Wildland and lumbar packs
“Preserve substance; modify form; know the difference” (Dee Hock)
Many times I have bought camping gear over the internet and waited, with growing anticipation, for the arrival of a piece of kit that I am convinced is going to vastly improve my camping experience. More often than not, when the piece of equipment does arrive, I find that there are some draw backs, or failings, that I hadn’t foreseen and that initial pleasure is quickly dampened.
However, after really getting to know a particular piece of kit I usually spot a few simple modifications that will make it do what I, at least, want it to do. With rucksacks and bags I won’t hesitate to take out the scissors and remove unnecessary or overlong straps, if the knife I bought has a blade profile I don’t like I’ll mercilessly grind it into a shape I do, and the sewing machine is often called upon to add on extra pockets, sleeves or whatever it is that I decide a particular piece of gear is missing.
Not everyone is happy to take this approach (my friend Keong is, I know, horrified at the way I take the scissors to branded rucksacks!) and the obvious drawback is that, should you wish to sell-on that bit of kit, a potential buyer may not approve of your modifications!
In the case of the Mountainsmith lumbar pack in the video, the addition of shoulder straps turned out to be a very necessary modification as, without them, the pack is too uncomfortable to carry loads much above 3 kg. I’d bought the pack in Malaysia (on line) at a very decent price (RM 140 if I remember correctly) and the model is the older (and, in my view, better) version. However the shoulder straps aren’t sold here and are quite expensive as well. The solution was to adapt a yoke system used by the British Armey and the problem was solved (and without much expense).
As someone who is very skinny the other problem I had was getting the waist belt to fit comfortably under load (although this is a problem I have just as equally with most rucksacks) and I sewed in some padding to resolve this.
As the Mountainsmith has only a 14 litre capacity I wanted to get another, larger, lumber pack for longer trips. I was very tempted by the wildland packs used in the States but the only one available here was the Mystery Ranch pack (sold by Outdoor Gear Malaysia) which was both too heavy and too expensive for me. I also considered importing a True North pack but the Firefly pack was too heavy and the Fireball pack, although much lighter and with a nice 20 litre capacity, was quite an expensive option after the cost of importation. The one I ended up with is a non-branded (hand made) bag from Evil Bay and I am very pleased indeed with it. Ebay in the US has quite a range of these wildland style packs available and, obviously, you can save quite a bit of money if you’re prepared to buy second hand.
So, are these the best packs for the jungle? The truth is that it depends very much on where you are going and your own personal preference….if you are sticking to well used trails then there isn’t that much call for ducking and weaving through the undergrowth, nor will you have to do that much heavy clearing (so upper body mobility is less of an issue) and a rucksack will serve just as well and better distribute the weight on your back.
…but if you’re going off trail then the these packs really come into their own.
Hello, i was just kind of wondering, where did you learn all of these techniques and knowledge, and what part of the world did you growup in (like city/ more ubanish, the type of wildlife your around, and if that has any affect on your survival knowledge).
I would appreciate any reply due to my interest in survival related stuff.
Hi Damian,
Many thanks for the comment and let me to and answer your question. I grew up in the UK but since the age of about 20 have spent the majority of my time in the tropics and the last 12 years in Malaysia. I’ve always been into the outdoors and love being in the jungle but would not consider myself to be an expert (that honour goes to the Orang Asli who have jungle skills they’ve acquired since childhood). I guess I’m just interested in all this stuff and try to pass on what I’ve learned from others.
Hope that answers your question.
Cheers!
Paul
Nice review. I was able to purchase a MountainSmith Day with the shoulder straps when it was on sale. I’ve used it for several years and been happy with it. I don’t carry as much weight as you do, so it does fine for me.
One other aspect I like about lumbar packs, especially in hot weather, is that a back pack gets very hot against the back, blocks the breeze and inhibits body cooling. A lumbar pack is much cooler in hot weather.
I really enjoy your site!
Hi Meat Trapper,
Many thanks for the comment and good to hear the Mountainsmith is serving you well. You are absolutely right about the back cooling aspect to lumbar packs and it is a point I forgot to mention in the video (so thanks for bringing it up). Here it is always hot and humid and the foam padding of a rucksack on your back can get very hot and uncomfortable….it makes quite a difference to have the back cooling that you get from a lumbar pack.
Thanks again and very glad you like the site.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I can see what you’re doing there with the lumbar/butt packs. This is like the old belt kit that I used in the army. Seeing as you’re going with shoulder/yoke straps to help take the weight off the hips why not go with webbing? Dragon supplies in Colchester do a butt pack webbing plus you can ask for the ammo pouches to be changed with utility pouches https://www.dragonsupplies.co.uk/catalogue/537-Butt-Pack-Webbing-Tan
Just an idea. I have now gone away from belt kits as walking around the NP’s in Aus with a military style kit gets a raised eyebrow or two but Im sure in the deep jungle it would work fine.
Anyway see you next year in June.
Swampy.
Hi Swampy,
Great to hear from you and looking forward to your visit next year! I tried going to the link but can’t get it to load (server problem?) but will try again tomorrow.
I did look at the army style belt pouch systems in the UK but they were quite expensive and made of pretty heavy material. Also, like you, I try to avoid looking too military and limit myself to the army trousers I wear almost daily! The shoulder straps were army surplus and I really like them as they don’t have too much padding (which isn’t needed for a light load anyway and can be too hot as well) and are well made. I also use that harness to support a 5.11 belt to which I attach all the many dogs when I walk them – in this way, when they surge forward after a dozing monkey or something, I can hold them back (just!).
Anyway, good to hear from and hope all well over there in Australia.
Cheers!
Paul
hye Paul,
about your mountainsmith pack, you mention that you bought it online in msia. could you send to me the link coz i wanted to purchse one of the mountainsmith backpack that currently not available in msia.
Hi Randy,
Many thanks for the comment and, if I remember correctly, the shop I bought the Moutainsmith bag from is at this link.
Hope that helps – as I remember it was pretty good value from them too.
Cheers!
Paul
Paul,
I used a Mountsmith for a 3 day just recently and had quite a difficult time getting my stuff to fit. Weight wasn’t an issue (I was under 15 lbs including food), but bulk was my enemy. The evenings got down to 4*C so I had to bring a sleeping bag. I also used a sleeping pad, in part because I couldn’t find anything that wasn’t too bulky. Can you explain more about your underquilt and topquilt? What is the underquilt made of? I saw your video where you mention the top quilt and it looks like nylon and fleece. Is that right? Do temps in the jungle get down to 4*?
It seems I may have to upgrade to a bigger pack. I agree with you about lumbar packs. I use them because I’m extremely clumsy and find the lower center of gravity to be quite helpful. In short, it’s a safety feature.
Thanks. Love your site.
Daniel
HI Daniel,
Many thanks for the comment and I know what you mean about the Mountainsmith being a tad on the small size when it comes to capacity. I have sewn on attachments that fit above and below the pack and that helps a lot with light bulky items….certainly a sleeping bag could be attached on top of the main pack to give you more room. In the jungle here the temperature at night drops only to about 21 degrees so we don’t need as much bedding etc. If you need more capacity then I would recommend looking at the wild land packs as they are much, much bigger.
Top quilts and under quilts are great for hammock camping – the main difference with a sleeping bag is that under quilts don’t get compressed beneath your back so the UQ retains more of its insulating properties. I prefer that combination vs a sleeping bag also because it’s not so claustrophobic (a sleeping bag in a hammock can feel like being in a straight jacket). There are commercial versions you can buy (I think Eagles Nest Outfitters make one) although it is easy enough to make your own by cutting up an old sleeping bag up and then getting out the sewing machine. If you take a look at some of the hammock sites there are some blogs about how to make an under quilt.
Hope that helps and thanks again for the questions.
Cheers!
Paul
I spent a yr. in Viet-Nam 40 yrs. ago humping so much gear in an ALICE pack (which I believe crippled more G.Is than bullets or mines), that I thought I’d never enjoy the outdoors again. Thanks to your videos and use of minimal gear (I’m an old fart now), I can take a machete, lightweight jungle hammock, and other kit weighing approx. 10 lbs.(including food) into the hills of North Carolina and not only survive but enjoy the trip. Thanks again Paul for ALL of your survival tips- I’ve learned more from your videos than the Army was able to teach me. PS I can even start a fire with a bamboo saw
Hi Steve,
Many thanks for the comment and I know exactly what you mean about army pack weight – a friend of mine is ex-army and I couldn’t believe the weight he used to have to carry…just his webbing belt kit weighed as much as my entire kit! Like most converts to lightweight camping I too have made the mistake of going on a trip with too much weight on my shoulders and learned the hard way that it can make a trip miserable….on the last days of that particular trip my shoulders were bleeding where the straps had worn them sore. Not nice!
I’m pretty impressed that you’ve got your kit down to 10 lbs…I’m averaging about twice that including food and water for a 3 night trip and struggling to get it much lower….equally impressed that you can do the bamboo firesaw as it’s a method that defeats a lot of people.
Cheers!
Paul