My trusty Berghaus Crusader that has done me for almost 25 years finally died a death over the weekend. I left it in the garage and I think some rats decided to do what years of exercises, warzones and 6 months walking out in the wilds cannot.
So... I need a replacement. I was thinking of the Berghaus Bioflex 90+15, anyone with any experience of it? Any comments and experiences, good or bad, would be appreciated.
Get down to GO and try a few on, backpacks are a bit like boots - fit is unique from person to person.
Brands wise, Osprey, Deuter, Montane and Lowe Alpine are all well worth a look. I've gone all lightweight in the last year so can fit all my summer camping, walking and photography gear in a 45L ruck - I'm shuddering at the thought of a fully loaded 115L one - but there are some fairly chunky ones.
The main reason I like the bigger ones is because it means I can be a bit more relaxed about packing. I'm never one of those who likes crunch-folding everything into 1/10th of its size just to cram it into a smaller pack. Also, if I decide to go out for longer then I have the space to do so.
I did consider the Berghaus Vulcan as a direct replacement for my Crusader but I'm well into my 40s now and my poor old back needs something a bit less military and a bit more comfy!
I'm in my 60's and still prefer my original Karrimor Jaguar r/sack.( Very old and when Karrimor made good stuff).
I think it has probably moulded to the shape of my back and it just feels right.
I also have a deuter air contact which is comfy but a wee bit heavier.
Like previous post I also like a bit of space without cramming stuff in to a smaller pack, unless its just a daypack for a days trek.
I only manage an occasional trek nowadays but still love backpacking for a couple of days.
------------- It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.
Up to you, but personally I'd say that you need the same gear for one nights camping that you do for 7 - it's just food and water than increase, and they're far from the bulkiest items. And big rucksacks are heavy for two reasons - firstly they weigh a fair bit themselves and secondly if you've got the space you'll fill the space. I used to have an old 70L but I'm converted now.
I can camp out of a 45L Lowe Alpine ruck (with a side zip) without needing to faff about packing it away or trying to find stuff. But I do have a down sleeping bag which compresses down to nothing in the bottom of the ruck, which does mean space is less of an issue.
A bit of a road-test review for the thing. I got it and went for a week-long walkabout including a relaxing few nights by a fantastic wee loch away from everyone and thing.
Remember, my previous one was an aging old Berghaus Crusader that had a vastly different primary usage of military needs rather than civvy ones.
Firstly, it was nice and comfy. I did like how it was very easy to adjust the weight distribution between the different weight-points on my back, allowing me to adjust on the fly for different terrains and gradients without having to stop and take it off first. A backpack that my friend was barely was able to lift sat nicely on my back, properly distributed and comfortable.
It took a while to get used to the wiggly bottom bit but then it became second nature and I forgot about it.
A criticism that comes from my liking my old Crusader is that I'd have preferred wider rather than taller. An extra 3-4" of width with that off the top would help with weight distribution as I did have to put a good bit of effort into this before I got going on a day, especially with my quite heavy tent on top as I like having it when walking.
It took 7 days of generous food, 10L of bottled water*, a larger than standard backpacking tent and a not over-shrunk sleeping-bag as well as all my goodies that I like when out-and-about. I still had space for other stuff if I really wanted. The luxury of this is that I could give a lot more care to stuff rather than working out how not to break things or unfavourably squash things together.
It has a surprising stability around it as well that had it standing up on flat surfaces quite easily when fully loaded. The stitching, straps, padding and fabric all gave me a belief that they'll last just as long as my old Crusader.
One thing that did annoy me though was that I had to tape down a few straps. This is a pedantic point that I don't really like walking along with lots of swinging strap-ends like an old Australian cork-hat. It wouldn't take too much effort to either have a way to hide the straps that aren't going to be adjusted on the fly or to provide some sort of strap-tidy structure.
Overall, 8.5/10. Marks lost from perfect because of it being a bit taller than it needs to be and a bit narrower as well as the really pedantically small strap issue noted above. An excellent backpack that I'd strongly recommend.
* I like at least 1-2L of bottled water a day rather having to rely on all my water being sourced and cleansed as I go from fresh-water sources. I typically go through around 4L a day of water so I know I need to get my other water from somewhere.
I'd never want to weigh the thing, let's put it that way!
I'm used to it though and it's still less weight than I had to carry in the army. My job in the army had me carry two radios plus at least one spare battery for each in my backpack, all big, meaty things. One VHF (PRC 351) and one HF (PRC 320) radio. Then I had the other tools of my job. Then I had my kit. Then I had my rations. And so on... Then I had to be able to cover large distances with the thing.
Ah! right understand. I used to do some long distance paths/ trekking in my younger days when lightweight gear was non existant or too expensive when it did come on the market.
Like yourself I wouldn't have liked to weight my pack back then but now I can keep it to around 20ish lbs for my occasional 3 day wild camp.
As you say water can be the problem..its heavy!
------------- It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.
I did seriously consider going lightweight on many things but I like my bigger tent and my tarp over the front of it as well as a higher proportion of bottled water while completely avoiding civilisation.
It's the little things, for example, one day when on my walkabout, it was absolutely thumping down with rain, I was able to sit very nicely in my tent watching the world go by while reading my book. No cramped conditions, plenty of space to get my food cooked and relax while staying nice and dry. I just have never been able to do this in the smaller tents. If I couldn't have my little luxuries while still getting perfect isolation then I don't think I'd bother going camping these days.
Quote: Originally posted by Jake10 on 16/7/2014
Erm, just to be clear, you carry TEN LITRES of water? 10kg - 22lbs?? A water filter weighs about 100g.
Each to their own. I like bottled water and I'm happy to carry it with me. It's a reducing weight anyway.
Also, there are just some days you're out and you cannot find a water source that you consider pure enough to want to put through a water filter on a miserable day.
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Topic: Berghaus Bioflex
