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Backpacks - need some ideas...
- Thread starter ButteMT61
- Start date
GriffDeLaGriff
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,203
- Location
- Sweden
I have been looking a little more on the Frost River packs, and they are HUUUGE. The one that looks to be mostly like my other "normal" backpacks are the Woodsman pack. (18" x 16")
I want something like 19" x 15" so it is the closest I think.
Have to keep looking.
I want something like 19" x 15" so it is the closest I think.
Have to keep looking.
Saint-Just
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 196
- Location
- Ashford, Kent - UK
I am rather partial to these
Quality is superb, even if nowadays I favour the Gladstone bag over the backpack.
Timbuk2 are superb bags, and can hold a surprisingly large load.
Leather backpacks are beautiful, but heavy beyond a day-pack capacity.
Finally, I do not believe that ANY backpack will work with a leather jacket. A classic canvas messenger pack is the way to go for style IMNSHO
Quality is superb, even if nowadays I favour the Gladstone bag over the backpack.
Timbuk2 are superb bags, and can hold a surprisingly large load.
Leather backpacks are beautiful, but heavy beyond a day-pack capacity.
Finally, I do not believe that ANY backpack will work with a leather jacket. A classic canvas messenger pack is the way to go for style IMNSHO
Go back to Frost River, look at their Book Pack. Its perfect for a day pack, just thr right size, internal zipped pocket, easy to open and close. Looks totally cool as well.
GriffDeLaGriff
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,203
- Location
- Sweden
Yeah I have seen it, but I think the Woodsman pack looks alot cooler imho.
But are you saying even the woodsman pack is too big for a stroll in the woods with food and drink and a blanket?
But are you saying even the woodsman pack is too big for a stroll in the woods with food and drink and a blanket?
Sorry Griff i made a mistake, its the Vintage Pack i have not the Woodsmans Pack. However they are similar in size. The Vintage pack is similar to my Book Pack in that its simple in desigin. The Vintage pack i would not say is too large for a picnic (depending on the size of your picnic of course), but for example i use my Vintage pack when i go travelling for a month (abroad). I like to travel light but i find the pack has plenty of room + you can put stuff on top of the pack with the help of the straps. The Book pack as i said is spot on for every day use (umbrella, book, wallet, pint of milk and so on).
Hope that helps.
Mark
Hope that helps.
Mark
GriffDeLaGriff
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,203
- Location
- Sweden
Alright thanks. Well see what I end up with. Im gonna have to wait for a while to get it tho, the shipping to me is another $45
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What did you go for in the end? Yes the shipping is the only downside, really makes it quite expesive but like with a lot of stuff from the USA (in my experience anyway) you just can't get the same quality and "coolness factor" else where. I'm sure you will not regret it though, i love mine.
Mark
Mark
GriffDeLaGriff
One Too Many
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- 1,203
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- Sweden
I didn't get it yet, because of the shipping (that i forgot in the price) I´m gonna have to wait a while before I can afford it.
After going back and forth I think its gonna be the Woodsman pack after all. Its almost exactly the dimensions I want.
After going back and forth I think its gonna be the Woodsman pack after all. Its almost exactly the dimensions I want.
Another informative thread chaps. My 2 cents are that leather backpacks in the main don't work and that ones in thick heavy as possible canvas are the best bet. Especially as a bag is gonna hit the floor a lot and is essentially (for me at least) an item that you don't want to have to be bothered with 'taking care' of. Which leads to the issue of colour. For me green and olive are the ticket - those two seem to go with everything. All of which is why I was pleased when a couple of years ago in the fabric markets of Beijing I came across the very article. Naturally they were knock offs, but the material was thick and heavy and the stitching seemed to be ok so I barganed the seller down to £8 and bought two - in case the first fell apart. 3 years later that green bag is still holding up remarkably well with no trace of wear and the olive version is still unopened and in storage. And the moral of this story you ask? Well, it's that sometimes, just sometimes, ever so occasionally, you can find something that is exactly what you want without having to pay through the nose for it. I will try to attach a link with 2 pics now (and if this doesn't work out i'll come back for a retry)
http://photobucket.com/canvasbackpack
http://photobucket.com/canvasbackpack
Peckinpah
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 50
- Location
- Glasgow, Scotland
Sorry to bump an old thread, but I didn't want to start a new one and clog up the forum with a thread for a single question.
I'm thinking of ordering a Filson Backpack. I think it's about time I had a good backpack that will outlive me, for a change.
I like the Rugged Twill and the Tin Cloth ones, I think the Rugged Twill is just edging it for me.
What I'd like to know is, and it may seem really silly. Would I be able to sew a patch onto a Filson Canvas Backpack? I've got a really cool Billy The Kid Outlaw Gang, Historical Society patch and would love to let it see the light of day rather than lay in a drawer. I guess this makes it sound like I'm spending the best part of 500 quid just to have a nice bag for my patch, it's really not that at all, haha. Just curious if the canvas bags are impervious to a sewing needle.
I'm thinking of ordering a Filson Backpack. I think it's about time I had a good backpack that will outlive me, for a change.
I like the Rugged Twill and the Tin Cloth ones, I think the Rugged Twill is just edging it for me.
What I'd like to know is, and it may seem really silly. Would I be able to sew a patch onto a Filson Canvas Backpack? I've got a really cool Billy The Kid Outlaw Gang, Historical Society patch and would love to let it see the light of day rather than lay in a drawer. I guess this makes it sound like I'm spending the best part of 500 quid just to have a nice bag for my patch, it's really not that at all, haha. Just curious if the canvas bags are impervious to a sewing needle.
Cornelius
Practically Family
- Messages
- 715
- Location
- Great Lakes
The Filson rugged twill is a great luggage fabric. I've had their medium field bag for years, still going strong - and I bought it secondhand!
You could sew a patch to it, but would likely need something like a leather awl to push through the heavy, double-layer cloth.
Peckinpah
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 50
- Location
- Glasgow, Scotland
Thanks for the reply mate, whether I'd be able to get a patch on it or not isn't all that important anyway. The durability is most important. I also really like the aesthetic of the bag and with it being made in the US is a win.
I don't see how you can't sew through it, just press the butt of the needle with a coin or against a table or cutting mat through it if you get to the spot with multilayer canvas, I would use smaller needle as they are much sharper and can pierce better in between woven.
Peckinpah
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 50
- Location
- Glasgow, Scotland
I'm ready to go ahead with my order for this Filson Rugged Twill Backpack. I just need some reassurance or advice before I go ahead and place the order.
I was reading on other places across the internet, like Reddit, YouTube comments and reviews that the quality of Filson products has dropped off big time over the last couple of years and their products aren't as built to last as they claim. Seemingly being due to the company being taken over by new owners or something? Using cheaper materials was another claim, I saw.
One YouTube review video had this exact bag. The guy said he only had it two years and had started to fray quite heavily at the bottom.
I understand of course that they offer a lifetime guarantee, which is great. However, spending that much money on a bag that may need to get repaired within a couple of years is making me slightly hesitant to pull the trigger.
There is always the chance that these faceless critics of Filson are just people who have that weird brand loyalty thing that goes on with a lot of people, and just have an axe to grind with Filson because they like a rival brand, or whatever.
Can anyone here, who has bought any Filson products brand new off their website in say the last 5 years, attest to their durability.
Thank you,
And apologies again for bumping an old thread with another lengthy post.
I was reading on other places across the internet, like Reddit, YouTube comments and reviews that the quality of Filson products has dropped off big time over the last couple of years and their products aren't as built to last as they claim. Seemingly being due to the company being taken over by new owners or something? Using cheaper materials was another claim, I saw.
One YouTube review video had this exact bag. The guy said he only had it two years and had started to fray quite heavily at the bottom.
I understand of course that they offer a lifetime guarantee, which is great. However, spending that much money on a bag that may need to get repaired within a couple of years is making me slightly hesitant to pull the trigger.
There is always the chance that these faceless critics of Filson are just people who have that weird brand loyalty thing that goes on with a lot of people, and just have an axe to grind with Filson because they like a rival brand, or whatever.
Can anyone here, who has bought any Filson products brand new off their website in say the last 5 years, attest to their durability.
Thank you,
And apologies again for bumping an old thread with another lengthy post.
In my experience this bag is hard to beat:
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/savotta-jaakari-s-backpack/55400
It's super basic, but tough as hell, for less than half the price of the Filson it is IMO a no brainer.
I also got these pads to go with it and i like them:
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-tst-sling-pad/57746
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/savotta-jaakari-s-backpack/55400
It's super basic, but tough as hell, for less than half the price of the Filson it is IMO a no brainer.
I also got these pads to go with it and i like them:
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-tst-sling-pad/57746
Cornelius
Practically Family
- Messages
- 715
- Location
- Great Lakes
I don't have any Varusteleka packs/bags, but I have bought quite a bit of their merino clothing - well designed, well made, and at a great price point for the quality. I suspect the same might be true of their whole line of goods.
erikb02809
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 262
- Location
- Newport, RI
If we're discussing options besides Filson, I'll throw 3 of my favorites into the ring:
https://www.hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/3 - Hill People Gear's Umlindi and Aston House Back Country packs would probably cover the same use cases that you'd be considering the Filson for. I've owned both. The Umlindi was my main pack for about a year and a half, used it every day walking 2 miles to and from my job at the time, and it was so well built it still looked new when I sold it. I sold it to switch to their Aston House Back Country, which has about 15 percent more capacity and is a panel loader instead of a top loader, which was slightly more to my preference. What's great about almost all their packs is they can compress down nearly flat, neatly, because of the compression system they use. If you're looking at the Filson, HPG has a smaller pack, the Junction, that might do well for what you'd use the Filson for.
https://tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/equipment/backpacks-messengers/ - their Fastpack lineup has been around for a long time, with 3 different sizes currently available. I think the "main" pack offering from them, the Fastpack EDC, is on its 4th or 5th iteration. I owned a 2nd gen back when they were current and liked it a lot. They also have a newer line of packs, the Axiom, that I don't have any experience with, but it's gotten good reviews. Fair warning - they also make some pretty great clothing.
https://kifaru.net/product-category/packs/day-packs/
Almost every Kifaru pack that I've owned is no longer made by them, with the exception of their E&E pack, which is really more of a pouch that you can attach to the back of a larger pack, or wear by itself as a small backpack. As a small backpack, it's like, the ultimate manpurse as long as you don't need an aesthetic that would be well-accepted in a boardroom. Eyeballing it, their X-Ray, Shape Charge, and Antero packs would probably cover a lot of the same territory as the Filson. I've never owned an X-Ray, but did own a larger version they discontinued called the Xing, and it was a great pack, I just didn't use it often because it was too big for every day carry. And if I need something bigger than EDC, the Xing was a little too small without attaching a bunch of stuff to the outside.
https://www.hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/3 - Hill People Gear's Umlindi and Aston House Back Country packs would probably cover the same use cases that you'd be considering the Filson for. I've owned both. The Umlindi was my main pack for about a year and a half, used it every day walking 2 miles to and from my job at the time, and it was so well built it still looked new when I sold it. I sold it to switch to their Aston House Back Country, which has about 15 percent more capacity and is a panel loader instead of a top loader, which was slightly more to my preference. What's great about almost all their packs is they can compress down nearly flat, neatly, because of the compression system they use. If you're looking at the Filson, HPG has a smaller pack, the Junction, that might do well for what you'd use the Filson for.
https://tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/equipment/backpacks-messengers/ - their Fastpack lineup has been around for a long time, with 3 different sizes currently available. I think the "main" pack offering from them, the Fastpack EDC, is on its 4th or 5th iteration. I owned a 2nd gen back when they were current and liked it a lot. They also have a newer line of packs, the Axiom, that I don't have any experience with, but it's gotten good reviews. Fair warning - they also make some pretty great clothing.
https://kifaru.net/product-category/packs/day-packs/
Almost every Kifaru pack that I've owned is no longer made by them, with the exception of their E&E pack, which is really more of a pouch that you can attach to the back of a larger pack, or wear by itself as a small backpack. As a small backpack, it's like, the ultimate manpurse as long as you don't need an aesthetic that would be well-accepted in a boardroom. Eyeballing it, their X-Ray, Shape Charge, and Antero packs would probably cover a lot of the same territory as the Filson. I've never owned an X-Ray, but did own a larger version they discontinued called the Xing, and it was a great pack, I just didn't use it often because it was too big for every day carry. And if I need something bigger than EDC, the Xing was a little too small without attaching a bunch of stuff to the outside.
