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A McHale demo pack arrived today
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Apr 24, 2013 at 3:27 pm #1980186
Andrew- where did you go this weekend? I was in echo lake(tahoe area) hiking with my GF and daughter and man if you weren't on a north face or above 8,500 you were on dirt.
Apr 24, 2013 at 3:43 pm #1980192Josh,
We were at Carson Pass (8,200ft) and yes we had crud snow/ice or dirt patches until about 8,500. Kirkwood looked like it still had snow but I doubt it will be around in another week or two.
Also it does seem you found one of the most expensive packs on the McHale sight. I know it's confusing and it takes some time to extract all the information since it's not organized or centralized. Here is the page for the pack type I'm testing with a base MSRP of $575
http://www.mchalepacks.com/ultralight/detail/Little%20Big%20Packs.htm
Apr 24, 2013 at 3:59 pm #1980200Andrew – Thank you for clearing the pricing up. 575 is much better. and yes If you read everything on page it paints a clearer picture of what it costs. I cant wait to hear the reviews of these packs.
"but I doubt it will be around in another week or two"
Funny you say that cause after playing around in echo I bought a permit for an over nighter at aloha lake in desolation wilderness for this comming weekend and I dont plan on bringing any snow gear. Should be a fun trip hopefully the fish up at aloha are hungry!
sorry for the slight derail.
Apr 24, 2013 at 5:10 pm #1980217.
Apr 24, 2013 at 5:23 pm #1980220Little extras here and there, depending on the fabric of choice, will add up. Mine totaled out around $1100, which included dyneema with some spectra in certain parts, and $150 for 2 shipments to Alaska (charged me $75 each shipment for $50 in postage). Mine was a Large load carrier (not weight, but for volume).
Wasn't worth it for me.
Apr 24, 2013 at 5:27 pm #1980223.
Apr 24, 2013 at 8:22 pm #1980272Your going to have to stay with the base pack and maybe add the P&G suspension option ($95). Shipping charges added $81 to my total cost. You can always add options at a later date. For me the custom fitting makes it worthwhile. Most packs just don't fit quite right on me. For others the off the rack fit works great.
Jul 12, 2013 at 1:07 pm #2005275nm
Jul 12, 2013 at 10:52 pm #2005448"To those of you that currently have one- Was this pack worth 1000 dollars?"
I certainly want to be respectful of other's opinions here, but in my case with the three McHales that I own, they are worth it to me.
Mine fit me perfectly. And for my body type, they carry loads better than any other production pack that I have used (Osprey, Mystery Ranch included). Dan spent a lot of time with me getting the fit just right… he was more finnicky than I was about my packs, and I am grateful that he was.
I had a positive experience from Demo to finished product.
Jul 13, 2013 at 2:14 pm #2005578I am completely satisfied with both of mine. Yes, worth every cent.
This past week the airline baggage apes couldn't put a scratch in my checked Bump, which went from coast to coast :)
Jul 13, 2013 at 2:58 pm #2005590It better be self carrying. I get construction difference and durability but $1000 could likely replace my entire carried gear. I spent under $200 for my pack, It has almost 5000 miles on it and going strong. Don't think there is anything it could deliver to make it a good value. But I also suspect that the intended audience is not carrying the spartan gear that I'm normally carrying so they likely have a different value equation.
Also, I spent about an hour this morning on McHales site. Somebody really needs to do a trade with him, free pack for a quality website. It made my head hurt.
Jul 13, 2013 at 3:05 pm #2005592.
Jul 13, 2013 at 4:08 pm #2005602I carry my winter gear in my Hornet, which was given to me for free.
Anyone that knows me..knows that I carry enough insulation for two normal people. That and extra fuel and some luxury items, all in my 46 liters plus an extra detachable pocket I made for my pack.Edited to add:
The Ridgerest was for sitting on the snow. In my pack was a long Exped 9, a Montbell SS2, a Nunatak Specialist, 2 Montbell down jackets, down booties, down pants, a Simmerlite, pot and cup, lots of food, a Sublite and much more.Jul 13, 2013 at 4:13 pm #2005604.
Jul 13, 2013 at 4:15 pm #2005605Hi Steven,
I added more info when I edited my previous post.
This little pack fits more than I can believe myself. I replaced the back pad with another piece of Ridgerest. I have been using it for almost 4 years and really like it.Jul 13, 2013 at 4:20 pm #2005608.
Jul 13, 2013 at 4:22 pm #2005609Just to clarify, I brought sooo much on that particular trip, as the low was -5 F. I used it all though.
Enjoy your nice pack Steven.
Jul 13, 2013 at 4:26 pm #2005612.
Jul 13, 2013 at 4:57 pm #2005620Quoted from Herman E;
" Little extras here and there, depending on the fabric of choice, will add up. Mine totaled out around $1100, which included dyneema with some spectra in certain parts, and $150 for 2 shipments to Alaska (charged me $75 each shipment for $50 in postage). Mine was a Large load carrier (not weight, but for volume).
Wasn't worth it for me."
The shipping charge that Herman states is not true. The total was $75.00 for 2 Shipments ( Demo and Final ). It says right on the order in the shipping box X2 = $75.00 and everything totals up correctly. Insurance charges easily take parcels beyond just the cost of shipping also, and that is included in the $75.00. This was X2 Priority shipping from Seattle to Alaska.
There is no reason to be as unsatisfied as he is stating he is. He demoed a pack. Unfortunately he wanted one shorter than I recommended. I even let him cut the demo down to the length he wanted. I have email showing he got what he wanted, not what I recommended. That process took 182 emails between us. He should be dissatisfied with himself, not me. He was very insistent that he knew what he was doing, even when I suggested he test the pack outside rather than just on a treadmill.
Jul 13, 2013 at 5:23 pm #2005627Very happy with my McHale Bump and LBP. I generally use one of them on a weekly basis and after a couple years, in the case of the LBP, still marvel at how comfortable and durable they are. Since getting my McHales I can now walk into REI or Cabelas without making a stop in the pack section. :-)
Jul 13, 2013 at 5:31 pm #2005628What did the 182 emails end up costing?
Jul 13, 2013 at 5:59 pm #2005639I suppose you could say it it's amortized somewhere in the cost of the pack. More than likely it came out of my hide. This person paid no more than somebody that would take 1/3 the amount of time. It's grist for the mill.
Jul 13, 2013 at 6:23 pm #2005651"Very happy with my McHale Bump and LBP. I generally use one of them on a weekly basis and after a couple years, in the case of the LBP, still marvel at how comfortable and durable they are. Since getting my McHales I can now walk into REI or Cabelas without making a stop in the pack section. :-)"
The question I'm about to ask is not a loaded bash on McHale at all rather I know there has to be something I'm missing because there are many people that rave about the packs. Given this is BPL and I would assume, maybe wrongly, that most here have a pretty light base weight. I hear the fit and comfort piece but how can there be such a difference to justify the cost? I would further go on the limb and say few on this site are putting in the nights or miles that make the durability of the packs much of an issue unless there are regular trips more rugged than the SHR on a regular basis. My $80 Jam 2 lasted 3 years and roughly 2000 miles with much of that off trail hikes such as the SHR and multiple Sierra snowshoe trips where I was loaded up to about max capacity.
So, to all the McHale owners. What are the specifics that make it worth it. If its comfort then what was the preMcHale scenario that was so wretched that the expenditure seems justified. Again this is sincerely asked and not intended as McHale bashing. What say you?
Jul 13, 2013 at 6:35 pm #2005652Having recently been the recipient of a McHale demo pack, I have to say that the pack, just the demo, was above and beyond what I expected. The wealth of innovations and clever engineering on it was amazing! The fit, even on the demo, was excellent! The versatility is beyond anything I've seen in 40 years of backpacking!
Now I am happily anticipating my own McHale pack in a few weeks!
Is it worth the $$$? Well, I don't think you could get a better pack, and by comparison for top of the line, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than a custom Lamborghini! It's even cheaper than my (now old) top of the line road and mountain bikes!
Yeah, since hiking and backpacking has been for forty years my favorite activity, and having the disposable income to spend on it, yeah, I think it's worth it. And I expect my son will be using it after I die. Also worth it (though it may not fit him quite as well!).
Jul 13, 2013 at 6:54 pm #2005655Hiking Malto, your question is more general that I think you see. Most of my customers come from a place where they have tried packs like the one you are using. Many people find that in many ways those packs are not satisfying. These people are on the rebound to find packs with more structure and better hipbelts. I can assure you that ALL of these people are not buying packs from me. Only a tiny portion of them do.
To be more fair to you, many of these people may decide to keep their frameless pack for certain trips, but realize they are not the best for everything. Again, they don't all rush to me. Obviously there are many pack makers that are kept in business.
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