READERS COMMENTS

I find it amusing, but obviously there are flaws in their testing, considering physics, pressure wasnt applied equally to all packs and therefore different results will occur....However if tested individually you would probably get different results, and since they have time to waste, then perhaps they should have a re-match.
Posted: Nov 02, 2009 ROBERT KAPS

Ok, this review was a waste of my time...
Posted: Oct 21, 2009 Buster

I am tired of the naysayers of gear lab. Sure it may not be 100 practical, but it has its points and is fun to watch. Bags are not made of canvas and last for 30 years anymore. I thought it was great to see which company uses material that can take a beating. For anyone thinking this is a waste of time...Backpacker tests the hell out of gear in true to life tests and reviews them all the time. This is more for fun...If you had packs, a jeep and a dirt road at your disposal you would do it too...
Posted: Oct 19, 2009 Griztopher

Reminds me of Man vs Wild. Great TV but not very practical. Lets put a stick of TNT in there while we are at it. See how they do then. Yea, I say TNT while being dragged behind the car. Please have a long rope for the drivers sake. We like him. But wait, maybe that pack CAN save your life ,while sliding down a granit cliff at terminal speed and it is still attached to you while it hook onto a branch just before you hit the deck.
Great TV guys and gals......
Posted: Oct 18, 2009 TWIG

what practical backpacker ties there backpack to a truck and drags it across a road.
Posted: Oct 09, 2009 gram weenie

One more reason not to read Adpacker mag
Posted: Oct 08, 2009 Ali

what a wast get a real job
Posted: Oct 05, 2009 craig

That is a pretty good idea! The fabric used on most packs now is very thin with weight concern being the hype! Not many; even big name brand packs can hold up with moderate use anymore. I think that pack makers/engineer gurus should have durability field tests for the long haul, not just a brisk walk out 3 miles & back. They should load them down with 45 - 50 pounds of gritty gear, then hit the trail and accumulate some miles.
Posted: Oct 03, 2009 Treetop

I am a avid Backpacker always looking for the best gear to take with me, I love that Backpacker.Com tests gear like this, It allowes the averahe Joe like myself an inside look at just how durable gear is. I would love if more gear was tested at these extreem conditions.As we all now " you never know what to expect on your next trip" and its good to know that if your pack and gear take a nasty fall that it will still be intact and usable when you find it. : )
Posted: Oct 02, 2009 Travis Lopez

I saw a major problem with your "scientic" test. Dirt and gravel on the road was not uniform across the with of the road. The stones were on either side of the ruts. It would make a difference then on which order each pack was tied across the back of the car. Just a thought.
Posted: Oct 02, 2009 Eric Peterson

OK, the abrassion testing aspect at 20 MPH is interesting. The rest is overkill. Try testing packs and other gear at in the Presidential Rose Garden or the pull them through picker bushes and briars in the deep south. The speed at which they were dragged has little effect as the abrasion is the same.. the distance on the road, a total of approximately 3 miles. Call Consumer Reports and ask why they call for unrealistic standards such as the number of wheelchairs they can stuff in a subcompact. That said, what other factors did you find out about the fabrics and construction designs and such? How would the contents of these packs have faired? What suggestions can you make for when we go shopping and the specific models are no longer available?
Posted: Oct 01, 2009 Nyrefugee80231

Well...were the packs weighed down and you actually get paid for doing this. I'm in the wrong profession.

Tongue in Cheek,

Hat
Posted: Oct 01, 2009 Hat

Cmon guys and gals what a waste of fossil fuel, perfectly good packs, and my time as a consumer.This simulation does not simulate any accurate use of these products. This is not the David Letterman Show but a magazine to help consumers make wise choices for outdoor products. This type of grandstanding makes me wander from your magazine.
Posted: Oct 01, 2009 bill filsinger

Nice.
Posted: Oct 01, 2009 Matt

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