Re: looking for a minimalist day pack
Posted: August 4th, 2019, 7:06 pm
My pack selection is getting more feedback than some of my TRs!
Webfoot:
I can't say if I saw that pack when I was shopping, so can't say why I balked at it (if I did). All I can do is consider what I'd think if I ran across it in a showroom. This is going to be a ridiculously nuanced analysis, because I'm trying to imagine my immediate gut feeling, which doesn't always stand up to scrutiny. It seems cluttered, haphazard, weird. The way the black lines splay out as they rise, the swooping side panels, the funky mish-mash of compression straps, the strange unnecessary stitching. Truth is, if I used it for a few trips, I'd probably adapt to all that and would find it works just fine. BTW, I've never cared for dual lid buckles, but I will admit it integrates well with the daisy chains, and leaves the center unencumbered.
Bosterson:
A travel pack? But it has an ice axe loop! Oh well, all the better to go with my blunt crampons (maybe I should face them in; surely they couldn't puncture the fabric). But seriously, I've only taken a file to crampons once in my life. When I bought them, I was surprised BD added a sharpening operation, rather than selling them as-stamped. I've never felt insecure in them. If I were to find myself on water ice or bona-fide glacial ice, I'd probably wet myself regardless of what I had on my feet. I was tempted to post a pic of the spike on my oldest Raven. Your reaction would be one of these: But it's in my car; I'm not putting shoes on.
As for rope, if I carry one at all it's just a short piece of static line, 40'-70'. It goes at the bottom of the pack.
Yep, my main concern about zip opening is that you can't overstuff it the way you can with a lid. Oh well. It's actually like a lid, except it zips. One intriguing possibility is to flip the lid inside, thus creating an open top. Then you can put large compressible items (jacket is the obvious example) at the top (either alone or in a stuff sack) and cinch them in using the three-point haul loops (I know, it's weird, I can't explain why my "travel" pack has three-point haul loops). That sounds like a lot of trouble, but the point is, it's got that versatility if I ever want to do that, and if I don't, then it reverts to normal (much like my comment about the way I can utilize the daisy chains).
Pictured below is what I'm retiring after many years of faithful service: North Face Exocet. The year I bought mine they finally added a real hip belt, but the side pockets went mesh, which I hated. Funny though, those mesh pockets held up just fine.
Webfoot:
I can't say if I saw that pack when I was shopping, so can't say why I balked at it (if I did). All I can do is consider what I'd think if I ran across it in a showroom. This is going to be a ridiculously nuanced analysis, because I'm trying to imagine my immediate gut feeling, which doesn't always stand up to scrutiny. It seems cluttered, haphazard, weird. The way the black lines splay out as they rise, the swooping side panels, the funky mish-mash of compression straps, the strange unnecessary stitching. Truth is, if I used it for a few trips, I'd probably adapt to all that and would find it works just fine. BTW, I've never cared for dual lid buckles, but I will admit it integrates well with the daisy chains, and leaves the center unencumbered.
Bosterson:
A travel pack? But it has an ice axe loop! Oh well, all the better to go with my blunt crampons (maybe I should face them in; surely they couldn't puncture the fabric). But seriously, I've only taken a file to crampons once in my life. When I bought them, I was surprised BD added a sharpening operation, rather than selling them as-stamped. I've never felt insecure in them. If I were to find myself on water ice or bona-fide glacial ice, I'd probably wet myself regardless of what I had on my feet. I was tempted to post a pic of the spike on my oldest Raven. Your reaction would be one of these: But it's in my car; I'm not putting shoes on.
As for rope, if I carry one at all it's just a short piece of static line, 40'-70'. It goes at the bottom of the pack.
Yep, my main concern about zip opening is that you can't overstuff it the way you can with a lid. Oh well. It's actually like a lid, except it zips. One intriguing possibility is to flip the lid inside, thus creating an open top. Then you can put large compressible items (jacket is the obvious example) at the top (either alone or in a stuff sack) and cinch them in using the three-point haul loops (I know, it's weird, I can't explain why my "travel" pack has three-point haul loops). That sounds like a lot of trouble, but the point is, it's got that versatility if I ever want to do that, and if I don't, then it reverts to normal (much like my comment about the way I can utilize the daisy chains).
Pictured below is what I'm retiring after many years of faithful service: North Face Exocet. The year I bought mine they finally added a real hip belt, but the side pockets went mesh, which I hated. Funny though, those mesh pockets held up just fine.