Kelty Tornado Packs

[Dingus Khan]

I have long wanted an osprey atmos 65 but lately have been looking at the kelty clouds and tornados as potential replacements (much less moolah as well)
Does anyone have any experience with kelty packs? while they are 2 lbs heavier than they ospreys, they have little or no frills for this lightweigter.
presently i use a stripped down lafuma 50L (38oz) but am looking for a bit more size for lightweigt bulk items such as fleece.

For anyone who has used both Osprey and Kelty - do they even compare?

thanks

[d2m]

I use a kelty shadow. it has about 3,500 miles on it. I used it for my thru hike , and i also use it for my job as a wilderness instructor. i plan on using it to hike the mid state trail in pa next month. i swapped out the original hip belt for a more beefier belt from a kelty coyte . i have sewed the side mesh pockets. ( over stuffed and snagged on things ) I am very happy with the pack bag and easy torso adjustability. the down side to the pack is the webbing that connects to the sholder straps. the webbing and plastic slider is not beefy enough witch causes the sholder straps to loosen while hiking. this can get annoying on long days. i like this pack but will probaly get something else after i abuse it some more. the toronato seems comparible to the shadow in size, but seems a bit more bommer.

[rswanson]

I have an older Kelty Tornado, I think its the 2004 model, in green and yellow. Its 4900 c.i. and weighs right a 6 lbs (yikes!). I don't use it much anymore as I never need that sort of volume. I've used it when backpacking in the southwest where I've needed to carry a several gallons of water at a time and the suspension was comfortable carrying well over 40 lbs. Its really overbuilt in just about every aspect, from the material to the straps to the buckles. It could probably haul an engine block. I'm sure the other size of the Tornado are built similarly.

I can't say its nearly as comfortable as an Osprey Atmos; that's sort of like comparing a Ford Explorer to a BMW X5. They're just completely different animals. You do get what you pay for with Osprey. With the Kelty Tornado, you'll be able to find a great deal and you'll be getting a very durable pack.

As a side note, a friend of mine has a newer model of the Tornado which is is functionally the same pack. The only difference I've noted is the color scheme. If you go this route, I'd look for an older Tornado...you'll save a few $$$ without sacrificing anything.

[Spork]

I have a Kelty Moraine 60L/3600ci that I've carried around for a few thousand miles. It's been a great, durable pack and I especially like all the different pockets. The frame/suspension is pretty comfortable but is definitely no-frills compared to Osprey. I must admit to a sentimental attachment to my Kelty but as I've continued to move toward UL I just couldn't justify the volume/weight ratio at almost 4 lbs any more when there are so many excellent lightweight alternatives available...

[Dingus Khan]

true, in my opinion a 2 1/2 lb vs a 4 lb pack makes little difference if you are only carrying 25lb to begin with.
There was a very interesting read on this site recently - i wish i could remember the thread - dealing with where the ever consuming oz shedding craze bottomed out to absolute uselessness and really no direct effect on ones hiking. Now I must admit that I have been bitten by that bug recently, dropping my weight significantly to around 18-19lb packweight including food (h2o is too dependant on conditions of day to day hiking and availability that i won't include it in weight - some days i carry 1L, other days 1.5 gallons)
While this is not the utmost possible UL option, for the price and quality of gear, their use and most importantly my comfort and skill with them, i am darn pleased.
My greatest concern with my pack is that while it is large enough for mild climate hiking, I love winter packing, and have been limited by the amount of clothing i could bring without strapping stuff to the outsides. I like being able to bring 3 pairs of socks...
Kelty was a cheap alternative to osprey so I'm glad to hear that they are decent quality bags. I have to remind myself that constantly that THE BEST AND MOST ULTIMATE is not always required!!
Lu****l hobby, this hiking is :D

[Dingus Khan]

hey why did i get censored, is l.u.s.t.f.u.l. an unacceptable word or something? strange, i mean i like the fact that this is a clean site but weird.

[stuco]

I had a kelty moraine and a kelty trekker for short periods of time but I decided I wanted and internal frame and returned the trekker and got the moraine. The moraine is a nice pack but heavy and the straps didn't fit me right so I sold it. I've gone Ultra light so no 4lb+ packs for me again.

[Spork]

D.K.
I think the thread you're referring to is this one, which I agree is an excellent discussion on the topic of pack weight reduction: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22229. In my case I recently replaced my beloved Kelty with an ULA Conduit weighing 20 oz for a pretty significant weight savings of about 2.5 lbs. I find this works well for me since I have also invested in reducing the weight and size of other major items. By doing this I have cut my overall pack weight by more than 25 lbs in the past 5-10 years without any appreciable loss of personal safety or comfort, which has allowed me to enjoy hiking much more. I find that the ULA with my current gear carries as comfortably as my Kelty with the heavier stuff. (Conversely, I have not cut the handle off my toothbrush, do not wipe myself with leaves, and still carry a separate bandana and packtowel for drying my face and cleaning my parts :D) As they say, HYOH.

Have you looked at ULA? The Circuit and Catalyst seem to be in your desired size range and they don't appear much more expensive than Kelty. Brian makes excellent packs and ULA is a made-in-America cottage company. Just a thought...

[shoe]

I can't help with the comparison but I have the blue and yellow Tornado from quite a few years ago that I love. It is a bit on the heavy side but it has never given me an ounce of trouble. In the future I may go to a lighter pack but have spent too much money on getting the other stuff so far.

[saimyoji]

hey why did i get censored, is l.u.s.t.f.u.l. an unacceptable word or something? strange, i mean i like the fact that this is a clean site but weird.



lust ful has the letters s t f u in it which in internet speak is "shut the ****** up" ;)

[shoe]

lust ful has the letters s t f u in it which in internet speak is "shut the ****** up" ;)

well i guess you learn something new everyday :) I would have never known

[chowhound]

I have an older Kelty Tornado (2001 maybe) 4000. While it is a little heavy, it is an excellent pack for carrying a heavy load. It is as comfortable as any pack I have ever used including the ULA P-2 that is my main pack now. The big reason that I changed it out for the P-2 is that it is a tall pack (I'm a short guy), and when loaded for the early or late season (Northern Great Lakes area) it it was higher than my head. That made it difficult crawling under things or in heavy brush. I now use the pack as my loaner because it adjusts well to different heights and body types.

[TurkeyBacon]

The biggest problem I have with kelty packs (all of them to my knowledge) is that there is only one size hip belt. I am a skinny fart (31 inch waist) and the hip belt completely comes together in the front. My pack was a heavy but lasted the entire trail (an expired model). If kelty would ever make three or two sizes of hip belts, and maybe a few sizes of shoulder straps, they would fit more people much better.
TB