Backpack Question/Recommendation

[Charlie Mason]

I have a Kelty 50 Redwing backpack that I was hoping to use for the CF this upcoming Spring/Summer. Is this pack too large or heavy? If anyone has any recommendations please let me know. Thanks.

 

[LTfit]

Hi Charlie and welcome to the Forum!

You will find lots of your answers here: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/equipment-questions.30/
I in fact moved your thread to this forum.
Cheers,
LT

 

[dougfitz]

I have a Kelty 50 Redwing backpack that I was hoping to use for the CF this upcoming Spring/Summer. Is this pack too large or heavy? If anyone has any recommendations please let me know. Thanks.

It's a bit hard to tell. Its neither particularly light, nor particularly heavy for its volume, and how much volume you will need is largely determined by what you intend to pack. My experience is that for a camino style load for early spring, you can pack about 170-200gm/li, so depending on whether you have the small or large variant, it will be capable of carrying around 8.5 to 10kg without too much difficulty.

If it is bigger than you really need, you will have to be very disciplined about what you pack. I know on my first pilgrimage, I carried too much because I had a pack that was really too large. I posted most of the excess back to friends in England so that I could collect it on my way back home.

I have a smaller zipper enclosed pack, but my larger packs have floating lids of one form or other. I think this style of pack is a little less flexible, but if you already have the pack, its not a biggie.

 

[Anne100]

Do you have all of your other gear already? When you load up your pack with what you need to be safe and comfortable, how does it ride? Have you done any hiking with it full, including snacks and water? How does it feel during and after an extended ascent/descent?

It's difficult to give specific advice since we are all built differently and we have different needs and standards for comfort and safety. I'm tall, my pack is 80+ liters and weighs about 600 grams empty. It has all I need for a safe and comfy Camino. It wouldn't be right for some but it's perfect for me and has served me well for more than 6500 km of hiking. When you can answer the above questions you'll have a better idea of what you need.

 

[kmrice]

I just finished the Camino - St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago - with a Kelty Redwing 3100.

Your Redwing 50 is the current version of the same pack, but it is rated as one ounce lighter and 100 ci smaller than mine. Your side pockets are a little different (I think you can slide poles between the pocket and the pack) but otherwise it is pretty much the same pack.

My Redwing was just fine for the Camino. My wife carried a Redwing 2500, a 40 L pack, which also worked well. If I needed a new pack I might look for something lighter, but not much smaller. My wife's pack was big enough for her, but I carried a few extra things - the first aid kit, etc. A lot of forum members say, "don't get too big a pack; you'll just fill it up," but I didn't find this to be a problem. I had a little extra room, but that was fine.

If I were buying a new pack I'd also look into the packs which are narrower and taller for the same capacity; a lot of pilgrims carried Deuters like that and I wondered if they rode better. But, my Redwing did the job very well.

If I were to do another Camino, I'd stick with my Redwing since it appears to have lots of miles left in it. I'll be trekking in the Apennines next year, and plan to use the same pack.

Karl

 

[Charlie Mason]

I just finished the Camino - St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago - with a Kelty Redwing 3100.

Your Redwing 50 is the current version of the same pack, but it is rated as one ounce lighter and 100 ci smaller than mine. Your side pockets are a little different (I think you can slide poles between the pocket and the pack) but otherwise it is pretty much the same pack.

My Redwing was just fine for the Camino. My wife carried a Redwing 2500, a 40 L pack, which also worked well. If I needed a new pack I might look for something lighter, but not much smaller. My wife's pack was big enough for her, but I carried a few extra things - the first aid kit, etc. A lot of forum members say, "don't get too big a pack; you'll just fill it up," but I didn't find this to be a problem. I had a little extra room, but that was fine.

If I were buying a new pack I'd also look into the packs which are narrower and taller for the same capacity; a lot of pilgrims carried Deuters like that and I wondered if they rode better. But, my Redwing did the job very well.

If I were to do another Camino, I'd stick with my Redwing since it appears to have lots of miles left in it. I'll be trekking in the Apennines next year, and plan to use the same pack.

Karl

Thanks for the info Karl. Best of luck on your upcoming adventures

 

[Charlie Mason]

Do you have all of your other gear already? When you load up your pack with what you need to be safe and comfortable, how does it ride? Have you done any hiking with it full, including snacks and water? How does it feel during and after an extended ascent/descent?

It's difficult to give specific advice since we are all built differently and we have different needs and standards for comfort and safety. I'm tall, my pack is 80+ liters and weighs about 600 grams empty. It has all I need for a safe and comfy Camino. It wouldn't be right for some but it's perfect for me and has served me well for more than 6500 km of hiking. When you can answer the above questions you'll have a better idea of what you need.

I need to get all my gear set up and see how things go. Thanks for the feedback and advice.

 

[Diogo92]

For what I’ve seen online, that backpack it’s very similar with my Quechua Forclaz 40. I think that it will fit to do the Camiño

Best Regards
Diogo