Patagonia day packs - paying for the name?

GalwayGrrrrrl

I’m looking for a long lasting day pack for hiking. One of my local shops sells Patagonia bags. Are they worth the high price (in terms of quality, durability) or are you paying a lot for the name?
My last pack was from Blacks in the UK (own brand) and lasted a good few years.

Alun

I've never held Patagonia stuff in very high regard to be honest.

If looking for a day pack I'd be looking at the likes of Lowe Alpine, Deuter or Osprey.

hmmm

Patagonia stuff in my experience is actually very good (and very expensive), but I don't think I've ever seen anyone wearing a Patagonia rucksack. It'd be like driving your Ferrari up a country road.

I find Osprey great for ultra-light stuff, and surprisingly durable. Deuter tends to be a small bit heavier and "feels" more robust. Neither has left me down.

oinkely

Just a quick note on patagonia in general. They encourage repair of old stuff rather than the purchase of new stuff, which is great. I bought an outer layer ski/rain jacket in their outlet store in Dublin some 13 years ago. The lining at the back of the neck where the hanging loop was situated got torn away from the main material after an over enthusiastic child got me my coat from a coat hook!

The flapping material was quite annoying and uncomfortable in use so I went looking for a replacement. During my search i discovered that patagonia do a repair service for all of their gear. I sent a few pics to customer service and they replied to say they could certainly fix it. They sent me a label for postage and i had to pay the postage to their depot in dublin. The jacket came back to me perfectly repaired a few weeks later at zero cost other than the initial cost of postage to the dublin depot.

Absolutely brilliant service and saved me shelling out on a replacement jacket. This one will survive another few seasons of outdoor use now.

So in general, definitely recommend patagonia - however I do agree that their prices are high.

Planet X

That's a great service alright..........must buy something now :pac::pac::pac:

JimmyCorkhill

Have a Lowe Alpine Vector 30 I got over 9 years ago and has been used for anything & everything.

Really solid, durable bag, solid zip etc.

Would definitely recommend Lowe Alpine.

Deuter packs are a great combination of quality and value imo.

Berghaus at a stretch if you're on a tighter budget.

athlone573

Lowe Alpine packs will last for decades, not the cheapest or lightest but worth it.

If just looking for something for around town or the gym Decathlon are fine. Montane also have some nice light packs if weight is a consideration.

JustAThought

JimmyCorkhill wrote: »

Have a Lowe Alpine Vector 30 I got over 9 years ago and has been used for anything & everything.

Really solid, durable bag, solid zip etc.

Would definitely recommend Lowe Alpine.

My Lowe Alpine rugsacks fell apart quickly and steadily - all the parts and features that made them special fell to pieces - thou I only had to sew the base corner back once. I like the brand and used always try buy from them but since they moved their production to Cambodia and downgraded their production values I’m far less likely to give them first refusal anymore. Been stung a few times.

+1 for Patagonia gear. Their products IMO seem to be consistently excellent and take the beating they get and are far better able to withstand it.

I’ve heard good things about their environmentally friendly repair service too - isn’t this the kind of company that prioritises planet over profits that we should be supporting?

athlone573

JustAThought wrote: »

My Lowe Alpine rugsacks fell apart quickly and steadily - all the parts and features that made them special fell to pieces - thou I only had to sew the base corner back once. I like the brand and used always try buy from them but since they moved their production to Cambodia and downgraded their production values I’m far less likely to give them first refusal anymore. Been stung a few times.

+1 for Patagonia gear. Their products IMO seem to be consistently excellent and take the beating they get and are far better able to withstand it.

I’ve heard good things about their environmentally friendly repair service too - isn’t this the kind of company that prioritises planet over profits that we should be supporting?

Well I haven't bought one in approx 20 years since they moved from tullamore so you could be right!

JimmyCorkhill

JustAThought wrote: »

My Lowe Alpine rugsacks fell apart quickly and steadily - all the parts and features that made them special fell to pieces - thou I only had to sew the base corner back once. I like the brand and used always try buy from them but since they moved their production to Cambodia and downgraded their production values I’m far less likely to give them first refusal anymore. Been stung a few times.

+1 for Patagonia gear. Their products IMO seem to be consistently excellent and take the beating they get and are far better able to withstand it.

I’ve heard good things about their environmentally friendly repair service too - isn’t this the kind of company that prioritises planet over profits that we should be supporting?

Ok interesting, how do you rate Deuter v Lowe Alpine?

Just had a look at my Lowe Alpine Vector 30 bag I alluded to in a previous post and it was made in Vietnam.

Do you know if they moved from Vietnam to Cambodia?