Macpac eVent launch- NZ and AU..

Allison
When I purchased the Neve I no idea that there was a Pod … , of course the fact that the WM versions of the Neve (…) are extinct is not encouraging..
Yes a beefy zip draught sleeve would be nice.
Franco

Thanks Ashley
Sorry that I could not post a picture of the new Macpac eVent jacket

Thanks again Ashley

>Not to be a bother but I don't ever remember the MacPac stuff being light, or at least light enough to really pop up here.

I've been thinking about this, and to the extent that BPL has only been around 5-ish years, this is kinda true. But Before BPL, MacPac lead the way in many of the earlier lightweight ventures. The Pinnacle tent, at 2.5 kg for a true NZ four season tent was hard to beat. And in terms of value for money and weight, mine lasted 12 honest years of abuse before it had to be retired (due to malicious attack by a gang of bored keas). If not for the keas, I think it would still be in action. I can't see any of the current "UL" tents lasting that kinda distance. MacPac designed the Neve, which though far from perfect, was another real revolution in commercial gear design, soon copied by J&H Wilderness (aka One Planet). There was also that down 'liner' topbag they released at the same time. Something like the first 450g down bag I've ever seen. Then came the original Microlight tent. For a while there, MacPac has droppped the ball in this area, but perhaps Cam and his crew of new-era designers will pick the ball up again.

It's a shame that WM screwed up the design of what would have otherwise been the perfect topbag IMHO, but with the few small changes I made to ours, I think even MacPac will find them hard to beat. Hard, but not impossible!

One thing I always need to ask : will they have pitzips?

Brett- maybe you are correct- our 3 layer eVent traverse shell (with pack away hood and chest pocket) is 345gms mens (M) and 310gms womens (w's med)..
the use of a heavy fabric on shoulder to comply with our pack carrying requirement blew them out of the super light categorey…

Maybe Macpac should also bring a version without the heavy shoulder fabric??? and create a eVent shell under 300gms!
My "dream" eVent shell: 250/280gms, pack away hood, pit-zips. that is a jacket i would buy in an instand!

Okay, MacPac may have some light stuff but I don't remember any of it being that way growing up and the stuff I have seen around Victoria and Vancouver when I go out there is far from light. I swear if you are from Taz you have to get a pack that at least weighs 8 pounds or you are a girlie-man.

> I swear if you are from Taz you have to get a pack that at least weighs 8 pounds or you are a girlie-man.
That, or kinda smart.

Cheers

>MacPac may have some light stuff but I don't remember any of it being that way growing up

It's all relative to what else was available at the time. Now that I remember back, MacPac also came out with the Ascent pack, one of the first sub-2kg packs that could actually carry heavy loads comfortably. And then there was that Reflex jacket they made for a while (the yellow one with black reinforcements). It was around 500g, totally waterproof and pretty durable. But this was all pre-turn of the century, and MacPac haven't kept up the pace of innovation in LW. So by today's BPL standards, definitely NOT UL, but in it's day…maybe you just never got any of the good stuff when you were 'growing up'?

Roger, I meant the pack itself weighed 8 pounds.

Allsion, No, I think I did not but then again we were pig farmers. But I am really have not seen much of the light stuff make it over here to this side either.

Hi Brett

Yes, I know you meant the pack itself!
There is a web site for Tasmanian bushwalkers. Some of them would agree entirely with you, and add huge leather boots as well, while Tony Beasley and I and others give them a hard time. We treat it as a bit of a giggle, but some of 'them' get very worked up over it.

Cheers

Any chance you'll have the eVENT jacket in XXL? If so, how much will it weigh? Thanks.

>Yes, I know you meant the pack itself!
There is a web site for Tasmanian bushwalkers. Some of them would agree entirely with you, and add huge leather boots as well, while Tony Beasley and I and others give them a hard time. We treat it as a bit of a giggle, but some of ‘them’ get very worked up over it.

And they give a bit back too.

the best one was when a 14 yo asked for advise on what pack should he buy, one member advised that he should get a 100 liter pack as he did not always need to use the extra volume.

In my trip reports I post my gear list and I am starting to get asked questions about my LW gear even by some of the most anti LW walkers on BW-T.

Tony

asheley how much? the Traverse jacket (the lightest of our new line) has an RRP of NZD399 (at todays exch. that's about US215…)

Tom pit zips? Tom we have put pit zips on our Prophet jacket only. This is our alpine jacket (stretch panels, external and internal pockets etc) this is not an BPL style jacket- closer to 520grams due to all the extra details/storm flaps etc.

James XXL:?weight? yes, we are making in XXL but I haven't yet fot the weight on these.

I don't think Macpac has ever made it our mission to pursue UL gear as our #1 priority (heck- we build most of our packs out of canvas!). But then again, those that focus on being simply the lightest in class probably don't get to see their products out and about in use after 20+years of use like we do. So while product weight certainly appears on our design briefs, it is never at the top of the list…(we will choose #4.5 or #5 sliders instead of #3 if we believe it is needed, we won't used a 15D fabric if the likely end use involves pack carrying etc)…Macpac have always stood behind our product, and well resolved durability is inseperable in our brand identity. We do subscribe to the concpet of pared back and simple functionality, but we'll never be the BPL darlings- there will always be someone lighter…

> Macpac have always stood behind our product,
The waist belt buckle on my wife's *old* Torre pack failed last year. Well, OK, it happened when she fell off a cornice and bounced. Macpac replaced it, free.

Cheers