McHale vs. SWD Rugged Big Wild 70 vs. Seek Outside

I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt you find someone who’s used all these packs. My wife and I have both used Seek Outside packs extensively and it’s hard to imagine a pack that hauls weight better.

Dave Chenault and Ben Kilbourne (both on this forum) have used both the Seek Outside and SWD Big Wild packs. Hopefully they will see this thread. The impression I get from their posts is that for weights up to 50#, they like the SWD at least as much, if not more, than the SO. Maybe not because it’s necessarily more comfortable, but because it’s less rigid and still does well at moderate weights.

That’s the impression I got from Ben’s review. Added bonus is that it is the least expensive option on the list (less than half of the kind of McHale I would want).

The SWD is the absolute refinement and benchmark of how much you can get from a simple two track suspension. It will carry 50# no problem. If the hip belt isn’t to your liking for some reason you can have one custom made to your tastes. I think it will be more comfortable and functional for your purposes than the Seek Outside (which would have the advantage at weights above 50lbs)

I had a Seek Outside, I liked it but didn’t love it. I think their hip belts are slightly too wide for me and that pinched a nerve and caused a leg to bother me. The suspension design is great but sounds overkill for you. Others love them even for 30lb loads.

I have never seen a McHale pack, and they don’t appeal to me, so I can’t help there.

I have an older McHale backpack (SARC) and two Seek Outside backpacks (one integrated, one breakaway).  The McHale pack was very expensive at the time and is masterfully crafted. It is built to last several generations. It is also heavy but when I bought it there weren’t ultralight materials we see today.

I’d buy a Seek Outside in a nanosecond. You can get a Unaweep 6300 that has a 103L main bag in Ultra 400 that will weigh 3lbs -0- oz.  It is light as a featherlight.  If you don’t need that capacity, you could chose the Unaweep 4800 and come in around 2lbs 12oz, with stays removed.

It is designed to haul out elk quarters and can carry whatever you legs can handle. I find it to carry heavy weight very comfortably.

Good luck with your choice.

I had a Seek Outside Divide but also had issues with a pinched nerve. The pack felt like it was built for giants, and I am not one.  I’ve been using a SWD Big Wild 70 for 6 months now and it’s awesome. Very comfortable no matter what I’m carrying, but I haven’t gone above 35lbs. I think their suspension and floating hipbelt design are so good that they’ve obsoleted almost all other framed packs on the market. The biggest downside to SWD is their long lead time.

No question about it, SWD makes very nice packs and I see they are using Ultra 400.

One other thought is with SO, you can swap out different bags in a flash and thereby have a lower capacity bag like the Gila or a gargantuan bag like the Unaweep 6,300. You’re not tied to one size nor to one fabric. I’ve gone from X-42 to X-33 to X-21 and now to Ultra 400.  Lots of options.

This recent thread goes into the McHale Pack with links to useful information: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/new-backpack-suggestions-for-a-30-35lb-hauler/#post-3746337

I can’t speak for the others, but I have a custom SWD Long Haul 50 and I have zero doubts the Big Wild will fit your needs. Absolutely love my pack and have carried close to 50 lbs (lugging firewood) and it carried great. Their adjustable hipbelt and others like it are game changers IMO in loading weight comfortably onto your hips.

I’ve had 2 custom McHale packs as well as 3 Seek Outside Unaweep packs.  Over the years I’ve also used Mountain Laurel Designs, several Z Packs packs, and 2 Hyperlight Mountain Gear packs.  For several days out, my pack typically weighs about 30 lbs.  I’m 52 and have battled with some odd back and knee issues over the years that led me to experiment with quite a number of packs.  Hands down my favorite pack is the Seek Outside Unaweep.  People can bark all they want about the notion that a lighter pack will be better, but it’s definitely not in many cases.  In my case, I’m more comfortable on the trail with a pack that weighs more but carries like a dream.  I geek out quite a lot when it comes to the weight of OTHER gear, but I stopped being so obsessive about the weight of the pack itself and focus more on the durability, reliability, comfort, etc.   To each their own… My Seek Outside Unaweep is pretty much my dream pack for on and off-trail trips in the High Sierra.  I just received a new one today in their new fabric, and oh man is that stuff awesomel!!!  Two custom McHale packs cost me well over $3k total, and I got rid of them a long time ago in favor of other packs.

I’ve carried 20-65 pounds in my SO Divide. Obviously overkill at the lighter end, but oh so comfortable. Eventually I’ll get a lighter pack for 20-25 pound loads, but am in no hurry because I enjoy the Divide so much.

The SO Divide is an awesome pack. It weighs 2lbs 12oz in Ultra 400 with stays removed. That’s pretty darn light. The main bag is 79L, the face pocket another 13L, plus the two gargantuan side pockets.

SO pack users – have you carried the pack as carry on? I think the frame length is 24 inches.

I have not. Measured length is spot on 26″, with 2″ frame extensions. So 24″ should be accurate (for 5 year old Divide).

Another option might be to have a look at the Mystery Ranch Bridger series.   They’re definitely not ultralight packs, but every review (both someone who mentioned it on here and several youtube reviews) all say the same thing, the the new running vest style harness system is phenomenal,  and makes carrying those heavier loads a breeze.

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A bit late to the party, but here are my thoughts:

For 40-50 pounds the Big Wild and Unaweep/Divide/etc are pretty even w/r/t load carriage.  Construction on both is excellent.  The Big Wild belt attachment points are closer together which in theory will suit narrow and small people better. Similarly, the almost 15 inch wide Seek packs give bigger folks more real estate to have a wider rather than deeper bag.

Form factor and how they carry are the big differences. For trail hiking and outright load hauling the disadvantages of the Seek (bulky, rigid frame) aren’t really a factor.  For things like bushwacking, scrambling, mountaineering, etc I’d lean towards the closer fitting and narrower Big Wild.

It’s not exactly what you want but I’ve used backs built by all three brands.   I own a McHale LBP36 (in Dyneema Grid), a SWD Long Haul 50 (in Dyneema Grid), and a Seek Outside Unaweep 4800 (in X21RC – this was before the Divide).

The McHale is immaculate quality as you’d expect.  It had some neat design choices and is really well thought out.  I find myself not using as much as some others packs due to the weight – it’s just heavier than other packs I have that are similar size and carry the weights I carry just as well.

The SWD is my top pack for a normal week long load of 27-28ish pounds.  It’s well made and nicely thought out, though some things, like the water bottle pockets are not as as easy to use as the McHale for example.  It’s pretty darn comfortable though.

I bought my Seek Outside for a trip to Alaska in 2015 and it’s very comfortable.  I tried pretty much all the lightweight load haulers out at the time and it was by far my favorite.  I carried 11 days of gear (and food in a Bearikade Expidition) plus packraft in 2015 and 14 days of food in 2017.  Very comfortable and my top choice for heavy or bulky loads.

I’d say SWD or Seek Outside.

Any new relevant info here?  Still pondering a lager pack for winter after trying several.  I’ve used and [regrettably] sold CCW Chaos, Porter 4400, Porter 5400. Seems a toss up at this point of a Porter 4400, SO Unaweep 4800, and a SWD Big Wild. Full on winter gear for the northeast for 3-5 days, snowshoes strapped to the back at times, and 40 – 50  pounds max.  Probably can’t go too wrong with any of them.

Daves comment above resonates some with the closer carry of the SWD.

I wouldn’t want to carry 40-50 pounds in a Porter. I think it’s good for about 25.

My wife has a SO Unaweep 4800 – you couldn’t pry it from her 62 year old hands. Doesn’t matter to her, even for a night or two. She loves the pack.

I’m a SWD convert. It does just about everything to perfection. Mine is a 70l Wendigo. But I recently ordered another (now named the Wolverine 70l) with some modifications I wanted. It will arrive this week.

I’ve had literally dozens of internals going back to the 1970’s having multiples from Synergy Works, Wilderness Experience, The North Face, Lowe, Gregory, Osprey, Dana Design, Arcteryx, ULA, and others I’ve forgotten … the SWD is hands down the most comfortable, thoughtfully built/designed pack I’ve ever had!  Once I got the stays adjusted, it was pure heaven. I’m an SWD convert. I’d have no problems with a 50lb load in this pack.

You probably aren’t going to find many people who own a McHale and later bought something else in a similar volume.

I don’t understand buying a lighter pack when carry heavier loads for longer trips. My McHale packs (I have 3 for different volumes) feel the same whether I am carrying 31 pounds or 33 pounds (or more). And I am a small guy at 150 lb.

Dan is my age, in my ’70s, so he isn’t going to be building packs forever. If you are interested in a quality custom-built pack that will last decades, better order one soon.

Brad – curious why you went with a Wolverine over a Big Wild. Exterior pockets?

Chris, I’m not really a fan of how the lash points on the Big Wild are laid out. If it had two simple vertical daisy chains on the back (spaced around 10″ apart, and around 18″ tall), I’d probably have gone with it over the Wolverine. I didn’t bother bringing it up with the owners as they’re not particularly open to modifying their packs, though they did make one small change on the Wolverine for me, lengthening the back pocket from 15″ to 18″ which is more usable. I got used to the ULA style back pocket, and I like it.

In my opinion,  SWD is making the finest internal frame backpacking packs available today.