Keep all your maps close by in the Switchgrass

By Mary Webb

Lilypond’s Switchgrass Carryall Backpack is a versatile hand bag and backpack will take you from the farmer’s market to the bike trail and anywhere in between! We trotted around California last month and I took the Switchgrass for an evening stroll along the Sundial bridge, for the annual Sundial Music Festival as well as a day trip to the Mendocino Coast botanical garden in Fort Bragg. While the Switchgrass is available in the color of sea grass and sea breeze; we chose the vibrant color ways of orange peel and fire dance, just the right colors to play off the moonlight at the sundial bridge and the dahlias at the botanical garden.

It was about a three mile amble from the car to the Sundial Music Festival. With one deep interior zipped pocket, containing a hooked ring for keys, I was able to keep my car keys in an assured location. Not only were they locked on the hook, but zipped up tight! There are 4 additional sewn in interior pockets that were the perfect location to store my bottled water. While temperatures can escalate along the river, it was nice to know that I had some bottles safely stowed to quench my thirst. The dual-roped handles on the bag warded off sweat and were comfortable on my grip, and the 3″ handle strap height allowed sufficient room between my hand and the bag. There were several items for sale at the festival that caught my eye and filled up the Switchgrass! The bag became quite heavy with t-shirts, mugs and jewelry to name a few. I was glad to have the versatility of the backpack to help shoulder some of the load. Adjustable straps were not only functional, but adorned in the Lilypond jacquard webbing. This jacquard webbing is delightfully decorative around the top of tote, providing a stylish motif to the exterior.

Use as a tote or backpack, your choice

Heading out to the coastal garden was a delightful experience in the Switchgrass bag. We perused the perennial garden and took a stroll out along the garden path to the coastal waters; with our light jackets stored inside the denier nylon fabric bag, I enjoyed the look and silky feel of the water-marked interior in a pleasant contrasting green. The open mouth design made it easy to pull items in and out of the bag, and I liked the 2 magnetic closures that kept belongings at bay. The Switchgrass comes with an exterior zippered pocket. I used this pocket to store my maps because a girl needs to know where she’s going. The nylon fabrics make cleaning a breeze in the Switchgrass, simply wipe down with a damp cloth. I had to do this more than once in the garden as I brushed up against a dusty rail or two, attempting a closer glimpse of the gorgeous Dahlias!

Keep the Switchgrass hanging near your front door ladies. For $79, this hand bag is perfect to grab when you are out shopping with a few friends around San Francisco and you need a little extra carrying room; especially when the sales in Union Square may be too hard to resist! This writer will be bike riding to the market more often with the Switchgrass. While this backpack isn’t meant to carry heavy camping gear, it’s perfect for a baguette, tomatoes and some fresh Mozzarella!

Perfect for a moonlit hike to a music festival

Specifications:

12″W x 14″H x 8″D

http://www.lilypondusa.com/

The Fluid 32 uses a 100D SiliSeal Ripstop Cordura Nylon body and a 315D SiliSeal Cordura bottom, making it extremely durable and capable of withstanding abrasions from the trail or an accidental poke with an ice axe.

The Fluid 32 features Mountain Hardwear’s HardWave framesheet that offers both cool ventilation and load support from this unique and light weight structure, combined with a comfortable hip belt that’s wide enough to offer extra support on  your hip, but not too wide and thick to limit movement and agility on the trail.  The hip belts also feature a mesh lining that helps keep you dry and two very small zipped pockets that can hold your car keys, chap stick or some spare change.

The HardWave suspension system keeps the pack light, firm while allowing it to vent heat away from your body.

The lid features a large top compartment and inner zipped pockets for keeping valuables and first-aid items handy. The pack also features a hydration pocket that you can access externally to easily refill it when necessary.

One of the things we really liked about the Fluid 32 pack, are the compression straps. These help keep the contents of your pack from moving around, which helps when you’re scrambling over rocks or moving at a fast pace.  We adjusted the straps, pulling them in tight during a brisk hike to make it to our campsite before dark. Yet, as we compressed the straps, the pack didn’t feel uncomfortable or move higher on our back. In fact, it allowed us to move quickly up the trail and jump over rocks without loosing our balance or feeling heavy.

Another nice feature on the Fluid 32 is that there’s plenty of external pockets for just about anything. We liked the stretch woven side pockets that can hold anything from a 1-liter water bottle to a pair of gloves or any extra gear that you might want to get at without taking off the pack.

The bottom accessory straps allow you to carry a lightweight sleeping pad or other equipment.

We also liked the accessory straps that allow you to attach a lightweight sleeping pad and there’s an ice axe loop that makes this pack great if you’re headed to a remote waterfall for an ice climbing adventure. The front flap can also hold a climbing helmet; if you pack light enough, and the metal latch feels secure and makes it easy to access items in the front pouch or the top lid.

The Fluid 32 worked great during our overnight pack into the Oregon back country where we took a minimal amount of gear. While we trekked 10 miles in less than two hours at a fast pace, (the trail weaved in an out of river beds and through steep, heavily wooded terrain) the Fluid 32 never seemed like a burden to carry. We were able to fit a bivy, sleeping pad, two days worth of food, water, a lightweight stove, and our 1o-essentials easily into the pack with room to spare. For those wanting to go out even lighter, you can remove some of the accessory straps, but the compression straps will solidly support the gear in your pack so it’s not flopping around on you.

If you’re tempted to start becoming a fast or ultra-light backpacker, the Mountain Hardwear Fluid 32 is a great way to get your feet wet at $130. A slightly larger version, Fluid 35 is also avaialble. For more information, visit www.mountainhardwear.com

Osprey Xenon 70 Women's backpack. Click all images to enlarge.

By Mary Webb

Osprey’s Xenon 70 backpack for women is ahead of the pack with its precise fit! Hiking through the back country, we discovered how capable the Xenon 70 backpack is in providing not only customization of comfort, but also in its compartmental design.  No need to purchase a day pack and overnight loader, Osprey used every opportunity to provide quality optimization in one design, just what the modern woman expects and deserves.

With the pack loaded up, our group hiked out to a secluded campsite tucked way into a cool pine covered valley where we would be staying several days.  My sleeping bag stuffed nicely inside the bottom sleeping bag compartment of pack along with my compact Big Agnes sleeping mat. Heavier gear like cooking items, food and water bottles filled up the lower part of the main pack compartment and lighter gear filled in towards the top.

Osprey’s water resistant Ultralight Nylon fabric allowed expansion of packing items, so we filled her up for several days!  Load straps give you flexibility to expand the pack for bulky items, and, more importantly, to cinch down the pack load so gear doesn’t jiggle around while on the trail. Extra straps at the base of the pack allow for additional gear, such as ice ax and crampons to be lashed away as well.

We really like how accessible the Xenon was for us to get to gear without sacrificing protection. You have a vertical zip access into main body that allows you to reach your cooking items without having to take out everything up top. There is a two-way zippered access to items stored at the base; we found this very useful when we were all packed up for the next glorious day of hiking, and needed only to retrieve the down bag and sleeping mat in the evening.

A quick zippered access is also available on the large side pocket where an elastic band inside keeps the water bottles secured.

Osprey Xenon 70 vertical side pocket.

Additional stretch woven front and side pockets accommodated us in allowing accessible items to be stored. Rubber-grip finger pulls, with generous room for gloved fingers, offer zip-quick readiness, especially in rainy weather.

A great backpack design begins with a proper frame, and the Xenon 70 sure has a solid foundation.  Made from 7075 T6 aluminum ReCurve rods, this lightweight metal, coupled with Xenon’s AirScape tri-section foam padding encased in breathable nylon fabric.  With a curved design, each pad nestles and protects the shoulder blades and ribs along the sides. A nice feature is the well padded shoulder straps that form to your body. We noticed a significant positive impact on perspiration management and reduced muscle fatigue due to these design characteristics at the end of the day.

While these premium design qualities are enough to get you through a day hike and a lighter load, the Osprey’s IsoForm hip belt works great for those times you really pack it on for multi-day trips!  This hip strap needs to be worn lower on your hips and once set in place, it ergonomically adjusts to your stance and distribution of the weighted pack.  Again, Opsrey ties in the BioForm custom molding to offer comfort and support to our female hips.

Xenon 70 accomdated the Camelbak Omega Hydrotarium nicely. Note pack top exit.

You won’t be strapped for straps!  Several one-inch-wide adjustable straps at the front of pack help to hold items securely in place via sturdy side-release clips, in addition to cinch straps with side-release clips off to the side to keep your cooking gear from jostling about. The various straps that are on the outside of the pack lend themselves to have additional items attach to the pack, such as an ice ax, crampons, trekking poles, etc.   Most importantly is the front strap that serves to reduce added stress and pressure on the back.  We like how Osprey provides a set of red straps inside the pack to delineate the main closure of the pack.

The Xenon 70 comes with a The AquaSource Recurve which clips into the pack to carry your hydration bladder vertically down the backpanel or across the top of your load for a steady water supply throughout the day.  The Aquasource is standardized so most bladders will fit inside. There is a standard size H2O tube opening at the top of pack which identifies the waters supply. We alternated between a two-liter Camelbak Hydrotanium reservoir and a Hydrapack two-liter bladder.

When packs are heavily weighted,  the hand-loops that are securely sewn in, assist in getting our pack on.  Strategically located, Osprey provides plenty of strong knit loops for those times you need an extra hand, or a firm grip to lift your heavy pack up and in to your Jeep.   While two of the heavy-gauge loops were at the base of the bag, there are two thinner loops towards the middle, although just as strong.

Laced up in a great pair of LOWA Abula boots and about 40-pounds of gear, the Xenon 70 felt steady as we climbed along uneven terrain to our camping site.

We must not forget the fabric; excellent choice for hiking on a 90° day or a 40° day.  The fabric is tough, pliable, and performs well

Bioform custom molding hipbelt manages pack load, and delivers on comfort.

with temperature fluctuations.  There is enough protection from the elements, but still remains breathable; especially for the cooking gear which may contain quite a bit of metal.

The Xenon 70 shoulder straps are covered in a semi-reflective brown material, which could be more effective if additional reflective designs were implemented.  Variegated grey design gives a turtle-like natural design against the Terracotta Orange color of our pack.  The Xenon 70 is also available in a Pacific blue and retails around $349.00.

This pack works great for women.  Not only out in the back country, but also on short romps. The Osprey Xenon 70 is a sleek design with smart specifications and compatibility that all work together to make this a pack that will be around for many outdoor adventures.

Load Range: Seems best between 25 and 40 pounds for overnight trips or a few days on the trail. Xenon is a wonderful approach pack when loaded with gear for a day hike up to a peak bag.

Volumes and Weights:

Size

XS -  3900 cu. in., 64 liter, 5 lbs, 2.27 kg.

S – 4100 cu. in., 67 liter, 5/3 lbs., 2.35 kg.

M- 4300 cu. in., 70 liter, 5/6 lbs., 2.44 kg.

Dimensions:

Inches:  35 x 13 x 13

Centimeters:  90 x 34 x 34

Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack: Functional and Classy

By Rick Shandley

Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack is a daypack you can use for business and pleasure. Excursion is part of the new BRX collection, a series of active travel luggage Briggs and Riley has every reason to be excited about. We ran with the Excursion Backpack for several months, generally on a daily basis. There were the grind commutes into LA to participate in the rat race. And there were out of town trips where there’s always a chance to explore and get some exercise on nearby trails or state parks.

Typically, the Excursion was loaded with files, laptop computer, and the usual knickknacks that support a human during the dog days of a work week. There were those bemusing days of multiple stops…in traffic…where the mind wonders if moving to Montana is really an option or just a pipe dream.  And there was lots of city hiking from the public parking lots, covering a few blocks, then ducking into a once magnificent office tower and up the elevators to work on some project. On a daily pace, the Excursion worked great as a mobile office.

Inside the U-shaped laptop sleeve, a 15-inch HP Pavilion laptop computer was adequately cushioned and separated from the Day Runner, manila files, and notepads. Specifications on this daypack (Product # BP118 in the BRX collection) indicate the laptop sleeve will fit up to a 16-inch laptop.

What’s impressive is this Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack looks like the high-end piece of luggage it is. Whether you are checking

Excursion carries down jacket, hydration bladder, and everything you need for a day.

in to a luxury hotel or walking onto an aircraft with your business-class upgrade paid for with air miles you so wish you didn’t need, the Excursion fits in well. The Excursion has an overall profile that allows it to easily slide into the overhead storage bin of an aircraft, under the jaundiced gaze of the flight attendant, with no style points being deducted.

Oh, but it is when you have to travel and stay away from home for awhile that was nice about this Excursion. For the times you’re strapped to a hotel for a week or more, any fresh air you get will have to be carved out of whatever time you have and place you find yourself. The Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack is versatile enough to go from assigned only to protecting your laptop and files, to an day pack that permits you to get out of the hotel room and hike that trail you found online.

This scenario happened a few times. Get to the hotel room, unload the laptop and set up the nice desk with all your business related things, and fill the backpack with water, snacks, a wind parka and head back out to the rental car to end the day with a long walk. Most big American cities like Seattle, Portland, Anchorage, even New York and LA have hiking and outdoor recreation right outside the tragic clusters of conflict known as downtown anywhere. If you enjoy getting outside, as opposed to dutifully relegating yourself to the hotel fitness room, having some kind of backpack is mandatory. This one just does it with panache.

Deep U-shaped Excursion lid offers good access to gear.

Excursion offers a deep U-shaped front loading pocket and an overall capacity of 18×12x9 inches of storage. With the business collateral poured out, the laptop pocket held a two-liter Camelbak Omega Hydrotanium water reservoir with no problems. Problems no, but this pack would be even more versatile if it also had retainer straps for a water reservoir. And it would be nice to have an opening on either side of the top of the pack to run the water flow tube and mouthpiece through to the exterior, so you can use it without unzipping a corner of the top flap. That’s how the Excursion was used on trips: The Camelbak Pure Flow tube ran out through a slightly unzipped corner of the pack.

A deep storage pocket inside the main compartment and forward of the laptop sleeve offered enough room for a Cloudveil Inversion down jacket compressed into its little stuff-sack, and all the gear one might need for a couple evening hours of hiking. The mesh water bottle holder on the right side works when that’s all the water you need.  On the opposite side from the mesh water bottle holder is an inverted-U shaped pocket that can be used for holding your sunglasses or reading glasses…or another bottle of water. A zipped pocket on the outside of the main flap of the Excursion works well for storing small items like your keys and quick access support items.

At the front of the pack, just behind the large exterior pocket is a slide-out identification holder, just in case the airlines have to

Excursion is rugged enough for most any situation you'll need a dual-purpose pack. On Monday, it goes back to mobile-office duty.

FedEx your pack back to you. The large zipped pocket on the front of the Excursion holds several separate compartments for sorting business cards, storing the cell phone, a wallet, and any of the smaller items you might need. Inside the outer fabric of this large front pocket is another zipped pocket for your traveler checks, passport, or your secret stash of jelly beans. Forward, and at the absolute outside of this main exterior front pocket is a non-zippered pouch that seems to collect all the access badges on lanyards, trip receipts, and loose change just as you walk up to the airport X-ray machines.

Two daisy chained clip points are arranged on either upper shoulder of the pack. Three clip-point positions are available on each side. Like larger packs, these clip-points come in handy. We use them to clip on lens-cleaning cloth and an expedition watch with a carabiner clip. It’s a nice touch, and these clip-points are an asset when you need them.

We found the padded back-panel and the shoulder straps to be comfortable and the shoulder straps are easily adjusted with standard heavy-gauge fasteners. The Excursion does not come with a hip belt, nor is one necessarily needed. However, a chest strap spans between the shoulder straps and does a good job of keeping the pack on your back and close to your chest.

Briggs & Riley logo on leather tab atop front pocket.

And at the very top of the Excursion is a nicely padded handle with the Briggs and Riley logo embossed into the leather. Another Briggs and Riley brand logo in sharp relief is located on the top of the primary front pocket. Just beneath the top handle is yet another zipped pocket that contains an anchored clip-strap to work with other roll-on Briggs and Riley luggage. Yep, you can secure the Excursion to the top of the roll-on handle as you waltz away from baggage claim, past the limo drivers morosely holding large paper signs with names other than your own on them, as you make your way to the rental car.

The Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack is part of several new styles of roll-on luggage and accessories. At MSRP, your investment would be about $120.00. Sure, you are paying for the name, but it’s a name associated with quality, and there is nothing we can take away from that. We found, from the day it arrived, that this pack is versatile and it immediately became an everyday item in our world. It does look like it is high-end, and for folks who must be seen only with the best stuff other folks would recognize, this backpack is the real thing. But in everyday use, the Excursion is just as rugged and useful as any daypack could aspire to be for its function and classy style.

Granite Gear Nimbus Access FZ pack offers one of the most comfortable and capable backpacks available today. Comfort, we can report after several uphill battles with elevation and rocky trails, is a standout feature you won’t see in the literature. This is a light-duty one-to-three day backpack that molds itself to your torso.

This comfort level can largely be attributed to the three dimensionally molded pack frame made from composite materials engineered to flex in the zones along the spine. The flexibility of the composite frame allows the Nimbus Access FZ pack to move with your upper torso in a more perfect relationship. Yet the three-dimensional composite pack frame always returns, no adjustment needed, to its original shape. Granite Gear describes this composite core frame design as Framesheet Technology. What it means to us is a level of comfort that gives you confidence on the trail and under the weight of your equipment.

The other prime component of comfort is the harness system Granite Gear has designed into their products in general. This harness

Click this image to check out the Nimbus harness system. It fits and flex's with your torso. You're going to like the way you look!

system offers the wearer excellent padding in all the right areas from the shoulder harness to the hip belt.  It is not only the cushioning element of the harness system, but the design vision that determined how and where the harness system contacts the torso.  Pack load is evenly distributed across the back, so no one area feels the pack weight.

At an empty 4lbs, 9oz, the Nimbus Access FZ offers 3800 cubic inches or 62-liters of gear storage. Access to your gear is excellent. With a zip away front panel, and an inner compression-strap system, you can get to any part of your kit without unloading the pack. Three composite clip-fastener straps on the interior of the front zip away panel create a compression system that keeps gear from moving around on the trail and manages bulky items in concert with the compression straps on the exterior of the pack.

All fasteners and straps seem to be of ideal gauge and composite (nylon and plastic) materials to handle the Nimbus Access FZ pack rating of about 50 pounds. Even though it is a never ending quest to get your pack as light as possible, just the fact that you will need to carry a sufficient amount of water, even for an overnight trip, your pack is gonna’ weigh enough to rely on the straps and fasteners to keep the pack load secure. We found the compression strap and strap fasteners to be well positioned on the pack and very reliable.

Nimbus Access FZ is hydration compatible. That means the pack interior has a pocket and drinking hose exits built into the pack. Drinking hose exits are located on the upper left and right sides of the top of the pack. This feature accommodated a two-liter Camelbak hydration bladder on all trips, with no issues whatsoever.

Removable and roomy, the top storage compartment of the Nimbus Access FZ is convenient to un-snap from the pack and bring your valuables inside the tent. With an empty pack at the camp site, it’s more useful to take the top compartment off so when you go to re-pack, the primary body of the the Nimbus is easier to load up without the top compartment bobbing to one side or the other.

Nimbus Access with interior compression/access enclosure.

After several day trip hikes, we already had a sense Nimbus Access would be comfortable on the back. The tell-all experience is always actually getting on the trail – with your wilderness permit — and slugging your way into the high-country with an overnight destination and full-reliance on the gear in your pack. So with the pack loaded with approximately 45 pounds of gear and water, we ventured into the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra Nevada for two nights. Getting back to the “comfort” comment at the start of this review, this trip became the defining occasion. With a rise-over-run in elevation that would cripple a sea-level donkey laden with only a child, the hike rose from the 7,500-foot elevation to right below timberline at about 10,000 feet elevation in a few miles. Terrain was typical Sierra Nevada with tons of rocky, dusty, sun –soaked exposure; enough to create a withering sensation even with no backpack on at all.

But here’s the thing; regardless of the trail conditions and the elevation, the Granite Gear Nimbus Access FZ backpack was never a

Full access to your gear is easy.

distraction in either comfort or load-carrying capability. Even at those times along the trail where a needed rest break — just leaning on my one trekking pole in the shade – did it occur to me to take the pack off! The fit and comfort of the Nimbus Access FZ was, in my experience, amongst the best. Unless there was a situation calling for dismounting the Nimbus to get something out of the pack, there was no compelling reason to take it off along the trail. Lack of comfort is usually the reason a backpack comes off while under way on a trail, and the Nimbus did not give us a reason. That’s perhaps the one thing most appreciated and valued about reviewing this backpack. Obviously when you take it off your back at the end of the day you are going to feel like a boneless chicken for about 45 minutes, but that’s a great feeling.

Removable and roomy, the top storage compartment of the Nimbus Access FZ is convenient to un-snap from the pack and bring your valuables inside the tent. With an empty pack at the camp site, it’s more useful to take the top compartment off so when you go to re-pack, the primary body of the the Nimbus is easier to load up without the top compartment bobbing to one side or the other.

This 3D suspension system, harness, and accessibility to you gear can be found in other Granite Gear backpacks of larger and less cubic inch capacity. Quality workmanship and functional design stood out with this Nimbus Access FZ, but it was the comfort that jumped out at us, on the first hike it went on. It’d be great to have a rain cover on-board the pack.  But nonetheless, we enjoyed full confidence in this cool blue backpack.

By Rick Shandley

Specifications

• Torso Sizes: Short | Regular
• Weight: 4 lbs 9 oz | 2.07kg
• Volume: 3800 Cubes | 64 Liters
• Suspension: Topoflex Internal Frame
• Load Capacity: 50lbs | 23kg
• MSRP: $279.95

Materials

• 70D Ripstop
• 210D Nylon Cordura Body
• Stretch Woven Pockets and front panel

If you want lightweight and comfort in backpacking, check out the Nimbus Access FZ 3800 from Granite Gear. The Nimbus Access FZ 38000  is designed for those overnight escapes into the backcountry where lightweight and pack comfort are paramount to having fun. We just want to give our readers a little introduction to the Nimbus Access FZ, leading up to a full review. We’ve had it on the trail already, and what we like best so far is the comfort and confidence we experienced with the fit of this pack.

With about 40-pounds of water, essential gear, and camera equipment on each trek so far, the Nimbus Access FZ is one of the most comfortable backpacks we’ve had the opportunity to review.

Nimbus means it has a 3D Tepex Nimbus style framesheet: the best-fitting, most comfortable and durable frame on the market. Access means a panel loading system that makes packing and unpacking a breeze. FZ means it is leaner and meaner than most. Light Packs, the pack category that means it is designed for the backpacker that travels light (not ultralight). The main differences between the Nimbus Light Packs and the Nimbus Ultralight Packs are the beefier fabrics and the addition of a hip belt with an exoskeleton of HDPE plastic that supports more weight without sagging, and an external lid. Finally, 3800 means 3800 cubic-inch capacity.

Specifications:

Torso Sizes:   Short | Regular
Weight:            4 lbs 9 oz | 2.07kg
Volume:          3800 Cubes | 64 Liters
Suspension:   Topoflex Internal Frame
Capacity:         50lbs | 23kg

MSRP:  $279.95

Briggs and Riley brings class and rugged capability to market with their new BRX Excursion Backpack (item number BP118 in BRX series). For sure, the Excursion Backpack is a piece of luggage designed for rugged, grab-and-go travel and adventure. Excursion is one offering from the new Briggs and Riley BRX collection of top-line luggage including uprights ( in sizes 19, 22, 25 and 28-inch long), duffle bag, and toiletry kit.

Fresh Air Junkie is reviewing the BP118 Excursion and will be following up with our observations. So far, the Excursion has been on a long out-of-state trip where it was used to protect a laptop, blackberry, presentation folders and Dayrunner. On the same trip, the Excursion was also used to load-up a Camelback 2.0 liter water bladder, fishing tackle, and day hike gear while the business tools where set up in the hotel room. To this point, we’ve already determined we like the Excursion Backpack. Its design is sophisticated like any fine piece of luggage, but we found ways to have fun with this pack on the trail. It’s a cross-over item that really does lend itself to business and pleasure.

Features:

• Top loading for quick access to primary compartment
• Large front pocket with internal organizer
• Slash pocket on outside of front pocket for maps, itinerary, boarding pass, etc.
• Mesh water bottle holder on right side (when wearing pack)
• Zipped side pocket left side (when wearing pack)
• Daisy chain clip-points to secure small items outside the pack
• Laptop compatible storage in main compartment. Fits up to 16” laptop.
• Lifetime warranty, covers airline damage and that 800 pound gorilla in the room

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 18×12x9” (45.7×30.5×22.9 cm)
• Colors: Slate, Ocean (blue), Amber
• MSRP: $120.00 U.S.

Granite Gear Escape AC 60 pack is built super rugged and light. Escape offers you 3660 cubic inches of cargo space in a top-loader pack. The full-length polyethylene backpanel is stiff enough to carry the pack weight on the hips and flexible enough to facilitate torso movement. Rated for about 36 pounds of pack weight, Escape is a great choice for those overnighter peak attempts, and two or three day romps in the backcountry.

Lightweight components like Cordura fabric at pack corners and bottom give it strength. Super light fabrics like silnylon for the pack sides get the empty pack weight down to about three pounds.

MSR $200; 3660 cu.in.; 3 lbs 2 oz.

Take a load off with the smaller and lighter Jansport Salish backpack.

For those of us who venture out on a full-day hike that may include some scrambling or light climbing,  the Jansport Salish backpack may offer some advantages over a standard day pack and a bulkier overnight backpack. The Salish has 2098 cubic inches (34.4 liter) capacity, and weights 3 lbs. 9 oz. This makes it perfect for carrying lots of gear while remaining sleek and light.  

The Salish features the company’s Biovent shoulder straps that allows air to pass through, keeping you cooler, while also incorporating a system for your hydration tube. A hydration bladder compartment is behind the pack’s nicely padded back panel which features a quick-dying vented mesh.

If you need to carry an additional water bottle or if you just want quick access to other gear, you’ll appreciate the pack’s Versa Wing system. This incorporates large mesh gear pockets that are attached from the sides of the pack to the hip belt, and can be divided into two smaller compartments with an integrated clip. The front of the pack also has two vertical zippered pockets that can expand. The top hood also holds plenty of gear like a traditional backpack and can also be removed if you don’t need it, and want to shed even more weight.

The Salish can cary a bit more than a standard day pack. When it’s full, the side compression straps work well to keep your gear from moving around inside.  This feature also allows the pack remain steady for fast-paced hiking, and especially when you’re scrambling over rocks.

The torso strap is also adjustable and can move freely on the shoulder straps.

The wide padded hip belt is comfortable, features a Z-pattern cinch, and integrates small zippered compartments that are perfect for quick access to lip balm, sun screen or energy bars.  The clip and strap can sometimes ride up on your stomach, however, and when you cinch it down tightly for climbing or scrambling it can dig in to your gut and be a little uncomfortable. We would have liked to have seen a larger front clip, like the one Jansport uses on the Catalyst, with wider webbing or an extended hip belt.

We also appreciated the finger pull zipper loops that make it easy to access your gear. The integrated web haul handle is sturdy enough to pull the pack up by hand or with a carabiner. For climbers, a pair of hypalon lash attachments make it easy to carry rope and other gear on the front of the pack, and there’s also some bottom lashing for any additional items you may need to strap to the Salish.

If you want to test your survival skills, or at least lighten up your backpacking excursions, the Salish can also serve as an ultralight overnight backpack. Although it’s about half the size of a traditional weekend excursion backpack, it was large enough to carry a lightweight bivvy, food, stove and clothing for an overnight trek, and would have even provided plenty of room for an ultra-light tent and poles. Just make sure not to only pack the essentials as the shoulder straps and hip belt aren’t made to handle a heavy load. 

The Salish is perfect size for an 8-12 mile round-trip day hike and won’t feel cumbersome after a few hours. It’s available in retro-orange/red-brown and bonsai-blue/margarita-green, and retails around $100.

TentPak Systems introduces “Grab and Go” pack and tent combination!

After the devastation of September 11^th in 2001, Galen Bench’s first was inspired to create TentPak, and “grab and go backpack” supplied with critical gear in the event you need to bug out from a hot zone.  The the tsunami that struck the Indonesian coastline of Sumatra in December 2004  was the impetus that led the Bench family to introduce TenPak to the mass market.

Originally, TentPak was designed to fill a gap in the emergency preparedness product market. Today, TentPak’s unique design patent – integrating a tent and a backpack into an all-in-one unit – has evolved into a grab-and-go solution for hikers, photographers, hunters, scouts, families, outdoor enthusiasts and emergency response teams alike.

Now it’s available in 12 different backpack models and two tent models. Each TentPak  includes a built-in two-person tent in either an all-purpose three-season or four-season expedition model. TentPak models vary in design for use in extreme situations to more recreational expeditions with varying strap features, storage design and accessories.

On average, TentPak weighs approximately 13 pounds – tent and backpack combined. Each TentPak is built on the European High Peak platform, a top selling design for more than two decades. TentPaks feature high-quality ripstop nylon and polyester fabrics, Duraflex buckles and connectors, and water resistant bags and zippers. Each backpack is also equipped with an internal rain cover to keep gear dry during inclement weather.

Beyond the convenience of providing an all-in-one tent and backpack solution, TentPak is an easy to use device. Upon arriving at a campsite, simply unroll the tent from inside the bottom of the pack and set it up. The backpack remains attached to the tent after setup. The pack stores inside of the tent or in the rain fly vestibule, even while connected, for easy access to gear and protection from small critters. For protection in bear country the pack separates from the tent for storage up a tree. And, when it’s time to break camp the tent simply rolls back into the bottom of the backpack.

With the tent stored in the bottom section of the TentPak, carrying weight is more effectively distributed across the users back instead of focusing the weight on the shoulders where tents are traditionally carried.

FreshAirJunkie is trying to arrange a product review on the TentPak, so we’ll share our thoughts after we’ve had the opportunity to get theTenPak in the field.