I need a new back pack for general bike packing and some (day)walking/ hiking.
Needs to be carry on suitable too, so < 115cm W x D x H.
I have a Dueter that is good but at 16 litres too small and it’s a daggy brown…what was i thinking.
I also roll quite a bit with a DEUS/crumpler fakenger collabo. Good on bike, prob’ not so good at Deep Creek hiking…
I was thinking around 35-40 litre capacity (3 kids can consume a lotta snacks!) but not too ‘tall’ at back so as to impede movement when on my bike/ wearing stackhat.
I reckon it’s an awesome bag. 31L if memory serves. Lots of compression straps and Velcro bits and pieces and weatherproof pockets. I’ve had it in the rain and everything stayed dry… not sure how it would go after sitting it in water. I also scotchguard everything for good measure
If I didn’t have this I would probably have a fullsize BO Bag… my custom papermunky is a bit small for daily duties.
i have a MW vandal. even when stuffed to the hilt i haven’t been pulled up for being too big as carry-on, it’s borderline oversize…29L regular, 65L expandable, with side straps so you can expand it, cram EVERYTHING in, then squish it back to make it look a lot slimmer.
if i didn’t get it as cheap as i did, i would’ve bought a shrinkage or spare camel.
Get something with a hip belt. 40l capacity is pretty big, I wouldn’t want to do day hikes with something that big, my 60L gets me out for 5+ days without resupply.
For bikepacking and day hiking I use the standard osprey talon 22 (these are super popular among bike packers) it’s great and takes a surprising amount as I can strap my tarp ect to the outside. I own three bogear bags and if I wanted another one (I do want another one) it would be definitely be the new model dave keeps previewing on Instagram, a rugged hiking bag with room for my climbing/bikepacking/hiking gear seems just the ticket.
Boyracer, straight off the bat, getting a bag for carry on (ie 115cm linear dimensions) means you would be between 30-35L. 40L would be pushing this carry-on ability. How necessary is getting it carry-on? At 40L you open up a lot of options for some neat bags, but reduce the likelihood of you using it on the bike. Around 40L it gets a bit cumbersome limiting your visibility, while also introducing features such as aluminium staves (keeps the backpack rigid for comfortable carry). Having staves in your pack while riding is incredibly uncomfortable. Your back naturally has a slight curve when riding, and staves cause it to be more straight. But on the flipside staves allow you to carry more while hiking… definitely more comfortable.
Anyway, if you were looking for a larger pack (40L or larger) without the need to ride with it… more so along the lines of an adventure pack, then as Aeons mentioned, I would definitely be getting one with a hip belt. My suggestions for brands to look out for are Mountain Equipment Co-op (mec.ca), or some of the Mountain Designs bags (need to be careful as some are really well designed, while others not so much). My pick of the bunch would be MEC, as they are cheap, and incredibly well made (and a not for profit to boot, returning funds to environmental organisations).
If on the other hand you were definitely wanting something for riding and general hiking duty, while still being carry-on my recommendation (yes I am biassed) is the Spare Camel. This kind of duty is right up it’s alley, and I just tested it up a scramble carrying 3.5L of water, odds and ends, as well as a 20m static rope. All up pack weight of about 10kg, and the bag handled it well. I would add a hipbelt if you want to carry more than this (and it can).
About the biggest difference between the Spare Camel and the flap style Chunky Toad or Shrinkage is the flap style bag’s ability to carry more gear. Simply throw it in and as long as you can do up the flap buckles you are okay. The Spare Camel however has all that clipping webbing on the front to encourage you to tie stuff down if needed, but it won’t be as secure as it would in a Toad/Shrinkage.
Honestly if you are interested in a Spare Camel, I have one you can borrow for a while to test out and see if it is for you. No problem if it is not.
FYI, This offer of test bags applies to anyone on this forum for any of our bags. If you are keen on a BOgear bag, feel free to try one out.
I have a Summit Gear Lowry and a Kedumba, the Lowry is about perfect size wise. Super comfy, bullet proof, simple. These packs are a bit fat and wide instead of tall and thin (like their canyon packs) and so are OK for riding. But seriously, if you want it to last forever, these are going to be hard to beat.
had a BOgear dub - got stolen, missed it so much i bought another one - love it. there are a few times whne i feel a proper pack like the toad would be better, but not many TBH. only thing i would say is get the padded strap if you go this style, without it it gets a bit painfull to carry a whole case of beer(yes 24X375ml baddies too, none of this 330ml euro shit) home in it.
one other thing - Dave is a total kent, any time i ask him to do any mods to a bag, hes like “sure no worries man, ill do that straight away”…(goddamn nice ppl)…
Thanks all.
Dave i like your work. As a former clothing manufacturer myself i can really appreciate the work that goes into each and every one of your ‘simple’ looking bags. I will def’ be dropping in on Monday after octokeg weekend.
I may of overestimated the volume requirements if you say SC can fit a standard unit of reference…carton. With 3 kids the carrying capacity of just about anything is tested whenever venturing anymore than 1 km from house. If you want something tested to destruction…
Bike packing is #1 priority, carry on second, hiking third.
I have ortliebs n rack n shit but don’t dig on 'em.
My macpac 65 that cost a bomb lies idle in the shed.
Mission workshop…next level shit/next level prices with Aussie dollar. I like those T level ones too…clean.
Oh nice, coming up for Octokeg? Going to be a big weekend!
Would love to have you out to the studio. Be prepared for a peppering of questions - love picking the brains of others in/once in the industry.
for what’s it worth, i hated my t level challenger, it was uncomfortable no matter how much stuff i had in it. it was painful when i was on my bike, and ten times worse just walking around. i replaced it with a BOGear Dub which is amazing.
i know its different for everyone, but just thought i’d throw my 2c in.
Best bag ever, comfortable, incredible quality - works well as a daily w/light loads but the space is there when you need it. I like that it’s not a flap style - it doesn’t block your vision at all when looking over your shoulder when riding with a full pack. Rigging on the outside has come in super handy. The quality is out of control and Dave is a boss. Gave my mission workshop to a mate, no need or want for it now.
EDIT: fwiw I found out about BO gear / spare camel, through an older thread on here somewhere
