Macpac Cascade rucksack with Liberator harness

[Ent]

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[ILUVSWTAS]

Probably somewhere in between. It wa sa couple of tough walks I did, but was a bit shocked/dissapointed to find holes

[leithel]

I got a cascade 75 not long ago. It was an upgrade from an old pack I had for 15yrs. I have done a couple of 2 day walks with it so far, but seem to be having trouble getting the majority of the weight onto my hips. Been playing around with the adjustments and still cant seem to get it right. Too much weight dispersed over my shoulders Didnt have any problems with my old pack. Apart from the weight dispersal, I'm pretty happy.

[Son of a Beach]

If you can't figure it out, take it to somebody familiar with the harness on that pack. It worth getting it right, and it's most likely just a matter of knowing the correct procedure for adjusting it.

As a generic guide, loosen off all of the adjustments, then tighten the hip belt first, nice and snug at the top of the hips, then tighten up other straps just enough to take up the slack and stop the pack wobbling, back length first, then shoulders, then others.

This is my method, anyhow. Obviously there may be other requirements more specific to each harness system.

[tasadam]

Well, one of the problems of going on nice long bushwalks then getting bogged down with work when you get back, is you miss topics that you might be able to constructively add to.
I have a Macpac Cascade 75L which I bought (for $379 I think) to replace the Macpac Ravine 65L that I have had for 20 years.
The Ravine was great and solid and all, but because of its age and the work I knew it had done, I decided I should replace it, pretty much the same reasons why I replaced my tent.
I bought this pack, finalizing my decision on two things - brand (VERY happy with my old Macpac pack), and price.
The most significant difference between this pack and my old pack is that because of the harness, I do not "feel" heavy loads as much as I did in my old pack. Examples - Frenchmans, 7 days, 2005. Old pack. First day, I was stuffed by the end of the Loddens and was seriously contemplating camping before Philps' Lead. My pack was around 25kg's.

In this new pack, I have gone on many multi-day walks, two that come to mind are the 8 day / 7 night walk I had visiting many peaks - Pelion West, Achilles and heel, Perrins Bluff, Thetis, Paddys nut.....
One thing I remember is carrying 27 kg's up over Thetis from Leonards Tarn. I did this mainly because of water, knowing how far we were going that day and not knowing that there are several tarns up there.
From Leonards Tarn to the top of Thetis with 27 kg's is a daunting proposition for anyone, let alont my scrawny frame of (average) 62.5 kg's.
(Note, admin powers here - call me scrawny and I'll ban ya! )

Last month. Actually, only 2 weeks ago. 15 days from Melaleuca to Melaleuca, SW cape cct inc. side trips to Mt Melaleuca, SW Cape, Spain Bay for 2 nights.
Started with a 28KG pack, plus 2 litres of shellite that I purchased in Melaleuca, and a litre of water. So comfortably (can I use that word?) over 30 kg's.
As the days went on, the pack became lighter, and I finished the walk with a pack weighing 24kg's. For info, my wife started with 27 kg's and a litre of water, and finished with 19kg's. So we lost about 15 kg's from our packs on the walk between us. Hey, that's 500 grams a day each including fuel!
Back to the point (throwing the notebook aside), yes the load was heavy, but it was comfortable. It would have not been possible with an inferior pack, or with my old pack. Not for me, anyhow.

So.

* What I like about this pack -
- Its ability to allow me to carry heavy loads for extended walks, comfortably.
- Its size, 75 L is great compared to my old pack of 65L, for the 300 grams that you might have to carry (over a 65L pack) when you pack things away it's so easy to fit things in, I remember often struggling to worm things around so I could get everything in with my old pack.
- It is pretty good at keeping the contents dry.
- Did I mention its comfort when carrying heavy loads? Oh and how comfortable it is with heavy loads...

*What I don't like (or like less) about this pack (being picky) -
- Its stretchy side pocket what is useful for stuffing a water bottle in is easy to wear through, it is quite tattered because of scrapes against rocks etc. Note, this is due to hard wear - not a design fault but more that I am using this pack for pretty extreme stuff when it is designed more (in my opinion) for the average walk.
- The bottom of the pack on the harness side is worn through and tattered a bit, and I took it to a fabric repairer / sail maker and they couldn't fix it, Macpac shop said it wasn't a warranty thing and said it would cost at least $160 to fix (and recommended the sail maker). This damage is probably due to climbing down steep rocky escarpments, where the pack cannot help but land / scrape on the rocks as you squat / sit to work your way down.
- The stretchy netting-type strap on the back is useless in my opinion and only serves to catch on scrub.
- The little pocket on the hip strap is useless in my opinion and I only used it once to stuff an empty plastic scroggin bag in because I couldn't get to my japara pockets because of the waist straps on the pack. The little bit of fabric that one would assumingly strap a phone or GPS (on the opposite side to the little pocket on the hip strap) is also useless and will never get used.
- The straps that hook on the back of the pack where one would assumingly hang an ice axe will never get used, I cannot even use them for my tripod.
- Little cuts appeared on the wall of the pack what would seem a lot easier than on my old pack, whereas they have been treated pretty much the same way. They got repaired easy enough with a few stitches.
- The stitching around the pressure points of the straps are showing signs of weakness (again, probably due to the harshness of the life this pack has endured since its beginning). Photos would show this best, I might get around to it. But they still hold firm despite the look, so fingers crossed.
- Several of the zippers (mainly the top pocket and the separation half zipper) have a plasticy liner section near the zipper which always seems to get stuck in the zipper when you do it up. It really is quite frustrating, but then, it seems to be a feature of zippers - on the Hilleberg tent if you open the door from the bottom left, the outside fabric gets stuck in the zipper and you have to open it from somewhere else (right or middle) to get it undone from the outside, the Mont japara has an inside flappy bit that often gets stuck inside the zipper when doing up.

As for the separation zipper (bottom section), I use it because I stuff the tent, pegs, tyvek in that lower section so I can get to it straight away when arriving at camp. I never used to have it and initially didn't like the idea, but because I found a useful use for it, I don't mind it now. I pack the tent, tyvek, pegs first, then I stuff the fuel bottle/s down from the inside in the gap that is left (using my fist to improve the gap / pushing the tent out of the way). This does a lot to maximize space.

Summary -
I really like the fact that it is bigger than 65 litres, and that it is more comfortable than the old Ravine with heavy loads.
I don't go much on the gimmicky straps and the way it gets stuck in the zippers.
I wish that it would stand up to the punishment I am giving it without showing so many signs of wear.
I would look more closely at other brands next time round, but when said and done, I am happy with this pack.

One of the reasons why I carry such a heavy load is that when we walk we carry >10Kg's of camera gear along with everything else we need for a walk.

Yes, I'm glad I bought it, and yes I would recommend it. Just look after it a bit more than I do.
If they invented a pack that didn't have the gimmicky straps or the zippers getting stuck on themselves problem, and the weight saving went into more stitching on the pressure points and thicker / more durable fabric, it would be perfect and deserving of the name "Macpac Tasmania" as opposed to "Macpac Cascade".

If you can afford two packs for the sake of 300 grams, great. Otherwise my advice is go for the 75 litres, having had 65L for 20 years then getting 75L.

[Ent]

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[tasadam]

Hi Brett

I am not familiar with that pack. I've had this Cascade for more than a year now (I forget exactly), when I was shopping for it I did try other packs at Paddy Pallin in Launceston, and I was much more comfortable with the Cascade. I can't even remember what those other packs were.
So I'm in no position to offer any contrasts or comparisons, sorry.

Re the comment earlier re someone not able to get good hip weight displacement, surely it is an adjustment required to the harness (as mentioned). I would take it to your local (hopefully) Macpac store and get them to help you with it - they should know how to set it up properly to your frame.

Adam.

[Ent]

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[tasadam]

A quick correction, I called it mesh but it is more like a long elastic strap with a tie-toggle on the back section of the pack. Assumingly used to stuff something under and pull tight, like maybe a jacket or snowshoes? But useless for my needs.

[Ent]

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[Maelgwn]

Hi Brett
I am not familiar with that pack. I've had this Cascade for more than a year now (I forget exactly), when I was shopping for it I did try other packs at Paddy Pallin in Launceston, and I was much more comfortable with the Cascade.
Adam.

PP do not stock One Planet so likely another brand like Osprey or similar. Just curious on people's experience with packs as the three main traditional type packs appear to be One Planet, MacPac and Wilderness Equipment. All have a track record of been great for adverse conditions. I found that the OP Exact Plus fit harness lives up to it stated load capacity, that being whatever you can carry, while my 75 litre Macpac maxis out at the recommended maximum comfort load of 18 to 20 kilograms. Interesting the weight you carry for the capacity in litres and confirms that camera equipment and fuel is very heavy per litre. Trouble with all three brands is you are looking at a pack weight of 3 kilograms plus but you do get a pack material and construction that can survive the harsher environment though I am surprised that MacPac goes with mesh external pockets as damaging of that type of construction materials appears to be a common theme with packs that use them.

Cheers Brett

Note that the 20kg macpac rating is a 'comfort' rating and i have read somewhere that the 'extreme' rating is 40kg, a load you pretty much can't pick up!

I have the cascade myself and a friend has the macmillan (or similar OP pack). Both have served us well and work well. We do not bushwalk heaps but still regularly (probably 20 ish days a year) and there is very little real world difference between the two. The macpac is thinner and longer, meaning it is theoretically possible to pack closer to your centre of gravity but not a big deal. The large outside pocket on the OP is bigger than you would want to use. The macpac is slightly fiddler because of 'features' like the hip belt pockets, removable ice axe holder, elastic on the back, ability to open all compression straps ...

I would not worry about them two much and choose the one that fits the best. Personally the macpac fit has always worked better for me than OP, even if i would be better suited by a slightly shorter model.