Curious if anyone is using this ‘packless’ pack? Seems like it could be pretty versatile, with the ability to carry different bags/load for different trips. I have been
expirimenting with the boat-inside-out-thighstraps-as-backpack method of packing my boat and gear, but it has obvious limits, both in carry capacity and comfort threshold. I am thinking a skeletal hipbelt/shoulderstrap system like this could be the ticket. Any thoughts?
NRS paragon pack,
It is a good idea and very economical in price but unless you are 7 feet tall do not get this pack. The torso set up is entirely too long with no adjustment, the straps for adjustment are just for looks if you inspect how it is actually made with the length of the backboard. If you tighten the shoulder straps up the rigid backboard bends and hits you in the back of the neck. The bottom of the rigid backboard is also to long and cuts into your lower back with any load over 10-15 lbs… I do not own one but have used one and would not recommend it to anyone for any purpose… just my opinion.
P.S. I`m 5’11"
We got a Paragon pack initially for my husband to carry his banjo at music festivals. It works fine for that purpose–a couple miles at most, awkward load that can’t fit in a normal pack.
We took it on a weekend packrafting trip, carrying a NRS drybag. 1 day hiking, 1 day paddling. Though the pack worked, we vastly prefered our GoLite pack lined with a very lightweight nylon OR drybag. The Paragon pack was less comfortable (too long for our torsos (5’7" and 6’)), and surprisingly hard to pack (the drybag needs to be centered over the frame to ride well. The drybag tended to drop down and hit our butts as we walked, and a seam at the bottom edge of the frame rubbed oddly. Anytime we undid a side strap (tuck in a coat, adjust the paddles), the drybag would shift around. And the pack itself is heavier than needed. I can imagine a similar pack that could work really well, but this model isn’t quite there yet.
There are plenty of external frame packs around that can be used in the same way, and by the sounds of it more comfortable as well. One ultralight example: http://www.luxurylite.com/stackpackindex.html
The manufacturer only recommends that one for loads to 30 pounds (for comfort reasons it seems) but there are others designed for heavier loads.
I’ve got one - mostly because of the price (~$35 on eBay).
I’m 5’11" and haven’t had trouble with the fit, but it is a fiddly pack and there’s not really a frame. The back panel collapses/contorts under heavy load since it’s just stiff foam.
I used mine for a week in the Bob Marshall wilderness (3.5 days of hiking, 2.5 days rafting) and it was adequate but not ideal. If you can’t afford something better right now, you can make do with the Paragon. I was carrying ~40 lbs since I had two rafts, most of the food for the two of us etc.
