external frame backpack. Very light and very unconventional design. I used it two or three times. High quality design and construction. Not sure if the design is correct or not. The jury is still out. Not in production anymore.

Jack has some unusual ideas about quality control and customer service. Here are some letters between him and me, that should be read before anyone considers buying his products.

My McHale backpack

I bought a spectra backpack from Dan McHale in 1993. I had worn out a few cheaper backpacks, and I decided I wanted a spectra one. Spectra is a strong, very abrasion resistant fabric (10 x more than nylon) which is made of ultra high weight molecular weight polyethylene fibers. It is difficult to work with (sew) due to a low melting point (around 180F) and it is expensive to waterproof. Since for me, abrasion was the major source of wear in a pack, spectra seemed like a good idea. (It is also the material of choice for bullet-proof vests, recently making it in short supply). In addition, other backpacks had not been super comfortable. McHale said his custom backpack with a superior belt and suspension system were very comfortable.

The backpack is very comfortable. It fits me perfectly. A friend who is of similar size, tried it for a few hours (helping me out of the Sierra when I had HAPE), and liked it so much he bought a larger one. Each frame stay consists of two pieces. For dayhikes, one can remove the top part of the stay, and make the pack smaller and more manageable. The lid of the pack is removable and you can convert it into a fanny pack for dayhikes. Once I had some minor back pain, and I was scheduled to do a desert backpack (a heavy pack due to lots of water). I was able to get the pack on, and I found my back hurt less with the pack on than with the pack off. The trip was uneventful. One can strap a variety of things on the outside, including the optional side pockets, water bottles, and more.

After using my Spectra pack for several years, and many backpacks I finally had a small problem. The divider in the top lid of the pack ripped. Specifically the fabric (which was inside the pack and so was nylon, not spectra) failed along the seam where it was sewn to the spectra pack. Since it was a divider inside the lid of the pack, the only effect was things inside the lid of the pack were less organized, and moved around a bit. This happened in 1997 while leading a 3 day backpack to the top of Mt San Grogonio.

I was a bit surprised, considering McHale's reputation of building bombproof gear. When I got back from the backpack, I called McHale. Dan said to send it in, which I did. He said to be sure to insure it, since they don't make spectra packs anymore. In about 10 days, I had the top back. Dan explained that the original nylon was not very tough in that application, and they had stopped using it. Except that the fabric looked shiny and new, I couldn't tell that anything was different. This is the fastest turn-around I have had for a backpacking company. This includes The North Face, Sierra Designs, Kelty and others.

I have used the backpack perhaps 50 times. I have cleaned it in my bathtub just using water a few times. People that see it think it is brand new. There are no signs of wear. It is very comfortable. It is easy to adjust. I used it for a 5 day backpack in the Grand Canyon, carrying 75 lbs without incident. I have used it to carry all my rock climbing gear (sharp heavy stuff) without incident. Perhaps one year when I get skinny, I will need a new waist belt because the old one will be too big. I am confident that nothing will wear out in my lifetime. Highly recommended.

My Wilderness Experience pack

Around 1974 or so, I bought a Wilderness Experience Klettersack from a small company called A-16. A-16 is now a major player in the retail and wholesale outdoor gear world in southern California. This pack is about 2200 ci. I used this pack through Jr. High school, High school, and college to carry books. Usually 20 lbs or so. After college, I used it for hiking. The zipper failed, and a small hole developed in one corner (no doubt due to books). I wanted to send it back to Wilderness Experience, but they had gone out of business around that time. They have since reorganized and are back in business. I had these repaired around 1986 or so. Since then, the connection point between the shoulder straps (at the top) and the pack started coming undone. I sewed them back up. I use this pack every day, to carry stuff to and from work. This pack has clearly stood up to the test of time. The steel webbing fasteners are wearing the webbing, and some of the stitching holding on the leather strap tie-downs has failed. The leather is looking pretty worn. Not so bad for a pack around 23 years old. Highly recommended.

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