What are the side loops on the top lid used for?

Isn't she hot! The blue Bump is mine. Dan sent me two fabric samples and I liked both of them. There is a description of the fabrics used in Dan's Letter on his web site.

Can't wait to hit the trail with it.

Great to see the BPL McHale pack users growing in number.

Edited by thomdarrah on 03/12/2012 05:42:50 MDT.

It's torture.

"What are the side loops on the top lid used for?"

the top lid turns into a fanny pack.

Never really looked into the Mchale packs, but took a look at his website and they are things of beauty!!

Question, why do you want to attach an empty bear canister to the back? I could see a pack being able to carry a bear canister full of food on the back as useful, but I must be missing something here.

"Question, why do you want to attach an empty bear canister to the back? I could see a pack being able to carry a bear canister full of food on the back as useful, but I must be missing something here."

You don't want all the weight of the food that far away from your body, and you want the pack bag size as small and close to your back as possible. So while you are moving your food is in the pack and you place it in the cannister once you stop to camp.

makes sence about the bear cannister, i guess that the food packs up smaller by itself in the backpack rather than just putting the food in the cannister in the backpack to begin with...

I would rather have the bear canister secured under the summit flap, personally, for the reasons meantioned regarding having the load away from the back.

I'm just curious why use cuban hybrid? Is it better than other fabric choices? Are you really saving that much weight?

Good point, Luke.

Isn't it 3-4oz cuben hybrid anyway? Sounds a lot like the stuff used by HMG but who knows. I thought Mchale was an innovator? LOL

Edited by FamilyGuy on 06/17/2013 10:05:09 MDT.

Todd and Bobby,

Both are beautiful packs... you are going to love them. Of course you already know that since you got use a demo.

McHale packs are incredibly comfortable, well built, and of course works of art :)

The cuben Dan uses are different hybrids. Not really lighter than most of the other fabrics he sells, and incredibly strong. The laminates are used to mitigate abrasion damage, plus he has figured out how to dye them too. Keep in mind that Dan has tested and experimented with cuben for several years before bringing it to market.

I sometimes carry my old Garcia bear canister on the top of my pack.
To keep it securely strapped I did the following:

MATERIALS:
> 4 polymer 3/4" D rings (REI)
> Gorilla duct tape (Lowe's)

FABRICATION:
> Split the Gorilla duct tape so it will fit inside the D rings.
> Hold the 4 D rings in place according to your pack's lash points with 4" pieces of tape.
> tape the D rings with long duct tape strips all the way around the cannister TWICE. (That should be only two circumfrential wrappings of duct tape, one for each set of D rings.)

Now you have 4 lash points on your bear canister.

Edited by Danepacker on 03/13/2012 12:57:58 MDT.

hybrid cuben McHale LBP-34

Edited by thomdarrah on 04/01/2012 10:23:00 MDT.

Nick, is this hybrid cuben stronger than the spectra?

FWIW, HMG had some blue packs for sale recently so this hybrid cuben can definitely be dyed.

Per HMG (& cubic tech), it can be dyed but that haven't found anything that's colorfast yet. "It" being the outer nylon or poly and not the cuben.

Edited by simplespirit on 03/18/2012 08:33:43 MDT.

Meaning that it will wear or discolor over time?

Dan has been dying dyneema/spectra material for years and likely has a system that works well in regard to holding the color (my dyneema LBP-34 has held its color well).

Edited by thomdarrah on 03/18/2012 08:53:03 MDT.

Thom, I was speaking of the cuben. I had no issue with the dyed spectra on my pack.

The hybrid cuben may be different in regard to dying but as difficult as dyneema/spectra is to color I would guess Dan has it figured out.