Looking for a new backpack. I don’t like having 40 pockets to stash stuff in. I would prefer a frame but not having one isn’t a deal breaker. Have lower back issues so it needs to sit appropriately.
So, as a long time backpacker, I found my holy grail series of packs from Nunatak gear.
A couple of seasons ago, I ran into someone beta-testing a Nunatak “Bears Ears 50” model pack. It carries a bear canister at the bottom of the pack, at the hip. It’s such an obvious and simple idea, and it’s amazing that no one else really ever designed it. But Jan over at Nunatak build this for himself, as a climber as well as a backpacker, who often spends time where a bear canister is required.
I live in Bishop, California, and all of the areas nearest me require bear canisters for overnight trips. So, I was intrigued.
I checked out the pack that this guy was beta testing, and when I asked what he liked best, the answer surprised me. I thought it would be the weight distribution, or the minimal pack weight, but instead he pointed out that the hip-belt water bottle holders were the best he’d used.
I was using an Osprey Exos at the time, and this was a major frustration for me. Water bottles slid easily into the side pockets, which are angled for ease of use, pulling a bottle in or out. But it turns out that if you bend over (to tie your shoe, or pick something up off the ground, or even lean over to take a photo) then a full bottle would slide out. I use Smartwater bottles, as most do these days, and when it happened one one trip, the darned bottle hit a rock and cracked, making it useless to me. Frustrating.
The Nunatak uses a water bottle holder that is just foolproof. They don’t fall out, are ultralight, and are mounted slightly behind the hip, making it so your arms don’t hit them when hiking, but are still very easy to reach.
The unique bear can system is also perfect for me. Having a canister lowest in the pack makes for a much more natural weight distribution while hiking and especially when climbing or boulder scrambling. The Nunatak Bears Ears is perfect for that.
The original Bears Ears 50 is frameless, and that works fine for me almost all of the time, but Jan has designed framed versions that are now available, as well. For a pack with up to a 30-lb load rating, it is ultralight, and durable.
Oh, you don’t HAVE to carry a bear canister, either. Nunatak sells a bag-in-lieu-of-canister solution, which I have used in areas that don’t require a bear canister. It’s basically a bag roughly the size of a standard bear canister that you can stuff with anything you like, and put it in the place where the bear canister would go. I’ve stuffed it with my quilt, and extra water bottles, when I was hiking in an area that didn’t require a canister.
Anyway, here’s the link to their site for their Bears Ears series of packs:
Thanks for the info! I’ll be sure to check those out. There’s no bears around here, I think the biggest predators are coyotes or humans. I like that “bag-in-lieu” idea, my first thought was “Man I bet my sleeping bag would fit there just perfect.”
I tend to go “cheap” and replace often, but if it’s a good pack, I don’t mind buying it once.
Sure. I’m definitely of the opposite mindset. “Buy once , cry once,” is my philosophy. I wasted too much time and money in my youth, so always try to save up for quality items.
Which isn’t to say that one can’t find inexpensive things that are of good quality, of course.
There’s definitely areas where the BOCO philosophy applies to me. I avoid Harbor Freight and similar quality tools like the plague. I guess I don’t camp near as much as I build stuff. 😂
What kind of gear are you carrying? The size and construction of your pack will vary significantly depending on that.
In general, I think the military packs you mentioned are overkill for recreational hiking and backpacking. You will be carrying a lot more weight than necessary. The MOLLE and ILBE packs I’ve seen weighed about 9 pounds empty. Most backpackers have packs weighing 3 to 5 pounds, and the ultralight folks use packs under 2 pounds.
Tent, sleeping bag, food & water, ham radio stuff (not a lot, small items). Cooking kit, not much. I’m not like a “go super nuts on weight” guy, but I’d like to not carry 50lbs around with me. I’d rather have it and not need it than the opposite.
What I was getting at is that specific gear choices will have a big impact. For example, you will need a much bigger pack to haul an REI Half Dome tent and 20F synthetic sleeping bag than you would need for a Henry Shires Tarptent and a 40F down sleeping bag. My usual suggestion is to take your gear to an outdoor store and spend some time fitting it into packs and trying them on.
That said, if you want something big enough to give you lots of options, I have several friends who swear by the Gregory Palisades pack (which is unfortunately discontinued but easy to find on eBay). And if you really want to go the economical route then I have a potentially unpopular suggestion: a used Kelty external frame. I have one that I still pull out for some multi-day summer trips. They can haul more gear than anyone should be carrying. Bulky items easily strap to the frame below the back.
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