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I decided to go with the Karrimor Sabre 45.
It’s made of a noticably tougher material than most of the other packs I saw (and my current pack is starting to wear thin too which influenced my decision) and it has pretty heavy waterproofing which I will supplement with a stuffsack. They say it’s made to “military specs”.
Has a nice big map pocket in the lid. Has good padding on the straps and a back support thing that can be taken out and used as a splint in an emergency.
One thing that concerns me is that it has more flotsam and jetsam on the outside than I would have preferred – lots of things to get caught on shit IMHO. I usually prefer as few external straps, hooks, ropes, strings etc as possible.
However, it is also expandable by undoing some (very heavy duty) zips down either side – if you want you can then attach extra capacity or hydration packs, both options that I will never probably bother with.
That is because I prefer small packs (my last pack was a 30 litre) and to be honest, I am not sure this one isn’t a bit big. I may end up going down to the 30 litre version.
One big plus though, that did impress me is the lifetime warranty.
BTW, The Pennine Way is awful.
It’s hundreds of metres wide in places and little more than a bog, due to the huge numbers of folks that walk it.
There are far, far better long distance walks (or MTB rides) to do in the UK.
My vote for top three would be:
West Highland Way – Milngavie to Fort William (95 Miles / 152 Kms)
The Ridgeway – Ivinghoe Beacon,nr Tring to Overton Hill, nr Avebury (87 Miles / 139 Kms)
South West Penninsular Coatal Path. Minehead to Poole (630 Miles / 1014 Kms)Rob
A priority for my travel bags in recent years is can you lock them against the thieving hands of airport baggage handlers? I had to stop using regular RuckSack type packs some years ago as I kept getting stuff nicked at out of the way airports (though London Heathrow is not much better these days). Priority for me now is a zipup pack that I can attach padlocks to though also I use an outer nylon cover pack as extra security and protection against rough travel conditions.
Another tip is to carry a bike lock to use on hotel cupboards to deter curious and untrustworthy hotel staff.Knowing how strict airlines are now on hand luggage allowances I doubt very much if you will get away with getting that pack on board as hand luggage Rob. These days you can’t even carry a separate laptop from your hand luggage (at least on BA and US airlines) and it all has to go in one small bag; a lot smaller than your recent purchase.
So best of luck but don’rt bet on getting it on board mate! Are you planning on travelling soon anyway Rob?Yeah, my last 30 litre pack never had any problems with getting on as hand luggage (which is another reason I am considering also buying the Karimor 30 litre), but I ma not holiding out hope for this one.
Unfortunately, the most exciting place I am likely to be going to in the nearish future is New Zealand. I am sure it’s a lovely place, but just not my first choice for ditching cash on travel to is all.
Sleeping bag, tent..? Yikes, Rob.
I use a sports bag, which isn’t the most comfortable to carry on long distances but is effective, durable and easy to store. Now, if I could get a bag with the same look but the functionality of a backpack (i.e. I could carry it on my back/shoulders when required) then I would be in heaven. Any ideas?
The straps always get in the way, find them cumbersome when on public transport, etc.. Having said that I always had big clunky packs when I first went traveling so it put me off them. If I had to get one I would go for smaller one as per the one you posted about. So I would never say no to one but would have to be a really good one.
I was surprised not to be able to find this on the Karrimor website. Looks like a great pack, though — I’m planning a big hike in summer ’08 and I’m in the market for a new pack…so it’ll be interesting to hear a review once you’ve broken it in.
Anyone have experience with a pack this size on a long outdoor trek (as opposed to hostel-to-hostel-type trips)? My GoLite Gust was great till it caught on the handle of a bus station door and ripped, so i’m looking for something heavier-duty. The Gust was a 65L pack, expandable to 80L, and though I never filled it to capacity, I sort of liked the wiggle room. Cutting to 45L could be tough.
Redharen – I did Hadrian’s Wall (120 km) with my old 35 litre pack – no problems at all and would have happily used it for longer treks. Unfortunately it’s starting to fall apart.
Spiro – I HATE travelling with a heavy pack – if I can’t EASILY sling it onto my back with one arm, then I start ditching whatever stuff I am carrying. I have travelled heavy and I have travelled light.
Light wins.
If you buy something then post it home to yourself.
ROB — Agreed; when I was in Boy Scouts, I weighed 135 pounds and carried a 45-pound external-frame pack. When I got older and lazier I figured out that I could cut my pack weight by more than half, and move twice as fast with half the risk of injury. So I’m with you, man, on the lightweight idea.
Here’s the killer for me: on my last trek the desert section required 8-10L of water per person per day. So at any given moment you’re carrying 16-20 pounds of water, on top of your gear and food. My ultralight Gust was only designed for a 30-pound load, so I was cutting it pretty close, even with my super-light gear. Sometimes it got uncomfortable. Hence the search for something tougher.
Out of curiosity, does the Karrimor you bought have a recommended weight limit? I couldn’t find any specs online. And is it compatible with hydration systems?
@Stiv wrote:
The real trick is trying to make it light enough to carry yourself but too heavy for Dean Farisian to be able to take it off the bus with him in Rwanda :P
:lol:
No recommended weight limit that I can find.
The thing is this pack is REALLY tough by comparison – you can tell just by touching it that the materials are far more heavy duty than most other packs. It’s used by the SAS so I don’t think they would be buying crap plus it comes with a lifetime warranty which is pretty telling.
No hydration system, but plenty of places to hang shit like bottles etc.
Thanks, Rob — good info. One of the sites that described the pack mentioned that the attachable side pockets were compatible with hydration systems. I don’t know if that means they’ve got zips or something so a hose can come out, but that would increase both the size and usefulness. Sorry about all the questions — it just looks awfully close to what I’m in the market for, so I was curious.
Plus it’s fun talking about gear.
Yes, it does have places on either side that could be used to strap on extra capacity which I guess woudl be ideal for hydration systems. Duh to me!
There are major heavy duty zips on either side fpr that.
I actually am planning to use them to reduce the size and capacity of the bag because I don’t think I will use it all.
I´m using a Karrimor Sabre 100/60L on our trip, with the pack at 100L capacity, the wife has my old Sabre 35L. The 100 weighs about 28kg right now but I can still carry it without too much discomfort, the straps and waist support are suberb.
I swear by Karrimor, after carrying all sorts of shit on my back in the mob I just wish I had a decent bergen back then. As for the straps at airports etc, I just stick on the rain cover, tie the other straps up and away she goes.
Cheers
@ROB wrote:
What;s your mrs think of the 35litre, Flipflop?
I am probably going to get onje of those too.
She loves it. When we went trekking in Nepal in 2005, I took the 35L Karrimor and she a 35L Berghaus. Now she has the Karrimor and agrees it’s far more comfortable, and it seems to be able to hold more kit – the teardrop design of it means you can stuff loads into the bottom.
I also took it to China and Tibet last year as my main kitbag, where it was used as a rucksack, pillow, and best friend. A great little bag.
Cheers
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