Re: [pct-l] BackPacks

[Jeffrey Olson <jjolson@u.washington.edu>]

I haven't followed this thread, but noticed someone recommended a Kelty.  In
my humble opinion, the most comfortable external frame pack is the Jansport
D-3 or D-5 series, and its successor, whatever that number may be.  Prior to
this summer I used a D-3 for my PCT hiking (now a jack wolfskin internal
frame weighing two and a half pounds).  The hip belt can't be beat.

A short story.  while hiking in the Indian heaven wilderness in washington
I'd stopped for lunch and both the mosquitos and black flies were having at
me.  I lay down across the trail and threw my 6' x 8' tarp across my body
and ate my lunch, parmesian cheese and pilot crackers.  I dosed my face and
hands with DEET and ate and read my novel, comfortable and luxuriating in my
spot, albeit a bit warm in the 80 degree temps.  Along the trail came a
couple who stopped and marvelled at my ingenuity.  Pack for a pillow, book
in hand, crackers and cheese and water at hand, and no where for them to go
but over me.  I wasn't about to move as I was about done eating and was
getting close to the nap place I liked to go after lunch.

We talked for a while about being on the trail, me for my 30 days or so,
them for 10.  WE started talking about our packs, all were Jansport D
series.  I said how I wouldn't hike with anything else it was so
comfortable.  The woman shared how she'd had back surgery a couple years ago
and it was the only pack she could wear because of how the hip arms
distributed weight better than the normal backband.  Her husband said that
he had chronic lower back pain. I commiserated and we all extolled the
virtues of our packs, how comfortable they were, how much we liked them,
etc.  that's the empirical support I offer for Jansport...

After a couple minutes of talking it became apparent the flies and skeeters
were getting to them, and still I didn't move.  they ended up stepping
gently over me as I lay under my blue tarp, and I watched them quickstep
away from me and the bugs.  I lay back and marvelled how wonderful it was to
be alive, stared at the treetops and darting birds for a while before
falling asleep, in languid ecstacy...

Jeffrey Olson
Seattle, WA, where it's getting colder and rainier and darker and now the
freeways are the countries worst!!!



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