UKC

I'm looking for some advice and peoples thoughts on a rucksack for Backpacking/Wild Camping. I guess about 60 litres would be enough but option to over-pack might be useful.

Looking for good robust sack that will last.

I've been recommended a POD XPOD which seems to fit the bill and I can currently get it at sub £100.

Anyone with any experience of the XPOD or any other alternatives??

Nath

In reply to Nath:

60 litres!!! WTF are you taking? A marquee?

In reply to Bob:
No the Wife who can't carry shit, so I need to man up and carry most of her stuff aswell.



Nath

In reply to Nath:

I have a 85l Fjällräven Kajka, and recently bought a 55l version for my daughter. There are also versions with 60, 65 and 75l. Very well made and robust, although the newest version has a frame with main struts made from laminated birch wood rather than aluminium.

I love the split hip belt system, and the unusual shoulder system fits my back perfectly.

Best pack I ever owned for long backpacking trips where you have to carry food, cold weather gear, and fuel for two weeks or so.

CB

In reply to Nath:

osprey seems to be the sack of the backpacking fraternity .don't forget however big you get a sack you will fill it ...

In reply to Nath:

I have an X-POD. It's very well made, and I like the simplicity. The material is thick which makes it tough, but also fairly heavy. You can save some weight by removing the waistbelt and lid - handy if you are carrying kit in then walking from a basecamp. The back frame is simple but comfortable, make sure you buy the correct size as it's not very adjustable. It is absolutely massive, well over the 60L you mention, probably nearer 100L. I bought it partly for trips I was doing with a student club, where we typically only walked in a few hundred meters to a hut. I also use it for weekend trips, but it's a bit big really. It's nice to have space to pack loosely and rummage around (especially in the tight confines of a tent in the rain) but it's heavier than it needs to be. Even carrying a fair part of two people's kit it will be a bit big.

In short, it's a very good bag, but it is absolutely huge.

In reply to Nath:

xpod is excellent, bomb proof, simple but comfortable with big loads. have used for 4 years, before that arcteryx bora 95, xpod is better.

In reply to cb294:

I was interested in a Kajka but baulked at the expense. I opted for a Haglofs Lex 80 that I got half price!

In reply to Nath:



I have one of these (and the Alpine 40) and think it is (both are) brilliant. Bombproof construction and simple. For under £100, buy it.

In reply to Nath:
I've just got a Lightwave Ultrahike 60, it's a very comfortable carry and only 1.2kg so about half the weight of most packs of this size. They do several different models and sizes all worth looking at.

In reply to SidharthaDongre:

I know the Kajka is expensive, but after carrying it in the shop for half an hour fully loaded I was convinced. Never had a backpack that fit my body better. Anyway, it should last a few years, so overall the price won´t matter so much.

CB

In reply to cb294:

Yeah, the cost will even out with use and age. The Lex 80 is a wonderful carry itself, despite it's weight.

In reply to Nath:

I have the Berghaus C7 1 which you can get online for £99 (check Google Shopping). It's got a good back frame and a reasonable amount of width, which means you can get multiple wide tubular things next to each other (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, etc.) - I found that some backpacks would only accept that sort of item stacked on top of each other. One design flaw is that the lid doesn't float, so although it's marketed as a 65+10 l it's actually about 65+2 if you want to be able to close it. Nevertheless, that's enough for wild camping...