Foundation
Judging a pack by its frame.
– If your head is up your butt, –
at least your ears are warm.
Now it starts getting harder. You know what backpacks are, why you need one, how to use one, what their history is, what the industry is like, the types of packs, how backpacks work, and what they're made of.
So how about getting one and using it?
Eh?
Decision time. Start with the basics.
First think about what you want to use the pack for. Deciding what you want is always hard when you start a new activity. Like, go into a store to buy a computer. You know you want one. Maybe you even need one, but you're not sure exactly which one or exactly what you'll need it for other than browsing and email. And stuff. Something. Some kinds of stuff you don't even know about yet. Probably lots of stuff.
Definitely stuff.
But you don't know everything about computers yet. In fact, right now, you know almost nothing. And you're losing ground, because it's getting harder. Phones are now pocket computers. And there are tablets. And phablets. And new operating systems and interfaces, popping up almost daily, are all itching to stick their fingers into your eyes. As soon as you open those eyes to take a peek.
You want help. You want to feel your way into it. You expect to learn enough at the store to pick up on what you need to look for, and at the end you'll get the perfect system, or thing, or whatever it is, or you'll get close, even though it may take a couple of trips, and some pondering.
You are now thinking from the bottom up. You see details. Your world is full of twigs and leaves. You can't even see the trees yet. You know nothing about trees. You don't even know that there are tree things. You are ignorant of the concept of tree-ness, much less how many gigahertz a tree might run at.
– And in the other corner... –
The salesperson is thinking from the top down. The salesperson sees wide expanses of color, vague regions of shape, and only a few wispy tree tops but no trunks or branches, let alone twigs or leaves. To the salesperson you are nothing but a creeping speck on the sales floor, something like a tiny bullseye.
You want to broaden your perspective and the salesperson wants to narrow it. Preferably before break time, and after separating you from large quantities of your money.
This happens all the time. Whenever a snake eyes a mouse. Whenever a bureaucrat drones at you over a counter. And so on. No need to drag this out — there is going to be blood. You can only hope that it isn't yours. But hope is useless as a weapon. Ask that mouse.
From the salesperson's point of view it will be easy to figure out what you need as soon as you say what you need — no thinking required that way. Just pile stuff into your arms and ring up the sale and it's over.
More than anything else, the salesperson wants to drop you into a pre-defined box. Once you are nicely wedged into that box, the sales genes kick in and emit a low, rumbling purr. Because it's dinner time. Now you get sold and then upsold, properly, without being able to resist. You can't even wave your arms around because you are jammed in tight. And completely hosed, as if you were in that snake's throat.
Getting upsold means that you are offered extras. Things bolted on, things glued on, sprinklings of glitter and gruffy dust, stuff to prevent other stuff from happening, warranties with high profit margins and zero usefulness. Things. Things you don't need but the salesperson does, to provide a right-sized paycheck. Things you will, if you are a good customer, come to believe in fanatically. Because you have been told and sold.
– Your eyes look so, so innocent. –
So now, right now, and right here, where you aren't being charged, let us talk. Talk, my friend. Let us reason together while we look at the big picture in comfort. Let us confer. About what you are going to be using your pack for.
First, this is about backpacking so we're agreed that you will be staying overnight, outdoors, somewhere. The same ideas apply to buying day packs, but day packs are less demanding, so you will end up knowing more than you need to buy a day pack. If you go out for one or two nights, or more, you will need space in your pack for a shelter, for bedding, and for a cook set, as well as the normal extra clothes, rain wear, food, water, and the little extras that make up the 10 essentials. Which may include a teddy bear, with or without a squeeze-operated squeaker (which is optional).
Yours is an interesting problem, and not only because of your toy fetish.
First off, if you have no clue, then by definition this is your first time around. If this isn't your first time around, then you already have experience and prejudices. Us first-timers will talk quietly and we don't need you to hang around acting like a know-it-all jerk, so buzz off.
That was our first cut. Bye, y'all.
– Start off shapeless and baggy. –
OK then. Here's the baseline.
You already hike, and maybe you've spent a night or two out under the stars. You want to do more of that, but maybe not too much — something like a night or two at a time, three times a summer. You need a pack. Push comes to shove you can get by with a duffel bag. Get one with a strap, hang that over one shoulder, don't carry too much, and you'll do fine.
Anyone doesn't like it, tell them to piss off. This is your life to live. You don't have to live it all at once either. Start, do a little now and then, change as needed. Repeat if you feel like it.
Duffel bags these days tend to be heavy, square, and overly fussy with details — yes, even duffel bags. So consider the sneaky route. Just buy a large stuff sack and sew on one strap. That's really about all you need to get started. So you do that. (We'll pretend we waited while you went and did that, OK? Cool.)
– Take up welding. –
Now, later on, you want to expand, go farther, stay out longer. If so, then you need to make more choices.
Most people want to hike on trails. Most trails are well designed and well maintained. They go up hill and go down hill, and curve right and curve left, but aside from that they are smooth mostly and lacking in surprises. Mostly. An external frame pack could be the thing.
But external frame packs are getting rare. They aren't trendy anymore. Your choices are limited, but here's what you can expect.
Ready?
All external frame packs will be relatively large and heavy. They don't have to be, but this type of pack is out of favor now, and that's what you will be reduced to. These days it's drifting toward one size fits all — big. Way big. Unfortunately big. Because this type of pack is really good in a lot of ways. It is rugged, holds its shape, stands with only its metal feet in the mud after you've taken it off, and is modular. There is nothing wrong with the idea behind it. It's great! But the one-big-size-fits-all is not great.
Look at this.
Say you get a tear in the pack bag, or a little mousie comes in the night and munches its way through the bag. Back home you can fix this problem with needle and thread. At worst someone can sew up a new pack bag for you, or you can design your own, make it, and hang it on the frame you already have. You can also dismount the bag and wash it, as needed, or replace the shoulder straps or hip belt separately. This type of pack is really, fundamentally a pack kit.
The weight of an external frame pack is probably the main disadvantage, but external frame packs do carry well over smooth ground, and stand farthest away from the body, so they are generally cooler. In a temperature way. And one of these packs will outlive anything made of meat, like you.
– Get huggy. –
Almost all packs you find today have internal frames. These are the trendy ones. Since the frame is inside the pack the pack stays closer to your body, and wraps around you as well, which is good for balance. If you want the widest choice in packs this is the way to go. Same if you hike on rough terrain or go off trail, or do some scrambling. Internal frame packs, descendants of climber's packs, are made for that.
Plus they come in more sizes. External frame packs always were largish overall. Given that they needed welded frames, that made sense. A welded frame supporting a tiny pack bag is unbalanced and pointless — the size and weight of a frame are impractical for small pack bags. A pack bag large enough to spend your whole vacation in does make sense, if you buy into the external-frame concept. And the standard largish frame is sturdier and easier to make than any truly tiny frame is. But on the other hand, if you go this route, you are likely to be using a bigger pack than you need. Or want.
But, internal frame packs then — there have always been a few smaller ones.
But weight. Weight. Think about weight.
These days there might not be much weight difference between external and internal frame packs. This is sad. If weight is critical then hold on until the next section, because pack makers don't put much effort into reducing the weight of internal frame packs, and regardless of everything else, most internal frame packs also fall into the medium to large ranges.
What is it about large anyway? Does that make sense?
It makes sense because only a few people will spend wads of cash on small packs. (OK, gotcha.)
Most people spend what they have on medium-large to large packs. (Why?) Because a large pack will carry a too-small load but a small pack will not return the favor by carrying a too-large load. (Ahhh.) In any way that looks tidy. (Oh, yeah, I see.) You want a pack, you get one, but not likely two or three packs of different sizes, for different trip lengths. Makes sense, no? (Yep.)
So if the snug fit and favorable off-trail balance of an internal frame pack suit what you do, or what you want to do, then consider one of them.
– (Not) Being there. –
Less is less.
Frame.
Less.
Frameless.
Step one was to consider a duffel bag. (Remember?) That can work. So can an old style rucksack. A rucksack might be an ideal start. In the sense that immediately you see its limitations. If you encounter too many limitations, then you are wrestling with a solution that is simpler than what is possible. Without corresponding advantages. (Ow.)
This is called a learning situation.
So, you learn.
You go from a duffel bag or rucksack to a framed pack. Some of the commercial "ultralight" packs from big names could be worth a look. These have most of the features of the larger internal frame packs, which are their cousins, but are a bit smaller, lack most of the useless things, and are a bit lighter. But only relatively. Put them in the 2.5 to four pound (1 to 2 kg) range. Often the only "ultralight" thing about them is the word "ultralight" in the advertising copy. Score another one for marketing.
If you want to get light you'll probably reach that goal eventually, but not right off. (Don't worry, you're fine.) Everyone works up to it. There is no other way. It's a matter of enlightenment. First you do what everyone else does. Then you want more. You find some experts and do what they say. Then you figure out what's actually right, for you. And finally you do what's right, for you. As determined by your own needs and experience. No matter what anyone else says.
This takes time, and learned savvy, and a touch of courage. Because once you begin doing things the way they work, for you, no matter what shows up in the magazines, or books, or outdoor shops, or on the backs of others, you will be thought of as weird. People will come up to you and tell you what you are doing wrong, and why, and what you should do to become righteous, like them.
Poop on them. Poop hard.
– Becoming lighter than possible. –
So. Frameless.
A frameless pack is not a duffel bag or a rucksack. A frameless pack is a specialized piece of equipment for lightweight backpacking. If you are going to go light, seriously light, then a frameless pack is in your future. But first you have to understand what you really need. By making mistakes.
Mistakes are good for you.
Because you make mistakes, do not assume that you are bad. You are good. We still like you. Sure, you're ignorant. We all are, about most things. Mistakes reveal the depth and breadth of your personal ignorance, so then you are able to make specific plans for defeating that ignorance. Is OK. Is all OK. It requires stepwise refinement. Enjoy the process. Exploring is fun, which is why you got into backpacking anyway.
As noted earlier somewhere, one type of frameless pack uses a folded sleeping pad as a frame substitute. A few "frameless" packs gain stiffness through bendable aluminum rods that we can pretend are not frames. One or two packs use carbon fiber hoops. Depending on your definition, a light pack with a framesheet might be frameless, might be light, or might be only another heavy internal frame pack that has mutated a bit, or has been anointed ultralight by the marketing munchkins. We'll leave it to you to sort that out. Strict categories are for dopes. Rigid adherence to ideology is for losers. What matters is what works. Just make it work.
Frameless is for you if and when you know what you are doing, and are intentionally doing it.
If you aren't all the way there yet, think about packs that have small capacities, carry light loads well, and come from small manufacturers. Small manufacturers that are often just one person with good ideas, a sewing machine, and an eye for quality. If you want to be as free as possible, and get by cheaply, and can think your way through what you need and what you don't, then consider a frameless pack. Don't get stressed. Let the answer come to you.
This is fine. Let it come to you.
It will.
– The chase (to which we now cut...) –
· Your decision tree ·
| If this is you... | Then try this... |
|---|---|
| Have big and heavy loads to carry... | Get an external frame pack. |
| Want the biggest selection to choose from... | Get an internal frame pack. |
| Desperately hope to be trendy... | Get an internal frame pack. |
| Are after the best comfort/capacity tradeoff... | Get an internal frame pack. |
| Desire the most flexibility with smaller loads... | Get a frameless pack. |
| Are aiming for the lowest cost... | Go frameless. |