ryland_moore Posted November 6, 2003 Posted November 6, 2003 I love mine. Had it for 4 years and it is amazing for week + long trips, expeditions, etc. Bad for weekend trips and even a little too much for winter climbs up Rainier. It is big, so you can really put alot of stuff in it. I've used it for weekend trips but now prefer to use something with less cu. in. All in all, a great pack if you are doing expeditions. It survived peaks in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Denali, and trekking around Pasayten for a month. Overall rating: Quote
goatboy Posted November 6, 2003 Posted November 6, 2003 Hi, Â I like mine but recently got a lighter pack. I have a used one (about 5 years old) which I'm happy to consider selling you if you like. PM me if you're interested. Â Steve Quote
Rainier_Wolfscastle Posted November 6, 2003 Posted November 6, 2003 This is a stupid pack. Who really needs this many gadgets/pockets/zippers & attachments? All that extra fluff adds up to a pack that weighs something like 8 lbs empty. Get the Serratus Alpinelite 85 which weighs in around 5 lbs and has all the features you need and nothing more. Probably costs about half as much too. Quote
ryland_moore Posted November 7, 2003 Posted November 7, 2003 Well you sound pretty stupid. Obviously have not done your homework. The Denali Pro is a full ,1200 cubic inches larger than your 85. Yes it is heavier, but it also carries more gear. If I wanted to have a pack that you can only access from one point and have to dig through the enitre 5,200 cubic in. area just to get at something, then maybe a nice lightweight pack like that would be useful. In the Denali, you are paying for comfort. I like both of these packs, but when shlepping heavy weight up a mountain for multiple days, I'd rather carry an extra pound and a half worth of pack then have my back and hips killing me. A pound and a half difference is well worth the extra "bells and whistles" That come with this pack. You can convert the top to a fanny pack, enter the pack from the back to get to stuff in the middle of the pack without having to undo all the rest of your pack to access the top, and get to the bottom of your pack without having to do the same as above. Can't do this with Rainier's Serratus. I have used the Serratus and like it very much, but not for long expeditions. Try different ones on and go with the one that fits you the best. Look at function and form and make a collected decision based on what you will most likely need it and use it for. Quote
skyclimb Posted November 7, 2003 Author Posted November 7, 2003 Ryland, I agree with you 100%. After looking at both packs, and many others, the denali pro looks very nice. When the winds are fucking howling and you need to access that extra layer quick it is nice to have quick access. For the extra wieght, I think it will save me energy in the long run. Now I just need to find a deal on one that is new. Quote
EastCoastBastard Posted November 7, 2003 Posted November 7, 2003 (edited) hey I have both the serratus Alpinelight and the Denali Pro and I love them both. But... The front pocket on the Denali with the little internal zipper to get into the main compartment really sucks. If the pack is packed full you can't get it to close ( at least I've had problems with it). I hardly ever use the sleeping bag pocket to access the inside. I have also have had problems with the zipper on the top lid I actually ripped the whole zipper out after only 3 months ( 3 months of hard use) . The pass-through ski pockets that allow you to still use the mesh side pockets are genius. It's super comfortable but very specific in it's usage. i.e only for long, technical trips. The Alpinelight is super light, comfy and simple. My big beef with this pack is that the compression straps are too short. Load this pack up to the limit and the lid won't fit. Thinking about putting a rope between the lid and the pack when the packs' loaded won't work. A nice thing is the ability to carry a shovel on the outside with their little kit. Bottom line is to decide what you're going to be using this pack for. For about the same price as the Denali ( and a little bit smaller) and a lot lighter, check out the Wild Things Andistina. I've heard excellent things about it. Hope this helps    Edited November 7, 2003 by EastCoastBastard Quote
Dulton Posted November 7, 2003 Posted November 7, 2003 I had a Denali Pro, but I sold it to get a smaller lighter pack. I took it up Rainier a bunch of times and it worked great except for the extra weight. Although, I've never had a pack that carried heavy loads better, I would say the best expedition pack out there simply for its comfort and HUUUGE capacity. Quote
Jason_Martin Posted November 7, 2003 Posted November 7, 2003 I do think the pack is really heavy and I do think it does have way too many bells and whistles on it. However, that said, if you need that kind of space it's a decent pack. They don't seem to make many large capacity packs without a bunch of extra crap on them which make them heavy. Â Jason Quote
Duchess Posted November 7, 2003 Posted November 7, 2003 i too had a denali pro. i loved it for the first six months... until i took it to denali. i started to notice immediately that it wasn't very comfortable when fully loaded---grated into my hip bones, hurt my shoulders... Â after shlepping it around the the glaciers for five weeks, i cracked on the descent down the kahiltna. my partner thought i had lost it!! i threw the denali pro into my sled and hauled it the last mile, cursing throughout. sold the thing on ebay as soon as i got home. i still haven't replaced it with another expedition sized pack, but i imagine that since comfort is what i am really after, i will fork over a little more and get a custom-made pack. Quote
Rainier_Wolfscastle Posted November 7, 2003 Posted November 7, 2003 Ryland, if you knew how to pack your gear, you wouldn't need 3 extra lbs of access zippers & pockets to get at your gear from every possible angle. Yes, I am aware that the Gregory pack is 15L larger. If you can't fit what you need in 90L then you should seriously rethink what you are taking from what you want to what you need. If you absolutely have to have 15L more, add the Serratus alpine pocket. Makes a more versatile pack as you can remove it later for more reasonable size loads. Quote
Steigerman Posted November 7, 2003 Posted November 7, 2003 If you are looking for a big ass pack that can haul heavy loads and still be comfortable, check out McHales. They are a little more money but they are custom built and you'll never need another pack. My buddy has one and carries monster loads on long trips and never has a problem. I like my Gregory but it does have too many bells and whistles. Quote
scott_harpell Posted November 7, 2003 Posted November 7, 2003 cut off the bells and whistles... that is what i did to my serratus. i cut off almost a pounds of latches and shit off my big load bag.... it was a very inexpensive pack... i figured that if i hada pack that big, i wouldn't need daisy chains and shit to strap things on cause they would be going in my pack... i even cut off the bottom compression strap. since i put my sleeping bag there anyways. centai 2 moya Quote
gearup5000 Posted December 10, 2003 Posted December 10, 2003 www.mchalepacks.com I second the motion you can get a big pack with bayonets to make it go super huge - see the Inex alpineer  lots of choice for feature, and spectra ripstop is pretty light also, you can get a spectra bottom, or 3/4 bottom that adds just a little to the cost but a LOT of durability  either that or ge him to add a bottom saver    Quote
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