|
mccarthykm
Aug 23, 2010, 12:38 AM
Post #1 of 10
(2408 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 17, 2004
Posts: 194
|
Anyone have experience with this pack?
I've been eying it for a while. I hate fumbling with packs, gear and other crap and think an open pack would be really nice. I don't want to pay $170, so I think I may go for it if I can find it at $100. So does anyone have this? Do you like it for sport, mix and trad cragging?
|
|
|
|
|
chotoken
Aug 23, 2010, 12:48 AM
Post #2 of 10
(2396 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 4, 2006
Posts: 25
|
I am so glad you just posted this. I found this pack online just about 10 minutes ago. I was wondering the same thing. 
I have used a pack for years that is just one main compartment and a lid. I hate it, everything is all over the place every time you go into it. No matter what you need, it's sure to be on the bottom. 
Can someone help us out with this question?
|
|
|
|
|
vegastradguy
Aug 23, 2010, 6:24 PM
Post #3 of 10
(2299 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 28, 2002
Posts: 5919
|
its the worst riding pack in history- might as well strap a duffel bag to your back. i had mine for two days of climbing before giving the pack away to some unsuspecting schmuck.
if you want a clamshell pack that kicks ass, go get a Arc'teryx Muira 30 or 50, clamshell, and is one of the better riding packs out there.
|
|
|
|
|
MS1
Aug 23, 2010, 8:21 PM
Post #4 of 10
(2271 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 24, 2009
Posts: 560
|
vegastradguy wrote: its the worst riding pack in history- might as well strap a duffel bag to your back. i had mine for two days of climbing before giving the pack away to some unsuspecting schmuck. if you want a clamshell pack that kicks ass, go get a Arc'teryx Muira 30 or 50, clamshell, and is one of the better riding packs out there.
I've never used the MH clamshell, but +1 on the Arc'teryx pack. My wife got one for me last christmas, and it is hands-down the best cragging pack I've ever used.
|
|
|
|
|
lena_chita
Moderator
Aug 24, 2010, 5:23 PM
Post #5 of 10
(2205 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 27, 2006
Posts: 6087
|
vegastradguy wrote: its the worst riding pack in history- might as well strap a duffel bag to your back. i had mine for two days of climbing before giving the pack away to some unsuspecting schmuck.
I wonder how much of this is person/fit dependent.
I have never carried MH Splitter pack myself, but my friend has one, has had it for at least 2 years, I think, and he loves it. He is a bigger/taller guy... It seemed really nice, in terms of organizing things inside, when I looked at it.
But it comes in only two sizes, and judging by the size of the pack I saw, and reading the dimentions, even the smaller one would not have fit me properly.
vegastradguy wrote: if you want a clamshell pack that kicks ass, go get a Arc'teryx Muira 30 or 50, clamshell, and is one of the better riding packs out there.
Good to know-- I'll file that info for the future... Every time I dig through my pack, I start thinking how good it would be to have a splitter.
|
|
|
|
|
vegastradguy
Aug 24, 2010, 5:48 PM
Post #6 of 10
(2192 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 28, 2002
Posts: 5919
|
lena_chita wrote: vegastradguy wrote: if you want a clamshell pack that kicks ass, go get a Arc'teryx Muira 30 or 50, clamshell, and is one of the better riding packs out there. Good to know-- I'll file that info for the future... Every time I dig through my pack, I start thinking how good it would be to have a splitter.
lena- every woman i know is currently using the arc'terxy miura and loves it more than just about anything else theyve ever used.
|
|
|
|
|
chrisJoosse
Aug 27, 2010, 4:15 PM
Post #7 of 10
(2099 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 16, 2009
Posts: 150
|
I have owned this pack for 2 years, and I rather like it. I can't compare it against the ArcTeryx clamshell pack- I've heard only good things about that.
On the outside, it's pretty low-key- a stealth pack, if you will- the only thing that sets it apart at first blush from every other pack is that the material is ridiculously burly and the zippers are waterproof.
Inside, it's OCD heaven. There's a pocket for everything, gear loops, a tarp (with it's own clip point). There's an interior retention panel that'll allow you to load the heavy stuff next to your back (against the frameboard) and carry the light stuff toward the rear. There's zip pockets for shoes and chalk bag, mesh pockets for wallet and keys.
The downsides to this pack are:
-It's heavy for a pack of it's size. Chalk this up to burly material and a full framesheet.
-The gear loops attach to the inside top of the pack, not against the structure of the frame. This was done to let the hydration sleeve sit next to the framesheet, but it means the top of the bag sags if you load the gear loops and don't shore up the load with the interior and exterior retention straps and panels.
The Load Lifter straps attach to the body of the bag, rather than to the frame- basically they work as over-the-top compression straps for the pack body.
There isn't enough space in the bag for you to use all of its features at once- if anything, it's over-designed.
Upsides:
The frame is stiff enough that it doesn't bend uncomfortably, and you can shift weight between hips and shoulders as you like.
It's big enough to hold my trad rack, harness, shoes and a rope, but not big enough to do all that and carry a bag in the hydration sleeve. It fits me well enough to carry that sort of weight pretty comfortably.
It opens all the way, giving you access to everything.
The axe loop/daisy chain and beer-opener attach points make this a decent summit pack/haul bag.
It's compression/retention system means you can snug even small loads down against your back.
The belt, framesheet and shoulder harness are padded enough that you don't get hot spots, even when maxing on weight (probably 45-50lbs would max this pack).
To summarize, this is a burly crag pack/summit bag with a ton of organizational features.
Several of my buddies have started showing up at the crag with this pack, and they seem to like it as much as I do. I can't speak to why Vegas didn't like it. I didn't know about the Arcteryx clamshell pack when I got it, else I would have compared (and if experience tells me anything, I probably would have gotten that instead, as I really like Arcteryx packs).
|
|
|
|
|
roy_hinkley_jr
Aug 27, 2010, 4:50 PM
Post #8 of 10
(2090 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 8, 2005
Posts: 652
|
Agree with the overly designed part. It's a great pack though; easy to access gear and stay organized, carries great even with a full rack/rope/water, burly construction.
|
|
|
|
|
brokesomeribs
Aug 27, 2010, 8:36 PM
Post #9 of 10
(2062 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 20, 2009
Posts: 361
|
Never really liked it. I was sick of normal "rucksacks" like you and tried out the Splitter and a couple other clamshell packs and eventually sold them off. They're heavy, they don't carry as well as a real backpack, and they're overloaded with all sorts of extraneous shit marketed directly at college kids who carry a nalgene with a big locking carabiner. You'll never see any of MH's test athletes carrying the splitter, only the cubicle-dwelling marketing dept.
Get a couple ultralight sil-nylon stuff sacks in different colors and come up with a system that works for you, i.e. blue for clothing, red for cooking gear, green for your rack, etc. Learn to pack efficiently (instead of just dumping all my shit inside my backpack) was an absolute godsend.
|
|
|
|
|
|
