The Right Pack

How To Chose The Right Pack For You

Choosing the right pack can be quite intimidating. There are often so many choices for people when they first enter a shop like ours, especially if they know nothing about what they are looking for. So it’s important to learn as much as possible about the different types of packs, why some are more expensive than others, and what features are important for certain activities. We hope to provide you with as much information as possible so as to help you make the right decision.

Types of Packs

To begin, there are three different styles of packs. There are travel packs, rucksacks & hybrids.

Travel Packs

Travel packs are predominately classified by their oval shape and suitcase-like entrance. Most travel packs have a bottom entrance for easier accessibility and the option to internally separate that bottom compartment from the main. Every travel pack should come with a daypack attached, which can be easily separated from the main and used as your carry on as well as your day to day pack for touring around. On a side note, it is recommended that the daypack be worn on the front against your chest. This will not only bring the weight forward, but will allow you to keep your valuables close and in sight. Last but not least, a travel pack will always have a harness cover. This is used to hide the harness when checking the pack onto an aircraft, bus or train.

Rucksacks

Rucksacks are normally designed for hiking although there is no reason why they cannot be used in other situations. Most of them are classified as top-loading packs, which means they have a top lid that opens like a mouth that is secured from the rear by textile webbing and from the front by easy access plastic buckles. In most cases, rucksacks will also have a bottom entrance, which like travel packs, can be internally separated from the main. To get even more diverse and convenient, some companies also make rucksacks which have a large front entrance as well. We strongly encourage people to buy these as they are the most convenient and versatile.
The reason for a rucksack being more preferable for hiking is due to their overall design. They are built more elongated to go more in line with the shape of your body. This shape allows a person to carry the weight more efficiently, and if packed correctly, the weight will sit more towards a person’s center of gravity. They also come more equipped with attachments for your gear such as daisy chains (continuous loops for attaching small items), hiking pole holders and their corresponding basket loops, ice axe holders and so on.

Hybrid Packs

Hybrid packs are simply a travel pack mixed with a rucksack. They conform to the design of a travel pack by having a relatively large front entrance and a detachable daypack, while at the same time retaining the top-loading entrance as well as the elongated design of a rucksack. These packs are incredibly versatile, as they allow a traveler to become a hiker at the same time. Hybrid packs are made for the bush and the backpacker’s hostel. Even if you are not a hiker, these packs are incredibly convenient. They allow easy access to all your gear either via the bottom, center, or top entrance and can also be separated using the internal divider. These packs come with a harness cover, and a good hybrid will have a more supportive harness system than most travel packs.

What Separates One Pack From Another?

When searching for the right pack to suit your needs it is essential to first assess what it is you are about to do. Where are you going? How long will you be away for? Will you use the pack again on another journey? The answers to these questions will determine whether or not you will need a pack with substance. By that we mean a pack, which is meant to last, a pack which grants you peace of mind.

Besides the obvious differences relating to different types of packs, there are many features, which will individualise one pack from another. These differences will reflect quality and thus dictate price. So what are these differences?

Fabrics

Fabrics are really important when determining the quality of a pack. Many companies use fancy names for their fabrics, but these names do not always reflect a fabric’s quality or intricacies. We are about to simplify things. On the lower end, packs are usually made of polyester, whereas on the mid and upper ends, packs are made from different weaves of nylon. Nylon is a much stronger fabric than polyester and wears a lot better with time. Of course there are different ways companies can weave a nylon fabric to make it stronger, and density of fabric plays a huge role in maintaining durability, and thus longevity.

Density of fabrics is measured using the term ‘denier’ to denote the fabric’s thickness and durability. Some packs also use the term Cordura. Cordura is a nylon fabric with a great reputation for toughness. It does depend however, on the denier of that Cordura. A decent pack will have a denier of around 600, with 1000 being the highest before a pack is put together with canvas. Canvas is usually found on rucksacks due to their common usage in the bush and possibly in areas that are laden with rough vegetation. Canvas is not only better for abrasion resistance; it is also waterproof and UV resistant as well. UV light will wear nylon fabrics down, making the colours fade and causing the fibres to wither.

In terms of nylon, however, packs generally have a very long lasting ability if the denier is right. Nylon by its innate properties can withstand a decent amount of water before it saturates completely, but a traveller should never assume that a nylon pack is waterproof. The only way to waterproof a nylon pack is to obtain a waterproof rain cover. The reason for a pack’s non-waterproof nature is due to its lack of seam sealing and its exposed zips.

To confuse things a bit, a pack does not always have to have a high denier to be an incredibly strong pack. Many companies use nylon in different ways to suit different purposes. An example would be when a company wants to design an ultra lightweight pack suitable for hiking or day walking, but still wants the pack to be durable. The way to get around this idea that a pack’s fabric has to be denser to be tougher is to utilise a strong weave of nylon and make it a rip-stop. Rip-stop nylons come in all shapes: Square rip-stop, honeycomb rip-stop, diamond tek rip-stop etc… The way to make the nylon stronger is by making sure the stitching per square cm is higher. The more complex a rip-stop weave is, the tougher it is going to be. Travel packs generally do not utilise rip-stop fabrics, predominately due to the fact that people put so much stuff in them. A heavy load puts more strain on the pack and when combined with the rough treatment most packs get during travel, a straight high-density nylon is much more preferable to ensure durability.

Zips

Zips are probably the most important feature on a pack. If a zip breaks, the pack could very well be useless. Zips are usually the first things to go on a pack, and under all types of warranties, it is the one thing that is never covered. People abuse their zips more than any other feature on a pack and that is why they are never covered under warranty.

Hands down, the best zips in the world are YKK. Their teeth always align, they rarely jam, buckle, or snap off, and they run smoothly. Not all companies use YKK zips of course, and so the price you pay for a pack will reflect this. All genuine YKK zips have those letters engraved on their zip toggles. Some companies will utilise YKK zips but without the YKK signature on the toggle. This allows packs to be more moderately priced while still maintaining the quality. The thing to be sceptical about is how you really know if those zips are actually YKK.

Stitching

Stitching is no doubt a very important aspect of a pack, as it is what holds the pack together. It is only logical that if a manufacturer puts in the time and effort to stitch a pack well, then it will sit at a higher price point.

If a pack is of good stock it will have double and triple stitching throughout the entire pack, especially on points of stress. Some manufacturers use a system of stitching called bar tacking. Bar tacking is best explained by visualising a stitch over a stitch. While packs are normally stitched using that over under technique, bar tacking is putting a thick and heavy stitch on top of that ordinary stitching, but in the opposite direction. So if a normal stitch is up and down, a bar tacking stitch will be horizontally done from side to side over the original stitching. This virtually makes a pack unrelenting. It will never bust.

Another method of good stitching is by utilising reinforcing techniques. This is especially useful on areas, which have handles. If a pack is cross-stitched on both sides of a handle, securing it firmly to the pack, it will be reinforced on the inside using thick textile webbing. A good quality pack will also have that webbing extended down the entire length of the pack for not only added reinforcement, but for solid weight distribution to relieve excess strain.

Harness

The harness of a pack is what makes your journey a comfortable or uncomfortable one. The more expensive packs will not only have a more comfortable harness, but a more supportive one as well. It really all depends on the overall design, ingenuity, and use of materials.

In general, a good harness should have excellent lower lumbar support, well-padded shoulder straps, and a waist belt, which is semi-rigid and long enough to wrap around the waist. In terms of all packs over 40 litres, the internal frame should be strong, non-pliable, and lightweight. The best frame for strength tends to be those which are designed to have the internal stays cross one another like an X. This allows for the best load carrying as it provides the best weight distribution.

Ingenuity comes into play when we observe what types of materials are used as well as what research and development took place in designing the harness. Some of the best packs ever made are those, which provide maximum comfort not just from the weight, but also from how a harness performs for the person wearing it. Some companies such as Deuter have invested long hours in designing harnesses with a high level of sweat reduction. This type of ingenuity makes wearing a pack much more pleasant. The design works by choice of foam used for the harness. The density of the foam used is also important. If foam is weak and too soft, its comfort will not last. The denser the foam, the more supportive and long lasting it tends to be.

Harnessing is not only about materials and structure. It is also about fitting. How adjustable is it? Will it cater to people of various heights and builds? Companies who care about fitting will always have ingenious ways of creating harnesses, which are suitable for anyone. One Planet and Berghaus are two examples of companies, which make packs that have an exact fit harness. This means that certain harnesses are not only designated for people of different heights, but also for different sexes, and they adjust to fit the wearer while the pack sits on their back, eliminating the need to preset the torso adjustment prior to putting the pack on. In One Planet’s full range of packs, every design has the same layout. There is a women’s short and medium harness coupled with a universal medium and long harness for men or people with larger torsos. Because of One Planet’s design, they are the only company to have Chiropractic endorsement. With Berghaus, there will be men’s and women’s packs separated only by size and shoulder contouring, but the very fact that these packs are accounting for different sizes and shapes means the wearer can carry their load more effectively.