question for you travelers and/or outdoorsy types

[Freelance Superhero]

so the birthday of a good friend of mine is coming up, and she plans on taking a year off next year and traveling the world. after discussing it amongst several of us within our circle of friends, we've all decided to pitch in and get her a new travel backpack for this trek, which is what she needs and has wanted for a while now.

so i need some helpful advice:

1) what brands do you recommend for a pack for such a trip? (kelty, north face, rei, etc)

2) which stores (name local ones only if you're in the los angeles area) are the best to go pack-shopping in? (i.e. REI, patagonia, sport chalet, etc)

3) would it actually be better for her to settle on a desired pack and look for a deal for it online, or do you think getting her a gift certificate to the store suggested in #2 is okay? if deals are indeed to be found online, what's a good jumping off point to find them?

one thing to keep in mind is that when i say travel the world, i mean serious trekking here. she's planning on a 40+ day safari across africa, as well as stints in southeast asia, parts of europe, and south america. this means all kinds of weather situations.

any and all serious advice is greatly appreciated! :)

[Butch]

I'm not the best resource since I haven't shopped for a pack in ages, but I will say this . . . I am wholeheartedly brand loyal to Mountain Smith packs. It is one of the few brands I am loyal to . . . period.

I have two MS packs - 1, a very large pack I've had for 8 years (used typically for long travels), and 1 small pack that has gone everywhere with me for over 10 years. Neither pack has ever shown the slightest sign of wear & tear.

http://www.mountainsmith.com/msmith.html

[Burzhui]

she should go to a store like REI, they have to fit her with a pack, if she will be trekking for a long time she has to make sure the pack fits right. She could really benefit froma knowledgeble staff

[ShawnLee]

she should go to a store like REI, they have to fit her with a pack, if she will be trekking for a long time she has to make sure the pack fits right. She could really benefit froma knowledgeble staff
:stupid: Light. Light. LIGHT!

And properly fitted.

[cheapie]

a GC is a great idea.

[blueindian]

a GC is a great idea.

yup, let her pick the pack & get it fitted.

[JackHammer]

Yeah I agree. She needs to get a pack that fits her, so a gc is a better.

[kimchicowboy]

i have a lowealpine and i love it. got it on ebay and it fit like a charm.

but i probably got lucky. i'm with the others, but i still like the lowealpine brand.

[clutchy]

Go with the best!! Arc'teryx. You'll know why when you go look at their stuff. You really can't go wrong with any of the modern brands though, but you certainly can tell a better made pack.

ps packs actually do come in different sizes so it's best to try them out before buying.

[Freelance Superhero]

thanks for all the tips...

yeah, she did try some on, and there were a couple that fit pretty well.

i think my question #3 was probably the one i most wanted an answer to.

to reiterate: if we do find a pack that fits her nicely and we write down the brand, model name, etc, then are there any places online that any of you know of that might actually provide a better deal than we might be able to find in B&M stores? like maybe some sort of camping surplus website or something...

or is that more trouble than its worth?

[clutchy]

sierratradingpost.com campmor.com


the best deals i've found have always been local shops blowing out end of year stuff. I'm with you though i'm always looking for a discount, but w/ outdoor stuff for some reason I always get it right around the time i need it soo... no time.

personally i'm of the opinion that if you go to a store to fit their stuff you should buy it there.

if you want the extra discount absorb some of the extra risk built-in.

[Napoleon54]

thanks for all the tips...

yeah, she did try some on, and there were a couple that fit pretty well.

i think my question #3 was probably the one i most wanted an answer to.

to reiterate: if we do find a pack that fits her nicely and we write down the brand, model name, etc, then are there any places online that any of you know of that might actually provide a better deal than we might be able to find in B&M stores? like maybe some sort of camping surplus website or something...

or is that more trouble than its worth?

That's a crappy thing to do IMO... use a B&M store's packs for fitting and their employees' expertise, then go buy it from somewhere else that doesn't have those overhead expenses? That's essentially using the B&M store to sell you a pack from somewhere else. Sure you'll probably save a few bucks but if it were me, my conscious would be tapping me on the shoulder and saying "y'know that's disrespectful, unappreciative, and just not a nice thing to do". :disa: