Updating Old School
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:05 pm
By now you folks are aware of my tradition-minded bent with regard to gear, the most famous example hereabouts being my photogenic teak ice axe. But it doesn't stop at Italian ice axes. This last weekend I went on my first backpacking outing in about nine or ten years, using the REI external frame pack (probably made by Kelty on their Tioga pattern) I bought (on sale) in 1982:
![Image](http://www.urbanredneck.org/images/20.jpg)
Those boots were bought at about the same time, from the Holubar store in Santa Ana. They have been resoled twice.
Anyway, I love my old pack, it has literally hundreds of miles on it, and though I do need to get a new internal frame pack for winter use, I will never willingly part with my REI e-frame. However, while it's a great and serviceable pack, the suspension is teh suck, especially when I see everyone else gamboling across the ridges in their luxurious foam hipbelts, etc. Today my hips hurt and the rifle shooting date I had planned for next weekend is out of the question. As a frame pack, it would be easy to swap out the old suspension for a new one, if only a new one was available.
Back in the day, places like REI and Holubar sold suspension components such as belts and shoulder straps (this was before REI became a clothing store). Now I can't find anything like that, even on-line. This weekend a couple of my fellow hikers had relatively new Kelty Tioga packs, and their lovely suspension systems could have easily been fitted to my packframe. If only I could get one without having to buy the pack.
Anyone have any suggestions as to how to do this? I will probably call Kelty customer service tomorrow, but mebbe the San Gabriel Mountains Brain Trust has some ideas in the meantime.
![Image](http://www.urbanredneck.org/images/20.jpg)
Those boots were bought at about the same time, from the Holubar store in Santa Ana. They have been resoled twice.
Anyway, I love my old pack, it has literally hundreds of miles on it, and though I do need to get a new internal frame pack for winter use, I will never willingly part with my REI e-frame. However, while it's a great and serviceable pack, the suspension is teh suck, especially when I see everyone else gamboling across the ridges in their luxurious foam hipbelts, etc. Today my hips hurt and the rifle shooting date I had planned for next weekend is out of the question. As a frame pack, it would be easy to swap out the old suspension for a new one, if only a new one was available.
Back in the day, places like REI and Holubar sold suspension components such as belts and shoulder straps (this was before REI became a clothing store). Now I can't find anything like that, even on-line. This weekend a couple of my fellow hikers had relatively new Kelty Tioga packs, and their lovely suspension systems could have easily been fitted to my packframe. If only I could get one without having to buy the pack.
Anyone have any suggestions as to how to do this? I will probably call Kelty customer service tomorrow, but mebbe the San Gabriel Mountains Brain Trust has some ideas in the meantime.