I need a backpack

[blw2]

OK, I have no idea what the difference is since I've only tried the Gold.  I like to drink Sumatra, French Roast and Starbucks' Verona coffees.  I actually bring Starbucks coffee with me on campouts, use a French Press and serve it with raw sugar and half and half.  

 

This isn't quite as strong as a French Roast or Sumatra, but it is really good.  Based on the information in the reviews, there seems to be a way to control the sugar (it seems to fall to the bottom of the packet, so if you don't pour it all out it would have less sugar).  For me, the amount of cream and sugar is perfect.

 

For price puproses,I use two packets for one cup of coffee vs. one packet for the Via.

 

So if Starbucks brewed coffee is a 10, a Keurig is a 9.5, the Via is an 9 and this stuff is a 8.5.  If given the choice of a Via packet, a couple of raw sugar packets and a couple of mini containers half and half or the Mocha Gold, I'd take the Via packet.  Given the choice between the Via packet, Coffeemate powder and regular sugar, I'd take the Mocha Gold.  

 

For me, when it comes to coffee, I'm willing to spend more to get something better.  For backpacking, this is the best choice balancing taste, convience and price.

Perfect way to explain it!  thanks Hedgehog!

Yeah, I'd rate the average selection for Keurig lower than Starbucks.... but the better ones I like better

so compared to my favorites in Keurig (a good Italian Roast, or Gevalia), I'd rate the Via packets I've tried a good bit lower than 0.5 down.... but I get your point!

The thing about the via I dislike the most is having to bring separate cream and sugar.... so these maxim things sound perfect.

I'll order some up for my next camping trip!

 

I carry roasted beans....  What's a packet?    Seriously people!  People who camp should be drinking camp coffee.  Man up, boys! 

Hey, I'm man enough to be comfortable wearing socks with sandals, so leave me alone!

 

Life is too short to drink bad coffee...

[Stosh]

Perfect way to explain it!  thanks Hedgehog!

Yeah, I'd rate the average selection for Keurig lower than Starbucks.... but the better ones I like better

so compared to my favorites in Keurig (a good Italian Roast, or Gevalia), I'd rate the Via packets I've tried a good bit lower than 0.5 down.... but I get your point!

The thing about the via I dislike the most is having to bring separate cream and sugar.... so these maxim things sound perfect.

I'll order some up for my next camping trip!

 

Hey, I'm man enough to be comfortable wearing socks with sandals, so leave me alone!

 

Life is too short to drink bad coffee...

 

You are correct, life is too short to be drinking bad coffee, toss in an egg for the best cup of your life.  

[Eagle94-A1]

Ya, know.  If one does the ziplock bag inside the trash bag inside the back pack routine, the back pack makes a great flotation device.    I've had duffel bags keep over turned canoes loaded with heavy equipment from going to the bottom.     With a lake and no current, a tote line would not be needed just float the pack across and swim pushing the pack.  Otherwise, clip a strap to the tote line and push it across using the tote to keep things from drifting off. 

 

I was taught the "3 Layer System" for water activities; individual ziplocs for specific items ( bag for clothes, bag for cook gear, etc) which is waterproof layer 3, a garbage bag liner that is goosenecked for waterproof layer 2, and a the tough, protective layer of your pack as layer 1,which can be waterproof. We had Scouts flip and gear was floating way that wasn't lashed. Those layers do indeed trap enough air to make them float.

[Eagle94-A1]

I admit, with the exception of the 3 mile trek earlier this month, it's been 19 years since i last did serious backpacking. Yes I did old school stuff 2 weeks ago, but seeing some of the latest greatest meals, and the instant coffee, well I've seen the light. While I know there will be no way I'll be an ultralight camper ( gear is way outta my price range) I am willing to cut back on weight. I saw the light. I'm not carrying my French press backpacking, and then having to carry out the used grounds. I don't want to have to worry about KP water. So I'm looking at some of those backpacking meals.

 

As for the FILBE, it's what I'm recommending for my son to get since he really wants an ALICE,. and from what I've read and seen, it's an ALCIE on steroids, but without the weight. It might be a while before he gets it, but we got some time. He can still use A.L.I.C.E. until middle son joins up in December. and Middle Son has a 40L ALPS pack that will work for the car camping the troop is doing... at the moment

 

Now if the Venturing crew gets off the ground and wife is an associate adviser, I may be in trouble again as she will need her own pack

[Tiger Foot]

tnmule20,

 

Nice purchase, I'm sure you'll enjoy,it. Despite being 'old school' and maybe not as glamorous as internal frames, externals still have a lot going for them. I was a salesman in a high end mountaineering and climbing shop for quite a few years, but despite being 'high end', I moved quite a few Kelly tiogas and trekkers, and jansports. Scouts, their troops, college outing clubs, and beginner backpackers. Lots of people still find externals more comfortable, and the price difference is easy on the checkbook.

 

A few tips that might be of use...

 

-Play around with the weight distribution. In an external, many people find it more comfortable to pack heavy items up high at the top as this helps transfer the weight to the hip belt a little better, making the pack lighter on your shoulders and enabling a more upright stance. Can't say I never noticed a huge difference, but it did seem better, especially on longer walks. YMMV.

 

-Add some clevis pins to your repair kit. And some bailing wire. Another nice thing about externals is that you can improvise some decent field repairs. I'm assuming you already have duct tape, LOL. Internals aren't always so easy.

 

-The 'Big' pack problem. As others have mentioned, it can be a real thing and a real temptation. One easy way to fill up that extra space and lessen the temptation is to NOT use the compression stuff sack for your sleeping bag. Just put it in a heavy duty trash bag and let it take up some of that extra room for you.

 

-General tip for any pack... Keep a list of what you packed. When you get home and unload, highlight on the list any items you packed but didn't use. When you pack got the next trip, look closely at those highlighted items. Anything you can try and leave behind? This habit will also help you overcome the temptation of the big pack.

 

As far as coffee goes, I'm staying out of that side debate. I'm pretty new here and I know opinions can get hot on this topic, and I'd hate to say something that leads to any simmering resentment that could percolate up and boil over later... So I'll stick to safe grounds.

 

Enjoy your new purchase, I hope it brings you many happy miles!

[Stosh]

One of the major drawbacks of the backpacking scene for me is all the high tech "needs" one must purchase at ridiculous prices in order to make it through a simple 3-4 day backpacking trek.   While I used old school equipment, I seldom lack what I need and get buy with a lot less than what others deem absolute necessities.

 

How many calories are there in an external frame with waist belt?  I have never had an experienced backpacker ask me that question.

 

How many calories are there in a Feather-light stove and fuel?

 

How many calories are there in a small ceramic water filter?

 

How much does 8000 calories weigh?

 

For a 3 day trek all one needs is food, water, and shelter.  If I look at this correctly, a backpack isn't on that list. 

[TAHAWK]

The Surgeon General of the Army - at a time when he was a General in the Army - explained why the Army incorrectly rejected a pack designed by a Union Army Surgeon during the Civil War.  That pack transferred most of the load to the pelvis and thence to the legs.  He explained that weight on the shoulders interfered with breathing and cited studies of how heavy loads on the shoulders led to injuries to the shoulders and spine - in adults, sometimes resulting in the soldier being "invalided out" of the Army.   About a century after the Civil War, Kelty rediscover the lost secret and it has been improved upon with more comfortable belts over the last sixty years.  

 

And we no longer go barefoot or urinate just uphill from the well.

Edited April 21, 2016 by TAHAWK

[Stosh]

The vast majority of the soldiers, both North and South,  in the Civil War tossed the backpacks and went with a bed roll.

 

A person can pick up a tumpline ($19) and remove all load bearing off the shoulders and hips from any load.  The last mass produced production of tumplines was the Canadian Army during World War II.  In undeveloped countries where heavy loads were carried over uneven terrain (sound like backpacking?) for thousands of years using only tumplines.  African women carrying large earthen pots full of water on their heads?  Any idea how much those things weigh?

 

Only "modern, highly technical, developed" countries use shoulder straps and waist belts. 

 

It is amazing how easy it is to move an #85 canoe around using a tumpline instead of shoulders.....  

 

It is also amazing how much more one can carry if done correctly.....

 

Kelty might have discovered some long lost secret for backpacks, but the indigenous people of under developed countries who still use muscle power to move loads have relied on items that a scout could make for under $10

 

Like I said, how much does a tumpline strap weigh compared to a frame of an external pack?  Want to carry pack or would one prefer food?

[Sentinel947]

I admit, with the exception of the 3 mile trek earlier this month, it's been 19 years since i last did serious backpacking. Yes I did old school stuff 2 weeks ago, but seeing some of the latest greatest meals, and the instant coffee, well I've seen the light. While I know there will be no way I'll be an ultralight camper ( gear is way outta my price range) I am willing to cut back on weight. I saw the light. I'm not carrying my French press backpacking, and then having to carry out the used grounds. I don't want to have to worry about KP water. So I'm looking at some of those backpacking meals.

 

As for the FILBE, it's what I'm recommending for my son to get since he really wants an ALICE,. and from what I've read and seen, it's an ALCIE on steroids, but without the weight. It might be a while before he gets it, but we got some time. He can still use A.L.I.C.E. until middle son joins up in December. and Middle Son has a 40L ALPS pack that will work for the car camping the troop is doing... at the moment

 

Now if the Venturing crew gets off the ground and wife is an associate adviser, I may be in trouble again as she will need her own pack

Reducing redundant items, using multi use items, planning out water stops. (You don't need to carry 5 liters of water during the spring in my neck of the woods..) Helps cut weight, regardless if you have the greatest and newest gear or not. 

 

Also paying full retail price for gear is for chumps. Every online retailer has sales, in September/October or so they will clearance spring and summer gear to get it out of the store. Especially if a new model is coming. 

Edited April 21, 2016 by Sentinel947

[JasonG172]

For all you coffee fans I stumbled across these one day on the clearance aisle and they taste great as well.

 

I love this brand because it is bolder than normal bold coffees

 

 

[blw2]

You are correct, life is too short to be drinking bad coffee, toss in an egg for the best cup of your life.  

huh?

as in a raw egg?

 

I think I've heard of eggshells to settle out grounds in cowboy coffee, but I have no experience with it....

 

On another note stosh, I picked up two tin cups a few weeks ago at a shop over in St Augustine...one for me and one for my son.  I was thinking of you.  Some day I might cook a whole camping trip's worth of meals in it.... just for fun.

They also had a nice selection of iron trivets and rods for fire cooking in the vintage style as you've described (although I think it was targeted to a bit further back in history than the civil war...).  Seemed to be by a local blacksmith.  I almost picked up a few things, but decided against it.

[TAHAWK]

It is also amazing how much neck pain results from someone using a trump-line who has not built up his neck muscles.  Ditto for carrying a load on the top of your head.

 

Of course, if you only have third-best, that is what you use.  

[Stosh]

huh?

as in a raw egg?

 

1) roast coffee in fry pan if not roasted.

2) grind with knife handle, or other hard object in bottom of coffee cup

3) pour in water.  Boil to taste. (taste with spoon)

 

If one has a large pot

 

4) take out innerds

5) fill with water

6) add coffee grounds

7) raw egg crushed and dropped into coffee pot

8) stir

9) boil to taste. (taste with spoon)

10) if you over boil the coffee will turn really dark and rich but it shouldn't be oily or bitter the egg clarifies and smooths out the coffee. 

 

Cup method,

 

1) be careful, the rim of the cup will be HOT!  LET IT COOL A BIT!

2) skim off floater coffee grounds or filter through teeth and spit them out.  I skim a bit and spit a bit. 

3) don't finish off the cup, the sinker coffee grounds at the bottom are just waiting for you to forget.  If you forget there will be a lot of spitting.  I've had some really BLACK coffee that looks like tar, but it tastes great and will keep you away all night long if you drink it after 6:00 pm.

 

Pot method,

 

1) Floaters will have been caught up in the cooked egg

2) Pour really slow and handle gently so as to not disturb the sinkers on the bottom.

 

I think I've heard of eggshells to settle out grounds in cowboy coffee, but I have no experience with it....

 

The rest of the egg traps floater grounds!

 

On another note stosh, I picked up two tin cups a few weeks ago at a shop over in St Augustine...one for me and one for my son.  I was thinking of you.  Some day I might cook a whole camping trip's worth of meals in it.... just for fun.

They also had a nice selection of iron trivets and rods for fire cooking in the vintage style as you've described (although I think it was targeted to a bit further back in history than the civil war...).  Seemed to be by a local blacksmith.  I almost picked up a few things, but decided against it.

 

I cook all my food in my large tin cup.  Make sure your cup is properly made, don't be buying cheap or decorative cups.  The lead is solder is nasty stuff.  One piece cup or a cup made for food consumption is necessary.

 

 

It is also amazing how much neck pain results from someone using a trump-line who has not built up his neck muscles.  Ditto for carrying a load on the top of your head.

 

It is also amazing how much back and shoulder pain results from someone using a regular backpace and has not built up his back muscles, too! 

 

The tumpline IS for the top of the head,  It is not meant to be held with neck muscles, the spine itself is what is being used.  I use a combination of all three on a long trek.  My shoulders get sore, tighten the tumpline, back gets achy, loosen the tumpline and let the belt take the weight for a while.

 

I find that an 85# canoe rides very nicely on portages with the tumpline.  Resting that thwart on the back of your neck is miserable even with a horse-collar PFD.

 

My problem was I was deferred from military service for bad feet and when one uses a tumpline they can easily carry too much weight for the knees, ankles and arches.  When we were resupplied with food at Philmont with the tumpline and waist belt in placed adjusted correctly, I could easily carry half my weight for the first day before my feet gave out due to the weight.  Back, neck and shoulders did just fine.  Remember, I was the slow poke who didn't get blisters. and had less than half the rest periods than the rest of the group.

 

It takes a while to figure out what works best for each person, but that's what the 18 month training program getting ready is all about.

 

Of course, if you only have third-best, that is what you use.