McHale Backpacks — Long Term Review (Bump 32 and Little Big Pack 36 Compared)

The point of wider seams is that he double and triple stitches them, correct?

I’m not a seamstress or seamster (I guess tailor would be gender neutral) :-)

Other than fragile materials, the weak point of anything made from fabric are the seams. It seems to me, that wider seams (more material) spreads the loads and forces, plus double and triple stitching helps with this. Although it is becoming more and more difficult, when I buy clothes I look for double-stitching. Thus, a quality dress shirt is going to cost over $100.

Do you know what version of Evazote he uses? And where we can buy it?

No, I don’t. Years ago on a thread here on BP there was a conversation about foam sleeping pads. Someone who works at the company that manufactures Evazote, posted that they make many different kinds of foam: density, thickness, etc.

Do you know what material he uses on the inside of the shoulder straps and hipbelt? And where to buy it?

The inside of the shoulder straps on both my packs are made from fully woven Spectra. The Spectra actually rolls over to the top of the strap (no seam on the thin side of the strap). The top of the shoulder straps matches the same material as the main pack body.

I’m not sure about the inside of the hip belt. Dan’s website states, “The foam in the belt, imported from England, is called Evazote and is wrapped with a combination of bias cut 500 and 1000 denier Cordura that will gradually mold itself to the iliac areas of the pelvis.”

So, with lower pack weights you don’t miss using the stabilizer straps (and P&G system)? Not too much weight coming down on your shoulders?

No, because there isn’t any compression (or very little) of the frame stays. The shoulder straps just keep the pack close to my back, with almost all the load still transferred to the hip belt.

I like stabilizer straps to allow a bit of space between my back and pack for ventilation at times. Your thoughts?

If it is hot outside, we are going to sweat. I ignore it. Pack fit is most important to me, and suspended mesh panels or loose shoulder straps change the center of gravity.

When I hike with others, I see most are wearing long sleeve shirts. At rest stops, in warmer weather, I notice their backs are soaked in with sweat. Mine isn’t because I normally wear a Rail Riders Echo Speed T-shirt, which very loosely woven, similar to “fish netting.”

As conditions change (colder weather trips) I choose other top garment options. For more thoughts on this,

http://popupbackpacker.com/do-suspended-mesh-backpacks-really-ventilate/

How is the hipbelt attached to bag? Is it two pieces (left and right)?

Yes. Two straps on each side connect to D-rings behind the lumbar pad, and there is one stabilizer strap from the bottom of the frame stay sleeve to the hip belt.

He says he started out with the idea of using a conical hipbelt that wraps around you—hence the type Tipi Walter has (Critical Mass).

Does the kind you have create a “full wrap, conical” feel even with the lumbar pad sewn onto the bag? (I wonder why he doesn’t use the original belt design on most of his packs.)

The Critical mass belt (like Tipi’s) is designed to carry over 100 lb. “comfortably.” It is attached with bolts, so I’ve read. I’ve only seen one other McHale in person, an expedition-sized pack that my good friend Peter Vacco uses. And to be honest, I’ve never looked at it closely.

Yes, my belts do wrap around me and are very secure. The problem most people, especially men, have with hip belts is they wear them way too low, which also contributes to most packs being too short.

The center of the belt should be centered approximately over the top of the hip bone (iliac crest), meaning the buckle should be close to the navel. The design of my belts, with the double buckles, adjusts the belt at the top and the bottom — allowing the hip belt to somewhat fold or wrap over the top of the hip bone. This keeps the belt secure and doesn’t allow it to slip downwards.

Another benefit of a properly fitted hip belt is you don’t need a belt to hold up your trousers assuming your trousers are also properly fitted. The hip belt will keep them up.

http://popupbackpacker.com/a-gentlemans-guide-to-fitting-trousers/

Nick—Thank you for the thorough reply.

I’m going to double stitch my main seams. And I’m doing a full-wrap hipbelt attached at two points at the bottom (without bolts!)—with a single buckle and four-point attachment (similar to Zpacks’).

From the McHale website, here’s a photo (on the left) showing the four bolts: outer two holding stays to the horizontal bar, inner two attaching the full-wrap hipbelt:

And here’s one of his biggest pack, the Super Inex, with that type of hipbelt:

It’s interesting to learn that McHale sees his extension bayonets at least partly as a way to counter the sinking of the hipbelt under heavier loads.

I’d always naively assumed it was simply a way to extend the capacity of the pack.

That would help explain this design feature I spotted on this Seek Outside inspired MYOG pack:

https://outlivingblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/the-big-ugly/

You would shorten the suspension straps when the pack was heavily loaded.

This would be much simpler for an amateur to execute than the McHale bayonet/bypass approach and might serve the same purpose of keeping the shoulder-straps at the right level.

Does this make any sense?

I have a Mchale LBP.  What makes it special isn’t the exceptional build quality, or the nice wide – not too thick – hipbelt, or the excellent ‘modularity’.  It is the P&G Bypass load lifter system.  It is simply the best on the market.

Geoff—I’ve seen that pack write-up before. He’s just about come up with the same stays and horizontal bar and four bolts approach that McHale uses on his biggest packs as shown in the smaller photo I posted above.

David U—

It is the P&G Bypass load lifter system. It is simply the best on the market.

Though some users (Nick, for instance) say McHale packs ride super comfortably even without the P&G stay extensions and load lifters.

And I read somewhere on the forum that the patent had expired. So, I guess we could try our hand at making a pack with bypass load lifters—though it’s more than I’m willing to tackle.

The P&G is removable for lighter weights to be clear.  But for those longer treks over 30-35lbs, their effect on a comfortable carry is superior to any other design I have tried.

I had no idea about the patent.

Even if the patent is still in force, could you still use the design non-commercially? Like for a myog pack? I’m not clear on the law.

I don’t have the need right now for one pack that can do everything. P&G – eh I just don’t need it. But man, those bypass straps look rad! It looks like a completely better way to adjust tension. Like the difference between hot/cold valves in a shower, and a thermostatic mixing valve. Instead of fiddling with top and bottom you control length and load balance (hips vs shoulders) separately. I’d love to play with that.

Speaking of McHale innovations, I wonder where the “V-zip” is on this pack with a Bearikade Expedition loaded horizontally:

Here’s the owner’s letter to Dan from the McHale “Accolades” page:

“I just finished…with the Super-Sarc and V-Zip option. The added volume for the pack was perfect for my expedition model of the Bearicade bear canister…. The canister rides horizontal on the two internal pack stays and off my back. I Packed it about 1/3 down the pack bag and it was balanced well for the pack’s center of gravity…. For shorter trips I leave the large canister at home and I can zip up the pack bag to a normal volume.”

Yair—From a 2006 BPL forum thread (#1348917, page 2), Dan McHale said:

That was overshadowed by my far more important Bypass Harness invention – it’s got about 4 years to go on the patent.

So, it seems that patent expired in 2010.

Dan was offering a “V-zip” volume adjuster back in 2006-ish. If you look closely, you can just see the sides of the zipper showing between the top of the back pocket and the lid. Here’s a better picture of a v-zip from his website. Don’t know if he still offers it or not.

Ken—Thanks. I thought the zipper might be on the side, but I see it’s in the center under the strap that tightens down over the top opening. Very clever, once again, Mr. McHale!

What goes around comes around.

Skurka’s Flex Capacitor design for Sierra has a gusset like that, but it’s tightened by straps:

It’s interesting to learn that McHale sees his extension bayonets at least partly as a way to counter the sinking of the hipbelt under heavier loads.

I’d always naively assumed it was simply a way to extend the capacity of the pack.

That would help explain this design feature I spotted on this Seek Outside inspired MYOG pack:

That pack was made by Brendan Swihart, who is quite an accomplished outdoorsman. It’s nice. He has some good comments on why he made certain design decisions.

I almost never extend the main frame stays length (Q-bayonets) when I used the P&G bayonets and by-pass harness, because I’m not getting frame compression or a “sinking” hip belt. Don’t forget the main stay length can be increased by one inch.

In deserts I may have to carry 2 – 3 gallons of water when I leave each water supply and I am not using the P&G/By-pass harness. In winter, in snow, I do need the extra capacity, which changes the center of gravity, and the by-pass harness is more of a stabilizer strap, pulling the pack forward. It is really nice to have a short pack for most 3 season use and quickly add the P&G and by-pass harness for my winter snow trips. So most of the time, no matter what time of year, my total pack weight isn’t exceeding 30-35 lb. When using the by-pass harness, is is so quick and simple to adjust the stabilizer straps (load lifters) and the shoulder straps.

I may be wrong, but Dan may put the CM belt on some of the Little Big Packs (they normally come with a “Guide” belt) at the customer’s request. He does build smaller Sarc series packs close in size to the larger Little Big Packs. But this is part of the “consultation” and demo process. He is going to ask how much weight you normally carry and how much you might carry at times.

This thread has been a great conversation.

This was VERY helpful. I am in the demo stage of my purchase and your post helped clarify some of my questions.

Lowell