Bushwalk Australia

I see that Massdrop is about to have a Granite Gear backpack that they've altered the specs on marginally from the Crown 2.

It goes on sale December 8 at 6 a.m. PT for $119.99 . (So I think that's about 4.5 hours away from me posting this). Not sure what postage will be to Australia yet until it comes online.

However it may be of interest to some on here.

They've opted for a lid but it can be removed, or turned into a hip-belt dayback - which is kind of interesting as a proposal.

It's 1140 grams with the pack including lid (brain). Without the lid it's 995 grams. (The stripped weight is advertised as being 657 grams)

So not ultra-ultra-light (compared to say Zpacks and other Dyneema composite backpack offerings). But not a bad at 1 kg for a fully spec pack, and the weight can be cut down by removing any unnecessary bits.

Granite Gear stuff has a reputation I've heard for being very durable and long-lasting. The pack is well-featured too with hydration port and internal bladder sleeve. Pockets. Vapor Mark 2 frame with molded foam back panel with mesh ventilation. It's got shoulder strap cords which will fit water bottle of particular size.

What are your thoughts on it? I'm tempted...

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x ... -crown-x60


Emma

UPDATE: Shipping was cheap to Australia (less than $18). The "catch" was that delivery is not until June 2018 - which is a long wait. (As for those of you not familiar with Massdrop, the wait for the end date for orders and then start production.)

The pack looks good except for the stretch mesh which is likely to degrade in the aussie sun or tear in off track or scrubby walking.
Stretch mesh seems to be an american pack thing which doesn't always translate to australian conditions in my opinion.

@slparker - that's a very good point regarding the mesh, and degradation in the harsh sun in Australia.

Are there any Australian packs that people recommend for relatively lightweight and durable in Australian conditions?

I'm probably myself still ok with the Massdrop as I am not doing really long trails or a lot of time out in the UV. I'm a NZer and have very fair skin and have had melanoma, so I like to choose trails which are quite forested where possible, in addition to wearing hat and protective clothing and sunscreen. So my selection of trails will probably help somewhat in terms of the bag not being as exposed to sun and UV as some hikers.

However I'm totally open to suggestion if anyone knows of a good lightweight Australian pack which isn't crazy-expensive.

Actually from looking at the photos it seems the mesh is more like a 3d stretch fabric rather than the mesh many of us are familiar with. I have not seen heavy mesh deteriorate significantly faster than normal fabrics in sunlight - the us has plenty of harsh sunlight - not an exclusively Australian thing. The lack of largish voids in the mesh? suggests it will be far more resistant to snagging than the very open knit of the leno type meshes. This is more an issue with the side pockets - I haven't experienced much snagging etc on the rear pockets made with normal mesh but certainly have on side pockets.

Possibly, it is hard to tell from the photos. A heavier stretch fabric esp on the front is likely to be much better than the high stretch mesh.

The Grante Gear pack has a good rep on O/S forums

Emma,
Funny you should ask. Little bourke st has some reasonable lightish options. Just had a look myself at some packs.
I decided that the One Planet Overshadow js likely to be my next purchase. Not UL at 1400g but holy crap is it comfortable
Also it is faff free and nothing to snag on off track scrub.
Bogong has exped packs which are light and BPL has aarn. The big shops stock osprey, the light osprey has a good rep.

Most of those options have the stretch mesh pockets which, although exceedingly useful, i tend to kill.

@Mark F

I'm not sure about the fabric / mesh in the front of the bag. USA does have sun but Australia is definitely harsher in terms of the UV rays.

What I do know about Granite Gear packs, and how I even heard about them in the first place, is that they're a favourite of Appalacian Trail hikers in the USA because:
a) Granite Gear packs are pretty lightweight
b) Granite Gear packs have a reputation for being durable and long-lasting, and indeed more durable in terms of the fabrics than say Zpacks and other dyneema composite packs -which only last 1 to 2 thur-hikes such as the AT or Pacific Crest Trail or Continental Divide Trail. I've heard people who have Granite Gear packs using them on multiple thru-hikes and their pack hasn't died on them.
c) They're cheaper than the Zpacks and other cottage industry brand dyneema composite packs.
d) They strike a good balance in terms of features and pockets against the weight addition. They're not as stripped-back as the simplest packs, but they have useful hip pockets and water bottle straps which don't cost much weight but are really useful. But nor do they have unnecessary or numerous features which cost weight for very little use.

So when I saw this year's most popular and well-reviewed Granite Gear pack on Massdrop, hence I thought "ooohh!"

Not bad for US $120 + US $17 shipping to Australia, and around 1kg.

It works out around AUD $183 by my calculation.

By comparison, the Zpacks Arc Blast (55L) in dyneema composite is US $350, which is AUD $466 and that's not including shipping. Weight is 595 grams. With extra cost US $25 to add a shoulder pouch, or other accessory.