Hauling your pack over a 325-rod portage should be like walking in a park. Almost. So, how do you choose a well made, durable pack and save your back for future trekking?
We put Granite Gear’s Superior One Pack through extensive testing on several trips.
The largest of their Expedition Series, the Superior One is made of 210D nylon Cordura fabric. For the layman, 210D –denier– refers to the thickness of the nylon measured. The higher the number, the more tear-resistant and waterproof the material is. Cordura fabric is known for combining lightweight, water resistant and long-lasting properties. Our pack has sat in mud, on rocks, been drug over dirt and we can happily report that it has held up without any wear.
One of the best features is the the strapping system; the same kind used in their backpacks. It comes with adjustable, wide-contoured shoulder straps. We found you could tweak the back panel harness adjustment straps smoothly for a close fit. The weight is distributed around your hips, thanks to their Vapor Suspension system. The packs come with varying torso lengths sized for men and women. It is a padded, adjustable belt with no hard edges that dug in. It comfortably clipped on and off. Occasionally we’d switch packs between us, and found the strapping system adjusted with little fuss. The foam-padded back gave us plenty of relief and provided a good buffer against knobby gear.
The Superior One has 7400 cubic inches of space. As one of the largest canoe-style packs we’ve found, it’s nearly big enough for the kitchen sink.
With adjustable side compression straps, you can customize your fit. This feature allowed us to “hug” our gear, a necessary detail as you don’t want stuff tossing about. Additionally, it’s nice to cinch any extra fabric that might be loose. The straps have strong clips for quick release.
External lash points offer spots for tying down the pack in a canoe with rough weather or rapids. Our waterproof map case was strapped to these.
Heavy-duty side straps provide an easy place to grab your pack, a convenient feature while loading and unloading the canoe. It cut down our time at the portage entry and exits.
There are two side pockets. They are handy for things like kleenex, snacks or gloves. It would be great to see Granite Gear make one of these deeper for holding the water bottle.
The back of the pack features a large external sleeve. This is especially important for when you don’t want to completely undo the entire pack to find something. We’d stuff our rain gear, sandals, or the errant sock here.
The pack is very water resistant. It has sat in water on the bottom of the canoe through hours of heavy rain. We had only one incident where some gear got wet, but we don’t know if the plastic liner we added failed. Over long portages the bag was snug against our back, stayed in place and we had no rubbing. We have yet to find a pack that features such versatility and durability for men and women.
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