Cheap, but useful if it works for you
Written: Nov 30 '02 (Updated Nov 30 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Price, big side pockets, ease of accessing gear, roominess
Cons: Weight, fussy adjustment, comfort, lack of webbing for strapping rain gear to top, not water-resistant
The Bottom Line: A good entry level pack, does the job, but has its limitations due to compromises made to keep its price down.
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| e_l_green's Full Review: Kelty Redcloud 5400 22001305 |
This is a reasonable-quality entry level backpack for long trips (4 days or more) in cool weather. Unlike most packs in this size range, the roomy side pockets are just the right size for a 48cc Nalgene bottle or 2liter Dromedary bag (I use one of each, the Nalgene is easier to handle for cooking, the Dromedary w/hose is easier for drinking on the trail). The bottom compartment holds a Garcia bear box and allows you to access your food without unpacking the top, if you put your stove and pot at the top of the main compartment, this lets you cook your mid-day meal without having to dig in your bag. The hood is plenty roomy to put your emergency gear into it so that it's easily accessible if you manage to stumble into a chollo cactus and need tweezers and duct tape. The front pocket will hold a water filter and a pair of camp sandals just fine. The web pockets on the side below the large enclosed pockets are easy to get to when you're hiking, and a good place to stash snacks, GPS receiver, and maps.
Now for the downsides. This is a cheap bag. It is heavy (close to 6 pounds). It is fussy to adjust, requiring much shaping of the stays to fit my back and much fiddling with the shoulder strap length vs. suspensors tension to get rid of hot spots on my shoulders. The hip belt really isn't up to carrying the typical load of a 4 day trip in cool weather (45-50 pounds), unless you are a 25 year old Adonis with a teensy waist where you can easily snug the belt over your hips. For us mere middle-aged mortals hiking up the hip belt every couple of miles is necessary to keep the weight off the shoulders. It gets waterlogged if it rains. You must spray it with water-resistant spray to avoid that. Most packs of this size have elastic webbing on the top or back to strap wet rain gear, wet socks, etc. to the pack so that you can let it dry, the Kelty doesn't, though it has loops on top of the hood where you could perhaps fit some webbing. There are no loops on the back really suited for holding an ice axe or other extreme gear (despite the supposed "ice axe loop" that is claimed), so this is not a mountaineering pack or for use in advanced/extreme conditions.
Recommendations: Do not buy this pack from an online retailer. Buy it from a local retailer that has knowledgable people on staff who can help you with the finicky adjustments if you choose to buy it. Make sure to test out the fit of the hip belt with at least 40 pounds in the pack (preferably 50 pounds), to make sure that it will work for you. Buy a can of water-resist spray to keep it from getting waterlogged in the rain (most competitors use ripstop nylon for the exterior, which is quite water resistant, rather than plain old polyester like Kelty). Keep in mind that this is a backpacking pack, not a mountaineering pack.
Would I buy it again? Probably. For the price, it's a good pack, and its pocket arrangement works better than that of much more expensive competitors. But you must keep in mind its limitations, and if you can't get it through a local retailer where you can make sure the hip belt and adjustments will work for you, you shouldn't buy it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
e_l_green
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Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 0 members
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