Day Packs

[corvus]

With the intention of doing more Day walks rather than extended or overnighters I am looking at getting a decent Day Pack .
Any hints recommendations or thoughts will be appreciated,I am not brand specific but would like to have one from an AUS owned company.

[corvus]

I interested in a WE Travese day pack because it is similar in design to my Karijini B/W pack from WE has anyone used this one.

[jeelan]

hi

i have used a WE Traverse and find that the new ones have very thin shoulder straps which are not really suitable for me. Their older models (before the S2S merger) had nice broad shoulder straps which distributed weight well over the shoulder.

I've found that all their newer models have these ridiculously narrow shoulder straps which to me, get quite uncomfortable after 3-4 hrs of walking with between 5-8kgs.

whilst my main pack is still WE, my day packs are now all Camelbak Maximum Gear (military issue) products which i find have excellent harnesses. The packs are all 1000dn Cordura so they are not skimping on build quality either. Check them out if it interests you, but they are not Aussie owned as per your requirements.

http://www.camelbak.com.au

cheers
Jeelan

[corvus]

Thanks for you input I have placed my order for the WE Traverse so I guess I will just need to put up with it however I really only wanted to use it when I am on duty as a warden at Scout Lodge at Cradle Mt as I leave a sleeping bag up there and will only be taking food wet weather gear and change of clothes.The walk up is only 40 mins in good weather(much longer through the snow) so the new bag should be reasonable for my needs.

[Ent]

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[corvus]

G'day Brett,
WE /S2S gear- We (son and me) have been using WE gear for around 15 year or so including Expedition packs 1 and 11, Millair Rain Coats and canvas gaiters . Raincoats been replace as they wore out one main pack replaced as it was nearly worn out gaiters replace as they were worn out.
Result I will start with the negative I purchased WE made in Vietnam Canvas gaiters and whilst the materiel is first class the construction is ordinary so sons replacement gaiters are by MD also made in VN but so much better in construction.
WE by Sea to Summit Day pack(Traverse) made in VN with Aussie materials is first class in both design and construction and I rate it A1
Main pack WE by Sea to Summit (Karingie M ) made in VN again with Aussie materials I also rate first class in design and construction my only complaint being that one of the straps was inserted into its buckle the wrong way round (easily self fixed) so overall I am content with the change as obviously manufacture in Australia has sadly been priced out of the market like so many of our local manufactures but hey I like my Salary and wont work for the hourly rate that they do in VN so I guess it is all relative and dont even think how much an I- pood would cost if we made it in Aus.

[Ent]

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[DaveNoble]

I have a WE StS Traverse - and have found it quite reasonable. The main reason i bought it was to replace another pack that had gradually fallen to bits - and my main criterion was that it had to have no zipper to open the main compartment (I sometimes want to pull a camera out quickly and do not want to fumble with zippers). I have found the Traserse quite comfortable - and use it cycling and sometimes canyoning (ie abseiling and swimming with it on my back). I could probably just fit weekend gear into it (not for Tassie - but Blue Mts).

Dave

[corvus]

What an intriguing thought just started to think that I could just about manage a Tassie overnighter with my new S/Bag, Microlite tent in my WE Traverse, I will experiment this weekend and post results .
corvus

[kristinedrake]

Just wondering if people have used large daypacks (3500-4500 cu in ) as a carryon onboard the plane. Am I going to have much trouble squeezing it in the overhead? I need a pretty large bag to carry stuff for international travel and I like the comfort of something on my shoulder rather than wheeling something around in the airports. Does anyone have anything to recommend?

[Drifting]

I just bought a DMH Hikelite pack for a daypack. It's comfy as could be, weighs little, and fits way more than I need. Also, the side pouches are great for lenses.

[Ent]

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[johnw]

From memory does not carry on luggage have to fit into specific size cube so would that not govern the pack size?

Yes, airlines usually list the maximum dimensions of cabin (and other) baggage on their web sites.

[photohiker]

Just wondering if people have used large daypacks (3500-4500 cu in ) as a carryon onboard the plane. Am I going to have much trouble squeezing it in the overhead? I need a pretty large bag to carry stuff for international travel and I like the comfort of something on my shoulder rather than wheeling something around in the airports. Does anyone have anything to recommend?

The pack size you quote (3500-4500 cu in) does not correlate with a large daypack. You're talking about a 60L hiking pack here, and no, I don't think you could take that on a plane, and it would be very difficult if not impossible to stow in the overhead if it had anything in it. The Airlines have a dimension limit as well as a weight limit for hand luggage. I regularly travel with a daypack of about 30L (2000 cu in) as carry on baggage and have never had a problem even though it is a little longer than the airline specifications (its narrower in the other dimensions though) - it still fits easily across the overheads. I wouldn't dare attempt to take a 60L pack on board!

[etrangere]

If you are looking for an Australian brand have a look at the Mont website. I have seen the Contour 35 day pack instore, looks pretty rugged and well made.

http://www.mont.com.au/index/catalog/product/55555

[dancier]

Just wondering if people have used large daypacks (3500-4500 cu in ) as a carryon onboard the plane. Am I going to have much trouble squeezing it in the overhead? I need a pretty large bag to carry stuff for international travel and I like the comfort of something on my shoulder rather than wheeling something around in the airports. Does anyone have anything to recommend?

I've got an old Mountain Design travel pack that has a harness and carry handles, it can be a backpack or suitcase, depends on the environment. Lowe have always made a good range of traveling packs but most manufacturers are into them now, travelers always seem to have large packs stuffed full of junk in most cases. While in the Hobart YHA at Christmas, I offered to carry a young girls pack up the stairs but struggled, it was too heavy. You only need the basics, buy it when you need it rather than carry it unnecessarily unless you're going into extreme environments. Most airlines give you an allowance for checked baggage, 23kg for Qantas, 20kg for Jetstar but with Virgin and Tiger you need to pay $$ for the checked option. You also get 7Kg in the cabin storage plus a small bag, if you ever take a bike, fly Virgin because they give you an extra 5kg on top of your checked baggage allowance for zero dollars. As far as baggage size in the cabin, i've seen them put all sorts of things in, providing it fits, it' seems fine.

Lowe travel packs.
http://www.lowealpine.com/eng/products. ... 4&type=man

Macpac
http://www.macpac.co.nz/shop/en_nz/gear ... cks-travel

[Tony]

Just wondering if people have used large daypacks (3500-4500 cu in ) as a carryon onboard the plane. Am I going to have much trouble squeezing it in the overhead? I need a pretty large bag to carry stuff for international travel and I like the comfort of something on my shoulder rather than wheeling something around in the airports. Does anyone have anything to recommend?

I have used and my daughter has used (for 6 week trip to Nepal) my Golite Jam2 pack (now called Jam) 3050 in3 | 50 liters as carry on luggage with no problems. I also use this pack as my three season bushwalking pack. It is a pity they are hard to get in Australia and nearly three times the price that you can buy them in the US.

http://www.golite.com/Product/ProdDetai ... 76&t=&lat=

I also have just got a 25l Goilite Ion for day walks and UL overnighters, I have only used it once for a day walk in the blue Mountains and was very happy with it.

Tony

[Lindsay]

If you try to fit all your gear in a carry on bag you will not be able to take a knife, tent pegs and certain cooking utensils etc. with you. A bit of a problem if you are planning a walking trip.