View Full Version : External frame backpack
CrumbSnatcher
01-09-2011, 12:03
how many of you external frame backpack users
use the stay open bar on the top of your pack,if your pack has one.
is it handy or just extra weight in your eyes?
with in inplace do you find that the top of your pack is too flat and or does it pool water on top of your pack?
any info or thoughts would be appreciated.
a friend ask me this question and i replied but i bet he would love everyones thought on this. thanks
I hike with a old Kelty external . Several times I thought about taking out the spreader that keeps the pack open, but I have left it in. during my thru, for a time I removed the top frame extendion to save some weight. I eventualy put it back on because it made a handy lifting handle. Most of the time when the pack is loaded the top flap is not flat, so water doesn't stay there.
TIDE-HSV
01-09-2011, 12:46
I've had packs with and without. The spreader makes it a lot easier to rummage around in the pack for stuff, particularly in the dark...
Black Wolf
01-09-2011, 13:13
how many of you external frame backpack users
use the stay open bar on the top of your pack,if your pack has one.
is it handy or just extra weight in your eyes?
with in inplace do you find that the top of your pack is too flat and or does it pool water on top of your pack?
any info or thoughts would be appreciated.
a friend ask me this question and i replied but i bet he would love everyones thought on this. thanks
I just picked up a Camp Trails McKinley external...$30.00 on CL...it "had" the stay-open bar...I removed it..what I didn't like is that it made the bag huge on my back...this model also had a bar that ran across the top..I removed that as well..I haven't weighed them to see the weight reduction...but I like the shape of the pack without them...
Alpine Jack
01-09-2011, 13:26
I preferred to keep my top bar. While hiking long miles, I like to grasp it and lift up to give my muscles and back a rest. The bar only weighs 3.2 oz, so ditching it was nearly negligible.
Black Wolf
01-09-2011, 14:22
I preferred to keep my top bar. While hiking long miles, I like to grasp it and lift up to give my muscles and back a rest. The bar only weighs 3.2 oz, so ditching it was nearly negligible.
On my Carson I do the same thing...on the McKinley there's a reinforcement bar that runs across the top...{under the top bar,that I removed}...I didn't like the height of the top bar..I might drill new holes so it'll sit down lower....only to lash something to it...not sure if it'll be needed yet...also on this model the shoulder straps are joined and this is what I'm using to grasp hold of to don/doff the pack...the weight is negligible I concur...it's about how it functions for me...
I used a Kelty external for years and kept the bar on. I used it for lifting and hanging the pack.
CrumbSnatcher
01-09-2011, 14:52
i have always left the top bar of the frame on too myself.
the original question is for the spreader inside the bag.
but its cool to hear all info. thanks
CrumbSnatcher
01-09-2011, 15:44
I've had packs with and without. The spreader makes it a lot easier to rummage around in the pack for stuff, particularly in the dark...
i agree
and even if the spreader bar is not attached to the frame with the two pins, the spreader still keeps the corners of the pack stiffer and in the open position alot better. and IMO would leave it in.
once you close the top flap, and secure it. you won't have the flat spot on top. and if water is pooling on your pack:eek:
just hike a little faster:D
So much for reading comprehension, lol. I didn't take the spreader out. Thinking about it, I would say the reason was, it just didn't matter.
I don't know that I would have missed it, I just never bothered to take it out. Most of the time, I didn't pay any attention to it.
I like the spreader bar. But here in the Smokies I've run into a few people who never clipped it to the frame. They "always wondered what it was for" :-?.
I always kept the spreader on my Tioga. It provides form to the pack, giving it shape, and allowing easy access. And back in my pack-mule days, it created a nice shelf to lash boxes, against the top frame extension.
I can't remember ponding water on the lid. Maybe that's because the lid was always rounded full. :rolleyes:
These days, the Tioga spends more time as a wall ornament, than anything else. It's been replaced by something half its weight, though it provides few advantages beyond weight savings.
Maybe it's time to dust it off.