Rucksack Suggestions?

Landa2

Hey all, i know this question has been asked before..

I am going to the states for a month and am looking for a good rucksack to bring with.. i wont be staying in one place for any more than 4 days. Ive been looking into packs for nearly a week now and am still not really too sure what to get..

The things im taking into concideration are mainly,

Mobility - I have a good 80 liter pack that i would be bringing with me if i was staying in one place for any real ammount of time.. Otherwise its awkward and difficult. Im looking for something around the 50 liter mark, portable and compact.

Me as a person - Im 6 foot 6 which rules out a lot of the cheaper packs.. i need to get something with good back and sholder support, if i dont ill end up regretting it..

Any help is much apreciated..

dogmatix

Maybe consider going 60-70 litre size? 50 Litre sounds a bit small for a long trip. Some packs (especially 60+ size) can be equipped with a zip away harness which is handy for when the pack is going through baggage (or simply just stowing out of the way) - but this might compromise comfort which probably rules this type of feature out in your case.

As for brands - I would stick with the well known ones like Lowe-Alpine, North Face, Berghaus, Deuter etc. Osprey appear to be an up and coming brand and their packs seem to be packed with lots of nifty features. Maybe check their websites to see if anything strikes your fancy.

Finally - you could go to a good outdoors store to try various packs, get advice and check fitting. Great outdoors in Dublin would be the obvious choice here.

fergalr

Hey,

I'm the same height as you.
I have a few pieces of advice.

Quality rucksacks over 50l in size will tend to come with a mechanism that allows you adjust the length of the back strapping to fit different back lengths. I've had a lot of success with the lowe alpine adjustable system in the past.
Such a mechanism obviously weights more; but its essential to have a rucksack thats long enough for you. As you'll probably be pretty far out the end of the bell curve in terms of back length make sure what you are getting fits you.

One thing I'd suggest doing is measuring the length of your back and seeing how long this is. Theres a standard way of measuring back length for rucksacks - just because you are very tall doesn't necessarily mean your back is very long, although it does make it more likely - measure your back, compare it to the ranges that more rucksacks come in, and that'll give you an idea of how much hassle you've have finding something that fits.

Many rucksacks around the 50l size and smaller will not come with a fully adjustable back size.

The person in the shop will tell you they are 'one size fits all'. They will not be one size fits all - in general, they'll just be too small. I've found a real lack of knowledge in most shops on people fitting things for the right length of back - they know that rucksacks should sit on your hips etc, but they don't seem to be aware when it is that a rucksack is too short for someone.


Some of the american brands (for example North Face) are pretty good about dealing with this issue - american gear seems to be better accommodating for tall people in general, in my experience - and make their rucksacks in several sizes. I've not had as much success with Lowe Alpine gear, or european gear generally - I find their smaller packs only come in one size, and do not accommodate long backs. Their adjustable packs are good though, but generally these are larger than what you are looking for.


I have a north face spire 45 - its about 50l all in;
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-north-face/spire-45/
The back length isn't adjustable, however, it comes in a large size in addition to the standard medium. Most shops only stock the medium; I had the large it ordered in specially and it made a huge different in terms of comfort.
This is a bombproof bag, and I really recommend it; but it mainly serves to illustrate that there are bags specially designed for taller people available if you go through the hassle of finding them.

Similarly, for adventure racing, I have a small backpack, about 24l
http://www.argear.com/golite-vo24-backpack.html
took me a long time to find - but you can see they make them in two sizes, one of which is pretty long. Also check out that website for what I'm talking about in terms of back measurements and sizing diagrams.

So in a nutshell, if you are buying a smaller pack, make sure it fits you, and don't just trust either the opinion of the guy in the shop, or the fact that the rucksack is supposed to be one-size-fits-all.

In terms of just giving you a recommendation for a rucksack, I have to say I have had a very good time with the Spire 45, in large. Its made of cordura, is rock solid, and a simple but well designed pack - not a lot of frills or anything hanging off it (less stuff to get caught in harnesses etc for climbing) but I find it great for general use too.