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Topic Date User

The ideal hiking pack 6-Jul-2006 At 10:03:33 PM JamieF

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>im looking into buying a hiking that would be used for both long and short
>camping and climbing trips, maybe even days trips when i have enough gear
>and possibly instead of a suitcase while travelling. i was just wondering
>what the ideal pack is, in terms of size, features, brand and price and
>what would be needed for these trips.

Worry first and foremost about getting a pack with a good harness that sits well loaded up. I've had a really basic macpac hiking pack (ravine maybe?) for about 13 years that's been fine for hikes of up to a week, climbing trips and holidays. It's something like 65-70L. I used the same pack travelling overseas for a year as well and had no problems. I don't think a hybrid pack is a great idea personally. No real need to worry about the harness on planes with a hiking pack if you strap them down hard or even better, put your pack in one of those big plastic bags airlines often have. Also, my wife has a 65L macpac esprit, which has a much better harness than mine, and is apparently designed for women however I'm not sure exactly how the designs differ. I think from memory the esprit was about $400, but that was quite a few years back. Again, it has been on plenty of hikes and plenty of plane trips in various parts of the world and has performed really well.