WootBot


quality posts: 14 Private Messages WootBot

Staff

Kelty Avocet 30 Backpack

Speed to First Woot:
17m 32.224s
First Sucker:
ahmadhabib
Last Wooter to Woot:
ncox2
Last Purchase:
9 months ago
Order Pace (rank):
Top 11% of Sport Woots
Top 40% of all Woots
Woots Sold (rank):
Top 2% of Sport Woots
Top 7% of all Woots

Purchaser Experience

  • 12% first woot
  • 8% second woot
  • 30% < 10 woots
  • 24% < 25 woots
  • 26% ≥ 25 woots

Purchaser Seniority

  • 10% joined today
  • 0% one week old
  • 2% one month old
  • 19% one year old
  • 68% > one year old

Quantity Breakdown

  • 85% bought 1
  • 12% bought 2
  • 3% bought 3

Percentage of Sales Per Hour

1%
6%
2%
2%
2%
3%
5%
8%
10%
9%
8%
6%
5%
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4%
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2%
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12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Woots by State

zero wooters wootinglots of wooters wooting



Quality Posts


Raytray


quality posts: 0 Private Messages Raytray

So it doesn't come with the reservoir?

jwjacobs


quality posts: 0 Private Messages jwjacobs

Anyone know what size torso this will fit?

okinawanmatt


quality posts: 1 Private Messages okinawanmatt

...but can it play Crysis?

lupulin


quality posts: 0 Private Messages lupulin

http://www.kelty.com/p-438-avocet-30.aspx

Looks like a great deal on a day/ultralight overnight pack.

Kelty claims one size fits all.

I imagine HDPE sheet frame means the frame is a sheet of hard plastic.

one 5 star review on Amazon.
$74.99 - $96.68

rlapid2112


quality posts: 9 Private Messages rlapid2112

Found this, it's large-ish

CowboyDann


quality posts: 702 Private Messages CowboyDann



80 bucks at zappos There is another product video there too

neuropsychosocial


quality posts: 169 Private Messages neuropsychosocial

I have this exact pack (women, rose) and really like it. It's great for a weekend trip or for biking/walking to the market because the hip belt, sternum strap, and adjustable shoulder straps keep the load stable and close to your body, and transfer the weight to your hips from the shoulders. As I posted before, Kelty's lumbar support is fantastic and the quality can't be beat: top-quality fabric, materials, and construction, cleans up fantastically.

I highly, highly recommend this pack, especially at this price: it's an absolute steal for a great pack!

RIP A.A. Blanks (Obituary)

lwang


quality posts: 19 Private Messages lwang

better deal than the redwing, which I got. All I needed was something that I can stuff as much as I can and still be allowed as a carryon on the planes (in addition to a rolling luggage).

Although the redwing is listed as 40% bigger, and has a alum stay.

This unit seems to be less of a hiking pack than a backpacker's pack.

awl85


quality posts: 7 Private Messages awl85

Despite the different color options, the specs show the only physical difference between men's and women's versions are 1 inch (or 3 cm to be more accurate) in length and additional symbol on women's version so... you can choose ANY color! You're welcome

matroe11


quality posts: 0 Private Messages matroe11
neuropsychosocial wrote:I highly, highly recommend this pack, especially at this price: it's an absolute steal for a great pack!



I ordered two based solely off of this comment...well, that and my GF has been hassling me to get us some camping packs. I hope we enjoy them!

digitalurbancamo


quality posts: 18 Private Messages digitalurbancamo

First off let me say that I have a few of these packs laying around. These days, for what I do, they don't see much use. Partiality do to the fact that I like hiking and camping, but when I do activities like that I almost always hike in everything. I have had lots of experience with the kelty 30 and when it comes right down to it you have to get a pack that suits what you are doing and how you do it.

Now don't get me wrong, I really love these packs. The issue for me is what I require out of my pack. In the case of the Kelty 30 it is just the design, according to what I need my pack to do.

You may notice from the pictures that the Kelty Avocet 30 doesn't have external pockets from the main compartment. Also it hasn't any mesh side pockets for your water bottle or any molle webbing to sench things to. This creates issues for me because I need to hike in things like a tent, sleeping bag, tarp, and other things that the pack just can't hold in its main compartment while still giving me room for clothing and personal items. This is something everybody interested in buying one should consider. Think about what you want out of your pack. If you are the kind of person that drives to a campsite a few times a year and stays for a few days then these flaws probably wont bother you. It really just depends on who you are and what you do.

Some nice features about the pack are things like its side mounted compression strap. These help tighten down your load and so things don't start shifting around on you while you are walking around. Although most hiking packs now adays offer these they way the Kelty 30 has them is top notch. While carrying the pack you will really notice how well it is designed as far as the compression straps go.

I do however wish that this pack offered the support bar like the Kelty redwing models do. Not that it hurts the overall pack but it's something I find vary helpful for support. Yet the internal frame and padding on the pack side of the pack does help wick sweat off your back. This is a common thing on most packs but Kelty definitely gets it right.

Please also not that this is a stuff sack backpack. Which means that it is top loading and there are no zippers to help you get to the stuff in the middle of bottom of your pack. This means that if you need something out of your pack you will need to start digging for it.

I could go on and on about the flaws and benefits to this pack but when it comes right down to it this is a great price and perhaps you should just give it a go. If you get it and it doesn't really fit your needs then do what I did and make yourself a bug out bag.

If anybody has any questions about this pack just let me know. I would be more then happy to try and answer them.

Raytray wrote:So it doesn't come with the reservoir?


No

jwjacobs wrote:Anyone know what size torso this will fit?


Well I am 5'11 around 200lbs and it fits fine.

okinawanmatt wrote:...but can it play Crysis?


Nope it sure can't

leptogenesis


quality posts: 3 Private Messages leptogenesis
digitalurbancamo wrote:You may notice from the pictures that the Kelty Avocet 30 doesn't have external pockets from the main compartment. Also it hasn't any mesh side pockets for your water bottle or any molle webbing to sench things to. This creates issues for me because I need to hike in things like a tent, sleeping bag, tarp, and other things that the pack just can't hold in its main compartment while still giving me room for clothing and personal items. This is something everybody interested in buying one should consider. Think about what you want out of your pack. If you are the kind of person that drives to a campsite a few times a year and stays for a few days then these flaws probably wont bother you. It really just depends on who you are and what you do



(Re-edited for tone)
This would definitely be problematic if you tried to use it for extended backpacking trips. It's a 30-liter pack, which is only a little bigger than the backpack I take to work every day with my laptop and papers in it. 30-liter packs are meant to be used mostly for day-hikes or short treks. They're not really designed with tents and sleeping bags in mind.

If you want a backpack that can carry a tent, sleeping bag, and tarp with room to spare for your clothes and such, you should buy a serious hiker's backpack, something closer to 50 L. REI provides some very helpful guidelines on choosing the right pack:
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/backpack.html
And Woot has had several good-quality, high-capacity hiking backpacks on sale these last 2 months:
http://sport.woot.com/plus/high-peak-camping-equipment-1

The moral of the story is, use the right tool for the right job. If you're a casual hiker, this will serve you great on single-day expeditions. But if you plan on bringing tents, changes of clothing, sleeping bags... do yourself a favor and buy a bigger pack.

My avatar wears a fez now. Fezzes are cool.

digitalurbancamo


quality posts: 18 Private Messages digitalurbancamo
leptogenesis wrote:No offense, but the flaw isn't intrinsic to the backpack, it's in how you're trying to use it. See that number 30 in the name? That means it's a 30-liter backpack, which is only a little bigger than the backpack I take to work every day with my laptop and papers in it. 30-liter packs are meant to be used mostly for day-hikes or short treks. They're not supposed to fit tents and such, which is where you're running into problems.

If you want a backpack that can carry a tent, sleeping bag, and tarp with room to spare for your clothes and such, you should buy a serious hiker's backpack, something closer to 50 L. REI provides some very helpful guidelines on choosing the right pack:
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/backpack.html
And Woot has had several good-quality, high-capacity hiking backpacks on sale these last 2 months:
http://sport.woot.com/plus/high-peak-camping-equipment-1

So, the moral of the story is, use the right tool for the right job. If you're a casual hiker, this will serve you great on single-day expeditions. But if you plan on bringing tents, changes of clothing, sleeping bags... do yourself a favor and buy a bigger pack. They'll have all the features you wish this Kelty had.



First off I know what this pack is supposed to be used for. Secondly I don't need help finding a pack thank you. Also just so you know, attaching things to the outside of the pack is never going to be counted in its cubic inches. Being able to attach tents and sleeping bags is a feature not actually part of a pack. Also just so you know there are many 30-liter packs that are of top loading design that offer external pockets with webbing attachment loops. Although the pockets would be counted trowed the the overall capacity of the pack that does not negate the other features. No offence but the idea of molli webbing for external attachments being counted as part of its capacity is simply ridiculousness.

GreenPez


quality posts: 0 Private Messages GreenPez
lwang wrote:better deal than the redwing, which I got. All I needed was something that I can stuff as much as I can and still be allowed as a carryon on the planes (in addition to a rolling luggage).

Although the redwing is listed as 40% bigger, and has a alum stay.

This unit seems to be less of a hiking pack than a backpacker's pack.



i was thinking the same thing, tho i may get this as well for my wife

rlapid2112


quality posts: 9 Private Messages rlapid2112

I figured this would be great for my bug-out-bag. Currently, it is a large duffle. Now, I can roll/pack the duffle in this and have my items in it, too.

Shoeshine


quality posts: 0 Private Messages Shoeshine

This is a buy for me, I've been looking for a midsized pack for when I have to go out of town for a gig. No webbing/outside pouches is a bit of a bummer, but I have tons of nylon webbing and fabric laying around, I can customize the bag as needed.

digitalurbancamo


quality posts: 18 Private Messages digitalurbancamo
rlapid2112 wrote:I figured this would be great for my bug-out-bag. Currently, it is a large duffle. Now, I can roll/pack the duffle in this and have my items in it, too.



I love it for a BOB. Nice to see others like myself on woot. Stay safe friend.

neuropsychosocial


quality posts: 169 Private Messages neuropsychosocial

(Edit: 12:30PM woot time: It looks like woot and imgur aren't playing well right now, so I put the images in an imgur album; they're in order of description below.)
Women's versus men's pack: I believe the suspensions are shaped differently; I tried both packs on and noticed a difference in the feel when they had ~10 pounds in it. I'm small and have back problems, but it was enough of a difference that I was willing to pay $15 more for the women's pack, which I don't regret. Well, until I saw this price. (I bought mine in October 2010 and have gotten good use out of it, so I don't regret it per se, but this is definitely an amazing price. It's such a good deal that I kinda want to buy another one, except that Kelty packs never die, so I have no use for it!)

As I was climbing into bed, I saw my Avocet 30 on the bookshelf and thought, hmm, I wonder if it's larger than a pillow.


I'd say that it's the same height, almost exactly, but the pillow is several inches wider.

And as long as I had it out, might as well augment woot's pictures with the angles that they don't show. The back:

bottom to top:
hip belt: fully adjustable (it should be wore around the belly button for best results; I grabbed a measuring tape: over my PJs, my waist is between 24-25" and this adjusts to that, but I've also worn it over a winter parka and adjusted it over that comfortably); however, the hip belt isn't padded.
shoulder straps, bottom: like any good pack, the length of the shoulder straps is easily adjustable after you've put it on by grabbing the ends and pulling
sternum strap: if you look closely, you can see that it slides along a little track, so you can position it higher or lower, depending on what's comfortable for you. It adjusts in width, of course. (BTW, I popped it out of the little track once and was able to put it back in with some effort); I just noticed that there's a little loop on it; could easily put something light on a carabiner
handle: there's a handle
shoulder straps, top: again, like a high-quality pack, totally adjustable
tie-down straps: you can't really see it here, but the straps holding down the hood are also adjustable in order to compress the load as much as possible - which also makes it steadier and less prone to sway if you're riding a bike. Or limping through an airport on crutches trying to make your connection that leaves in 30 seconds.

Hood has a pocket with a little keychain thing. For air travel, this pocket suffices for me to hold boarding pass, map, cell phone, etc.

Bad photo of the interior: there's a flat pocket against the back that I find useful for my laptop or a folder of papers that I don't want bent; there's not much give to the pocket, which makes it nice to hold a laptop in the right position weight-wise, but I'm not sure if it would accommodate the depth of a larger laptop. There's the strap above it with the teeny plastic carabiners.

Pack pulls shut with a drawstring, which I then tuck inside the pack, close the front hook, and start tightening straps. The side compression straps are great.

I've attached a water bottle via carabiner to the daisy chain. On one occasion, the cheap water bottle cap broke, but generally, it works fine - although it can get some side-to-side momentum going. Kelty says it holds an ice pick; I must admit that I've never tried. I'm a backpacker, not a hiker, but I've used this both for backpacking and for trips to the store when I'm walking/biking.

Sorry for the blurriness of some of the pictures; it's dark-o'clock and I really need to be in bed, but I hope this more-detailed tour of the pack is helpful to someone. I didn't understand most of these features until the nice folks at REI walked me through them, plus it's hard to fully appreciate the quality/features/awesomeness of the pack unless you're holding it, so I wanted to pay that forward, especially to others who are new to backpacking/hiking packs like I was two years ago.

RIP A.A. Blanks (Obituary)

joded1


quality posts: 0 Private Messages joded1

thank you

joded

digitalurbancamo


quality posts: 18 Private Messages digitalurbancamo

@neuropsychosocial Nice post.

isb080208


quality posts: 1 Private Messages isb080208

Are these backpacks waterproof? I bike to school everyday and need a backpack that can keep the contents dry for about 30 minutes. Any info would be extremely helpful. Thanks!

pjlaw1


quality posts: 2 Private Messages pjlaw1

Why isnt it set up where I could buy 1 male and 1 female pack?

azmiget91


quality posts: 0 Private Messages azmiget91

I spy a spelling error " it's got traps for side compression"

Probably is supposed to read " it's got straps for side compression"

Unless there are actual traps on the side that compress a thief's hand when trying to steal all your cool stuff inside, like your High Peak Sirius 50* sleeping bag from last weeks woot.

http://www.woot.com/offers/high-peak-sirius-sleeping-bag-2-pack


[MOD: Hmmmmm. Probably not traps. Sent it in for correction. Thanks!]

ThunderThighs


quality posts: 318 Private Messages ThunderThighs

Staff

pjlaw1 wrote:Why isnt it set up where I could buy 1 male and 1 female pack?

You can. Just pick your quantity first. It will then let you choose what you want for each one.

keriah


quality posts: 2 Private Messages keriah
pjlaw1 wrote:Why isnt it set up where I could buy 1 male and 1 female pack?



The last time this came up the answer was to go ahead and order 2, using 'whatever' for the options. Next, you'll have a chance to make specific selections for each item during the 'checkout' process. Good luck.

haha -- TT beat me to the punch!

mrskatbrown


quality posts: 0 Private Messages mrskatbrown

THANKS,THAT WAS SUPER HELPFUL!

savateuse


quality posts: 0 Private Messages savateuse

Whoever picked the colors for the girl packs needs to be punched in the face.

phaedron


quality posts: 0 Private Messages phaedron

I'm curious about the water resistance of this pack, as well. I need a sturdy pack for a planned trek up Kilimanjaro next year (it just needs to be a day pack kind of thing; porters take other gear) and this could really fit the bill, if the contents would not get soaked if it rains at the lower altitudes...

urbanmermaid


quality posts: 0 Private Messages urbanmermaid
pjlaw1 wrote:Why isnt it set up where I could buy 1 male and 1 female pack?



You just have to do it in two separate transactions. Woot is annoying like that. You'll only have to pay shipping for one though.

Edit: Sorry for the redundancy...that'll teach me to scroll down before answering questions :p

While I'm here I might as well let you guys in on what I plan on using this for. Aside from a potential backpacking trip in my future, the real reason I'm getting it is for outdoor music festivals. I went to Sasquatch! this year and my boyfriend and I were not able to fit all the stuff we needed into two normal size backpacks, completely filled to the point they couldn't close. Which caused us to have to leave some things back at the tent (like important layering clothes when temps drop from the 90's into the high 40's for the night shows), and caused the food we took to be squished into oblivion (hooray for peanut butter and banana sandwiches that look like they've been stepped on repeatedly). With these, not only will we not have to carry water bottles because of the hydration pack slot, but we also won't have to take up a whole backpack with a blanket due to the external strap. One of these would probably be sufficient for both of our needs for festivals...but I don't want to play pack mule so I'm in for 2! And it looks like it'll be a great backpacking bag for him anyways :p

scapsinger


quality posts: 15 Private Messages scapsinger

Just picked up the Kelty Redwing 44 earlier this week (arrived yesterday in ATL - awesome!). My wife sorta liked my new pack so naturally today's pack caught my eye.

The first thing I notice about the Avocet 30 pack is the waist belt, which is not padded and therefore not useful for distributing the load across the hips/waist. Therefore, it's not going to work if you're planning on doing serious hiking with a fairly loaded pack (anything over 20 lbs).

Other than that, $30 for this pack is an awesome deal for shorter excursions with less load. Water resistance should prove decent enough for anything beyond a heavy rain, but you can always keep a lightweight poncho handy as well.

sportster25


quality posts: 10 Private Messages sportster25
neuropsychosocial wrote:Women's versus men's pack... [Lots and lots of info here]... so I wanted to pay that forward, especially to others who are new to backpacking/hiking packs like I was two years ago.



Great review and insight! Thanks for putting off sleep to elaborate on this pack.

The images aren't working for me though. Anyone else having that issue?

jeeperwoot


quality posts: 27 Private Messages jeeperwoot

Just wanted to say how awesome Kelty's customer service/support is. The fact you have their product is enough. You don't need receipts/proof of purchase/etc. All you need to do is call them, get your repair number, and ship the product to them to get it fixed. I've sent numerous things to Kelty over the years and what they couldn't fix, they've replaced for free.

ral878


quality posts: 1 Private Messages ral878

was wondering how waterproof this thing is. looking on their website I found a rain cover for their packs http://www.kelty.com/p-65-rain-cover.aspx?category=sale

i guess they arent that waterproof if they make a rain cover. not sure if I want to double the price to keep my things dry

omnitravis


quality posts: 5 Private Messages omnitravis
phaedron wrote:I'm curious about the water resistance of this pack, as well. I need a sturdy pack for a planned trek up Kilimanjaro next year (it just needs to be a day pack kind of thing; porters take other gear) and this could really fit the bill, if the contents would not get soaked if it rains at the lower altitudes...


..Get a real pack, take a real trip.

anyboatyourow


quality posts: 25 Private Messages anyboatyourow
isb080208 wrote:Are these backpacks waterproof? I bike to school everyday and need a backpack that can keep the contents dry for about 30 minutes. Any info would be extremely helpful. Thanks!


This pack isn't waterproof.

The usual solutions:
1. Pack cover
2. Silicone (or similar) spray

Pack covers are waterproof shells that fit over the entire pack and snug up around the straps with a cinch cord. This should keep the pack dry no matter how long you're out in the rain.

The sprays will make the pack water repellent. They'll do a good job of getting light rain to bead up and run off. After a while, or if the rain is super heavy, your stuff will get wet. It may take an entire can to get the level of repellency you desire.

InFrom


quality posts: 26 Private Messages InFrom
sportster25 wrote:....The images aren't working for me though. Anyone else having that issue?

Yes.

inkycatz


quality posts: 105 Private Messages inkycatz
InFrom wrote:Yes.



Yup, they're aware and on it. Sorry for the hassle in the meantime.

I'm just hanging out, really.

alvinrocket


quality posts: 0 Private Messages alvinrocket

This pack is "Hydration compatible". Does anyone know what size/shape of hydration reservoir it's compatible with?

lwang


quality posts: 19 Private Messages lwang
phaedron wrote:I'm curious about the water resistance of this pack, as well. I need a sturdy pack for a planned trek up Kilimanjaro next year (it just needs to be a day pack kind of thing; porters take other gear) and this could really fit the bill, if the contents would not get soaked if it rains at the lower altitudes...



these should be water repellent, meaning rain will trickle off. But it isn't water proof, since water will still be able to seep into seams. I woudn't use it alone by itself for heavy rains.

I wouldn't recommend something like this on all day hikes, even if it is not loaded with 50 pounds of gear. This bag does not have a stiff arch support, will cause load to be all over the place. Plus it has only a webbing for belt strap, which will be uncomfortable in the long run.