Hanchor Updates Marl & Marble Packs

At the beginning of the 80s I had a Karrimor Jaguar pack that had a hip belt buckle like that. They called it a parachute buckle, IIRC. The buckle was plastic and eventually broke, but I still own the pack.

How do you feel about the mesh on the back?  And are the hipbelt pockets worthwhile?  Or are they uncomfortable like most hipbelt pockets when you actually put something in them?  While the alloy hipbelt connector looks sexy, has anyone used it?  Does it actually perform well?

I’ve been eyeing the marl for a while now… this might be a good time to pick one up… I’ve got a SO Divide that I like a lot, but I recently injured my back and necessarily want something with a smaller volume with stays that can be molded to match my lumbar.  I’ve been waffling between this and the HMG packs.

I’ve got a Hanchor TUFF pack with the mesh back pocket. I like it. It does have good stretch to it, but not as much as the one on my GG Gorilla pack. I like the Hanchor pocket because A) the mesh holes are big enough I can clearly see what and where stuff is, and B) because it doesn’t stretch like my GG pack, I am not tempted to try and put too much in there.

Dan has mentioned it here before with other reviews, and I will echo also – the build quality on these packs is top notch. Also, I don’t have a pack with their hip pockets, but the way the back panel is constructed, you could slide a different belt into it if you have one that you prefer.

The changes look good. Especially the hip belt buckle, which can be purchased separately to retrofit ver. 1.0. I might have to do that.

Did they change the ladder locks on the shoulder straps?

I like the function of vx21 pockets, but prefer the slimmer form of the mesh.

I love the new buckle — I was going to order one, but the ~US$20 shipping stopped me.

If a bunch of us want these, maybe we could think about arranging a group buy?

MSR used an aluminum quick release buckle on their frame packs in the 70s.    Appears to be a similar concept to the one posted here.

Don’t know if MSR manufactured it or bought it elsewhere.  It weighs just over an ounce and fits 2″ webbing.  For reference, the plastic 2″ quick release  buckles popular today also weigh about 1 ounce.

I really like the blue. I would have gone that route when I ordered my Marl if it was an option, but opted for all black VX21 instead. I agree regarding the old hardware – it took a minute to get used to.

Ryan

Sign me up for the group buy on the buckle.

“How do you feel about the mesh on the back?  And are the hipbelt pockets worthwhile?  Or are they uncomfortable like most hipbelt pockets when you actually put something in them? “

The mesh pocket is good. The padding/mesh on against the wearers back works well too. I like it. It protects you from feeling the frame, while being lighter than padding the whole back.

The hipbelt pockets have a three dimensional shape (like a box, not like an envelope) so you shouldn’t feel the contents of the hipbelt pockets digging into your hips unless you seriously over load them. I’ve always been happy with them.

I heard some more information from Hanchor this evening about these new packs:

1. The load lifters are now a consistent height above the shoulder straps on all sizes of the packs. Previously the medium and large packs had the same frame and load lifters, but just with the shoulder straps sewn on 2″ higher on the large. Now the load lifters move higher as well, and the frame is a little taller for the large, so the load lifters should be more effective in this size. Nice.
2. The pack bottom is now VX42. Maybe the Marl was like this previously – I’m not sure but I think it was all VX21. Now both the Marl and Marble are VX21 except for the VX42 bottom.
3. The rear pocket of the Marble has been revised to be less boxy (e.g. the bottom is now sloping instead of flat).

Thanks for sharing, Dan. Point no. 1 is a huge plus over my ver. 1.0 large. It’s the only thing I’d really want changed. It works as is, but just a tad more height/angle on the load lifters would be welcomed with a week+ of food and bear can in the pack. Hmm…

“The pack bottom is now VX42. Maybe the Marl was like this previously – I’m not sure but I think it was all VX21.”

It was already VX42. I asked them to make the bottom VX42 on mine about a month ago and they said it already was and that they would update the website to reflect that(which they did).

Ryan

I’ll jump in on the Marl — looks too good to pass up.

Just don’t tell my wife.

Will the Marl continue to be available in gray?

Looks like Hanchor made a nice pack even more refined. Here are some detail specs I got from Hanchor which you may find helpful. The pack is similar in capacity to the Zpacks Arc Haul, HMG 3400, Osprey Talon 44 and other similar sized packs. Note Hanchor is conservative on volume as they only count the volume of the main bag and not the pockets, and this might not even include the volume of the fully extended collar. Dan maybe you can comment on this.

Weight
New MARL with torso-R/ hipbelt-S: 908g + 145g for 3 aluminum stays. Total 1053g.
New MARL with torso-L adds 25g.

Volume (only count the main pack bag not pockets)
New MARL torso-R is 51L (old MARL torso-R had a volume of 43L).
New MARL torso-L will be about +3L, 54L

Pack Bag Size
Circumference:
For Torso-R and Torso-L MARL, the circumferences of the top and bottoms are the same.
Top opening circumference 40″
Bottom circumference 34″

Length of pack fully unrolled:
For Torso-R= 35.5″
For Torso-L= 37.5″

Attachment Points
2 webbing loops at the bottom of the pack
Hook and Strap Kit to fix gear on the backpack https://goo.gl/QRjehS

Sizing (these are just the torso sizes I asked about)
For a 20.5-21 in. torso length, we would recommend a torso L
For a 18.5-19 in. torso length, we would recommend a torso R

Thanks Ethan. Interesting. I didn’t realize the volume was increased. Looks like the same torso length and bottom circumference, but the top circumference is increased moderately (36.5″ to 40″).

That alone seems insufficient to explain the 20% increase in rated volume, since that’s just 10% more circumference at the top, and no increase at the bottom, so about a 5% increase in circumference on average. I wonder if they’ve updated their measuring methodology as well to include more of the roll top.

I’m not sure how Hanchor does their math, but I suspect their volumes in the past haven’t  included much of the extension collar/roll top. Maybe the 51L is the result of a little more volume, plus a more typical way of measuring.

I ordered one, with their folding thin foam pad in case I want extra padding for bear cannister. I’ll report in neither my impression.

I noticed Hanchor updated their Marl page with full pictures and specs for the new Marl.

“Your item cleared United States Customs at 8:53 am on May 8, 2018.”

Booyah! Any day now…

Yes, I got the same message today!!! Can’t want to get it in hand.

It’s a gorgeous pack. I loaded it up and it feels pretty comfy with 22lbs. I usually set out with 35 on my 8 day trips, so that’s the real test. It’s basically the same size as an Exos 48 narrower at the bottom, and a little taller.

I hope I will be happy with it, won’t know until I get out with it. I have no idea how Dan Durston uses it for packrafting, it can hold 3 season gear and a BV500, so good perfect a week trip, but I think you would have to strap a raft to the outside of the pack.

Well I don’t have any good pictures, but in the shot below I’m the hiker at the front and I’ve got 1 paddle, snowshoes (on top), 2 rafts, UL kit and 3 days food – and that is the smaller original version of the Marl.

But 8 days of food and a BV500 is probably about the same amount of gear.

Dan, love it that you proved it!

I can’t wait to get out in it. To my taste, it’s hands down the most attractive backpacking bag I have ever seen, so there’s that.  (rivaled by the SWD and ATOM packs)

It doesn’t look like the folding pad I got with it will fit with the bear cannister, i’ll have to see. But I stuffed if full and the bear canister wasn’t jutting into my back, so seems ok. I think those padding rails get it just far enough away from your spine to make the difference. I’ll try and take some photos here at some point.

Just got my pack today.  Can’t wait to get it dirty and see how it works out.

This will be my first pack with frame stays that (obviously) need to be bent. Anyone have a favorite starter guide for bending them? I know it will be an personal and iterative process, but any info/tips would be great.