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Pack it up, pack it in......


K_Y_L_E

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in its size, the icesack is better than most packs: light in weight, about the toughest pack you can find, and not too pricey. the carry will depend on fit entirely, since its frameless and has minimial cushy stuff. my experience with them is that when the fit is right (i'm a medium in about every dimension; easy to fit), they carry very stably.

 

on arcteryx: they make great clothing, but i just can't figure out how they keep selling packs. in the smaller pack sizes, you don't need much (or any) framing, so it seems to me that weight and features come to the fore. their packs are heavier than they need to be, and have fewer climber specific features. i think their new waterproof fabrics are great, and the packs are well made, but they're still too heavy in the small sizes. and i really don't understand their larger packs: they're among the heaviest on the market now for their size, and the framing is ten years behind the times. arcteryx has always emphasized its foam molding tech (great for harnesses) in packs, as if how the foam is made or shaped is the primary factor in how a big pack feels. the fact is, for heavy loads the weight rides best if disributed around the hips. every major pack maker but arcteryx has well engineered frames that make this happen (dana, osprey, gregory, etc.). arcteryx, unless they've changed something in the last year, offers aluminum stays in the back and foam on the hips, and nothing that transfers weight from the back of the belt to the hips. the big boras are basically a tarted up version of lowe alpine's old contours. they must be doing something right, but i just don't get it--their frame engineering is fifteen years behind the times.

 

thanks for witnessing my rant...didn't know i had all that trapped inside me.javascript:void(0)

 

blush.gif

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TNF used to make a pack called the snow leopard, in an age before side compression straps. my partner has one, and it's great. i think they've pretty much gone downhill since then, and aren't even near hitting bottom. they've had consistent quality control problems for ten years, their frame engineering changes every other year, and their packs aren't very durable. someday they might start making good packs again, but i say why risk it when there are so many other great companies out there (dana, osprey, wild things, almost anyone else). having said that, i would like to hear if anyone has a pack of theirs they like; maybe i'm just unlucky.

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I've been using a Cold Cold World Valdez, which is a great pack. (CCW lists as 2400in/40liter but that must be with the collar extended 'cos it's on the smaller side.) But the Chernobyl's bigger, mmhmmm unh!

 

CCW = simple, light, elegant, finished well + good price.

 

plus Randy's a sweetheart...

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I've been using a Cold Cold World Valdez, which is a great pack. (CCW lists as 2400in/40liter but that must be with the collar extended 'cos it's on the smaller side.) But the Chernobyl's bigger, mmhmmm unh!

 

CCW = simple, light, elegant, finished well + good price.

 

plus Randy's a sweetheart...

 

I've acutally been thinking of these guys. Did you buy retail, or did you get it through them direct (via their website)?

Another post.... hmmmm, where is it..., oh here it is...

ccw post

...really praises these guys. Sounds like they do customizations and are super easy to deal with and are very reasonably priced.

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