[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgbiker1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love DaKine. I have one that I've used since the dawn of man for skiing, hiking, biking, and school. It has a built-in aluminum frame which is great for support.

hmm.. I had several people recommending against dakine due to their personal experience of them being poorly built (mostly poor sewing on the straps) and aluminum frame does more harm than good in my case

...I'll keep looking around I guess

 

[The Pieman]

I would suggest going to a store that sells quality mountaineering equipment and having a look. There are a lot of quality, not so well known brands, out there. Well there is in my neck of the woods anyway.

cheers
Simon

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Pieman /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would suggest going to a store that sells quality mountaineering equipment and having a look. There are a lot of quality, not so well known brands, out there. Well there is in my neck of the woods anyway. cheers Simon

yup, I'll be visiting my local mountainnering stores tomorrow - I went there a week ago, but I didn't look too closely - there are bunch of them in vancouver, so that;s a good news

 

[majid]

I recently bought a Timbuk2 Underground. REI has them on clearance. A great bag with a laptop pocket that's not overpadded and just great for a thin laptop. The side pockets run the full-length of the bag, unlike most pockets that just waste space because they are not big enough to hold anything. I can stuff a tripod in either side pocket. The main compartment is cavernous. I have a photo up here: My day-to-day backpack on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Otherwise, if you find a Crumpler backpack that suits you, go for it, their quality is superior to Timbuk2 and they make probably the best photo and urban backpacks and messenger bags available.

 

[Walie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by azncookiecutter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Check out MEC.ca. Great Canadian retailer, and their backpacks are tough as nails.

X2

 

[InertKinesis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by britishbane /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was wondering about your Arc Teryx comments as well. In my experience there is not a company who puts more care or thought into their products. Saying they're not at all well made is IMO ridiculous. Maybe you dont like them, thats fine. You get what you pay for in life, $180 bucks for something that will last decades is not really much of an investment in my book. In regards to fit...I'm 6'7'' and 230 pounds, not really svelte at all and their stuff fits me well. End of my fan boy rant

Oh yeah! Arc'Teryx fanboy-ism!! Haha I am too...

I have a couple Arc-Teryx fleece layers that I bought for skiing and which I wear at college almost every day. Very durable, very warm, looks great. This is what North Face used to be / could have become if they hadn't sold out.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by InertKinesis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh yeah! Arc'Teryx fanboy-ism!! Haha I am too... I have a couple Arc-Teryx fleece layers that I bought for skiing and which I wear at college almost every day. Very durable, very warm, looks great. This is what North Face used to be / could have become if they hadn't sold out.

lol I love their clothing too, I do quite a bit of hiking and their clothing lines are amazing (it helps that I get employee discount off my friend). I personally didn't like their backpacks, that's all
North face is still good as before, just overpriced - their summit series duck down jacket is fantabulus !! only problem is that they're 650$

 

[krmathis]

I highly recommend Haglöfs Tight Pro.
A very well built backpack, with top notch wearing comfort and durability. I have used mine daily since I bought it 3 years ago, and it almost looks like new.

Amazing!

 

[InertKinesis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif I highly recommend Haglöfs Tight Pro. A very well built backpack, with top notch wearing comfort and durability. I have used mine daily since I bought it 3 years ago, and it almost looks like new. Amazing!

Wow, thanks for that link. I'd never heard of Haglofs, and their stuff looks great. I'm going to be doing some serious multi-day treks in the Ecuadorian rain forest this June. This warrants a gear upgrade from my old old old canvas frame pack that was my dad's as a younger man and which has passed through the hands of all the hikers in my family (all of us, haha

). Needless to say I'm ridiculously excited about that trip.

You wouldn't happen to know of any way to get Haglofs gear in the United States?

 

[krmathis]

InertKinesis. A trek in the Ecuadorian rain forest sounds awesome.
Quite a challenge regarding the different climate and wild nature. Top notch gear would make it more comfortable for sure.

Sadly I can't help you Haglöfs in the US. Their website don't list US in their dealers list. Might be worth dropping them an email, haglofs@haglofs.se

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif InertKinesis. A trek in the Ecuadorian rain forest sounds awesome. Quite a challenge regarding the different climate and wild nature. Top notch gear would make it more comfortable for sure. Sadly I can't help you Haglöfs in the US. Their website don't list US in their dealers list. Might be worth dropping them an email, haglofs@haglofs.se

yeah, this is some nice stuff...too bad it looks like we yanks aren't able to get it.

 

[dbfreak]

Backpacks are out. They cause skeletal problems down the road (in older age). Get microfiche copies of all your books and carry them in your shirt pocket. If you carry your lunch in your backpack, request a hot free school lunch (reference the Clinton Free Lunch Progam if given a hard time).

 

[-=Germania=-]

I have this backpack and it is very comfy and durable. I also got it for a clean $40 on sale.

OGIO - Metro - laptop, school, school pack, school bag, back to school, book bag, book pack, computer, computer bag, computer pack

 

[brotherlen]

I use a blackhawk R.A.P.T.O.R. bag, very very durable, and a TAG (tactical assualt gear) raid pack, also very durable and modular! I tried to dye it black for school and turned into a gross ACU purple, not even a cool gray, but gnarly purple. Great bags and made for more extreme conditions. Worth the money if your hard on your equipment.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbfreak /img/forum/go_quote.gif Backpacks are out. They cause skeletal problems down the road (in older age). Get microfiche copies of all your books and carry them in your shirt pocket. If you carry your lunch in your backpack, request a hot free school lunch (reference the Clinton Free Lunch Progam if given a hard time).

what??