Questions!!!

“On monday I will splurge and buy The New Pack What does everybody recomend? It needs to last me a while, I want to take it on a weekend outings, but I also want it to be good for when I hike the A.T. I also want to use it to backpack Europe. It needs to be lightweight, as im lightweight and cant carry much without falling over because of ballance problems. I think thats all Im looking for. Also does anyone know off any good trails that I can backpack on in west michigan? I know of a few but they are to far away. One more Anyone ever do Isle Royale? What kind of info/advice can you give me? I konw thats a ton but i know you all will do me good.”

“what fits, is comfy and carrys all that you want it too.”

“adventure baby,

Mrs. Bogey has a Apline Lowe 70 something for women, she likes it but you would be better off not talking to my type, I'm a pain in the A>S>S> and a nasty troll like creature. There are plenty of skirts out there to help you.”

“Sunshine has a Triad 70 she wants to sell or at least that is what she said until I tried to buy it. I don't know what happened, but she quoted me a price and then wouldn't do the deal.

A woman's word is for sh!t.”

“AMEN - bacpac - Highest praises to you, if more were like you and mel this site would rock and I would go away.

YA Bass Turds”

“I've got a kelty coyote, which is an internal frame and a pretty small pack. Also, my new pack is slightly larger, a Gregory Reality(thanx bpbaby! >smooch!<). This pack is incredibly well made, fits very well and is not a monster to lug around.
Definitely try a pack on with weight inside it before you buy, if you have doubts about what fits. your mileage may vary...

Also, if your balance is not wonderful, get some trekking poles!!! Trust me on this.

PS>you might try doing a search for Michigan, West, Trails, etc here. Also, starting a new thread for each question might bring you more answers (this thread is sort of ambiguous and may be skipped by some). Try throwing the word jello into the title somehow. I dunno, but it works...
;o)”

“amyg is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but this time she is right.

if i had to blindly pick a pack, for all occasions, i would say the gregory reality.

be sure to try it on, first.”

“amy, do you want to sell the kelty coyote? i have been thinking of getting one for my daughter....would you recommend it?”

“adventure girl, check out the thread for the manitou islands....they are in northwest michigan and sound like the hot ticket for a weekend hike....”

“West Michigan hikes...

Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness/Ludington State Park: This is a nice place for a couple of nights of backpacking. On the beach with a very nice lighthouse.

Platte Plains/Sleeping Bear Dunes NL: They have hike in campgrounds near Platte Bay. You can do a nice overnight here.

Manistee River Trail/North Country Trail loop. This is a pretty nice forested area with a fairly wild river. It's about 20 miles overall, but can be busy.

Jordan River Trail: never hiked it.

If you are in Southwest Michigan and desperate for a hike, you can probably do overnights in Yankee Springs SP/Barry State Game Area or Allegan State Game Area.

Oh, yeah, check out the northcountrytrail.org for segments in West Michigan.

It's not complete bliss, but it's a pretty nice area.”

“Oh, yeah, you might also look into Beaver Island. I've had my eye on it. About half the island is state land. And it used to have a king.”

“Aaaaah, bacpac, I've been meaning to send you an e-mail. My very dear friend wants to get into backpacking. I have my doubts that her husband will take care of their infant for a weekend in order for us to do it. She swears she's going so I want to hang on to the pack for one more summer. I'd like nothing better than to have a hiking buddy in my own back yard so I'm willing to back out of our deal in hopes of accomplishing that. I'm sorry. I hope you find a good pack for your daughter.”

“Reformed Lurker...

Ive been to Noordhouse, I dont want sand... Ive been on the manistee river cool place. Beaver island isnt one that I thought about. allegan has to many legends if you know what i mean. Wheres Jordan River at? and wher are you from? if you dont mind me asking?”

“I hear you on Allegan. Lots of kooks in the woods. But it's just about the biggest piece of public land in that area.

The Jordan River is a little bit south of Petoskey. There's been a trailtalk trip on it, so check out Phil's page for pictures. You can probably search under "Jordan" or just post another string for more info.

I live between Brooklyn and Onsted in the Irish Hills - great little area with a lot of lakes and interesting terrain. You?”

“Im halfway between Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan. hey thanks for all your help. And I will proably do Allegan sometime, just not next weekend Because the friend Im going with is really freaked out about it. So i need to find someone with bravery and all that.”

“Can't tell you about trails out there, but as far as the pack goes...
fit fit fit fit fit!
Features, et. al are just details.”

“Hey adventure girl! I've got the Lowe Alpine Netherworld 70 bogey mentioned above (NO I'm not Mrs Bogey!). While it's a great pack, real comfy, nice features, and made well, it's not the lightest of packs. You get what you pay for and I only paid $159.

Hyper and I have been to Isle Royal several times. It's a wonderful place to hike! Some pretty challenging trails compared to the rest of Mich. I recommend you pick up the book "Isle Royle National Park Foot trails and Water Routes" by Jim DuFresne. The library will have it. It is pretty comprehensive and will answer any questions you have. I recommend if you go that you take the Isle Royale Queen from Copper Harbor instead of the Nat. Park boat from Houghton. You'll have a much smoother, shorter trip. The Lake can be pretty rough sometimes and the Nat. Parks boat is flat bottemed. Sometimes they can't even take it out, no matter how many tickets have been sold or who has to leave the island on that day. Happened on my first trip there in '95. I was really glad we'd choosen the Queen instead of the Ranger III!

LeSubtil has spent some time on the Island too. If you have some speciffic questions about it I'm sure there will be someone who can answer them here.”

“Hartwick Pines and Clear Lake are in N. Michigan, but they are great hikes. Hartick is one of the last old growth stands of Virgin Pines (I think that is what they are called) in Michigan, truely a beautiful place. If you are in need of a Cabana Boy, please review the Rent-A-Cabana-Boy thread.”

“I don't think there are extensive trails at Hartwick Trailbuddy. I believe it's sort of a stop-over walk around for a few hours type place w/museums, etc. I think the only camping there, if any, is in a designated campground that is RV and tent friendly. It is beautiful though.”

“You said that you have balance probs? You probably want an internal then. Externals tend to keep the load toward the top and can be a little top heavy. As for which brand? Not a clue. I've never bought a large internal frame. I know some people who are very happey with mountain smith packs.”

“Trying it on is very important! I have a gregory shasta that I'm pleased with. I bought it to go for 1-2 week long hikes and it is a bit large for a weekend, but cinches down pretty well. I've also been told it is a bit heavy at 6.5lbs, but I haven't noticed. I did like that I could mix and match part sizes at the store where I bought it (Outdoor Provisioning Co.). I'm only 5'2", so I needed a short pack, but I needed a medium waist belt. I didn't realize that until I tried it at the store.

I've been interested in buying a smaller pack for weekend hikes, but I haven't researched it yet because I am unwilling to part with the cash.

AmyG mentioned the poles - I bought some last year and love them. I wouldn't go backpacking without them.”

“Gonzo,
I would recommend the Coyote as a first pack(it was my first), but mine's not for sale(sorry). I want to keep it around so as to try to lure friends and family into participating...someday.

Anyway, the Coyotes can usually be had pretty cheap(~$100 or less on sale) at places such as sierratradingpost.com.”

“Gregory is probably one of the better all-around packs out there.

Here are some links that might help give you some options though.

Hope the cut and paste job works...
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Alps Mountaineering

Arc'Teryx

Eagle Creek

Camp Trails

Caribou Mountaineering

Cascade Designs

Climb High

Dana Design

Granite Gear

Gregory

Jack Wolfskin

Jandd Mountaineering

Jansport

Life-Link

Kelty

LLBean

Madden Mountaineering

Marmot

McHale Packs

Mountainsmith

Mountain Tools

Natalex

Osprey Packs

Outbound Products

Overland Equipment

Peak 1

Recreational Equipment

Serratus

Tough Traveler

The North Face

VauDe Sports

Vortex Backpacks

Wild Things

Woods Canada

Ferrino USA

Mystery Ranch”