external frame backpack

[Fetter]

I am attempting the AT next year with one other person and I decided to go with my old boy scout roots and stick with an external frame backpack. Since my previous one was made for a 16 year old doing weekend hikes I will be upgrading. I want to stick with kelty because even though I'm not going to use my old pack, it's still very useable and durable. I found and old kelty at a used gear store for $50 and will buy that one unless someone wants to suggest a different brand.

Fetter

[CrumbSnatcher]

externals are not for everyone, but to me the external frame pack was, and still is the best pack for the job(AT hiking)
the pack wears higher and distributes the weights more on the hips and legs and not on the shoulders!

[CrumbSnatcher]

I am attempting the AT next year with one other person and I decided to go with my old boy scout roots and stick with an external frame backpack. Since my previous one was made for a 16 year old doing weekend hikes I will be upgrading. I want to stick with kelty because even though I'm not going to use my old pack, it's still very useable and durable. I found and old kelty at a used gear store for $50 and will buy that one unless someone wants to suggest a different brand.

Fetter

welcome to WB

[HiKen2011]

I was gunna say talk to crumbsnatcher but you already chimed in.

[CrumbSnatcher]

2 kelty external super tioga packs
1 kelty external 50th year anniversary pack
1 kelty external 40th year anniversary pack(super tioga)
1 dana design external k2 shortbed pack
1 brand new ULA internal pack, givin' to me to try out----sold on WB

[HiKen2011]

2 kelty external super tioga packs
1 kelty external 50th year anniversary pack
1 kelty external 40th year anniversary pack(super tioga)
1 dana design external k2 shortbed pack
1 brand new ULA internal pack, givin' to me to try out----sold on WB

Which one is your favorite?

[HiKen2011]

A lot of older literature said that external was a better choice for the AT. Seems to have changed over the years.

[CrumbSnatcher]

most hikers use internals and thats fine, whatever floats your boat :-) HYOH and enjoy it!
to me the external weighs 5-7 pounds but makes a 40 pound load feel like 25 pounds (transfers the weight to the hips and legs and very little weight on the shoulders)
my ULA internal weighed like 1 pound and made a 30 pound load feel like a 30 pound load ( i always felt like all the weight was on the shoulders)

[SouthMark]

At times I kinda miss my ole Colin Fletcher inspired Trailwise. Wish I still had it. I keep searching for one on Ebay, etc.

[CrumbSnatcher]

I am attempting the AT next year with one other person and I decided to go with my old boy scout roots and stick with an external frame backpack. Since my previous one was made for a 16 year old doing weekend hikes I will be upgrading. I want to stick with kelty because even though I'm not going to use my old pack, it's still very useable and durable. I found and old kelty at a used gear store for $50 and will buy that one unless someone wants to suggest a different brand.

Fetter

99 out of 100 hikers are wearing internals, alot of accomplished hikers at that! all im saying is don't be scared away from trying one if thats what you want to do :-) have a great hike

[shelterbuilder]

W-A-Y back when, externals were considered to be the only way to go. Of course, way back when, the equipment weighed a lot more, too!

And then, equipment started getting lighter, and companies started marketing internals...and that's fine - HYOH. But I seem to remember that when internals started to really gain a foothold, one of the marketing stratagies was to say that internals were great for climbers and off-trail hikers, because there was no external frame to catch on rocks or brush.

One thing that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE about my externals is that there are so many pockets! I'm a "neat-freak", and all of those pockets really make organizing your stuff easy. And Crumbsnatcher is right - the weight carries on your hips, not your shoulders. The pack can be packed with the heaviest items toward the bottom, and the lighter stuff above. (And for guys like me who sweat like crazy, they offer superior ventilation for the back.)

Remember - just because the pack can hold 6500 cu. in., doesn't mean that you have to fill it!

[CrumbSnatcher]

my dogs gear and food fit real good in my super tioga :-)

[grayfox]

Check out Campmor for a new retro D2--in orange no less!

[k2basecamp]

I still use my Alpenlite 30 year old external. Did Katahdin to Washington with it this past summer.

Simply the best fitting and carrying pack for me !

[Tuckahoe]

Kelty Trekker 3950 here. Like many grew up using an external frame. When I got back into backpacking I tried out the internal framed packs, simply because that was what everyone else was using. Internals just werent for me and I happily went and bought and external. I think it carries the load better.

[LockJaww]

I began last year with a Kelty external frame and I was very happy with it. I have always prefered an external( hiked for years with a Jansport D5 I believe it was ) . As the weather warmed up and I fined tuned my load I downsized to a smaller pack ( an internal frame Dueter ). The only reason I got the internal was because nobody had a smaller external.
The Dueter was my first experience with an internal frame pack . Its a nice pack and did the job expected of it but it did take me a bit of getting used to the way it carried as opposed to an external frame. I prefer an external.

[4eyedbuzzard]

...1 kelty external 40th year anniversary pack(super tioga)

my dogs gear and food fit real good in my super tioga :-)

I do miss that puppy from time to time - glad that it has found a good home

[CrumbSnatcher]

buzzard, i know gear is made to be used! but i have never used the pack you sold me, it hangs on the wall.

[4eyedbuzzard]

buzzard, i know gear is made to be used! but i have never used the pack you sold me, it hangs on the wall.

I only used it about half a dozen times, and then only for a few weekends with the kids when they were young - hence the almost brand new condition. Honestly, my current "big four" weighs about what that pack weighs empty. But it could haul a Tipi Walter size load when needed (like hiking with a 3 and 5 year old and carrying most of their stuff)! A nice collector's item if nothing else though.

[CrumbSnatcher]

it might weigh a little more than the one i used from 98'
honestly the pack weight never bothered me, super tioga 6-7 pounds, 3 pound sleeping bag, water filter, dogs gear food,2 sleeping pads(air matress for the dog z-rest for me)30-45 pounds on avg. but even after a thru i weigh around 215. me and my pooch would hike 12-15 miles a day usually, sometimes more. my dog would let me know :-) she did a few 20,s.
later on in 2002-2003 she was getting older,we had friends along the trail, so she took some zeros why i hiked like miss j, bob peoples,rob-birdcage, many more
i would lighten the pack of dog food and gear but usually would still carry my pack. people can and have hiked some very big days with externals including me :-)