Best backpack for the money?

[nomadnick]

I can second that the EXO Mountain packs are well worth the money, but are on the spendy side. I have a Badlands Ox pack that I have used for years that has worked very well. I think they still make the frame not sure about the rest of the pack. It is a little heavier but lots cheaper and still very capable.

 

[CastleRocker]

As othere have said; watch Rokslide classifieds..I'll add that you should check several times a day, and above all...be patient! I picked up a Kifaru duplex frame that was ordered new in 2016, and emr II bag for $225 shipped to my door. Took me quite a while, and I made a lot of people a LOT of offers before I finally got one, but that's all I had to spend. Saw a Kifaru duplex with an older bag go for $180 last fall, but it was sold in mimites.

There are a lot of GREAT packs out there now. It all depends on what you use it for, as in, how much weight you pack. Here is what I have discovered so far. I have a Tenzing 6000 (bought "used", but hadn't been worn, as it still had the tags on it), that I love, until I put some weight in it. It's a great pack for up to 65lbs...not 75lbs. I had a Kuiu, that I bought used on Rokslide. Awesome pack! Until packing over 90lbs...then the frame broke. Phenomenal customer service! They sent me a new one...then that one broke with about the same (maybe a little more) amount of weight. Again, American company, build in the USA, and they stand behind their packs and they replaced it. I then I sold it, as a heavy pack is hard for a old fat guy like me to hump back to camp...it's really, REALLY hard when it's broken.

As far as the best pack the money? Look at old Dana Designs packs. They show up on Craigslist sometimes, after hanging in a closet for years and years. My wife still uses an old Terraplane. I see now that Dana is reviving the Terraplane...good designs are timeless I guess. I have a Barney's that I've used for 20+ years. There is a reason why you don't see them for sale in the classifieds. I'm going to give the Barney's to my son, as I just can't pack the weight that it can anymore.

 

[Sealesniper]

I really like my TAB gear bags.

 

[Blowgunner]

I've been using a Kelty Super Tioga for a few years now. Absolutely love the pack. It's not a meat hauler specifically, but works good doing so. Very adjustable, carries a lot of weight well, and very affordabke. I've put down some serious miles with this pack.