Does anyone use external frames anymore??

[Zeno Marx]

also just picked up a dana designs k2 shortbed.

Some of the ones made just there at the end were made like utter crap. Waterproofing peeling and getting all over everything. Fabrics bleeding at the first sign of getting wet. Cut-corners stitching, and with really wimpy threads. The frame and harness remained good quality, but the pack body was really a slap in the face of a company known for its high quality and overkill materials.

[Marnee]

I think external frame packs are great. I used a Kelty something-or-other when backpacking all over Central America in 2000. It was light and sturdy and held up well considering all the chicken buses it was thrown on top of. I really loved it. My idiot traveling partner thought it was lame. I dunno. His pack was huge and weighed a million pounds. Mine was light. I had lots of fun. He was always grumpy.

[Windcatcher]

I have several packs to use depending on the type of activity; hydration day pack, internal for overnighters, external with a kevlar reinforced poly frame for longer trips.

[leaftye]

OK, I'll bite. What is it?

It's by KUIU

http://kuiu.wordpress.com/2011/01/24...n-fiber-frame/


The price is better than I thought it would be.

[Fiddleback]

Usually, I sweat copiously and soak through my clothes quickly when I'm on the trail. Rightly or wrongly I thought a close fitting internal wouldn't be as comfortable as an external. I've never used an internal...what have I missed?

FB

[Limo]

I need a new pack and after years of carrying my little top loading REI UL-45, I'm seriously considering going back to an external frame, probably a Kelty. My old externals were much more comfortable and easier to organize. I have a GC rim-to-rim and possibly a JMT trip on the horizon. I'm getting old and grumpy and just want to be comfortable when I'm walking.

[jima59]

About 35 years ago I did 3 trips on the AT. The longest from Springer to Damascus and each time I used the same old Kelty external frame with the 4 outside pockets. It was later stolen a few years later out of my VW bus. I'm buying a couple of them now off of Ebay for a future hike. I know they are old, heavy and clunky but so am I so I figure I can downsize my load and it will work just fine. Love them. the old green one.

Jimajax

Jacksonville Florida

[The Old Boot]

Can anyone tell me which of the external frame packs are THE most adjustable.

I have a really short torso length and finding an external frame that will shorten down for me is problematic. Most that are short enough for me are meant for kids use and hence the frame itself is too short.

Ideally, I'd like to be able to find a frame only and develop my own pack since sewing and designing stuff is not a problem.

[Whartz04]

Hello,

Pretty sure the pack frame illustrated is from KUIU.com https://www.kuiu.com/collections/hun...ack-components

Seriously considering this frame for a 2023 Thru Hike. I’d be curious if anyone has any experience with the carbon fiber frame, corresponding suspension system, quality, durability, loading strategies and company customer service. Thank you-

[peakbagger]

My general comment about carbon fiber anything is its usually lightweight but very fragile. Thats just the nature of the beast. Its light because its thin and it does not resist shock well. Make it beefy enough to survive and its as heavy as less expensive products.

Talk to any thru hiker, they may start out with a heavy pack but within a few weeks they have pared their gear down to the point they can use a smaller pack. Mt Rogers outfitters used to do good business selling lots of gear to folks who got it wrong to begin with in tyhe spring. So if you are typical thru hiker, unless you are out to prove something that your tougher than the rest, give ULA or several other pack companies a call and get what has worked for many others. if you want to show trail cred and your bank balance check out Hyperlight Mountain Gear., great domestically made gear, very light and durable but be prepared for a steep dent in the credit card.

[LoneStranger]

Hello,

Pretty sure the pack frame illustrated is from KUIU.com https://www.kuiu.com/collections/hun...ack-components

Seriously considering this frame for a 2023 Thru Hike. I’d be curious if anyone has any experience with the carbon fiber frame, corresponding suspension system, quality, durability, loading strategies and company customer service. Thank you-

Seems heavy even for a framed pack. Have you looked at Seek Outside? More $$ by far, but the Unaweep 4800 is around a pound lighter. I have a Unaweep 6300 I use as my Winter pack on most trips.

[Whartz04]

I am very impressed with backpack options available at SeekOutside.com (a new resource to me!)

https://seekoutside.com/

Thank you!

[LoneStranger]

I am very impressed with backpack options available at SeekOutside.com (a new resource to me!)

https://seekoutside.com/

Thank you!

They have been big with hunters for many years. I am thinking my next pack will be their Flight which uses the same basic rectangular frame shape, but internally. Just need to save up a lot of pennies first

[camper10469]

As a kid in the boy scouts I had an ALICE army pack. THe frame was so good I saved it when the pack finally rotted. The frame has been used to this day to carry stuff at a wilderness cabin. Its hauled butchered game n wood and unloaded bags from supply vans.

BUT... as far as getting a new external frame pack?... never again. The new packs are so well designed n balanced to fit almost any loads... its really not my cup o tea.

thats just my 2cents on it.

[Patrickjd9]

One of my regular hiking partners uses the Kelty frame pack he has had for 40 years. It is working for him after having back surgery and he doesn't want to change what is working.

[foodbag]

Wouldn't Zpacks' lineup of Arc series backpacks qualify as external frame as well?

[cmoulder]

Wouldn't Zpacks' lineup of Arc series backpacks qualify as external frame as well?

I suppose Arc Air is debatable because the stays are located within sleeves.

But the older Arc Blasts are definitely external, although not anchored at the bottom like the "classic" Jansport externals.

I have several packs ranging from 28 to 62 liter and the Arc Air 50 (Robic) would have to be my favorite if I had to pick just one.

[Chaz]

I am still using the external frame (slightly modified and lightened) that I purchased in the 1970's. I sewed a new pack for it out of silnylon a few years ago, and it has had a couple of sets of shoulder straps and hip belts. In the current configuration it weighs 3.8 pounds--not light but within the range of an internal frame pack. I tried an internal frame a while ago and although it was comfortable it was hot. I sweat like a horse and I like the air flow on my back I get from my tried and true external frame.

[High-Milage Hiker]

I use a modified Kelty Trekker 65 (for load distribution and undeniable comfort) combined with ligtweight gear inside. It's (for me) the best of both worlds. I hike with an REI internal-frame pack for shorter hikes, but it's no comparison to the comfort of an external-frame pack for long-distance hiking (unless you go ultra-light). Pay to play.

I've literally watched hundreds of thru-hikers hikers on YouTube over the years. Biggest complaints: ultralight packs that are uncomfortable and flimsy, shoes and packs that are generally uncomforable (and result in injuries) and overall poor physical conditioning due to unreasonable hiking fantasies.

Gear is the least of my worries, but physical conditioning is.

[Time Zone]

The (PU?) coating on my nearly-25-yr-old TNF Thin Air Alpine pack started to "turn" recently, which led to its retirement. I had acquired a Kelty Trekker to take its place, and it's ready to move into the main role. I've found it carries wonderfully - it practically hikes itself when adjusted properly. But I could really use some tips on how to pack it. Not so much the distribution of heavy vs. light items, but how to adjust to the fact that it has so many compartment and pockets, rather than one big one into which you "tetris" your stuff. That old pack was 50L unexpanded; I rarely used any of the huge expansion collar.

Thus far, I struggle to fit my stuff in the Trekker, and I suspect part of the reason is that with this many compartments, I have small voids that add up to a fair bit of wasted space. One of the first places that is tough is the so-called sleeping bag compartment. I can fit a spring/fall bag that compresses to 6L in there OK, but a wintertime one that is a bit over 10L - not a chance. So I guess that has to go outside, on the frame, in a waterproof bag? In general I think I need to figure out what to put in the bag and what to hang on the frame.

For those unfamiliar, this bag has 9 compartments and pockets, yet none on the hipbelt, shoulder straps, nor reachable water bottle pockets. It breaks down like this: you have the main pack bag, which is split in two by a fabric "floor" separating the small sleeping bag compartment (1) on the bottom from the larger main pocket (2) above. On the outside of that larger main compartment, there's a large zip pocket (3), and a flap (non-floating lid) with its own pocket (4). Around the perimeter of the pack bag you have 4 sewn-on pockets (5-8), one of which is up high and split in two between an open pocket (9) and a zipped one.

There is ample room beneath the pack bag* to affix a CCF pad or something shaped like it. At the other end, on top, you can extend the frame above your head and have more strapping room up there. I've not done that - yet - as where I hike I often have to duck under blowdowns - which is probably going to be tough enough as it is with this pack un-extended.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out how to best pack. It feels like I have less room in this 64-65L pack than in my 50L (unexpanded) alpine pack that relied on the tetris method of packing. I sure could use some tips. Right now, my intuition is that I need to get the largest items out of the pack bag and pockets and affix them to the frame. I'd have to add rain protection for those items somehow, though I'd rather it not be at risk of snags and shredding. Perhaps a compactor bag lining a sleeping bag stuff sack?

Perhaps my ditty bag of hiking essentials (compass, FAK, whistle, etc.) should be divided up among the perimeter pockets. Raingear - poncho - would do well in that exterior-facing pocket. The largest perimeter zip pocket just fits my cook kit and stove.

One irony for me is that I don't carry a very heavy load by Kelty external standards, but my stuff is a bit bulky in the aggregate. So while the Trekker could easily handle 22-32 lbs (all-in, summer to winter), I can barely fit in a summertime load with consumables. Some hikes I'm hoping to do will require a large water carry ... again, the frame can easily handle it, but it'll displace my gear, and I'm already puzzled at how to fit my stuff without needing to also tote an extra gallon of water.

I'd welcome tips and tricks for packing the Trekker - thanks everyone!


* I briefly tried the larger Tioga, but noticed that the extra volume in the pack bag was largely achieved at the expense of the room on the frame under it. So in effect, you didn't really have more room in aggregate - you had more inside the bag, but less outside.