So I am wondering, does anyone out there create extremely durable, frameless, lightweight(relatively) packs? In some situations I would care more about durability than weight. I wouldn't mind a pack being 2.5-3lbs instead of 1.5lbs if it was as tough as a lot of the military packs out there. But by having minimal features and no frame, it wouldn't be 5-6lbs like some packs.
I am thinking about having a pack that would have to handle anything that nature could throw at it, including thorns, shoving through the nastiest, thickest bushes and brush out there, and some occasional rough scrapings on rough rock, and not be replaceable for several years... while still being as light as possible. I know dudes who got Alice Packs when they were teenagers, used the hell out of them, and the packs still going good in their 50s. So it's possible.
In this situation, would someone be better off with canvas, or some kind of tough synthetic? A good, frame less, 35 litre canvas pack might weigh 3lbs. Not bad and they would last longer that you can believe. They become like heirlooms. But would a tough cordura have more durability for it's weight?

Edited by justin_baker on 07/15/2011 15:21:23 MDT.

Most Durable, probably a full specta Cilo gear pack. Anything made from Dyneema grid like MLD, ULA, SMD, Golite should be bombproof. I know a few people that have two thruhikes (~5000 miles) on MLD Packs. That is pretty bombproof to me.

Anything made with Dyneema / Cordura -- such as ULA, MLD and SMD packs. Stay away from silnylon if you want extra durability. Silnylon is strong for its weight, but not as abrasion resistant as Dyneema or Cordura.


Edit: Bradford beat me to it...

Edited by ben2world on 07/15/2011 15:26:33 MDT.

BTW - I have a MLD Ark that is 15.1oz, a SMD Swift that is 16.7oz, a ULA CDT that is 17.2oz so you don't need anything real heavy.

dyneema gridstop, pure dyneema, or a climbing pack with 500D+ fabric

or just buy from REI and dont worry about it ;)

or Osprey...

Anything dynema is ok. The problem is going to be the mesh pockets getting tore up. The only person that makes dynema outer pockets that I know is mld or maybe a custom option on a zpack.

a link to one of Bradfords recommendations
http://www.cilogear.com/packs.html
Great made in the U.S. packs,not cheap but you didn't mention price being a issue.

Dan McHale can build you one around 3 lbs or less depending upon size, and it will have a frame too. And it will be custom built exactly to your body. Plus you will never have sore shoulders or hips. You can get FULL Dyneema, not the grid stuff. He will even make all your pockets and shoulder straps out of full dyneema. And he will dye it just about any color you want. It will probably outlive you too. They are not inexpensive, but just consider it an investment.

I've taken a Granite Gear Vapor Trail (2lbs) and a Granite Gear Virga (less than a pound) through some Devil's Claw on an overgrown trail on the AZ/NM border with no issues, even though I could hear the thorns scraping the fabric. Pretty cheap.

About Condura nylon military packs, the fabric is tough but stitching counts too. Overstuffing a "3-day" BFM pack for an air movement, my pack did fine but a buddy of mine with a copycat pack had seams blow. The design and fabric were the same (think the design was licensed to the other company), so it came down to stitching after we did the post-mortem comparison of the packs. My experience comparing similar condura packs... YMMV

Edited by hknewman on 07/16/2011 16:24:25 MDT.

+1 to McHale packs. Excellent products

zpacks zero in dyneema would be a pretty tough cookie coming in under 8 oz

Thanks guys. I have a golite peak coming in the mail (got it for 50 bucks shipped, lightly used) so I will check that out. Maybe it will turn out to be perfect. The main concern for me is trying to wiggle my way through almost impenetrable chaparral and having a hard manzanita branch poke and catch and pull.
Right now I also have a gregory tarne 36. It's a bit overkill for what I do, but I can tell it's built pretty tough and can handle loads above the standard ultralight when I need it. It's also good for the winter day hikes or overnighters when I am carrying snowshoes, snow shovel, maybe an even axe for shelter heating all on the outside. Or carrying camera equipment That seems a bit much for the golite.

I have used a few frameless canvas packs before. I have a weird fetish for wool and canvas, I like old school stuff. But no so much carrying it. I am eventually going to get an Alder Stream Agallash pack, because it's just so awesome. And more of a novelty pack. I will see how well it works for backpacking. Might just end up using it for extremely long, away from home trips or really, really hardcore bushwacking with constant scraping on the pack all day long. Something I could live out of for a few years if I had to and not need to replace. Canvas seems unshaped by pretty much anything.
With Nylon straps it will probably be 3 lbs. Not the end of the world for me, still leaves lots of room to have a fairly negligible pack weight, and will be a neat experiment. Packed with a canvas colored tarp and a light quilt, I can satisfy my old mountain man dreams while still being lightweight.

It is really amazing to see technology get this far with such durable, lightweight materials though. I can only wonder what 10 years from now will look like.

Late to the discussion here but climbing packs (like Cilogear) tend towards the more durable end of the spectrum.
I have a Cold Cold World Ozone made from heavy duty nylon that is bombproof, classically designed, and actually carries well with its doubled foam backpanel (removable). I fully expect to have this pack fro ten years of hard climbing use.
http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com/ozone.htm

Jandd makes some really nice old design packs made out of 500d cordura and 1000d cordura bottoms. I have Tozi Kletter pack is a top loader the is 37 liters and weighs 27.2 oz. for a couple years and bombproof . I also own the the Mogen pack that is a 35 liter panel loader that weighs 29.4 oz. The pack have a add on pocket the add 5 liters to your pack and water bottle carriers and a Messenger Bag Ditty that slips on your waist belt that add a little pocket to carry very small items.
Terry
Tozi Kletter pack:http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FTK

Mogen pack: http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FMD

Edited by socal-nomad on 07/16/2011 12:58:20 MDT.

Hello all, I'm a newbie to the site but thought I'd share with you a great pack I came across for a great price. I had to pick it up and it is tough as nails!!! and less than 900 grams. not to mention waterproof. It's about 30L, maybe a bit small for some but we all pack differently.

http://gearouthere.com/products-page/travel-gear/waterproof-stylin-backpack/

Justin: I'll agree with the Dyneema crowd. But to feed your interest in canvas, you might want to look for a used Duluth Pack or an old Boy Scout Yucca pack. If I found a Yucca pack (dirt cheap), I'd be pretty tempted to take it out for a spin. Hmm. Except I'm probably way too tall for one. But it might work for you.

Thanks for the links, I bookmarked those. They look pretty close to what I was thinking. I am pretty broke right now, but I will shell out the cash for something tough when I take some bushwacking trips next year.