Mountainsmith Packs
Jeffrey Clayman
ENough room to carry tent, sleepin gpad, food, clothes, poles, etc. ?
Dan Mitchell
before that a Kelty external frame Tioga -- and I am VERY happy with it.
It is a very comfortable, well-constructed pack.
I liked it so much that I went out and bought one of their lumbar packs a
month later.
Dan
In article <3l9rrv$1...@decaxp.harvard.edu>, cla...@fas.harvard.edu
(Jeffrey Clayman) wrote:
<Anyone have any experience with the moutainsmith crestone pack ? Like it ?
<ENough room to carry tent, sleepin gpad, food, clothes, poles, etc. ?
========================================================================
Dan Mitchell / De Anza College Music Department / Cupertino, CA USA
danm...@aspen.fhda.edu http://midigod.fhda.edu 408.864.8511
Spencer L. Ericksen
I've had a Mountainsmith Elite for the last two years, and I just love it
to death. Great balance, lots of room, and a zippered compartment on the
outside for little stuff. The top of the pack also doubles as a fanny
pack, so there's plenty of potential for organization. Works great in the
winter for backcountry skiing, but you definitely pay the price in sweat
in the summer. Some of the smaller packs by Mountainsmith can be
tight on gear, though, especially if you're packing a synthetic bag
instead of down. But with a good compression sack, you should be fine.
Though the price on anything from Mountainsmith is a little high, the
performance and customer service you get is first-class.
Spencer Ericksen
University of Nevada, Reno
Mark Scott-Nash
Ok, ok, since everyone who has posted about Mountainsmith packs CAN'T
say enough good things about them, I will try to balance it out (heh, heh).......
I bought an Elite about 2 years ago. After using it about, oh I'd say, ONCE, part
of one of shoulder strap started ripping out... So I went back to EMS and told them
about it and they replaced the strap from another pack. Cool... Then about two weeks
later, the OTHER strap started ripping in a different place. I called up Mountainsmith
about this problem, and they were wondering if I was carrying the full pack on the one
strap... Huh? Again, EMS replaced it with a strap from another pack...... I then went
on a short expedition, and when I got back I noticed that there were holes in the strut
sleeves. I then sent the pack back to Mountainsmith (which isn't far from where I live),
and they said it would be fixed in, let's see..... About 3 MONTHS! Great service! They
did fixed the strut sleeves and upgraded some other straps on the pack. The other major
problem with the pack is that it's *heavy*. Yeah, it's mondo adjustable, but do you
really need that? Once the pack fits you, how many times are you going to adjust it?
Maybe I got a lemon pack....... But since it's the only one I'll ever buy from them, I'll
never know...
-Mark
Peter Dorman
adjustment straps that pull the top of the pack closer to your head (and
therefore help take the weight off your shoulders) can't be reached while
the pack is on; you have to have a friend make the adjustments. This is
bad for the solo hiker. I would be interested in competing designs: Dana,
Gregory, etc. Do they have any adjustment straps that the wearer can't
reach?
--
Peter Dorman
Ilana Stern
> My Mountainsmith is a good pack over all, but I have one minor gripe. The
> adjustment straps that pull the top of the pack closer to your head (and
> therefore help take the weight off your shoulders) can't be reached while
> the pack is on; you have to have a friend make the adjustments. This is
Which model do you have, and when did you get it? My 4-year-old Elite
can be adjusted just fine on my back. Maybe you need to work on your
flexibility a little!
--
/\ | The immense vacuum of space is neither canister nor upright, and
\_][ | has no upholstery attachments. -- Bob Rhubart
\___http://www.ucar.edu/dss/ilana.html il...@ncar.ucar.edu | Ilana Stern
Barry E. Henley
: Gregory, etc. Do they have any adjustment straps that the wearer can't
: reach?
I can reach and adjust my lifter straps on my Elite 5000 with no
problems. I am 5'11". Did you get a pack that was to tall for your body
frame? Or maybe the sliders need to be lowered.
Barry
--
Barry Henley | b...@netcom.com
Riverdale, GA | My homepage URL is:
U.S.A. | ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/be/beh/homepage.html
RICHARD ROSS
JC> Anyone have any experience with the moutainsmith crestone pack ? Like it ?
> ENough room to carry tent, sleepin gpad, food, clothes, poles, etc. ?
I tried a crestone II for a weekend, real nice but not quite enough
room to get everything inside. I traded it in for an Elite III
suposedly the biggest pack made! now everything, tent, ridgerest,
sleeping bag, water, food, motorcycle, microwave oven , etc all fit
inside. Has the same frame and suspension as the crestone. bigger with
a panel back zipper instead of the single vertical zipper on the
crestone. and a big reach thru pocket on the back.
And more damn straps and buckles than i can find a use for!
Dick
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Sean Lawrence Parker
Peter Dorman <2321...@msu.edu> wrote:
>The adjustment straps that pull the top of the pack closer to your head (and
>therefore help take the weight off your shoulders) can't be reached while
>the pack is on;
I have a Frostfire III and don't have this problem. Sew on some extension
straps.
Sean
Michael Goldstein
I've not used the Crestone II (but I have three Mountainsmith
packs including a Delta Elite 4000). Mountainsmith has always
had external straps for the sleeping pad. And a Ridge Rest is
very bulky. I don't think you'll find any internal frame pack
that will hold a ridge rest plus everything else you need for a
few days.
Swamp Fox dan .'. gregor dgregor
: Dick,
i have a Crestone II, and have fit a 3/4 ridgerest inside easily
(vertically) and a full length with a loss of space. it ties on
nicely on the outside due to Mountainsmith's extensive
bell-and-whistle straps and tie-downs, and if you want to strap on a
tent or sleeping bag on the outside, you can tie it vertically in the
middle of the back, except this would limit your access to the pack a
little from the "apendectomy opening" view.
what i have gone with is a thermarest full-length ultralite, which is
heavier at 30 ounces to the ridgerest deluxe's 18 ounces, but rolls
up to 11" x 5.5", and so fits nicely inside the pack. on long trips
where weight is a big issue, i just don't take the pad, or i borrow a
cheap blue ensolite from the outdoors program at my school.
just my $50.02, two cents of thoughts and a $50 thermarest.
--dan
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dan .'. gregor
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Warren Stevens
>very bulky. I don't think you'll find any internal frame pack
>that will hold a ridge rest plus everything else you need for a
>few days.
The Lowe Contour IV fits the 3/4 ridge rest just fine. Squish it into the
bottom and you get the additional benifit of raising the wieght even
higher up in the pack (and as a result on your back). Unlike the
mountiansmiths, the lowe is a wide pack, so you'll be widening your
silloutte a bit. I'm sure other packs can handle a 3/4 RR, but strapping
externaly is a space saver though a hassle for off trail. When I us a MS
pack I bring a therma rest.....
My $.02......
Warren