LEADERS OF THE PACK
Gone are the days of the plain vanilla backpack.
Now you’ve got options. Whatever
your needs — from a sealed chamber for
ice to keep beverages cold to a hi-tech bonded
material that’s impregnable to the elements
— there’s a new-fangled backpack for you.
Tired of perennial cell-phone failure? Score
a pack armed with external solar panels so
you can keep on chatting. Back need a
break? Try the latest backpack on wheels.
Here are six recent designs that take this
everyday travel item to the next level.
Arc’Teryx AC2 Series
Travel writer Bill Bryson is among the backpacking masses
who note the ridiculous nature of most every hiker’s pack.
As strange as it may be, the overwhelming majority of
backpacks designed to be taken outdoors — where it rains
— are not waterproof. This unforgivable flaw, however,
is absent in the Arc’Teryx’s new AC2 series. That alone
makes it deserving of next-big-thing status. How’d they
do it? With next-generation weatherproof fabric and no
stitching. The components that make up this pack are fused
together, and zipper paths are shielded with topical bands
of fabric that keep the moisture out. It’s only a matter
of time — or is it about time? — that all packs are made
like this. (Prices start at $330; arcteryx.com.)
Mountain Hardware Exodus Series
This may be you: a suffer-for-style, ergonomically indifferent
teenager hauling around a textbook-stuffed, patch-covered
backpack that droops perilously down off your lower lumbar
region. And if it’s not? Then shouldering a backpack likely
requires laboriously tugging on a dizzying profusion of
dangling straps found behind your neck, under your armpits,
and around your stomach and chest to ensure at least a
somewhat comfortable fit. It’s enough to make you never
want to put on a backpack (or never take it off). But
it doesn’t have to be this way. The straps on Mountain
Hardware’s new line of Exodus packs adjust to accommodate
a variety of body shapes and sizes. Harkening back to
the ’70s, when just about all deep-woods backpacks had
a metal external frame, Mountain Hardware’s Fit-Lock system
has an almost robotic presence. But once you’ve made all
the right adjustments — which can be done in the comfort
of your local outfitter before hiking out the door —
the constant fidgeting to achieve proper fit will be
a thing of the past. (Prices start at $330; www.mountainhardware.com.)
Timbuk 2 Outtawack Day
Pack
This pack leads many lives. At 7:30 a.m.,
it’s a messenger bag with shoulder straps and a peel-back
Velcro flap. Twirl it around to remove an item quick-draw
style before leaving the office for a meeting. By 10:30,
it’s a backpack offering up hands-free roaming, thanks
to clip-on shoulder straps that tuck away when not in
use. Shoulder it while rushing through downtown on your
way to a meeting, latte in one hand and cell phone in
the other. Come 5 p.m., when you’re headed through airport
security, tuck in all the straps and it becomes your personal
item for carrying on board, complete with a suitcase handle
and an easily accessed, cord-lined laptop compartment
($100; timbuk2.com).
Voltaic Daypack
Leave this backpack out in the sun — or near a window
—and reap the rewards of an added insurance policy should
your cell-phone battery croak at an inopportune moment.
A hat trick of solar panels emblazon the outside of the
pack. A quiver of plugs in every conceivable shape and
size that’s capable of supplying juice to MP3 players,
DVD players, cell phones, and PDAs fills one of the internal
zipper pockets. You can’t beat it, save one notable exception
that applies to those of us chained to the keyboard: When
it comes to higher-volt capacity items like laptops, we’re
still on our own ($239; voltaicsystems.com).
Igloo Maxcold Maxpack
Though many coolers have handles, transporting a massive
ice-filled block of plastic any farther than from your
garage to your back deck hardly seems practical. Here’s
what does: dropping a few handfuls of ice into this insulated
cavity along with beverages (18 cans at most) and taking
them on a walkabout that ends with a blanket strewn on
the lawn at an outdoor concert. A 10-millimeter-thick
layer of Polartherm keeps things cool, and a plastic liner
prevents leaks. And the ice-blue color will keep your
mind set on chilling out ($32; igloo-store.com).
Osprey Meridian Series
Search hard enough and you’ll find other pieces of wheeled
luggage that transform — presto chango — into a backpack.
But hard edges and poor suspension make these relics more
pain than pleasure while in use, and just looking at some
of those old-school designs will likely make your back
spasm. Not so with Osprey’s Meridian convertible packs.
They’re lighter, softer, and more versatile than your
average wheeled backpack combo. Vented back panels keep
you cool. Large wheels avoid most course-changing bumps.
And a flexible hip belt allows you to keep the weight
off your back. Plus, the packs (in 22- and 28-inch-high
models) come with a secondary detachable sports pack —
ideal should you wish to plunk down the bulk of your gear
and go sprinting for the nearest trail. (The 22-inch unit
is $279 and the 26-inch is $299; ospreypacks.com.)
— by CHRISTOPHER PERCY COLLIER
One Sugar or Two?
A good cup of tea isn’t something most
on-the-go travelers find viable. Strainers,
spoons, and loose tea leaves are just too
much fuss.
But not with the Teastick from Gamila.
The Teastick is a slim column of perforated metal. To
make one perfectly brewed cup of tea, scoop up and measure
how much loose tea you’ll need for tea for one, slide
down the strainer cover, and settle the Teastick into
your mug. Although it’s designed for one cup of tea,
the Teastick is long enough and has a fold-over lip
to keep it from sliding down into your mug. The strainer’s
compact design keeps leaves from slipping out and collecting
in your cup, too. No more wet bags to dispose of, either
— slide the strainer cover back up and throw the leaves
away.
The Gamila Teastick, $18, can be found at wishingfish.com.
Don’t Say Cheese
Looking for a stylish way to both carry and protect your
digital camera? RedEnvelope’s Leather Camera Cases
are sleek enough to do the trick.
The cases come in a rich blue or
green hue, with chocolate-color leather
detailing and a nylon interior. Two sizes
are available to accommodate most
digital cameras.
While the cases are polished enough that you don’t
want to keep them hidden in your purse or backpack,
they don’t sacrifice function for their good looks.
Each camera case comes with storage pockets for an extra
battery and digital media card, and still leaves room
for your ID or credit card. A zipper closure keeps everything
snug and secure, so you might not even need a purse
or bag the next time you head out. The leather cases
sell for $22 and $25; buy them exclusively at redenvelope.com.
Be Prepared
Whether you’re on a leisurely hike or a serious trail
run, even a minor injury can hamper your quest. But conventional
first-aid kits weigh down your daypack, and the bandages
that you left behind in the car parked at the trailhead
sure won’t come in handy. What will is the Light
& Fast Series of first aid packs from Adventure
Medical Kits.
The Light & Fast Series includes the
Adventurer, the Trail, and the Personal
kits, each designed for duration of outing
and number of people in the group.
The kits include hospital-quality tools
and supplies to treat non-life-threatening
abrasions, burns, bites, and sprains.
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