Category Archives: Packs

The REI Flash 65 Backpack- a product review

I got an REI Flash 65 because I wanted to lighten my load, and I could save about 3 pounds over my previous pack by using the Flash 65.  My friend Kevin Anderson had said he bought one, and really liked it.  So I bought one for an 8 day backpack we did with the [...]

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Ultralight Hiking

Kelly Kitchens, founder of MacLife, was the guest speaker at my college backpacking class recently, and brought us up to date with the state of the art when it comes to ultralight backpacking.  Kelly Kitchen and other proponents of ultralight backpacking get their pack down to 17.68 pounds for an overnight trip, including food.  This [...]

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The First Internal Frame Backpack – Kelty’s Tour Pack by John Robinson

In the early 1970s the outdoor equipment industry was changing rapidly.  Kelty backpacks were the premier backpack, with others made by Jansport and Alpenlite being quality brands.  REI made a Cruiser which was a cheap imitation of the Kelty.  The packs of that era were not called external frame backpacks, because there was no internal [...]

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