First Backpack | Buy or Invest?

The Gear Shed
1

Hello everyone

So I’ve been planning to do a Camino for quite a while and the time has now come for me to either buy or invest in a backpack. My thinking is to use said backpack for luggage as mine is all but kaput in anyway.

Camino will be about 2 weeks and from there the world is my oyster, I’ll see what other local trails I can attempt.

The conundrum I am facing is, do I pay say ± R2500 for a KWay, Cape Storm or similar brand, ±R3500 for a First Ascent or “invest” roughly R4k in a Osprey or Gregory pack?

I’ve done a lot of reading on the topic and yes you get what you pay for but, in my instance is it worth the extra ±R1500 to go from a KWay to the Osprey or Gregory?
Yes I am a newb hiker but I am planning to use the backpack as well for general travelling.
Is the quality and comfort of the bigger names worth the extra moolah?

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Maybe state how much you will need to be carrying?

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Morning!
My best guesstimate would be about 12-15kg, I’m about 1.89m tall if that helps as well.

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@andres

My advice, having owned a few packs, is…

  1. once you’ve done enough research as to what the different pricing actually gives you…
  2. go try some on, load them up with your weight of stuff (you’ll find things in the shop eg tents, sleeping bags etc to stuff into it)

Nothing like your body will tell you which pack to buy.

Now granted, some brands are only online so there’s a problem there.

I would strongly recommend you buy a pack with adequate adjustment for the yoke (back part). This makes the diffs. And be sure the frame/structure can distribute weight done to your hips.

For reference my partner’s old Kway (R600) is more comfy for her than her Gregory (R2600 on sale). I’ve owned two Osprey’s and both are very comfy and durable. The after service through Adventure Inc has also been excellent where one pack was replaced entirely due to a defect. If you are in a major metropolitan area CT or Jhb go to Outdoor or Sportsman’s Warehouse or Drifters and try them on.

Key features to check for are…

Can you reach water bottles. Does it look durable. (water bottle pouches tend to be flimsy stretch mesh shit). Is the padding sufficient. Does it squeak a lot when you move. Can you adjust the yoke. Are the load lifters sufficiently high off the top of the shoulder straps (to give you a 30-45degree there). Not too many zips, that can fail. Good compression straps. Decent weight.

And don’t believe all the claims made by companies, especially local. I have found much of it is BS. You’ll see that with sleeping bag ratings especially. I will however say that in my experience First Ascent and Cape Storm also have pretty good after service - they are owned by the group who owns OW and SW.

But to answer your question broadly:

The difference you ultimately pay for, often, is in comfort or discomfort, for hours on end. I’ve owned a poor pack and it was hell to carry. For some this makes you tough and old school - bit like making a fire in your garden to have a cup of tea, when the kettle is just there. But a pack is an “on the body” thing, so you’re body must tell you, ultimately, which to get…if you’re looking to buy once, take the time.

…so broadly speaking, yes.

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oh and do get all your other gear first…backpack last

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Thank you Carl some very good food for thought.
I’ve been dreading going into a shop and fitting but this seems to be the only way….I’m in the Northern Suburbs CT and there is a fairly large SW near me, so that might be the first port of call.
And as you say, if it doesn’t sit or fit well, I’ll go check out Drifters or Adventure Inc.

I appreciate the feedback on FA + Cape Storm, its quick to dismiss local companies cos, well they are local and everone is after the fancy imports but I’ll definitely give them a look as well.

Thank you for the input, the tea / fire analogy I can relate, I’m most definitely built for comfort….

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You’re welcome.

Adv. Inc is the importer for Osprey, not really a store.

Watch Youtube tutorials on how to adjust a pack and measure your torso length & hip width, Osprey has some…there are many. I don’t think SW & OW staff know how to do this. Drifters staff do, they are also good salesmen so be warned.

Consider as well City Rock and Brave Hardy in CT. City Rock is also Mountain Mail Order, these two might have different brands to try out.

good luck

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Also check the weight of the backpack itself. Osprey and Gregory tend to be lighter. Doesnt help if the bag itself weighs 4kg.. :winking_face_with_tongue:

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Are most local caminos not slack packs? Daypack yes, buy a good one is it gets used a lot. Bigger packs up almost on the side of renting one as realistically you don’t need a 50l backpack that often.

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I have used Osprey and Kway and a few others too. I would go for the Osprey – easy choice – but they will all do the job.

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Hi everyone, thanks for the input and food for thought.
So I visited the local Outdoor Warehouse and ended up with an Osprey Volt 65.
And yea, from the advice in this thread and having the packs next to each other, you can very much SEE the difference in the price and was very evident on fitting of the packs.

Obviously you want to save money where you can but in this case it was worth the extra bucks, the fit was better, zips just seem more robust and the design overall was just was what I was looking for!

So thanks very much for all the input it really did help in the end and I’m very much pleased withy my purchase!

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Now, the important thing is to use it! a Cheap pack used twice is worth more than a fancy used once!!!

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Personally - I like local brands - they seem to be tougher than the imports… but this is something you will need to test for yourself - inspect some well used packs of different brands and see how they are wearing and what their owners say, and also look at the different hiking conditions - the Drakensberg is different to the Kalahari etc

For HIKING - I like external pockets on my hiking pack - one side pocket for all the food, the other for the stove and gas and smaller pockets for med kit and poncho. Top pouch for map and phone, TP etc. I don’t like opening my whole pack just to get the peanuts and don’t like my food and waste in with my clothes and sleeping bag - possibly Im just fussy…..

For CLIMBING - I like a single stack - no pocket pack, nice and slender for getting to the face and use it as a rope bag when sport climbing.

For TRAVEL- be careful of pockets - they get in the way and snag on things in airports and are easy for criminals to access etc.

You will need decent waist weight distribution and adjustable shoulder straps and adjustable height. Also check how is fits on our back and how it feel when you are wearing a hat and a jacket etc and how a poncho fits over it all AND if you can comfortably attach a pouch to the waist strap for snacks. Check that you can sit down wearing it and stand up and hoe it affects your general mobility.

You could rent a pack for various guide companies - try them out for few days and chat with the guides about their preferences.

Good luck and have fun! :slight_smile: