[ambush]

I will walk a lot this summer, so I need a good and BIG back pack. E.g. 60L or something.

The problem is, I know NOTHING about back packs...

can someone advise me...? what's the best price/quality ratio out there? Is ebay a good choice?

Thanks!

[Cody Dawg]

A "hicking backpack?"

I think you can probably find one of those down in Alabama, maybe the back woods of South Carolina, the swamps of Mississippi.

Just look for the big guy scratching his head who has a puzzled look on his face and a red neck. He's probably unshaven and missing a few teeth. He has a couple of cars propped up on cement blocks in his yard and a cheap can of beer in one hand.

[d4nth3m4n]

get a dana designs terraplane/astralplane.

little steep with their prices ($300-400), but the suspension on those packs is amazing. i got my astralplane for a NOLS trip in the wind river range. amazing pack, even day after day with 70+ lbs on my back. never had any trubs with it.

[Mithras]

Backpacks, like shoes, come down to your own individual fit. So it's really best as a retail experience, rather than buying blindly over the Internet. You want to be at a good store with experienced staff that can size you appropriately, give you some weights to put in a pack, and advise you about what you should be checking for on comfort. And you'll want them to adjust the pack to you, especially if you haven't used a full backpack before; an expensive but poorly adjusted backpack will be terribly uncomfortable.

As for brands...
Dana Design blew open -- revolutionized is not too strong a word -- the backpack market about ten years ago, with packs that were radically more comfortable, stable, and useful than anything else. They also (natch) cost twice as much.

Their shaped sheet technology eventually trickled down to other manufacturers, which has brought down prices somewhat... Arc'teryx is one of the best; I've gone through two Bora 80s (one was stolen )in the past six years. They're great; much better than previous packs I've had, like the Lowe Contour and REI Mars. North Face makes amazing tents, but their packs are nothing special for the customary high price.

If you're in Canada, I'd go to your local Mountain Equipment Co-op. They're a wonderful outfit (or so Canadians tell me) and should be able to steer you to a good choice.

[Brass]

"One Planet" made the best backpacks available anywhere... until their factory burned down last year. Lucky I got my 85 litre just before that.

Mac Pac are also very good.

[waxcrash]

I have a Kelty Red Cloud 5600. It's big - its capacity is 5600 cubic inches. Enough room for my sleeping bag, tent, camera, tripod, clothes, cooking gear, and food for the weekend. It's probably too big for just hiking, but if you are into backpack camping - it's perfect. What I like about this backpack is that when it's completely full, it's still comfortable.


Kelty Red Cloud 5600

[d4nth3m4n]

Originally Posted by Mithras

Backpacks, like shoes, come down to your own individual fit. So it's really best as a retail experience, rather than buying blindly over the Internet. You want to be at a good store with experienced staff that can size you appropriately, give you some weights to put in a pack, and advise you about what you should be checking for on comfort. And you'll want them to adjust the pack to you, especially if you haven't used a full backpack before; an expensive but poorly adjusted backpack will be terribly uncomfortable.

As for brands...
Dana Design blew open -- revolutionized is not too strong a word -- the backpack market about ten years ago, with packs that were radically more comfortable, stable, and useful than anything else. They also (natch) cost twice as much.

Their shaped sheet technology eventually trickled down to other manufacturers, which has brought down prices somewhat... Arc'teryx is one of the best; I've gone through two Bora 80s (one was stolen )in the past six years. They're great; much better than previous packs I've had, like the Lowe Contour and REI Mars. North Face makes amazing tents, but their packs are nothing special for the customary high price.

If you're in Canada, I'd go to your local Mountain Equipment Co-op. They're a wonderful outfit (or so Canadians tell me) and should be able to steer you to a good choice.

this is a good post.

[ambush]

Thanks a LOT for your time... I'm really looking at the lowest price/best quality (budget requires me to!)

I will have a look at each of the links you gave me.. thanks a ton. THe last thing I want is get ripped off by some salesperson.

[Mithras]

Originally Posted by ambush

THe last thing I want is get ripped off by some salesperson.

Absolutely. That's why you should go to a reputable place like MEC. MEC, and the REI co-op in the U.S., have built their reputation on solid, trustworthy advice from experienced outdoorspeople. There are plenty of crappy retail experiences out there, like Eastern Mountain Sports, or Campmor. Smaller local stores can be hit-and-miss.

You'll be able to find a very decent pack for < US$200. The ones that Dan and I mentioned go for upwards for US$300. They're also better; but depending on *really* how much walking you'll be doing, and whether it will just be in mountains where you don't want to lose your footing, or on city streets in a European tour or somesuch, it may or may not be worth more money to get a better pack.

Good luck! Hope you have fun on whatever your summer adventure is.

[Cody Dawg]

Where are you going hiking?

BTW, eBay IS a great idea. Just make sure their feedback is good. Forgot to mention that.

The very best backpacks are from Swizterland. Seriously.

Link here.

Cheap(er) link here.

[wdlove]

Good luck on finding that perfect backpack.

[Thorin]

I've had great experience with Karrimor packs. I have a small 25l that I take to uni., use on hiking days, and that sort of thing, and I have a larger 60l that I use for longer trips.

Their website's here: http://www.karrimor.com/ but it seems to be down at the moment, and I don't know if they're available in North America, but they're worth looking at if you can find them. Lifetime guarantee as well

[ghporter]

Believe it or not, Coleman (the camping lamp folks) make some good packs for not much money. You don't get magnesium frames and ultrapolymer fabrics, just flexible resin frames and reinforced nylon fabric, but for a starter, they're not bad. The best part is that they are correctly built. They distribute the load properly, enforce good loading discipline, and are still handy and flexible.

[Hugi]

I'm looking for a backpack for a four day hiking trip. Has anyone here tried the Haglöfs sec or Deuter AirContact backpacks?

[suvsr4terrorists]

http://www.asatte.ca/oths/images/Hick%20Day%204.JPG

[invisibleX]

I'm going to recommend Mountain equipment co-op (www.mec.ca), always found them to be excellent.

[Hugi]

Just bought the Deuter Aircontact 75+10 for $350. Loving it so far.
If anyone's interested I'll report how it feels after four days of hiking with 25 kgs in it.