20 Days with a New McHale Pack

[Tipi Walter]

And it will keep you happy on your next 21 Day on the Frozen Tundra hike. That’s all that matters, happiness.

I just hope I live long enough to wear it out. But it does motivate me to do more trips and to hike more on these trips. It's the first pack I've used in the last 20 years which actually has room to spare on the first day of a 21 day trip.

[T.S.Kobzol]

Tipi,

You're the (heavy) counterweight to keep this Forum 'fair and balanced' ;-)

a legend.

I just hope I live long enough to wear it out. But it does motivate me to do more trips and to hike more on these trips. It's the first pack I've used in the last 20 years which actually has room to spare on the first day of a 21 day trip.

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi,

You're the (heavy) counterweight to keep this Forum 'fair and balanced' ;-)

Does Whiteblaze have an "UltraLoad" Forum? If so, count me in.

[T.S.Kobzol]

[George]

Does Whiteblaze have an "UltraLoad" Forum? If so, count me in.

yes, to find it click on your name, then click on "show posts"

[Tipi Walter]

yes, to find it click on your name, then click on "show posts"

I'm not the only idiot out there humping weight. On this posted trip I copied and took out this page and studied Colin Fletcher's gear list---(click on the pic to get closeup)---

https://litehikersblog.blogspot.com/...-fletcher.html


And realized he routinely carried a 67 lb pack when bringing 12 lbs of water and his "additional mountain equipment" like tent and poles and poncho etc. And his weights would've been much higher if he carried a couple weeks of food.

[George]

at 15, I was a skinny kid - about 110

read Fletcher (like every one else at the time) started a school trip in the smokies with 65

just glad I do not need to now

full set up camping /cooking, comfortable at 0 day/ night - 4 days food 25 lb skin out

of course, for weeks without resupply everything multiplies, but that is a choice not necessity - not too tough to stash along the way or come back out of an area

- I have a dana shortbed that I aim still looking for an excuse to use - hauling out from a hunt is the only likely scenario I can imagine, but for that I would need to take up / learn to hunt

[Tipi Walter]

of course, for weeks without resupply everything multiplies, but that is a choice not necessity - not too tough to stash along the way or come back out of an area

It's easy to stash stuff along the way but hard to find it when it's ripped to shreds by black bears. So, it's important we stay with our stuff for the duration.

TRIP 131 313-XL.jpg
One time I came out to a cache and found my rolled up Thermarest chewed by a bear.

BEAR DAMAGE 006-L.jpg
Another time in order to carry less food for a 23 day trip I cached it in a couple bearvaults and had a hard time finding them rolled down a hill in the woods and gnawed on by a bear.

BEAR DAMAGE 009-L.jpg
Another time---haven't I learned my lesson yet?---I went back to a Thermarest cache and yes found it shredded by a bear. Not a great idea to leave unattended---just to save pack weight during a trip.

[martinb]

That's your best-looking pack yet. It looks like it belongs with you whereas the SO looked unhappy.

[Tipi Walter]

That's your best-looking pack yet. It looks like it belongs with you whereas the SO looked unhappy.

Thanks. The McHale is super nice. The SO on the other hand had a bad tendency to dig into the hips with the frame esp when twisting and turning but then again very few packs work with anything above 75 lbs.

This pic shows how close (too close) the SO frame comes to the hipbelt---and hip flesh. And the frame itself is unforgiving and unyielding and exposed.
Trip 186 (81)-L.jpg

[Rasputen]

Howdy Tipi,
Your the same Pilgram I been hearing for 20 days and SEEING for 3. New pack looks great. Might name it TeleTubbi...
I have the same fascination with Brush Mountain trail- High work and high reward if solitude is on the menu..

Will be out in the Wilderness some time this fall-no date yet. Might see ya out there...

[Tipi Walter]

Howdy Tipi,
Your the same Pilgram I been hearing for 20 days and SEEING for 3. New pack looks great. Might name it TeleTubbi...
I have the same fascination with Brush Mountain trail- High work and high reward if solitude is on the menu..

Will be out in the Wilderness some time this fall-no date yet. Might see ya out there...

Well old Rasp---hain't seen you since the buffler hunt up on old Hard Knob Hill back in 18 and 57. Thems were hard times but you've kept yourn hair which is more than I can say about the rolling couch potatoes in the valley lowlands. Thems be smudges all har har har.

Anyway, if you're on the Citico side you might see me in late October and November.

[mankind117]

Tipi,
Both the Seekoutside and the McHale look similar in that you have a full wrap around hipbelt that the frame essentially is hanging from. What is it about the McHale that is better in your experience, the belt (material, padding), the fact that the frame in the McHale is less exposed? Also in your interaction with Dan, any idea how long he will keep going making packs or if he has a succession plan, or will McHale packs end when he decides to stop. He must be getting up there in years.

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi,
Both the Seekoutside and the McHale look similar in that you have a full wrap around hipbelt that the frame essentially is hanging from. What is it about the McHale that is better in your experience, the belt (material, padding), the fact that the frame in the McHale is less exposed? Also in your interaction with Dan, any idea how long he will keep going making packs or if he has a succession plan, or will McHale packs end when he decides to stop. He must be getting up there in years.

The SO pack is an external frame pack while the McHale is an internal frame pack. Both as you say have a frame but perform differently.

The McHale is a custom pack made to your dimensions---shoulder width, hip size, torso length etc. This is why it takes almost a year to complete. The SO is a hit or miss pack which either works with tremendous weight or does not---not in my case.

The inner frame on the McHale is very strong and is built to support an 85 or 90 lb (or 100 lb!) load with some amount of harness comfort. His hipbelts are well known for great comfort and easy cinching. And his shoulder straps use a Bypass system with essentially two straps---whereby the old load lifter straps in other packs become part of the shoulder and yoke harness in his packs.

It took me a while to get used to his system but once dialed in it's amazing how an 85 lb load feels on my back. And everything's replaceable once worn out---cinch straps, buckles, hipbelt, lid and pockets, water bottle pockets---you name it. He sends a Demo pack after your measurements are made and I pulled 80 days of backpacking just with the Demo, so when the finished pack arrived I knew what to expect.

As far as how long he will continue to make packs, well, he has a Facebook page where this might be discussed but in all our emails he left no indication that he was getting ready to retire---in fact if you look on his FB page you'll see he's turning out smaller packs on a monthly basis.

[PatmanTN]

Hey Tipi, just curious what the weight turned out to be on that pack. I'm guessing around 6 pounds with the add-on pieces? I'm still in the market for a load hauling pack but probably won't lay down that kind of money on something I'll only use a few times a year (i.e. when my wife comes with me). But it is a very interesting looking product.

[Tipi Walter]

Hey Tipi, just curious what the weight turned out to be on that pack. I'm guessing around 6 pounds with the add-on pieces? I'm still in the market for a load hauling pack but probably won't lay down that kind of money on something I'll only use a few times a year (i.e. when my wife comes with me). But it is a very interesting looking product.

The pack empty is about like my Mystery Ranch G7000---around 8 lbs. Maybe less. It's not a number I'm particularly interested in knowing---as I'm gonna use the pack no matter what---fully loaded or half empty.

I've learned this from the McHale Experience: If you're a dedicated backpacker and you're young in age (below fifty)---get a McHale pack as soon as possible before you get too old or he quits making them. Get a small spectra pack for weekend trips. Get a Critical Mass II monster for big loads. Or get a moderately sized pack which can haul a 3 day trip but easily accommodate a 15 day trip.

Point is, it's worth the cash and the wait.

[Tipi Walter]

UPDATE

I added the pertinent Trail Journal to accompany this trip report, for anyone interested in a texted-out version---

http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/604408