View Full Version : Pack failures?
Feral Bill
11-15-2009, 03:29
In his Advanced Backing (which I highly recommend), Chris Townsend mentions several packs failing on long trips. Anyone here have that experience?
harryfred
11-15-2009, 03:41
I bought a pack off e-bay that was cheap $60 for a 70L pack. I've broken buckles, sliders and torn stitching. I've gotten very good at fixing things on the trail and my wife fixes them up better when I get home.
this seems an odd question to me. when else would a pack fail? at home in the closet?
kayak karl
11-15-2009, 05:00
In his Advanced Backing (which I highly recommend), Chris Townsend mentions several packs failing on long trips. Anyone here have that experience?
NOBO the hip belt clip broke 4 days south of NOC, other then that my go-lite pinnacle has been great
Doooglas
11-15-2009, 05:16
No. My pack weighs 11 lbs empty. No problems here.
Cabin Fever
11-15-2009, 09:23
Gregory z55 chest strap came off the shoulder strap. Poor design.
garlic08
11-15-2009, 09:58
I tend to push the limits with my gear. My current pack is a (discontinued) Gossamer Gear G-5 which weighs in at a whopping 9 oz. That pack has survived an AT thru, the Arizona Trail, and airline baggage handlers, but other light packs of mine have not been so lucky. I tried a 7 oz spinnaker pack which did not hold up to the CDT very well. It took a lot of stitching and duct tape to get it through the trip.
By the way, my UL packs can carry up to 40 times their own weight (20-25 pounds) comfortably. I couldn't do that with my old 7 pound monsters (which never broke).
Pedaling Fool
11-15-2009, 10:11
Simple failures, nothing serious yet, but it's a subject that has occupied my thoughts on the trail; I can imagine a failure with my pack that would be akin to being stranded in the middle of the desert with a blown engine and all your valuable possessions inside the car.
I was hiking with someone that did have a shoulder strap and eyelet break, where it attaches to the frame; we used dental floss as thread, for it's strength, and I had a few spare pins (we had external packs) in my kit. No spare eyelets, so we doubled the fabric and punched a hole through it.
P.S. This pack was ~ 30 years old.
If it's made by man, it can and will fail. Guess that even applies to natural occuring things too.
Mine was a Kelty frame pack. Seams began fraying and giving way. Once I got a hold of the proper person at Kelty, they bent over backwards to help and solve the problem.
Months later in the same trip, the hipbelt began tearing loose from the back-band. Lashing with nylon cord allowed this to finish the last month or two on the trip. After the trip, I replaced the hipbelt, and continued using the pack for many years. Still have it, in fact, and it's still usable.
Tipi Walter
11-15-2009, 10:52
I'm trying to remember my packs and with them their failures:
**North Face BackMagic external frame pack: One time I pulled out about three clevis pins trying to bushwack thru the low rhododendron in Lost Valley, and the pack ended up hanging off the back like a dog's tongue. Since this pack was in near constant use from 1980 to 2002, it had many blown out zippers(replaced)and a new top flap cinch cord put in. I guess I changed out the zippers three times on both the back pocket zip and the bottom sleeping bag zip. It's still sitting and ready. I used ripstop tape for the little wear holes.
**Sundog midsize 3500 cubic inch pack. I had one shoulder strap at the top pull out(fixed)and the top compartment sleeve cinch seam pull out and tear several times.
**ALICE pack: With or w/o the frame this pack never had a problem, the best thing about it was the neat and comfy shoulder straps. Too small for long trips, though.
**Lowe Backpacker pack: This was an 1980 model and used extensively for many trips. A couple blowholes and that's about it.
**Kelty Ultra Tioga: I used this pack for about 5 backpacking trips and found it to be bombproof though it just didn't work on my hips with a heavy load so I souvineered it to my buddy Johnny B. One time I stepped on the hipbelt plastic buckle and it split lengthwise so one side never really locked in. Swapped out another hipbelt.
**Dana Terraplane: This baby got me thru a lot of trips and never had a blowout though it seriously sagged with anything over 65 lbs.
**Mystery Ranch G6000: I'm waiting for this thing to blow out. It is showing some wear on the shoulder straps and the hipbelt strap, all getting slowly abraded. The pack itself won't ever wear out.
Kerosene
11-15-2009, 11:15
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone. Lost a bolt that holds one of the straps to the frame. Fortunately, the load-lifter webbing that attached to the top of the pack was strong enough to keep it in place while I carried it for the next 4 days. On my return, Granite Gear sent me out 2 replacements, free of charge.
homemade gearskin knockoff.
second serious sewing project, still didn't know what i was doing.
hip belt busted 5 days into a 10 day trip. load was light at the time (app. 18 pounds) didn't even bother to fix it.
after ten days of packing and unpacking, decided i didn't want to use the pack anymore... it's still in my closet.
i use a cheap walmart backpack now (you know, the medium sized blaze orange one?) had to reinforce the cinch closure top inside the main body. works great...
atraildreamer
11-15-2009, 11:58
Hiking with a no-name store brand external frame backpack up to Stratton Mt., VT...the aluminum buckle on the shoulder strap broke. I made a field repair using a wig (don't ask :rolleyes:) and finished the hike.
When I got home I replaced the aluminum buckles with steel buckles I bought at a fabric store. Never failed again!
atraildreamer
11-15-2009, 12:03
I made a field repair using a wig (don't ask :rolleyes:) and finished the hike.
I meant TWIG...not wig. (I gotta send attroll some $$$ so I can edit!:D)
Right shoulder strap, on a ridge on the AT in the Smokies, the pack hit the ground as I was putting it on. It was an easy fix, & I used the pack another 100 miles before doing a permanent repair & semi retiring the pack.
Note: do not put the pack on by lifting the same shoulder strap over & over & over & over & over (etc) again. This is NOT good for the pack. :D
Pedaling Fool
11-15-2009, 18:38
...Note: do not put the pack on by lifting the same shoulder strap over & over & over & over & over (etc) again. This is NOT good for the pack. :D
I stand my pack upright on the ground and stand behind it; I then grasp it on either side (ensuring the shoulder straps are on the outside of my arms) then I lift it over my head at the sametime rotating it 180 degrees (so it's upside down over my head) I then allow it to tip over and fall on to my back.
Sounds complicated, but it's really easy, especially with an external frame.
I stand my pack upright on the ground and stand behind it; I then grasp it on either side (ensuring the shoulder straps are on the outside of my arms) then I lift it over my head at the same time rotating it 180 degrees (so it's upside down over my head) I then allow it to tip over and fall on to my back.
Sounds complicated, but it's really easy, especially with an external frame.
That's how I do it NOW! See, I can be taught. :p
I stand my pack upright on the ground and stand behind it; I then grasp it on either side (ensuring the shoulder straps are on the outside of my arms) then I lift it over my head at the sametime rotating it 180 degrees (so it's upside down over my head) I then allow it to tip over and fall on to my back.
Sounds complicated, but it's really easy, especially with an external frame.
I'll agree with this method. Just make sure all pockets and main compartment are closed securely, or you spend the next 10 minutes repacking and starting over. Yes, experience.
Many women find this the easiest method to put on a heavy pack. Probably not as important today with lighter pack weights. Has to do with men's and women's weight distributions.
but there is almost always a fairly simple fix that will get you through fine until you can get it repaired properly. I've used dental floss and a needle, duct tape, tied stuff in place with cord, etc. Think outside-the-box when making field repairs.
As an aside, in my opinion no pack-donning method that involves lifting a heavy pack over one's head will be the easiest method. Setting the heavy pack on a log or hillside works quite well, as does setting it on one thigh then swinging it on.
As an aside, in my opinion no pack-donning method that involves lifting a heavy pack over one's head will be the easiest method. Setting the heavy pack on a log or hillside works quite well, as does setting it on one thigh then swinging it on.
Well, to each their own, this isn't for everyone but if they don't try it, how will they know? As someone with past back injury, this over the head method does involve a lot less twisting of the spine, but there are any number of efficient methods. Which ever you choose, just use slow, smooth, controlled movements and both your back and your pack will appreciate it. :D