xtremereality
2004-06-05 23:59:25 UTC
----- Original Message -----
From: xtremereality
To: BackpackGearTest-***@public.gmane.org
Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2004 2:58 PM
Subject: Owner Review - Dana Designs Alpine LTW Arc Flex
Gear Review 1
Dana Design - Alpine LTW ArcFlex
Name: John C. Muse
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11" (1.8 meters)
Weight: 170lbs (77 kilograms)
Email address: johncmuse-/***@public.gmane.org
City, State, Country: Lafayette, LA, USA
Date: June 5, 2004
Backpacking Background: I've been backpacking for 8 years. I from Lafayette, Louisiana, which is flat, humid, and full of mosquitoes. I learned the basics of backpacking in Louisiana, but soon started branching out to other states as well as other countries. I have hiked in every terrain out there, with my least experience being snow and ice. My hikes are usually week long trips but I do occasionally make a weekend trip. I hiked hundreds of miles in Louisiana and Arkansas, but my most known hikes would be hiking in the Weminuchee Wilderness in Colorado, Juan de Fuca Trail and West Coast Trail in Canada, and the Annapurna Trail in Nepal. I plan to hike the South to North Lake Trail in California's Sierra Nevada's this summer. I am an experienced backpacking guide with the majority of my hiking trips being with groups, but I love when my wife and I can get out by ourselves.
Product information
Manufacturer - Dana Design
Year of manufacture - 2002
URL - www.DanaDesign.com
Listed weight - 6lbs 7ounces (2.92 kilograms) for medium size pack
Weight as delivered. - Unknown because pack was delivered to a local outfitter and was out of the box when I received the pack.
Product description. - Designed for mountaineering, this pack's honed features and high modularity employs unparalleled versatility for expedition to weekend adventures. (Dana Design website) The pack comes in XS, S, M, L, XL. Medium pack capacity is 5000 cu. In. (82 Liters).
Field information
The pack test was conducted on two different trips to Colorado. In Colorado both test were conducted on the same trail but going in opposite directions in separate summers. The trail is located in the Weminuchee Wilderness in the Durango/Silverton area. I hiked a 60 mile section in 7 days with a group of 15 students going from Purgatory Trailhead to Chicago Basin to Molas Pass Trailhead the first summer and the opposite direction the next summer. The terrain is mountainous with elevations along the trail going from 7000ft. (2134meters) to 12,500ft. (3810meters). While on the trail I encountered rain, snow, hail, as well as days of great weather. The temperature during the day at elevations above 10,000ft. (3048meters) was comfortable enough for a midweight long sleeve top and midweight bottoms except when the weather would go sour and then more layers would come on. Below 10,000ft. (3048
meters) the temperature was warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt until the sun went down.
The packs performance on the trail was what I expected it would be - Awesome! On the trail my pack weighed between 40lbs (18.14kilograms) and 55lbs (24.95kilograms) depending on whether or not I was having to carry any gear for any of the students. As with any hike the first few days are when my pack is the heaviest and lightens up as the days go buy due to eaten food. Also the first few days are usually susceptible to minor pack adjustments especially with a new pack. I was pleased to find that with the diversity of changes within the pack over the duration of the hike that the outside adjustments never budged. I give credit of the adjustments to my local outfitter who took the time to make sure that the pack was adjusted perfectly for my body.
Some neat features on this pack that cater to the ever changing loads within the pack are the beaver tail shovit and the collapsible sleeping bag compartment as well as the removable lid/day pack, which comes in handy once I get to camp and want to day hike around the area. By collapsing my sleeping bag compartment I can change the way the load sits on my back and decrease the capacity of my pack which is great for shorter trips and trips that start out with only my personal gear in my pack. As with any trip it never fails that I am going to have to carry some of another students gear which makes expanding the collapsed sleeping bag compartment very useful and if I really have to get crazy with adding students gear the beaver tail shovit comes in handy for expansion on the outside of my pack. Even with the varying loads the pack always felt the same on my back. The only thing that suffer
ed a little more with the addition of weight was my legs.
On the trail as I encountered the different weather elements that Mother Nature thru at me, I simply would stop hiking and throw my Dana Design pack cover on my pack and a few more layers on my body and continue on my hike to that days destination. The different weather elements never affected the way the pack performed due to the pack cover. If on the other hand I would have let the pack get soaking wet it would have significantly changed the weight of the pack. Even as I sweated on my back the pack would absorb it and let it be evaporated.
On a negative note if there has to be one, the packs empty weight is pretty heavy but that is to be sort of expected with a pack this size. Also, the way the nylon webbing is stitched to the shoulder straps tends to be a problem with rubbing on my upper arms unless I have the chest strap fastened. And last the cost seems to be a little high at MSRP $399.00, but in my opinion it is well worth the dollars.
A Personal Note
As I've hiked over the years I've gone through two packs before owning the Dana pack due to lack of comfort. My previous packs would bruise my hips and my shoulders and didn't allow freedom of movement because the suspension system in the packs was rigid. Since I've been hiking with the Dana pack I've had no problems in the comfort area because the pack is like an extension of my body. Keep in mind that the Dana pack is considered a custom fit pack and if you are thinking of purchasing one you should see a local outfitter to be sure that you get the fit exactly right. Your local outfitter will also explain how all the features of the Dana pack work and how you can get the best use out of your pack. If the Dana pack doesn't fit you properly it is because it is not adjusted properly.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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From: xtremereality
To: BackpackGearTest-***@public.gmane.org
Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2004 2:58 PM
Subject: Owner Review - Dana Designs Alpine LTW Arc Flex
Gear Review 1
Dana Design - Alpine LTW ArcFlex
Name: John C. Muse
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11" (1.8 meters)
Weight: 170lbs (77 kilograms)
Email address: johncmuse-/***@public.gmane.org
City, State, Country: Lafayette, LA, USA
Date: June 5, 2004
Backpacking Background: I've been backpacking for 8 years. I from Lafayette, Louisiana, which is flat, humid, and full of mosquitoes. I learned the basics of backpacking in Louisiana, but soon started branching out to other states as well as other countries. I have hiked in every terrain out there, with my least experience being snow and ice. My hikes are usually week long trips but I do occasionally make a weekend trip. I hiked hundreds of miles in Louisiana and Arkansas, but my most known hikes would be hiking in the Weminuchee Wilderness in Colorado, Juan de Fuca Trail and West Coast Trail in Canada, and the Annapurna Trail in Nepal. I plan to hike the South to North Lake Trail in California's Sierra Nevada's this summer. I am an experienced backpacking guide with the majority of my hiking trips being with groups, but I love when my wife and I can get out by ourselves.
Product information
Manufacturer - Dana Design
Year of manufacture - 2002
URL - www.DanaDesign.com
Listed weight - 6lbs 7ounces (2.92 kilograms) for medium size pack
Weight as delivered. - Unknown because pack was delivered to a local outfitter and was out of the box when I received the pack.
Product description. - Designed for mountaineering, this pack's honed features and high modularity employs unparalleled versatility for expedition to weekend adventures. (Dana Design website) The pack comes in XS, S, M, L, XL. Medium pack capacity is 5000 cu. In. (82 Liters).
Field information
The pack test was conducted on two different trips to Colorado. In Colorado both test were conducted on the same trail but going in opposite directions in separate summers. The trail is located in the Weminuchee Wilderness in the Durango/Silverton area. I hiked a 60 mile section in 7 days with a group of 15 students going from Purgatory Trailhead to Chicago Basin to Molas Pass Trailhead the first summer and the opposite direction the next summer. The terrain is mountainous with elevations along the trail going from 7000ft. (2134meters) to 12,500ft. (3810meters). While on the trail I encountered rain, snow, hail, as well as days of great weather. The temperature during the day at elevations above 10,000ft. (3048meters) was comfortable enough for a midweight long sleeve top and midweight bottoms except when the weather would go sour and then more layers would come on. Below 10,000ft. (3048
meters) the temperature was warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt until the sun went down.
The packs performance on the trail was what I expected it would be - Awesome! On the trail my pack weighed between 40lbs (18.14kilograms) and 55lbs (24.95kilograms) depending on whether or not I was having to carry any gear for any of the students. As with any hike the first few days are when my pack is the heaviest and lightens up as the days go buy due to eaten food. Also the first few days are usually susceptible to minor pack adjustments especially with a new pack. I was pleased to find that with the diversity of changes within the pack over the duration of the hike that the outside adjustments never budged. I give credit of the adjustments to my local outfitter who took the time to make sure that the pack was adjusted perfectly for my body.
Some neat features on this pack that cater to the ever changing loads within the pack are the beaver tail shovit and the collapsible sleeping bag compartment as well as the removable lid/day pack, which comes in handy once I get to camp and want to day hike around the area. By collapsing my sleeping bag compartment I can change the way the load sits on my back and decrease the capacity of my pack which is great for shorter trips and trips that start out with only my personal gear in my pack. As with any trip it never fails that I am going to have to carry some of another students gear which makes expanding the collapsed sleeping bag compartment very useful and if I really have to get crazy with adding students gear the beaver tail shovit comes in handy for expansion on the outside of my pack. Even with the varying loads the pack always felt the same on my back. The only thing that suffer
ed a little more with the addition of weight was my legs.
On the trail as I encountered the different weather elements that Mother Nature thru at me, I simply would stop hiking and throw my Dana Design pack cover on my pack and a few more layers on my body and continue on my hike to that days destination. The different weather elements never affected the way the pack performed due to the pack cover. If on the other hand I would have let the pack get soaking wet it would have significantly changed the weight of the pack. Even as I sweated on my back the pack would absorb it and let it be evaporated.
On a negative note if there has to be one, the packs empty weight is pretty heavy but that is to be sort of expected with a pack this size. Also, the way the nylon webbing is stitched to the shoulder straps tends to be a problem with rubbing on my upper arms unless I have the chest strap fastened. And last the cost seems to be a little high at MSRP $399.00, but in my opinion it is well worth the dollars.
A Personal Note
As I've hiked over the years I've gone through two packs before owning the Dana pack due to lack of comfort. My previous packs would bruise my hips and my shoulders and didn't allow freedom of movement because the suspension system in the packs was rigid. Since I've been hiking with the Dana pack I've had no problems in the comfort area because the pack is like an extension of my body. Keep in mind that the Dana pack is considered a custom fit pack and if you are thinking of purchasing one you should see a local outfitter to be sure that you get the fit exactly right. Your local outfitter will also explain how all the features of the Dana pack work and how you can get the best use out of your pack. If the Dana pack doesn't fit you properly it is because it is not adjusted properly.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar.
Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/V4TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackpackGearTest/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
BackpackGearTest-unsubscribe-***@public.gmane.org
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/