Who has a Kelty backpack they'd like to tell me about?

Sports is trying to really get me to buy a backpack, but according to the most recent thread, I'm probably going to need something bigger than what we've got on offer here. Would these make a good day trip bag though?

inkycatz wrote:Who has a Kelty backpack they'd like to tell me about?

Sports is trying to really get me to buy a backpack, but according to the most recent thread, I'm probably going to need something bigger than what we've got on offer here. Would these make a good day trip bag though?

So I am in the same boat, but I am really considering buying this for the purpose of having it. As far as outdoor gear goes you can never really have too much. And at this price with the Kelty lifetime warranty its really hard to pass up. From the reviews this is supposed to be a great bag for over night or weekend trips (if you pack lightly).

inkycatz wrote:Who has a Kelty backpack they'd like to tell me about?

Sports is trying to really get me to buy a backpack, but according to the most recent thread, I'm probably going to need something bigger than what we've got on offer here. Would these make a good day trip bag though?

This size of a pack is perfect for a daytrip. I have the Kelty Red cloud 90 and it's much too big to use for anything short of a 4 or 5-day excursion. I usually take the number of liters the bag says and divide by 20, then that tells me how many days it could usually store enough gear for. So in this case a 40L bag would normally hold enough room for a 2-day trek, or just a very posh daypack.

I'm getting one. Kelty has never let me down over countless trips with my Red Cloud.

inkycatz wrote:Who has a Kelty backpack they'd like to tell me about?

Sports is trying to really get me to buy a backpack, but according to the most recent thread, I'm probably going to need something bigger than what we've got on offer here. Would these make a good day trip bag though?

Kelty makes great packs. I've never had one let me down. These sizes are pretty decent for a couple days but it sort of depends on what style of camper/backpacker you are. If you're an ultralighter these will take you however far and long you want to go. If you're a kitchen-sinker then you're going to want a bigger pack. I find the pleasure I have on camping trips to be inversely proportional to the amount of crap I have to lug around. While I'm not a hardcore ultralighter I do find a great deal to recommend that particular style of backpacking. If you find yourself somewhere in between the two, the 55 would not be an unwise purchase.

woot just had the panel loading Redwing 44. That unit is considered daypack. Are panel loaders like redwing 44 less practical for multi-day hikes, or stuffing things in general?

It seems that a few people are interested in getting one of these packs for there outdoor gear setup but don't know much about what there looking at. So I'll try and give you some info on these packs and backpacks in general.

Ok so I guess i'll start with the size of the backpacks. You will notice that all of these packs (listed in the specs section) are sized using cubed inches. This tells you how much room is in the pack you are looking at for all of your gear. Generally a pack lower then 2000 cubic inches is considered a small pack. Pack that run from 2000 - 3500 cubic inches are considered medium and anything over 3500 are large. So based on this information you would want a pack that corresponds to what you are doing. For instance a pack of 4600 cubic inches would be much to large for a 10 mile day hick. Most often day hicks should be accompanied with small to medium packs. depending on (of course) what you plan to bring. All of the packs shown in this Kelty lot are medium packs. So most likely these would be a good fit for an overnight camping trip out in the woods or whatever, or even a day hick like trekking a 7 mile loop.

As far as the brand Kelty goes you can be assured that they make some AWESOME gear for the money. I have used several packs from Kelty and never had any issues with them. As long as you don't abuse them past there intended purpose you will be fine I am sure.

Construction is also a key factor in choosing a pack. This lot offers (what I like to call) stuff sacks. Meaning you kind of jam your gear in the top and you fish it out when you need it. I am unsure if these packs offer access through the bottom but that is somewhat common with these types of packs. So if they are you would be able to get your gear from the top of the pack or the bottom. This is always a nice feature. I personally like the open face type packs where you can zip it open like a horseshoe and access it that way. I makes it much easier to locate your items without having to "dig" for them. For instance the Kelty RedWing 44 or 50 would be a good example of this.

A really nice feature to have also is mesh packets. This allows water to fall through instead of being held up. These packs offer web mesh on the sides for gear and more then likely a water bottle.

One thing you will find with the Kelty lines that I really enjoy is a sturdy internal frame. You will notice that these have channels running along side the back panels also. This allows air to flow through so you don't sweat as much on your back while hicking. Also if you look close at the back you will see a metal back running up the middle of the pack. This is nice for adding support and keeping your pack straight while moving. You should note that whats great about these ones from Kelty (talking about the mettle frame bar)is that you can bend it to form to your body or just remove it.

Another thing you should always check when buying a pack is what type of zippers it has. Without going into great detail about zippers (LOL) just know that these use YKK zippers and they are TOP NOTCH!

Yet another aspect you should look for is "does this pack support hydration bladders". This will depend on weather you need one or not but it is a great way to carry water. Well you will be happy to know that these do give you that option as well. Although I think the tube port for you bladder is not really well made on current models of Kelty. It's just open with no way to seal it when not in use. This may be an issue if it starts to rein but a quick fix would be to use tape or a double sided sticky to close the flap. It's small so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. So if you decide to get a bladder like a Camelback bladder you can be sure that you will have little issue integrating it into your pack.

All in all these Kelty packs will be great for it's intended use but try not to overload it and as always watch your wight.

P.S. These are a great deal compared at REI, Campmor, and Amazon. Although I would recommend a Kelty RedWing 44 or even a 50 instead of these (that's just my preference).

`happy hiking guys and girls

lwang wrote:woot just had the panel loading Redwing 44. That unit is considered daypack. Are panel loaders like redwing 44 less practical for multi-day hikes, or stuffing things in general?

The RedWing 44 is one of the best day hiking packs I have ever used. I own 3 and use them often. Like I said in the previous post I absolutely love panel loading packs much more then I like stuff sacks for day hicks. If woot offers another one don't hesitate to buy one.

Thorough review of the Pawnee 3300 (presumably the same as the 55, which is 3300 cubic inches): http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Packs/Internal%20and%20External%20Framed%20Backpacks/Kelty%20Pawnee%20Pack/Test%20Report%20by%20Nathan%20Kettner/

thanks for all the info. i am wondering if the top flap's extra storage is counted toward its specified storage capacity? Some of them looks like it is really huge...a feature the panel loaders don't have.

Are these zippered on top or are they like a laundry sack with a drawstring and then the top covers it up with those clips on the side?

Plus, are these units rain proof? If so how? I have a few TNF backpacks and the inside coating seem to have mostly flaked off, making things inside wet frequently even in short stints of light rain. Maybe because those coatings had to go onto ballistic nylon instead of what looks like thin raincoat thickness nylons on these units? The fact that they sell rain ponchos for many of these backpacks kind of imply they are not really rainproof.

lwang wrote:thanks for all the info. i am wondering if the top flap's extra storage is counted toward its specified storage capacity? Some of them looks like it is really huge...a feature the panel loaders don't have.

Are these zippered on top or are they like a laundry sack with a drawstring and then the top covers it up with those clips on the side?

Plus, are these units rain proof? If so how? I have a few TNF backpacks and the inside coating seem to have mostly flaked off, making things inside wet frequently even in short stints of light rain. Maybe because those coatings had to go onto ballistic nylon instead of what looks like thin raincoat thickness nylons on these units? The fact that they sell rain ponchos for many of these backpacks kind of imply they are not really rainproof.

Q&A 1. Yes, the cubic inches is a total of overall combined space.

Q&A 2. The closer at the top is a draw sting. The upper compartment goes over that to help with keeping out water.

Q&A 3. These are considered rain resistant. If you use the compression straps and close everything up nice a tight don't worry about water.

Would this be a good size fit (Pawnee) for a 6'4" 250 lb behemoth? My torso length is 21.5" but the upper limit for the large is 21". Also does anybody know how large the waist straps extend to? Thanks

These guys are a tad on the smallish side. Maybe good for a short weekend trip if you're only carrying your own stuff and don't have kids or dogs to worry about.

I can't attest to the current quality of Kelty but years ago I had an old style red Kelty external frame pack that had hundreds of miles logged on it.

digitalurbancamo wrote:It seems that a few people are interested in getting one of these packs for there outdoor gear setup but don't know much about what there looking at. So I'll try and give you some info on these packs and backpacks in general.

Ok so I guess i'll start with the size of the backpacks. You will notice that all of these packs (listed in the specs section) are sized using cubed inches. This tells you how much room is in the pack you are looking at for all of your gear. Generally a pack lower then 2000 cubic inches is considered a small pack. Pack that run from 2000 - 3500 cubic inches are considered medium and anything over 3500 are large. So based on this information you would want a pack that corresponds to what you are doing. For instance a pack of 4600 cubic inches would be much to large for a 10 mile day hick. Most often day hicks should be accompanied with small to medium packs. depending on (of course) what you plan to bring. All of the packs shown in this Kelty lot are medium packs. So most likely these would be a good fit for an overnight camping trip out in the woods or whatever, or even a day hick like trekking a 7 mile loop.

As far as the brand Kelty goes you can be assured that they make some AWESOME gear for the money. I have used several packs from Kelty and never had any issues with them. As long as you don't abuse them past there intended purpose you will be fine I am sure.

Construction is also a key factor in choosing a pack. This lot offers (what I like to call) stuff sacks. Meaning you kind of jam your gear in the top and you fish it out when you need it. I am unsure if these packs offer access through the bottom but that is somewhat common with these types of packs. So if they are you would be able to get your gear from the top of the pack or the bottom. This is always a nice feature. I personally like the open face type packs where you can zip it open like a horseshoe and access it that way. I makes it much easier to locate your items without having to "dig" for them. For instance the Kelty RedWing 44 or 50 would be a good example of this.

A really nice feature to have also is mesh packets. This allows water to fall through instead of being held up. These packs offer web mesh on the sides for gear and more then likely a water bottle.

One thing you will find with the Kelty lines that I really enjoy is a sturdy internal frame. You will notice that these have channels running along side the back panels also. This allows air to flow through so you don't sweat as much on your back while hicking. Also if you look close at the back you will see a metal back running up the middle of the pack. This is nice for adding support and keeping your pack straight while moving. You should note that whats great about these ones from Kelty (talking about the mettle frame bar)is that you can bend it to form to your body or just remove it.

Another thing you should always check when buying a pack is what type of zippers it has. Without going into great detail about zippers (LOL) just know that these use YKK zippers and they are TOP NOTCH!

Yet another aspect you should look for is "does this pack support hydration bladders". This will depend on weather you need one or not but it is a great way to carry water. Well you will be happy to know that these do give you that option as well. Although I think the tube port for you bladder is not really well made on current models of Kelty. It's just open with no way to seal it when not in use. This may be an issue if it starts to rein but a quick fix would be to use tape or a double sided sticky to close the flap. It's small so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. So if you decide to get a bladder like a Camelback bladder you can be sure that you will have little issue integrating it into your pack.

All in all these Kelty packs will be great for it's intended use but try not to overload it and as always watch your wight.

P.S. These are a great deal compared at REI, Campmor, and Amazon. Although I would recommend a Kelty RedWing 44 or even a 50 instead of these (that's just my preference).

`happy hiking guys and girls

Great details!! Thanks.

It seems that I should need a Kelty Backpack for my excursion. Thanks for sharing!

matt1976 wrote:These guys are a tad on the smallish side. Maybe good for a short weekend trip if you're only carrying your own stuff and don't have kids or dogs to worry about.

I've never taken my Kelty Women's Courser 40 camping, but I've undertaken several major backpacking trips with it. My record is 12 days in Vancouver for the Olympics, so I brought snow pants, long underwear of all flavors, thick winter coat, snow boots (I admit those didn't fit inside the bag: I tied them to the front!), a laptop, two cameras, 12 days' of clothing including jeans and two other pairs of pants as well as three(?) sweatshirts, three hardcover books, a travel-sized memory foam pillow, and a bunch of food. Oh, and quart-sized liquid-bag, normal-sized toiletry bag, and a quart-size [rigid] bag of medication. Plus the usual hostel-stay stuff: flashlight, lock, quick-dry towel... Mind you, this all weighed close to 50 pounds, but it all fit into/on the bag!

(Confession: I bought enough souvenirs, including a number of gifts, that I wasn't able to fit everything into the Kelty on the way home, so I needed to wear the snowpants, winter coat, and two sweatshirts onto the plane. I looked like the Abominable Olympic Tourist!)

I love Kelty packs. I currently have a fanny pack that turns into a backpack... perfect for half day hikes. I would have loved to gotten one of the women's ones, but seriously woot, you only had 15? (at least from what I can gather from the sales stats...)

krissyMS wrote:I would have loved to gotten one of the women's ones, but seriously woot, you only had 15? (at least from what I can gather from the sales stats...)

Manufacturers will sometimes sell us an assortment of product that may include very limited stock of a few items. In other cases, we may have a few remaining items from previous sales.

While the quantity is limited, we do still want to pass these deals on to our customers. Plus deals will often have limited quantities so it's important to watch for them closely.

Woot apparently knew I'd been looking for hiking backpacks for weeks now and had plans to buy one this week. I had been looking at The North Face or Eastern Mountain Sports but with this deal on Kelty, I couldn't pass it up! Thanks Woot!

One question: I got a small/medium Courser 40 seeing as the women's pack was sold out. Is it going to be a problem for me not having the women's pack seeing as I am female? I figure it shouldn't really matter but I think they are designed a little different?

Thanks everyone for the all helpful info on the packs!
~From a beginning hiker.

I am 5'9", a pretty average height (at least according to Ryan on The Office). I assumed I would want the larger pack, so I didn't bother measuring my torso. It turns out my torso is on the bare edge of the range for the larger pack, and despite the instructions in the backpack to the contrary, there is no way to adjust the height of the waist belt. This after dire warnings that you want to wear the belt higher, not lower. I recommend taking your torso measurement before committing to a size. This doesn't help me now (unless there is a fellow Wooter in a similar but opposite predicament!)

I'm pretty disappointed with Woot, and their communication with their customers, I'm not going to lie.

I ordered this backpack on July 14th. Just today they refunded my money. Let me say that again. They just refunded my money.

**A bit of math, that's 6 business days.
9 Full days of no communication.**

Now onward with my story.

This wouldn't be a problem, had I of not ordered the backpack for an early August backpacking trip through the White Mountains. To be blunt, it may or may not have ruined my whole trip. I had $200 to spend on this trip, and this fit perfectly in my budget. It is my first backpacking trip. I have ordered all the other items for the trip, coming to about 190$ (minus water purifier - which we're all splitting). So as you can see, this backpack being cancelled put a real damper on my backpacking plans.

Any normal person would think, "Hey, 13 business days would be MORE than enough time to order a backpack from a well known 21st century company. They would know their inventory well being that they're robots." -- but apparently not.

I am broke, to be honest, and my friend is coming back from his 6 year deployment in the Army, I thought I would be able to use my thriftiness to my advantage on this trip, but it looks like it came back to bite me in the booty horribly.

Wait there's more.

I was the good friend, and of course let my friend know of a STEAL of a backpack I found on Woot. Since it was such a good deal, he decided to pick one up .. after mine.
Funny thing.. He received his backpack before me, as mine was marked "Awaiting Shipment."

My mind is blown, and now I am stuck paying over a hundred dollars (at a brick and mortar store ie. EMS, REI) for another backpack that I can no longer even order online (confidently) at a discounted rate.

I guess the best way to sum up this debacle is: Thanks woot, you have really messed up my plans.

Love,

Wil

Wow Wil, that's pretty embarrassing on Woot's part. They should at least offer you some credit as a peace offering. You might consider a an Outdoor Products Firefly or Trailhead. They're external frames that has pretty good reviews for the price. I was debating between one of those or one of these Kelty packs. Campmor has the Trailhead for $40: http://bit.ly/Mkx0uB+