hi all,

for once, i purchased a birthday gift for myself that was actually affordable!

in the ever-increasing costs of equipment, the $29 rei flash 18 bag catches my attention.

my first impressions?... i am immediately impressed by what i got for $29!

two particular thoughts...

because the shoulder straps sit far apart, the sternum strap is very long. therefore, when not used, it is very awkward.

and, the belt seems to be very unnecessary. and when not used, it too is awkward.

what have other owners done about these strange and possibly unnecessary straps?

cheers

Edited by ayres on 11/08/2010 00:45:17 MST.

Use it for traveling, climbing, to the gym and as a sleeping bag stuff sack...

For the hip belt, if you aren't using it as intended you can wrap it around the back, slip it through the lower daisy-chain loops and clip it back there. it also functions to compress/constrain the bottom some.

I know some folks cut off the hip-belt, bet I love belts too much to do that. I've also read of people cutting out the sleeve inside as well, and bringing total pack weight down by almost a third (if memory serves).

Ayres,

I bought one off of Gear Swap for $20.00 not too long ago. I too couldn't resist this little pack.

I am not tall but I am broad in the shoulders so I removed the sternum strap. The hip belt and the ice axe loop met up with Mr. Fiskars and the webbing went into my project pile along with the two buckles.

I replaced the drawcord and original cordlock & webbing pull tab with some 3/32" nylon drawcord and a mini-mini cordlock from Quest Outfitters. I used a simple overhand knot to secure the end of the new drawcord and singed the ends and the knot with a lighter. The neoprene weather flap at the top was trimmed down by half. I cut out the excess material inbetween the daisy chain reinforcements inside of the pack and singed all the edges to avoid the webbing unraveling.

Last to go was the tags inside and the REI label on the outside of the pack.

I have the weight savings recorded somewhere and I'll edit this post later to add those figures. But if memory serves me the final weight was 7.65 ozs. :-)

Edit:

The 7.65 ounce weight was including the sternum strap. With the sternum strap removed the final weight was 7.2 ounces. :-)

Party On,

Newton

Edited by Newton on 11/09/2010 11:04:20 MST.

good points, dan and newton... and in fact, i am not really concerned about the flash's weight. but i love the dedication of others to shave off weight from a 10oz, 18 liter bag.

i'm always a bit reluctant to cut off the belt due to uncertainty of if/how i might need it. i love the idea of reversing the belt and looping it around the back and through the daisy chains. i'll try that.

there are times that i will want the sternum straps, but for casual wear (with a baby girl due any day now, i'll be using this also as a diaper bag), i'd like to expel of the straps somehow with the option of attaching them when needed.

has anyone experimented with removable sternum strap clips? before i break the plastic on these, i want to be certain that there is a decent alternative.

opinions welcomed! and i'll see if a trip to the nearby home depot turns up anything.

I use mine for commuting back and forth to work, (the waist belt and sternum strap are nice for this to keep it from sliding around on the back), as a travel pack and yes it has also been used as a diaper bag.

Mountain Laurel Designs has a removable sternum strap that would work well if you want to remove the factory one.

http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=135

Ayres,

Quest Outfitters has a sternum strap "slider" item #3091
that can be removed and reinstalled on the shoulder straps at will. If you have trouble removing the "permanent" one on the Flash 18 replacing it with the ones from Quest is an easy solution.

It can be hand sewn onto the ends of the sternum strap so a sewing machine is not necessary.

Party On,

Newton

one is the old version (rei UL pack) and one is a new flash 18. i cut the old version to nothing except the shoulder straps and the main bag body (all the interior stuff and webbing is gone too). if i remember right, its around 5oz and i just use it as a stuff sack on backpacking trips, that way i can use it as a backpack if i needed to (summit pack). i also have a new one that I've just removed the sternum strap on since i don't think its useful. i haven't weighed it, but i use it everyday for school and has held up well to the abuse. i like the waist strap if i was going to do some running with it, but that would be the only time it would be used. i left it alone on my new one.

for what it's worth I was looking at this bag(REI Flash) yesterday compared to the EMS Packable Pack. EMS claims the volume of the Packable Pack at 1500cu in vs. 1100 for the Flash, and its weight is 9oz vs. 10oz for flash. it is the same price as the Flash 18-$30 but does not have the daisy chain on the back, but does have loops to add your own straps. After my typical "improvements" with the scissors mine weights 6.5oz. So a 6.5oz daypack/stuffsack/etc. for $30, not bad. After I use it for a while I may be able to cut a little more weight, but I am happy with it for now.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699687&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442633274

with removable sternum strap ... a bit more expensive ... but slightly lighter .. and youll look like a yuppay !!!

when you're looking at $30 packs, the extra $19 is more than a "bit"...

Though HermitsHut has it for only $45... ;)

jason ... obviously youve never worn dead birdies

when you do youll find random women in the street considering you as the father of their next child ... you also find business men walking up to you and start talking about bond yield curves ... but the best of all every real backpacker will run away from you in fear of being contaminated with yupiness ...

lol

"real backpacker will run away from you in fear of being contaminated with yupiness ..."

I had never considered what may make a "real" backpacker. Thanks for clearing that up.

>>when you do youll find random women in the street >>considering you as the father of their next child ...

If you don't like dealing with the hassle of beautiful women you can always use the gear so it looks and smells like hiker trash.

Actually *use* my gear??

But that means I'd have to go out into the scary woods...

first of all no one actually "uses" dead bird gear except for sponsored athletes ... the main purposes is to look cool at the local sbucks while sipping your latte next to your beeeemah

second of all ... if by chance your dead bird gear did get dirty ... all those crazed cougars would still come running after you as youre either a sponsored athlete with tight muscles ... or a rich yuppie with a trust fund who went for a walk in the park

so no help there

thread drift anyone? ... lol

Jason, you dont have to go into those scary woods- Call of Duty Black Ops came out today!

I love Arcteryx clothing because it fits me well.

My old Needle pack only shows me love.

- "I love Arcteryx clothing because it fits me well."

It fits me well, too, but the sticker shock has kept me away. Has it been as bomb-proof for you as I've seen others describe it?

Yes it has Jason, but admittedly, I have never paid retail for Dead Bird.