A McHale demo pack arrived today

You had a demo for months Herman. If you were not happy because of decisions you made, take responsibility for it. I didn't make you buy the damn pack. You got the price list before we made the pack. Just like the shoulder pouches were taken off the pack, you could have deleted plenty. YOU added all the extra dyneema. There were no surprises – nothing crept up on you. You knew EVERYTHING about the price before you had it made. As for customer service, there is absolutely nothing in the 182 emails between us I wouldn't be happy to post. I have all of it.

I definitely agree Herman.

Seeing the invoice really drilled it home to me what a McHale pack might cost if I decided to get one down the track. I think that is worth being out in the public domain – because it is difficult to see JUST how much it might cost to get it made, all told.

But it is also good that the issue surrounding the $75 shipping is now resolved and is there for all to see. If Dan hadn't been here to correct that, we may have all thought that he had taken you for a ride, rather than just having expensive backpacks.

I did take responsibility for it. I paid $1100 for a pack that I still have and stopped using this summer and now collects dust. I was excited when I got it, but soon realized,it wasn't worth it. No one made me buy the pack, pay that much, or add on the extras. I am allowed to say it wasn't worth it to me. I don't see that as negativity.

You are not taking responsibility for your decisions. If you did you would not be bringing it up. You don't get that. The time to think about whether it was going to be worth it was while you were demoing it. You are being a hypocrite. It sounds real innocent to think you can just blurt out that it wasn't worth it too you, without looking at all the things that can mean. It does not look good coupled with claiming I greatly overcharged you for shipping on top of it, when that was not true. What is true about any of it?

I don't understand that. No hypocrisy. I spent money, which was worth something, in exchange for something, which turned out to not live up to what I was hoping. I'm the one who earned and spent my $1100, I think I'm a pretty good judge of what is or is not worth it to me.

I'm done Dan, feel free to get in the last word. The stage is yours. You did so very eloquently in an email today where you told me to "F*** off".

Later.

Again, you had the chance to make that determination when you had the demo which you had for more than enough time. You got the exact same pack when you had one made. I have even offered to help you with the one you have. I even told you just yesterday how to fix the strap problem you were having with the lid. It was all in the DVD. After all that time you did not see such a simple thing in the DVD. It means you did not even watch it. To top it off, you brought up none of this with me before you went public. The very last email you sent me mentioned things were going well with the pack but it was pulling back on the shoulders more than you liked. I made some suggestions and you NEVER followed through.

"Blame Yo Self" That was said by another Herman.

This is my last email exchange with Herman in 2012 below. I did not hear back from him after that. I edited his last name here to protect his privacy. My response is in the upper repeated section of the email below:

From: Herman E.
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 1:46 PM
To: dan.mchale@comcast.net
Subject: Re: Pack

Thanks Dan for the quick reply. The internal stays are shortened and I have the bayonets in with the load lifting bypass system. As far as shaping the pack, are you talking about putting your knee into the frame to give it a slight bend? " Yes, with the knees. You might just try using the long lower frame with the upper bayos in – you know how you kept pushing me to go shorter on the fit, but pulling back could just be a function of where your heavy stuff is. Packing is important, and then shaping."

I will try the seam grip. Do you then glue the outside when you're done with the inside? I will give it a try. "It will probably hold just glued from the inside with a couple layers. You could do the outside if you don’t mind how it looks. You might try patching a scrap of something first just to learn about the Grip."

Herman

On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 12:42 PM, wrote:

which configuration of the pack do you mean? Carrying weight as close to the back as possible and higher in the is best plus you need to shape the pack before putting it on like we have done w the demo. Do you have Seam Grip urethane. The best cosmetic fix is to tape the outside temporarily while you glue the inside.

From: Herman E
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 1:33 PM
To: mailto:dan.mchale@comcast.net
Subject: Pack

Dan,

Herman E here in Alaska. Pack is working out. Had a couple of questions:

(1) Wanted to know if you have suggestions for fitting. I feel the shoulder straps pulling back at my shoulders, more that I would like. Would bending the stays help with that at all?

(2) Had an accident which involved a knife and the pack, small 1/5 inch cut into the green grid fabric. Best solution for fixing this? I have some silk surgical thread that I was thinking about stitching it with and then putting a patch inside and outside. Thoughts?

Appreciate any help,

Thanks!

Herman E
Eagle River, AK

Based on dan Mchales attitude alone I would never want to do business with him. He had his chance to not act like a complete fool. I really want to see the email where he told him to **** off.

When I'm with assholes I tend to mirror assholes. Don't worry, you won't be getting a pack. People that have been around since the dawn of the internet call it 'No Soup for You!" Guys like you never quit – you are like a disease.

He doesn't need to send the last email. I will quote it. It was very simple. I told him to;

" F__k Off."

Congratulations you just ruined any last bit of reputation you might have had left in the minds of these readers. Maybe business is slow right now, maybe that's why you seem to have all this extra time spent posting here. Most certainly this will all come and bite you in the ass later on though, the internet doesn't forget, and it leaves scars like wildfire.

Quoted text before he deletes it:
When I'm with assholes I tend to mirror assholes. Don't worry, you won't be getting a pack. People that have been around since the dawn of the internet call it 'No Soup for You!" Guys like you never quit – you are like a disease.

He doesn't need to send the last email. I will quote it. It was very simple. I told him to;

" F__k Off."

No, the internet knows exactly what you are. The internet is not stupid.

Getting back to McHale Demo's

I dug this out of my photos archives to demonstrate why a McHale pack works for me. The fit is perfect, and it is only a Demo. I had loaded 70 lbs in this pack shown AND had hiked on an incline trainer for ten minutes. Still no sag of the waist belt.

i had lost a bunch of weight training with a Mystery Ranch G5000, but it was killing my lower back. When I received the McHale, that 60 lbs felt like 35 or 40 lbs. I was instantly sold.

In viewing this photo, some people focus on how close the upper pack is to my head. I purposely pulled the straps snug to pull the upper pack in close. It does not need to be pulled that snug, but I was just experimenting with the fit at the time. The P & G bayonet extensions can be bent to lean back, I suppose, if necessary.

HA! Dan, are you actually disputing the fact that Herman is unhappy?

Not only does he have every right to dislike your pack, if he pursues actively finding threads about McHale packs and voicing this opinion again- guess what! He gets to! He can be as upset as he chooses!

He paid for the pack, it's his right to use the forums to say why he dislikes it. If that bothers you, too bad! Stop selling packs if you're going to cry when people don't like them.

He's not being a hypocrite. He's using the forum. There's nothing wrong with what Herman is doing, and implying that there is is ludicrous and immature. Not everyone loves your packs.

Here is another Demo from Dan. Fit was great as well. They certainly work well for me, and Dan has always provided professional service.

AS far as Dan is concerned, I am grateful for his service. Entrepreneurs are the true heros in society. People who take risks, suffer due to regulation and taxation and give their time to serve us should be respected. Sure Dan may have been a bit brash in this thread and perhaps he let emotion rather than logic lead him a bit with his dealings with Herman, but Dan is an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs face challenges many of us will never know, that is-those of us who work for others instead of making our own way. Entrepreneurs most often be brash to be successful. I read in this thread that Dan had like 182 emails with Herman, that alone is supreme service. My hat is off to Dan, Mr.Aarn and all the other cottage gear makers who risk it all for us. Certainly there is no doubt that Dan's products are top quality, just like most of our other cottage manufactures. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE DAN AND ALL OTHER COTTAGE GEAR MAKERS!

As someone with spondylolisthesis and other low back problems, i love my man boobs(to quote Dan) and could not be happier. In fact, i acually would not be able o hike at all without this tyoe of load distribution.

This really explains it all:

http://www.aarnpacks.com/principles/natural_posture.html

Spondylolisthesis gets worse with the type of pressure typical packs put on the lower back, look at the arrows in the picture above. After approximately an hour with a normal pack, I have to take it off and stop. I can do thru hikes with an Aarn.

In no way am I being a fanboy, If McHale came out with a body pack concept, I would be the first to buy it. (Maybe patents are preventing him and others?) As long as it's an entire pack and not just some clip on like Ribz which are not as effective as a pack made from the ground up to distribute the load the way a bodypack does.

: P

Years ago, when the western part of the country was being settled, an old man had a farm on one of the main trails west, where folks often passed by. One day a wagon with a family pulled up, and the pioneer asked the old man, "What are folks like around here? Is this a good place to settle?" The farmer replied, "What were folks like in your old place?" The pioneer replied, "Oh, they were mean and nasty, always gossiping, and never helpful." "Well," said the farmer, "you won't like it here then, cuz folks are pretty much the same."

A day or two later, a second wagon drove up, and the folks in it asked the same question. "What were folks like back East where you lived before?" the farmer asked again. "Good folks, always friendly and helpful! We're missing them already," came the reply. The farmer said, "Folks here are just the same! You'll find nothing but good, friendly, helpful people here."

Nuf said.

Love that. Thanks.

Good one, Stephen!

Charles,

That Merke looks pretty sweet. What does it weigh in at?

@ Ian

My Merke that Dan built for me weighs in the vicinity of 3.5 lbs. I love the simple but effective suspension where he uses 7075 Aluminum stays. I use it A LOT. Ruggedly built, which I like. I typically only carry 10 or 15 lbs in it since I use packgoats more and more, but I have lugged close to 50 lbs in it one time and was amazed that the suspension did not collapse.

Carries wonderfully well. Feels like it a part of my anatomy, flexes well and does not restrict my movement in any way.

nm

No max, he abused the forum. He's not using it. He started out with a lie and he could not even fully apologize for that. Sure he can be as upset as he wants. Guys can beat their wives too. You are really going downhill in your reasoning. I thought you were looking for community here. You've just turned into another abuser. I understand your emotions but you are on the wrong team. OK, let's just say Herman is making good and proper use of the forum. It follows that I am doing the same.

"If anything I added insults while editing. I edit grammar and add insults, that's the purpose of my editing typically."

I couldn't help but laugh at this. One of the best BPL posts ever.

Ryan

@ David Ure – No, the Bayonets were not touching the back of my head. As I mentioned, I really snugged them down just to see what it felt like.

nm

Mchale is a scumbag and a scammer / thread.