Custom Pack Features?

Dean – I went through a lot of the same thought process.  I ended up buying a McHale Chasm but after a few years ended up buying an LBP36 which has become my primary pack.  The Chasm felt great and could carry a bear canister horizontally, but it also weighted almost 4.5lbs and had far more volume than I needed for even week long trips.  The LBP36 has more than enough volume for me and I have about the same 12-15lb base weight.  The LBP36 is more compact and easier to carry in brush and scrambling, it weights just over 3lb without a top pocket or kangaroo pocket.  I also don’t use a hydration system backpacking and the McHale side pockets are the best ones I’ve ever had for carrying water bottles.  I did a full spectra back panel on my LBP36 and it really adds to durability of a high abrasion area.

Ron

Ron- are those the large bottle pockets?  Or the smaller ones?

Mine are the standard ones that come with the pack, I believe those are the small ones. I typically use only one side pocket and it’s for for a water bottle.   It’s secure and there is plenty of room, I sometimes slide a sawyer filter in beside the bottle.  I use the basic belt pockets for snacks and quick use items.  The nice thing about the modular pockets is that you can use different combinations or buy additional/different ones later.

Ron

No, if they are his ‘standard’ bottle pockets then they are the larger ones that can fit a 64 oz Gatorade bottle.  Does that sound like the size?

Everyone seems to be telling that they are great pockets and not to worry about them being too big… so, okay.

The bottle pockets really rock.

Mine are the standard pockets sized for Nalgene bottles (or 32oz Gatorade bottles) and they are the best pockets I have used.

My second favorite water bottle pocket is the one on my 2008 Gossamer Gear Mariposia Plus (the one with the carbon fiber arrowshaft stays).

The ones on some of my other packs including my frameless 2010 SMD Swift and Seek Outside Unaweep are perfectly serviceable but not nearly as refined.

I am picky on water bottle pockets and if I can’t get a water bottle in and out with one hand while hiking the pack won’t work for me and I have eliminated packs just because of the pockets including the MLD Ark, Exped Lightning, and Granite Gear.

I’m with you on the bottle pockets, Brad. The ones on the Osprey Exos always impressed me, and the tall/skinny ones MLD uses are the one great deficiency in those packs IMO. I hate doing contortions to remove/insert a bottle without taking the pack off.

Both of my McHale packs have the large water bottles, since I often need to carry a lot of water. They hold a 64 ounce Gatorade bottle, and carrying a gallon of water low and close to the body works well.

The pockets have a draw cord with a toggle near the top, and a compression strap also runs along the middle of the pocket. Here are a couple pictures. Notice that the bottom of the water pocket and the pack itself are a darker material, which is heavier Spectra, versus the body of the pack that is made from Dyneema.

I wanted to update everyone- I got Dan’s demo pack, an LBP36.  The quality is everything I’ve been led to expect, and I’m in the process of taking it out on dayhikes with a 30 pound load to be sure of the sizing.

Dave was right- I need to go a bit bigger.  I’m going to aim for at least an LBP38.  To reach those 30 pounds to put into the demo pack I basically made a bunch of ‘worst-case’ decisions on gear, such as adding an entire layer of grid fleece, bringing my heavier eVent parka, both an Ursack and a hanging kit, full length 1/8″ Evazote pad and torso length Thermarest Pro, etc.  Also, 8 pounds of food and 3L of water.  And this all fills the LBP36 absolutely to the brim- I can only get a single roll in the roll-top.  Hacking Dan’s volume calculations reveals that this same load would fill an LBP38 only for the torso length- i.e. to the shoulder strap insertion.  So that seems like a rational target.

The bottle pockets are, indeed, awesome.  (He sent examples of both sizes.)  No problems getting things in and out without removing the pack.  Even his ‘small’ bottle pockets are very large and roomy.  I may get a set of each size- I would usually use the smalls, but I would have the larges for desert hiking and I would also get the large ones with the double-pocket option for easy carrying of skis, wands, or paddles.  Thus the large ones would be my ‘heavy tricked-out’ option when needed, but I’d usually use the smalls.

As advised by you all, I’m future-proofing by getting every option that I might need.  (Dan isn’t going to live forever.)  But I still insist that the base pack be able to be stripped down reasonably light and with the “right” volume for most of my hikes.

One of Dan’s many strengths are packs that offer accessories for customizing the pack for different types of trips – you do not need to get stuff from other sources and hack your pack, plus Dan’s accessories are integrated into the pack design.

Looking forward to your feedback on carrying and comfort.

Look closely at the Osprey EXOS 58 pack. It’s the most comfortable UL pack I’ve ever tried and believe me, I’ve looked at a lot of packs from California to Nevada to Colorado.

You can use the side compression straps of the EXOS series to attach side pockets. I do it to better organize gear I may want immediately like potty kit, water purification, and 1st aid.

Eric,

Dean has already committed to a McHale pack. You have to use one to understand how well it works.

Thanks for the update Dean.

McHales are really well built and you can tell that he has though out every intricate detail.  Now they aren’t the lightest packs out there, but for what they are, they are  fantastic.

Eric,

I own an Exos 58.

;)

And it did in fact shape some of what I want in my Ultimate Pack.  For instance I love the Exos side water bottle pockets.  Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that I love the ease with which bottles can be retrieved and replaced in the Exos without taking the pack off.  I also find the little trek-pole-holster widget very handy at times when I need to do a short scramble, and that’s easy enough to replicate on almost any pack with a couple of pieces of shock cord.

But now the Exos will be my “loaner.”

Cons of the Exos= the suspension.  I have managed to poke a couple of holes in the mesh hammock already, and they’re under a bit of tension so they must at some point propagate.  But I admit that the mesh does make for great ventilation.  Also, the Exos is a bit too feature rich (and features = weight).  It could lose the bulky lid, which is easy enough, but also has extraneous exterior-zippered pockets.  Or at least mine does- I have a first generation model.  I think the design has changed not inconsiderably since then.

Yeah, a lot of people like Osprey packs and I only owned one, a 2003/4 Aether 60, but new models do seem overloaded with “features” (pockets, etc) which some people like, but others prefer simple packs.

Good luck with the McHale.

To the OP’s question:
Do you all have any other ideas on features you would want on your “perfect pack?”

Yes.

– Volume about 50 liters

– single waterproof main compartment with really durable material, 3lb weight is still ok

– opening at harness panel like some rando backpacks. I’d like to put the pack to a muddy or snowy ground so that harness remains clean and dry. And get easy access to all items inside. Removable cushion in the lid (facing my back).

– stretchy mesh side pockets, accessible while walking. More stretchy mesh pockets but not in the front panel (it’s getting muddy)

– beefy attachment points in all 8 corners to tie bungees/daisy chains/webbing depending on the day’s needs

– good harness and hip belt that do not absorb water. With spibelt-type pockets. Option to store water bottle horizontally at the hip belt (raidlight-style)

– material that is still usable at -30C (-20F)

Well, Dan’s done with the work and it’s in the mail:

I’ll probably have a review posted this autumn.

You will love it:-)

Some updated info.  Everything is Spectra unless otherwise noted.

First, I couldn’t find pictures of the accessory side pockets on Dan’s website or anywhere else, and ordering them was a bit of a leap of faith for me.  So for future reference here’s a picture with the pack fully accessorized in high-volume mode with side pockets, SARC lid, regular-sized bottle pockets, and waist belt pockets:

These are his LARGE accessory side pockets.  They attach to three buckle loops anteriorly (pack “back”), but then clip to each other posteriorly (pack “front”) using the two black straps you see cutting horizontally across the pack.  When those two straps are unbuckled the side pockets swing out to allow access to the front pocket:

For reference, here is the pack fully stripped, though with the waist belt:

So, since this is BPL, weights:

Stripped pack, 66.15 oz. (about 4+1/8 pounds)

SARC Lid, 9.04 oz

SARC Lid bear canister straps (pair), 1.72 oz

SARC Lid waist belt straps (to make a fanny pack), 1.29 oz

Accessory Side Pockets (pair), 12.66 oz

Shoulder strap pocket (single, Dyneema X Grid), 1.06 oz

Waist Belt Pockets (pair), 3.64 oz

Internal Hydration Bladder Sleeve (Dyneema X Grid), 2.63 oz

Regular Bottle Pockets (pair), 6.68 oz

Small Bottle Pockets (Pair, Dyneema X Grid), 3.65 oz

What I assume will be my typical setup (waist belt pockets and small bottle pockets) will be about 4.6 pounds.  So, yes, heavy by our standards but remember that this is my pack for longer (not just weekend) hikes, and I specifically wanted a suspension to carry the food and water weight.

This is a gorgeous and highly functional setup! Love the colors you chose. Prepare to carry heavy loads in comfort.

Thanks, Ryan.  I put a lot of thought into it.  And I like subdued colors but I didn’t want the pack to look at all “tactical,” thus leading to the two-tone green/tan with yellow highlights- the touch of yellow also being meant to make it a bit easier to spot the pack if I drop it down a slope or some other misadventure.  I just hope that people don’t assume I’m a Ducks fan.

Which, nothing against he Ducks, mind you, but I’m originally from Pittsburgh…

For other people contemplating a McHale: you can probably cut significant weight by forgoing all of Dan’s frame adjustment features, which he calls things like “Plug & Go Bayonets” and “Q-bayo.”   They’re robust, and thus heavy, and he is quite willing to make packs without them so long as you let him know that you’re a UL freak and aren’t going to be carrying big loads.  And if you’re truly only carrying light loads then you can probably do without his “Bypass Harness” system, too.  All this will result in a much simpler and thus much lighter pack.  But I got all of those because (some day) I’ll be schlepping things like packrafts, 10 days of food, etc.

Also, I have already decided that I wasted money buying a second, smaller set of bottle pockets.  His regular sized ones are awesome, and worth the extra couple of ounces.  In Dan’s defense, he did try to talk me out of them.  Not too hard, but he did…  :)

I’ve had considerable experience with two Mchale packs – an LBP 35 and an LBP38, the former not having the bypass system and the latter having it and frankly, to get one of his packs without the bypass system is short sighted given that it can be added and removed at will.  The bypass system is quite amazing.

Enjoy your pack, Dean.  It will outlive you.