Review: Eagle Creek Transcontinental Journey - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!



Go Back   TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards! > Members Lounge > General Travel Tips, Education, Advice > Budget Travel Gear

Budget Travel Gear Yo Nellie, which backpack should I git? Questions and answers on gear related topics (i.e. backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, hiking boots, stoves, etc.).

Raileurope.com: See Europe by train
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-17-2006, 05:03 PM   #1
Joker
You want fries with that?
 
Joker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Maryland... yeah, i know it sucks.
Posts: 2,230
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

Ok, bought this pack in anticipation of a trip to Europe eventually. Paid $120 shipped from Michigan via Ebay. REI sells them full price at $200. Ebags.com no longer carries them. Pack I bought was brand new.

Instead, tested it on an 8-day trek through the Costa Rican highlands.

The detachable day pack, as much as I've said it, makes sense, to a point. But at the same time, its not really big enough to carry certain things I've found essential to hikes:

A poncho
a small hiker's First Aid kit
Small camera
1.5L bottle of water
guidebook
flashlight (heavy d-cell type.)
backup socks and shorts

Fact is, that with this sorta stuff in there, it gets pretty tight. I like to make sure i"m prepared at all times (the 1st aid kit made it when I sliced my foot up at the waterfall.) It could really use a water bottle pocket as well.

The main pack, itself, could have some more storage pockets built in, instead of just the one large mesh pocket on the cover.

However, the abundance of compression straps and a virtually idiot-proof suspension design makes the main pack well worth it. Also, big thumbs up to EC for including a cover for the suspension straps. I'd hate it if my big ol' checked bag were to lose a strap in a horrible conveyor belt accident!!

On top of that, the biggest draw to me was the steel cable wound thru the pack. I carried a Kryptonite combination cable lock on it, and lashed it to whatever I could when I could. Added a few extra pounds, but it gave me a bit of peace of mind.

The rest of the stuff I sorta amassed through Ebay really cheap, or Ebags.com, and by getting a couple packages really cheap.

Eagle Creek "Pack-it" Folder 20":

Absolutely worthless to the packer on the go. Too much of a PITA to unpack, but it does keep your shit wrinkle-free, and helps compress... But unless you are packing a suitcase and need your Armani shirt for something, leave it at home!

Eagle Creek "Wallaby"

Thing carries so much shit, well worth it. The built-in hook makes it nice for hanging up. I always overpack my meds and first aid stuff to prepare for anything. This thing definitely facilitates it.

Eagle Creek "Undercover Deluxe Security wallet"

Nice addition to the gear. Holds a ton of stuff, not just your passport and some cash. Lies VERY flat and doesn't show off to the outside like neck wallets.

Lewis & Clark Clothesline (from ebags.com)

Not worth it, I'm afraid. Suction cups don't stick to shit. If there was a type of adhesive that could work better, I'm all for it. Best off either using a table, chair, or bedpost.

MSR Packtowel:

Nice addition, but major issue: Doesn't dry fast, at all. Once its used a bit then it'll get softer, and it surely packs up small, but not dry. In fact, mine is still damp from using it last on Sunday afternoon while getting kicked outta the hot springs...

As time permits, i'll throw some more reviews out there.
__________________
Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate

"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."


Joker is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply






Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Not another one! Backpack question! (Eagle Creek) kn34 Budget Travel Gear 6 01-30-2006 04:47 PM
Eagle Creek "Journey" series replaced @dam Budget Travel Gear 0 12-15-2005 02:05 PM
SELLING: Eagle Creek Continental Journey foofiter Classified Ads 2 09-19-2005 05:58 PM
Eagle Creek Backpack afterlife3 Budget Travel Gear 15 05-24-2005 11:22 AM
Eagle Creek Explorer clevercraig Budget Travel Gear 5 02-24-2004 03:15 AM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 09:51 PM.



 

Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.2.0 (Unregistered)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121