Alter ego backpacking gear

[William Zila]

Hey guys so my packs are really starting to take off thankfully. I figured I would post some info on them here, I've got packs ranging from 1,100 cubic inches to 2,400 and I do custom work. Some examples are variance in size variance in materials pocket among other things. Here's the link to the blog for pics and more detail http://alteregobackpackinggear.blogspot.com/2011/09/alter-ego-assault.html

here is the pricing list its also on my blog

PRICING LIST/PACKS
Assault, AssaultX2, Uber w/o customization 75.00$ shipped to the lower 48 U.S
Assault 1,100-1,400 cubic inches internal, AssaultX2 1,500-2,000 internal volume, Uber 1,900-2,400 internal volume
Included features/ Side pockets, back pocket choice of mesh, stretch lycra mesh, sil nylon, 70D PU coated ,70D sil/ Back compression system choice of shock cord or normal 2.2mm cord/ padded waist belt/ padded shoulder straps
Customization choices

BASIC 5.00$ Custom work. Examples include but are not limited too D loops on shoulder straps, sternum strap, upgrade to dynemma side and/or back pocket, ice axe loops, hydration bladder hook, basic size modification such as slight length +/- change,

OTHER CUSTOM WORK. I am open to more customization feel free to email me and we will work out a fair price. Examples of this would be order a specific fabric, custom sized pack, ect.

Accessories. Hip belt pockets set. 20.00$ These are available now I have the prototypes made and modifications ready for the final model. These attach to grosgrain loops now standard on padded waistbelt

CARBON STAKES
25.00$ per 6 shipped to lower 48 U.S / 40.00$ PER 12

7 INCH 5.4 GRAM STAKES. These things are durable and have awesome holding power I favor them over a comparable Ti shepherd hook they are also about 1.5 grams lighter

Email [email protected]
Phone 505-321-1751

[Steven Adeff]

Hey Will, do you have a page, or a pdf "cut sheet" for your packs that shows all the options, sizings, prices, etc? It's just difficult to get a clear idea of what each bag has, it's options, weights, etc from the blog. The pics and stuff look interesting, but it's tough to get a clear idea in a quick fashion to decide if/what I'd want.

[drowning in spam]

Shoot him an email. He was very quick and thorough with me. I can't wait to take his pack out on the trail. I'll get some pics posted up when I do.

[Andy Chassé]

Same as above..answered all my questions completely and quickly. Pretty excited to get my new pack and take it for a test spin in a couple weeks.

[J-L]

I also had the same experience. Fast response time, easy to work with, very reasonable prices in my opinion…I'm really looking forward to trying out my pack when it arrives. I think it'll be exactly what I've been looking for.

[William Zila]

There has been a slight price change to 75$ and 80$ with basic custom work so just 10$ more. I'll make a PDF sheet or something like it soon Stevan as soon as I nail down everything so proably in the next couple weeks

[William Zila]

edit posted above

[Andy Chassé]

Just stopped by Will's place (turns out he's right down the road) to check out the packs. I gotta say, the pictures don't do them justice. They look very, very nice. Will was happy to answer all of my questions and even brought up a few I hadn't thought of beforehand, great guy and super easy to work with.

[drowning in spam]

I ordered an Alter Ego Assault from William earlier this month. The specs were dyneema grid body and bottle pockets, 70D back pocket, silnylon draft tube and a padded hip belt. I also asked for D rings to be sewn to the shoulder straps so I could hang my shaker bottle from it…my trail name is Sir Mix-a-lot for that reason after all. I wanted to see how well thought out this pack was, so I didn't mention that I wanted the bottle pockets to be deep enough to hold a ~2 liter Gatorade bottle and for the hipbelt to fit my too-wide waist. I'm 5'9" and a little over 210 lbs.

I had been wanting a much smaller pack to replace my ULA Catalyst. Right now I'm much more concerned about reducing pack size than pack weight, but this would help me do both.

I got the pack yesterday, but today was the first day I brought it out on the trail for a brisk 6 mile walk.

First the bad. The straps for the shoulder straps slip a little and the cinching system for the roll top could get things tighter for when the pack isn't completely full. I might be able to fix the latter problem by moving where the cord is routed. I'll try that on my next hike. Now onto the good.

On a personal note, I was very happy to find that I could fit all my gear and food for 4 days into the main compartment, ~2 liter Gatorade bottles in both side pockets, and that the hipbelt fit…barely. The total pack weight with food and ~3.5 liters of water was ~20 pounds. I am in the process of losing lots of weight, so I wouldn't have been dismayed if it didn't fit, and I didn't use it today anyway. The shoulder straps seem to fit well. I had one shoulder strap feel like it was about to slide off one of my shoulders, but this happens on every one of my other packs from the ULA Catalyst to my Dana Designs Astralplane, and the Assault has the least shoulder slippage…I think my form is bad or maybe I'm lopsided since this happens no matter the pack or how they are adjusted.

That's all I have for now. I'll take it on a few more day hikes and then for a few days on the PCT later this month.

[William Zila]

Thank you for the input eugene I am addressing the compression system as well as shoulder straps in my next round of changes in the next couple of weeks I Am also going to try xpac fabric

[Author]

Posts