External Frame

[Graywolf]

I was looking at my worn torn battle scarred Kelty external Frame today and was remembering all the places I have been with that pack.. Even though I have finally moved over to internals, I do miss the external frames and their ease of lugging heavy gear around..

While looking at some external frames (out of nostalgia) I was curious who hikes the trail/s today with externals?? I saw Kelty still sells a couple of externals and wonder what other companies are still offering them..

Graywolf

[Mountain Wildman]

Jansport offers external frame packs.
I have the Rainier model, It's about 15 to 20 years old, I have switched to Internal as well.

[CrumbSnatcher]

i use kelty super tiogas while hiking, just purchased a new never used one on e-bay, i'm still looking for a couple more to last me the rest of my hiking life. i got into hiking with the knowledge that the external frame was the best pack for the appalachian trail, and i still feel that way! jeff at MRO sent me a free ULA pack,and i was but wasn't impressed:-?, got rid of it. externals do weigh more but carry the load much better, don't care for the weight on the shoulders the way internals ride, my external rides higher and puts the weight on my hips and legs. nice airflow between my pack and my back, and all the pockets let me organize extremly well. i can load my pack and be in/out of camp within minutes. to each his own, i'm used to carrying my dogs food,and gear. since i've lost her :( i'm already ultra light. i don't care what others/my friends wear? as long as we can all get out there on the trail and kick some dust around:D

[RichardD]

I use a Luxury Lite, it's very lightweight (Carbon fiber frame) and quite unique.

[Two Speed]

Don't use it much, but I do keep a JanSport Scout in working condition.

[Tuckahoe]

Returning to backpacking after a long time away I bought an internal frame cause "well, that is what everybody was using." Even though what I really wanted was an external like I had always used. And after using the internal I realized I still wanted an external and bought a Kelty trekker.

[dmax]

I use an Jansport external, D5.

[Saint Alfonzo]

Hello All, I use an external frame, E.M.S. 4500. I have tried Internal Frame packs and I always return to my External Frame. I sweat alot and the external suits me better. Thats My story.. GOOD HIKING TO ALL.. MIKE..

[beakerman]

I still use my external pack...ok I'll fess up its really an alice pack--I happen to have the perfect fit torso for that beast and even though it weighs just shy of a ton empty it seems I can carry the universe in it or strapped on it somewhere.

I did just become the owner of my first internal frame pack. I have not taken it out yet but I'm still tinkering with the packing differences.

[Deadeye]

I still use my Kelty A4, vintage 1969

[GA BASS]

taking my jansport out this weekend love it

[TheCheek]

Wife and I had external Kelty and Jansport respectively. To us we went with comfort over weight. I'd rather carry an extra pound in reality and yet feel 3 pounds lighter because to me it is that much more comfortable and has better load balance. Big fan of externals.

[CrumbSnatcher]

Wife and I had external Kelty and Jansport respectively. To us we went with comfort over weight. I'd rather carry an extra pound in reality and yet feel 3 pounds lighter because to me it is that much more comfortable and has better load balance. Big fan of externals.
egg-zactly:D

[Whiskyjo]

The wife and I both use the Gregory Evolution externals, mine 4500 and her's 3500 cu in and like them so much we both bought new ones on Ebay when Gregory discontinued them back in the 90s. Both still upstairs in their plastic wrapping and awaiting their test come retirement.2015

[moytoy]

I have an old aluminum frame that I bought in the late 60's. It looks a lot like a Kelty but it's not. The original bag, shoulder harness and hip belt are long gone. Everything but the frame is DIY now.

[Erin]

I have a Kelty Yukon (not running to basement to check cubic) and love it. I have an internal but the external is my preferred pack. It is lighter and helps me carry lighter. I am short and it fits. I grew up with external Camp Trails so it was an easy choice for me.

[warraghiyagey]

I wouldn't trade my external frame for anything. . . seeing what internal frame folks go through to try to get something out of their pack would drive me crazy. . .

[squirrel bait]

Egg-zactly.

[Lellers]

I think there are a lot of us who prefer the old externals. I switched to an internal pack when my old external finally fell apart. My internal is an REI UL-45, and it's about shot now. I never really loved that pack. Buried deep in my attic, I found an old, bright red Kelty Tioga Jr that I bought for my son when he first joined boy scouts. It's small and adjustable, and it actually fits me quite well. Since I've been moving toward lighter loads for years, I discovered that I can fit everything I need quite nicely into that little Tioga. I think I'm going to give it a try soon. It's sturdy, air flow is better, and the weight is easier to carry.

[chazmo]

Originally posted by MoyToy:

I have an old aluminum frame that I bought in the late 60's. It looks a lot like a Kelty but it's not. The original bag, shoulder harness and hip belt are long gone. Everything but the frame is DIY now.Same here. Every few years I sew a new hip belt and straps. It is currently wearing a bag made of silnylon--total weight is just under 3 pounds. As long as the frame holds together, I will be using it!

I guess I am just an old fart, but I simply don't see much advantage to an internal frame pack.

[garlic08]

My take: Internal frame packs were only intended, really, for those who ventured off-trail into brush, or needed the extra stability of a load closer to the core (skiers, climbers), or possibly lower wind resistance above tree line. I've heard many of the old externals are actually lighter than some of the huge seven-pound internals you see. Makes sense--why pay for and carry fabric to carry something that can be lashed as it is to a frame? (Many internal frame packs are filled with stuff sacks, anyway.)

I think what happened in the eighties is that internals got popular among the on-trail crowd because it made you look more "serious". After all, the folks coming down from the summits and couloirs, all scratched up with ice axes and ropes, were using them, so they must be better packs. And they look even sexier with a carabiner or two attached. Your Nalgene looks much better hanging from a carabiner, after all. So the manufacturers started supplying them with more straps, "daisy chains", and two ice axe loops are better than one!

There's nothing "wrong" with an external frame, especially on the AT. Bring the right tool for the job.

[singingpilgrim]

I am hoping to get an internal. But I just dug my dad's thirty year old external out of a closet. He was a serious section hiker in his twenties, and it's in pretty good condition. I'm going to have to modify the hip belt, but I'm thinking I'll use this as a pack for shakedown hikes. Why?

Because I'm really hoping to get my pack for Christmas! (I'm hoping for a 2011 thru). But I want to get out and hike this summer, and you can't really do that without a pack. I want to do at least one week long hike, and maybe a couple weekend hikes.

And I figure, if Dad's external is heavier than my pack, that'll just mean if I can do a week long hike with his pack, hiking with my pack will be easier...

And, who knows, maybe I'll fall in love with Dad's pack and just ask for something else for Christmas and just use it on my thru!

[CrumbSnatcher]

And I figure, if Dad's external is heavier than my pack, that'll just mean if I can do a week long hike with his pack, hiking with my pack will be easier...


It ain't the gear thats going to get you to katahdin or springer, its the determination and maybe a little luck? don't get me wrong, some gear is better than other, but it makes me laugh when i hear thing like this.
a 2 pd. internal with 20 pds. of gear and food, will not ride better than a 5 pd. external with the same payload! The external & load, might weigh 3 xtra pds, but its going to feel 5-7pds. lighter in the external pack. i am not a gram wennie,carried all my dogs gear(happily) food,everything.including beer,jars of salsa and chips,heavy **** some the time, but it never bothered me because the external did not put the weight on my shoulders, and i can hike big days with a external. i am a big ass dude,whos not a puss,i lay brick & block for a living, and IMO am a tough SOB:rolleyes: but when jeff at MRO sent me that free ULA pack,i put min. weight in it and TRYED IT OUT, i felt it in the shoulders,right off the bat! I WOULD hate to feel that pain on a 30 mile day, I might as well just carry a school book bag?:rolleyes: the external frame is absolutely perfect for tha appalachian trail! you go get your internal thats fine, alot of happy hiker with internals, thats cool:cool: as long as were all happy right? did i mention all the cool pockets:rolleyes:on the external, i hope you have a great hike!!!

[The Unknown Hiker]

I bought a Jansport external frame pack (D5 or D10, or some number like that) back in 1978 while stationed at Quantico, Virginia. It was a frame with articulated aluminum hip belt "arms" and was made out of aircraft aluminum (pretty light back then).

I used it on a number of local and section hikes. I considered carrying it on a 2003 thru-hike but finally decided not to because of it's weight - 10.5 pounds! Times have changed.

[beakerman]

It ain't the gear thats going to get you to katahdin or springer, its the determination and maybe a little luck? don't get me wrong, some gear is better than other, but it makes me laugh when i hear thing like this......you go get your internal thats fine, alot of happy hiker with internals, thats cool:cool: as long as were all happy right? did i mention all the cool pockets:rolleyes:on the external, i hope you have a great hike!!!

Come on Crumb' he's not dogging the old external frame...if anything he's approaching it with an open mind. he days if he likes it he'll ask for something different. He's willing to give it a fair shake as I see it.

You are completely right though the weight difference of an internal vs external pack in comparison to the way they ride when adjusted "properly" gives the advantage in my mind to the external frames.

I am strange though my 8.25 pound alice pack works perfect for me...I have that body. I will be even nicer once I loose the 30+ pounds of fat on my belly.

[CrumbSnatcher]

Come on Crumb' he's not dogging the old external frame...if anything he's approaching it with an open mind. he days if he likes it he'll ask for something different. He's willing to give it a fair shake as I see it.

You are completely right though the weight difference of an internal vs external pack in comparison to the way they ride when adjusted "properly" gives the advantage in my mind to the external frames.

I am strange though my 8.25 pound alice pack works perfect for me...I have that body. I will be even nicer once I loose the 30+ pounds of fat on my belly.
sorry if i sounded like a dickhead, wasn't my intention! :(i absolutely love my externals, and its good to see others enjoying theirs:D

[Windcatcher]

I hike with a Peak 1 Ocala. The external frame is kevlar reinforced composite material. The pack has 4,325 ci of space and weighs in at 5.63 pounds. It's a large pack, sturdy, rides well even under heavy loads. I could spend $300.00 or $400.00 for a new internal frame pack, but would only save about a pound in weight - I'll keep my Peak 1 instead.

[shelterbuilder]

I inherited an old Boy Scout Cruiser frame and bag back in the 70's in college...still use it...wouldn't trade it for 2 internals! When I was using the feeding tube after the 2007 surgery, I was able to carry a weekend's worth of liquid nutrition (in cans) in the darn thing (in the wintertime!). Heavy? Sure! But try doing THAT with an internal!:eek:

BTW, I did finally break down and buy an internal, which is okay for shorter hikes, but there's no ventilation to speak of, and almost no organization (read: POCKETS).

[gtg]

I have used an external for much of my life then switched to internal. I lost a kelty tioga a while ago and i think it was member Scrapes(?) here who saved me and sold me one. I have also used a gregory internal and have the osprey aether. I am really impressed with the ULA packs and think i want to try one of those. I keep thinking that holy grail of a pack is out there. I have done as much as 10 days straight of hard long hiking with both the tioga and and my osprey and will be in the fall doing a through for the long trail. My back sweats big time and for that reason I still like my external. It is to easy to over pack the external because it can hold far more than i need, for that reason i have liked my osprey for how well i can sinch every thing down. I still havent made up my mind between the osprey and the tioga for the through or will i go for yet another pack and get a ULA ? its a tough call what i can say is i do like my tioga it is a tank and i keep an eye out for them just in case i ever have to replace the one Scrapes helped me get.

[BOWSINGER]

I want a two pound Luxury Lite external sooo bad!
But all my latest trips have ULW and I haven’t needed all those cubic ins. Can’t justified the $285.