Current letter update: 5/6/08 Geez - already!

New - Secondary Menu Index - Click

There is something wrong with the main menu gallery link.......ugh

I finally simplified my Pack Volumes - Go Figure! page in the Secondary Menu above

(CLICK link above - secondary menu). This is where some subjects end up that have been part of the letter....like how to measure pack volume to compare different brands.

Letter below: The long last half of this page (you have to scroll way way down - farther than the latte cup in the water bottle pocket I think) is about packs that are too light to work well - a compilation of thoughts from the last few years - mostly about thinking more rationally about what is a good practical empty pack weight. Go light but carry it in a good pack is what I like to say. Going light is good - that is backpacking - always was for many people. You will enjoy walking immensely more with a pack that works. If you are thinking that maybe your new UL pack sucks, it's probably because it really does! It's almost impossible to go light enough that you can make a pack that is not really a pack, into a pack!

.......it's Springtime...sort of....kind of......Wahoo!

Below: An image of good old fashioned peace of mind.

There is also info below about FULL DYNEEMA......scroll down to IT'S NOT FABRIC - IT'S DYNEEMA!

What's old is new again! The twin zipper CM MB-CMII below can't be considered all that new. The newer patented Bypass Harness, patented Bayonets, and CM system is new but the twin parallel zips go back to the 70s for me. See - McHale Pack History. Click photo for new twin zip CM page.....plus 2 other packs added to the site this week; a white full dyneema LBP 38, and a navy blue HT 420 LBP 37 with dyed full dyneema rear and bottom and shouldwr pads. There is also new shots of a white Dyneema LBP 37 P&G that will be going to Everest on the LBP P&G page.

LBP pack series - Little Big Packs for those that want pack bag sizes under 3,000 cubic inches that can still handle some weight, especially when you tie things on or add accessories. We have always made smaller packs but have not had examples on the site for awhile. On the pack volumes page in the Secondary Menu we have listed a 36" circumference for quite some time. Pack volume is one of the custom options. The pack below is an LBP 36; 36 means it has an untapered circumference of 36" giving it a general bag volume to the top of the frame of 2,500 cu in. and close to 3,000 if filled. Add a lid and it goes over 3,000. See the LBP page.

Below: A full Dyneema LBP 36 - We are also now making our compression strap system completely removable - for many years the straps could be replaced. The straps attach at the loop-lock buckles seen in the photos - in the 4th photo 2 types of buckles can be seen. The system makes it possible for straps and buckles to be easily replaced, updated, or reversed in direction. We are also working on new accessories like tubular ski holders that easily attach with there own built in compression straps. See LBP page . An un-dyed white dyneema LBP is shown for contrast.

Below: Just off the line - 100% Full Dyneema with 50% dyed gray. It's an UnLtd +2 P&G that went to the Polish Glacier Route on Aconcagua. Click images for blow-ups. Attached is a 2 layer summit flap, Expedition Utility Pocket, and 2 sided wand/water pocket. The center photo shows the pack stripped with bayonets out and in roll top mode. This is a big pack at 44" circumference. In summit mode the 5,000 cuin. bag with hip belt, back vent/pad, and frame weighs 3.25 lbs. and can still easily carry heavy loads comfortably if needed. With the removal of the heavy duty version of the backpad this pack has, the pack goes under 3 lbs.

Greetings from McHale Packs! email me: dan.mchale@comcast.net Below: Me in the Sierra last Fall - Humpreys Basin. Our most fun trip on vacation was a 5 day cross-country circumnavigation of Red and White Mountain near McGee Pass. Click for blow-ups. The last evening we were surprised by a pretty hefty snow storm (October) and got up at 7:00 AM during a clearing and scooted over McGee Pass. Since I'm from the Los Angeles area I still consider the Sierra my backyard! One of my hobbies too is riding up steep passes on a bicycle. I got to do my second ride up to Onion Valley and did the ride up to the Pine Creek Trailhead the same day during some pretty good wind. On another ride up the Devils Gate road we got to witness part of the Everest Challenge where the riders try to do 29,000 feet of gain for time over the weekend. I only got in 4 rides, with the ride from the top of Westgard Pass to the Bristlecones being a new one for me.

Below: Packs we used - a S-Sarc +1 P&G pack and a Chasm P&G at Rosy Finch lake on a 5 day cross-country trip. Beautiful Bighorn Lake up past Rosy Finch Lake. Click images for blow-ups.

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Full Dyneema packs: Keep in mind these packs take a bit longer to make than normal packs. The special dying and cutting, and special handling of these packs takes more time so please try to get orders in earlier than you otherwise would. We simply can't crank these out in rush form - don't really want too! Quantities of this fabric are always relatively limited as well, especially considering its record in the recent past....

Keep this in mind when choosing a brand of Dyneema pack; Dyneema does not make a pack perform on your back, it just makes the pack tougher.

New Belt Pouch: To attach belt pouches to our older Sarc packs that have smaller loops on the belt, it looks like small key-rings can do the job. Be sure to let us know if you have the older pack with small 1/2" wide loops. Scroll down to see other belt pouch model info or go to the accessory pages. This is the reg basic that is 6" tall at the rear - $25.00. $28.00 Lg. Lifetime construction: triple sewn, hot cut, taped, with YKK Uretex zipper!

What is McHale Packs? I/we are a company that believes that a high degree of customer interaction via a custom fitting process, a custom building process, a high degree of product innovation, product quality, performance and integrity, are important to attaining an exceptional backpacking experience . The packs are primarily general mountaineering and backpacking packs meant to make long treks or heavy approaches manageable and comfortable, that then convert and transform into more compact summit or side-trip packs. There are also a number of great thru-hiking packs - all of which can be customized, like the custom Subpop Jennifer Pharr just set a new 'Long Trail' record with. The pack designs are actually quite different - it's not at all just about gettng a custom fit pack. Our Bypass Harness alone is worth the extra money these packs cost and even the 'Guide Harness' is unique in the industry......and this is just the beginning of why the packs are different. .

The prices for the packs herein represent a bargain considering the years of enjoyment these packs can provide, and the effort that goes into building them. The packs themselves easily warrant the higher prices, but in the process you get to learn new techniques of adjustment and gain a higher knowledge of backpacks in general. In order to get what we really need sometimes, it is not always possible to get something for nothing, which is what the price of most packs on the market represents.

This website is designed to simply turn you on to getting involved and getting one of the packs. It is not meant to be a point and shoot website where you fill your cart and swipe your card. We don't even take cards. I talk most people through the feature choices pretty easily.

The cost of a thing is not about what you spend on it, but how much it does or does not reward you in ten years. Some packs cost you by not rewarding you and many packs pay back in spades. Unless people have tried many different packs, they do not understand how different they can be from each other. Like a custom Bicycle builder, I participate in the construction and assembly of each and every pack. To me sewing is a form of machining that I have my own high standards of to insure ultimate reliability. I see a backpack as a machine as well. Having my own standards for the performance of the machine is what sets the packs apart. There are many backpackers and climbers that go out in misery year after year after year and do absolutely nothing about it and THEN over-react and buy something too light and/or too small, and no matter how IT is loaded, IT does not work, and they are still in misery. The pack industry today is in turmoil and confusing to many. I believe in going light, but do not think going light has to mean you do it with an annoying uncomfortable pack.

If you have been backpacking or climbing for a long time, and are just not getting the experience you would like with your pack, and are looking for something special, give me a call. Backpacks are not a passive item like a tent or sleeping bag. They require more understanding to get much enjoyment from. This year I will be celebrating 30 years of custom pack making, 39 years of personal gear making, 40 years of climbing, and 42 years of backpacking. Me and my main work partner, Pam Brown, no doubt hold the world record for the highest number of high quality high performance custom packs made, although Pam has only been doing it with me for only 21 years!

The year that I officially started making commercial custom packs, 1977, was a good year. I soloed Yosemite's Dihedral Wall on El Capitan that year See Dan's El Cap Story......, and started selling the packs I had been prototyping. At that point I had already had 6-7 years experience in the backpacking retail environment beginning with managing a store called Mtn Life in Campbell, CA 1970/72. The owner of Mtn Life, Tom Hendricks, knew many in the industry, and was even the 1st sales manager for Class-5 equipment, so I took in as much as I could. When I left Mtn Life I took over the bankrupt Mountain Store in Tarzana, California in 1973. I turned it around in one year, took a break then moved on to starting up The Old Boise Bootworks in Idaho before going into manufacturing....

What's with the video equipment in the Graphic at the very top of this page? This is one of the ways I can communicate with my customers across the country for pack fitting and trouble shooting pack adjustment, or to take a look at their current pack. They learn from our instruction videos and DVDs and I learn from their home videos email pics, CDs and DVDs. Many people are too shy for the live movie thing, or can't seem to find the time, but volumes can be learned if you take the chance and let me trouble-shoot your problems. Even if everything seems to be going fine with a pack, many times with a little instruction, almost any pack can work better. This service is invaluable and I guarantee you will learn from it - nothing ventured, everything stays the same. It's part of the service so get your camcorder and take advantage. Most people simply use digital cameras for fitting a pack, but for the more dynamic part of trouble-shooting the details of adjustment, video is the only way to do that.

Scroll way down this letter until you see the header below. That where the real action starts.

Lightweight thru-hiking and backpacking: How light does a pack need to be? So light that it no longer works well?

Email me at: dan(dot)mchale@comcast(dot)net The dot means period of course (.)

Phone: 206 533 1479. Please ask for the Fax.

IT'S NOT FABRIC - IT'S DYNEEMA!

Above: A customer photo of one of our S-Sarcs made from the white stuff - Spectra/Dyneema - from several years ago. Can you identify where in the Cascades it is? Hint----Cascade Pass looking...... This fabric is once again part of our inventory. That pack is Full Spectra. This year we have it's cousin; Full Dyneema - pack on right - a S-Sarc without the P&G - click for blowup. The 4600 Cubic inch pack weighs 3 lb 6 oz. By taking the top bladder holding lid off and using roll top mode, and removing the water pockets, it's 2 lb. 14 oz of tough as nails pack (well, almost), and it's still got the back pad on it and the stays inside. Price to the customer was $659.00. Dyed Dyneema daisy chains included! This basically is a Windsauk type model - high volume minimum straps.

Scott Fischer was the guy that turned us on to Spectra in the early 90s. He gave us an early-bird view of what the fabric could take! Scott used McHale packs on all of his high-altitude climbs. There is a new book out about Scott called MOUNTAIN MADNESS by Bob Birkby - thanks for the plug Bob! I carry and sell Full Dyneema (DSM - the European version of Spectra and the originator) mostly for people that know what it is and want it - it is a luxury.

It's Not Fabric - It's Dyneema! This is the Titanium of fabrics and is in a class by itself when it comes to extreme durability for weight. My belt sander test is the most telling; When I put a single layer of our 4 oz dyneema between my thumb and the whirling belt sander, my thumb gets too hot to hold the fabric down, before the fabric starts to wear, or at least before it loses much of it's strength. Obviously, this is a very subjective test! We have done slower, low pressure cycling tests to make sure the belt sander test is legitimate. In these and other tests, normal fabrics have disappeared/disintegrated at the 150 cycle mark and the dyneema is just roughened up and still has most of it's strength. I have done steel wool tests. Even our highest tenacity 420 does not take long to get through - less than a minute, but it takes some serious long term scrubbing to get through the full dyneema that is half the weight. Adding only 9% to 10% Dyneema to a high tenacity 210 fabric makes our Dyneema Small Grid fabric pretty tough and long lasting for a sub 4 oz fabric. Imagine 100% Dyneema. This stuff is almost out of the realm of fabric and is as revolutionary as Nylon was to Hemp. Just using it in key parts of a pack is almost all you need. A customer just recently told me a story about how some ravens pecked through his friend's fairly tough pack and got into the food but the dyneema pack foiled them. He could even see the indentations of where they tried to peck through!

It's Not Fabric - It's Dyneema (my personal marketing campaign) One of the oddities of selling Dyneema or Spectra for me is my customers want to attack their new pack with knives and forks, or they want to drag it down the road behind the pick-up to see how tough it really is. It's always fun to see what it can take! I don't recommend that though - it's like pulling a plant out of the ground to see if it's alive. Give it time. It's tough but it's still light - it is not self-healing! Now, I supply a small extra piece of fabric for the knives and forks on request. http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/hpf/applications_textiles.htm

Below: New photos of our first pack of the new generation Full Dyneema. It's an UnLtd +1 with 2 layer summit. Click images for enlargements. I will post new more info about Full Dyneema soon. This pack can extend upward another 12" with it's full extension skirt. This 6500 cubic inch pack, as is in the photos, weighs only 4 lbs, 10 oz. and is pretty indestructable. It is also equivalent to a size Xlg with the lower frame alone measuring 24.75" . The overlapping Bayonet frame extensions bring the overall frame length to 29.5". With the super hip-pack top ( includes fanny-pack with 2" belt, map pocket, wallet pocket, and bladder holder ) that it's owner ordered, the pack weighs 5 lbs, 3 oz......The 2 layer summit flap weighs 5 oz and the super hip-pack 14oz.

Below: Left image - same pack in summit or side trip mode with lid, lid straps, water pockets, bayonets and bypass straps, and backpad removed. 2 images right; A Full Dyneema S-Sarc P&G that went to West Virginia recently. It has a rear pocket that can expand outward with its full wrap bungy cord attachment. These rear pockets can be made any volume and easily turn into summit packs. Click images for blowups.

Weight for the summit pack above (left image) with lightest polypro straps: 3.5 lbs. Without some of the heavy duty features this pack has, it would easily weigh under 3 lbs. Some customers even get an extra set of lighter stays for UL packing. With UL back vent: 3 lbs, 11oz. The gray, red, and yellow pack above weighs 3 lbs, 6 oz stripped like this. With the back vent back on, or without it, the pack in this mode is fully capable of carrying 60 lb. loads. This Full Dyneema pack weighs more than simpler models, with it's stronger frame, 3 belt attachment points, covered kangaroo pocket, and heavy duty 6 oz Full Spectra bottom. The pack would also weigh less with a size 34 hip belt! We'll post a lighter version soon with a removable kangaroo. It is easy to make a pack that is dedicated for light loads well under 2.5 lbs: http://www.mchalepacks.com/ultralight/detail/sub_pop.htm

Basic Belt Pouch: The belt pouch below is a more Basic version than the padded bungy cord 'Crest' model. It still uses a dust and water resistant YKK zipper but is designed to hang free from those gear loops at the top of the hip belts using quick clip buckles rather than float like the bungy model. Newer hip belts ( last several years ) have 1" loops that are 5.5" apart at their centers along the top edge of the belts - these are the attachment points, as well as a rear loop on the pocket, that one of the belt attachment straps goes through. The loops are also there for attaching climbers 'racking loops' but we enlarged them for future pouch attachment. Older belts have smaller loops that we are now using small key-rings to attach the pouches. Price $27.00 for large, $23.00 for regular. The padded bungy version, The Crest Pocket, reg size is $39.00. The large Crest is $49.00. There is also an Xlg Crest now for $55.00. I made one to fit my old Nikkormat EL with a 135mm lens - swallows it easily with lots of room to spare - and it's very easy to get in and out.

Below: The rear edge of the large Basic is 7" tall and the regular 6". The bottom edge of both is 9" long. The rear cord loop ( barely visible at zipper ends ) must loop around the upper hipbelt attachment strap in order for the zipper to zip forward with only one hand. The zipper seam is hot cut and the main seams triple sewn and taped. I recommend the Crest pockets for larger cameras as large as camcorders. Crest is 2nd photo.

Below: Did you know......that McHale water bottle pockets can be adjusted and tilted for easier access?

Below: Crest Pouch size large. 3rd photo shows bungy support system at rear. Pouch contains a lg Nikkormat EL with 135mm lens. It's very easy in and easy out. Width of camera at back is 5.75", height of camera back is 3.75", length of camera including 135mm lens is 6". There is enough extra space to get the camera in and out with no struggle. The weight of the camera is mostly suspended by the pack frame, not the belt.

Below: The regular size crest pouch has been enlarged slightly from last year. Fabric above is gray 500 and below gray 420. It is about 2/3 the size of the large and still big enough for mini-camcorders

Below: It's easy to see what's in a Crest and easy to get it out. Not a small camera ( 4.75" x 3.125" x 2.5" ), The Cannon G2 easily fits into the regular size Crest without pressing against the hip belt and leaves room for other items. Click images below to go to the 'Crest in use' page.

Here's something new: By taking advantage of the way the bungy pouches strap to the rear of the pack, they can be easily converted to summit packs by running webbing through the bungy adjustment holes/grommets. even rope and cord can be used. The lid straps are perfect for this since they are removable. This can be done with the drawsrting model rear pockets also. It's easy to upgrade older models for this daypack function. Click for blowup.

Lightweight thru-hiking and backpacking: There are lots of people that have much invested in making people think that the urge to go lighter is something new and that people did not do that in the 'old days'. Read my Muir Trail thru-hike story in the secondary menu at the top of this letter and see what you think. I was 17 or so, and just imagine, without today's UL websites, or gurus that think they are reinventing backpacking, I managed to load up a pack and walk from Yosemite to Mineral King in 11 days starting with a total load of just 40 lbs - yes, we weighed our packs back then too. The best part is that I used a real pack to do it too, a simple external frame, that in principle was far better than the frameless bags many are using today. Even today people would have a hard time doing what I did over 35 years ago. That's proof it's not about minimizing the pack but minimizing the load. If I could go back in time I could use the same Camp Trails external and break any existing Muir Trail record - there is more to doing this stuff than just the gear.

Backpacking is evolving that's all, like so many things do. Some things are better and some aren't. Lighter does not always spell 'Better', especially in the case of packs. Lighter can spell STUPID. With all the talk these days about developing core strength and core energy - most of the packs being promoted for light packing are antithetical. A pack needs to have it's own effecient skeletal structure to preserve both the core of the pack and the carrier. Frameless or 'structureless' packs beat people down much more than is realized.

Mountaineering especially is not the place to skimp on packs - learning the hard way is what's all about though - Ya Sure. Ya Bet Ya! There are many people that need to carry 30 lbs. and more that are fooling themselves and being fooled by what is going on. It all comes down to just how much the load can be 'enjoyed' and whether that is important to you. There are many people out there that can't wait to tell you how 'comfortable' their uncomfortable pack is and how great their gear spreadsheet looks. Truth is, you can tell when somebody is uncomfortable just from watching their body language, they don't have to say a thing! People do not understand the psychological toll uncomfortable nagging packs take either. Just start looking and paying attention. All those packs hanging back from peoples shoulders actually suck their energy far more than a little extra weight. Jennifer Pharr is one of those people that put up with uncomfortable packs until she got her McHale Dyneema Grid Chasm last year. She successfully completed the PCT last year. Now she has an even lighter Subpop for the AT. Click PCT pack image for blowup.

Let's talk about the .73% difference in weight that is attained if you weigh 175 lbs and carry a 32 lb. load in a 3 lb. pack and go to a possibly very uncomfortable 1.5 lb. pack. That's right - big suffering to save .73% off the total of this mass hitting each ankle with each step. That's the logic many have become involved in. When are people going to start talking about percentage increase in discomfort that comes with sacrificing the pack performance just for the sake of numbers? Getting too caught up in making things lighter does not always lead to positive results. Being miserable every day of a backpacking trip to save .73% is not what it should be all about - especially if you don't need the .73% ! I also talk about why the backpack should not be considered one of the 'big 3'.

Why isn't there a 'big 4'? Hell, boots can weigh a lot, especially if you have big feet. The Peter Boot Principle can have more dire consequences than the Peter Pack Principle. I'm supposed to feel stupid hiking in my 4lb.,7oz/pair size 14 Zamberlans. These can easily weigh more than any of my big 3. To put my boot weight into perspective though, my average running shoes weigh 2.4 lbs/pair. I have spent plenty of time hiking and backpacking in running shoes. If you do a good job of lightening your load you won't need to skimp on the important items......much depends on just how good your feet still are! Personally, I have some old climbing fall, skiing fall, snowboard fall sprains I have to watch out for. The days of backpacking in running shoes for me are no longer!

Below: self portrait coming down from the Rock Mtn Trail last spring. I'm the one on the left - proof I have long legs and a short torso.

Below: The relatively new bladder holding hip pack top pocket.

Below: Closed up and ready to put on. You can choose from different width belt sizes.

Welcome to GoLightButCarryAGoodPack.Com

I say more about the above 'mini-topic' lower down in the letter about light packs Vs. lighter packs. " GoLightButCarryAGoodPack " really says it all. There are always people clamoring ( definition: a loud sustained noise ) to take things to the limit of what no longer works well. That's not the business I'm in. As far as packs are concerned, the industry in general seems to be stopping at a certain place with the weight of packs and is leaving the rest to the fringe. The fringe? Don't get me wrong - I respect all forms of packing - I just happen to be fascinated with packs that work at a high performance level like anyone that would be fascinated by a good tool. I would simply like more people to be smart about it. It seems like I go over and over it in this letter but that's because I go over and over it all of the time! I really get pissed off by these people that preach going so light with packs that you'd swear the 20 lb. on your back is 50. Then when they try to do an unsupported long trip manage to make 50 lbs feel like 100 in some pack that is still not worthy. To be part of the UL club it is important to be uncomfortable at whatever level you participate. The pushers don't mean harm but they do harm. Lot's of these people don't quit or shut up until they've got you into a truly uncomfortable pack - one that you dare not carry anything in. A soft and simple ignorance is trying to rule the roost. History repeats itself because after awhile history simply becomes lost in the shuffle. God, if we can't keep pack history straight, imagine what REAL history is all about. Knowledge is supposed to build on top of knowledge. The knowlege actually seems to be avalanching on itself and then scrambling to rebuild, and the loudest voices win out.

In the 1980s and 90s I applied the well known Peter Principle to backpacks. The Peter Principle states that people will rise in an organization until they reach a level where they can no longer be fully competent at what they do. The contemporary version of the Peter 'Pack' Principle states that people will acquire lighter and lighter packs until they reach that point where the packs no longer function well. Some people are smart though, and bounce back over the line and prefer comfort over bragging about their 'base weights'. The current frameless pack craze is not new. There was one in the 70s and 80s. I made part of my living in the 70s rebuilding the many famous frameless pack brands people would bring to my repair shop, begging me to put frames into them. The local shops in Boise where I was located would send people to me because they could not help them. That was my introduction to 'soft packs'. It was the era of the Ultima-Thule pack. It says a lot about this era that Chouinard starting advocating the use of Tump Lines. I'm not sure it's sad or funny to see the same thing happening all over again.

There will always be people building packs that do not work, and always someone to make a pack that does not work that is even lighter, and there will always be people that say how great the packs are. There are still people saying how great the soft packs from the 70s are/were. They were awesome as long as they were empty. The internet is wonderful. You can find people that say good things about whatever item you want."

Lately I've been working on getting more tall guys into better packs. They do enough hunching over as it is and don't need some stupid structureless pack making it worse. It's a category where just having a good pack that works well outweighs any other obsession or consideration. I'm like the little kid in that movie 'The Sixth Sense' that sees dead people. For me though; I see uncomfortable miserable people that got (bought into) bad advice, or just don't know what's really best for them - most of the time they look dead! And, speaking of ads: here's something that came out in the July Rock and Ice Magazine.

A Modest Discovery: I've been saving the Snoqualmie Pass area here in Washington for old age hiking but day-hiked up to the Kendal Katwalk on the PCT this weekend ( 7/11/06 ) - what a beautiful hike - even saw goats at a distance! That's not the discovery though. The discovery is that the new belt pouches make pretty good hand rests! Most people that like the Park N'ride handles on the big packs miss them on smaller packs.

Below: contrasting Dyneema Grid fabrics. The Green and blue in the bottom row are what we use for custom packs; a tighter pattern that is more abrasion resistant. Recently, I was very lucky to acquire more of this smaller grid and more expensive pattern. We will use the wider standard pattern ( upper row ) for future demo/stock packs to preserve our stocks of small grid. Dyneema Grid fabrics are Hi-Tenacity 210 w/Dyneema ripstop pattern woven in. We also now have small grid Dyneema in black.

P&G Bayonets - What are they? Below is a pic of the patented P&G system on the light packs - they add length to the 'Guide Harness' frame system and in the process the shoulder harness converts from our simple guide harness to the Bypass Harness. The base of the main frame folds up ( hinges ) to accomplish this also. They can also be seen as a way to shorten the frame to give climbers headroom after they leave base camp. The bayonets from the larger CM pack have even been used to repair broken ski tips. The Bayonets can be used to stabilize a bigger heavier load without adding the Bypass straps as well. The instructional video will be out late this winter for demo pack users. These bayonet stays are just under 12" long x 1/2" x 1/8" and weigh 2.4 oz / set. They overlap the lower main frame for half of the length of the bayonets. Click for blowup.

Below: The raw materials for just the Bayonet part of the pack ((P&G bayonets = Plug and Go) give an idea of the amount of work involved in building a pack. The materials weigh 5.8 oz. When the pack is used in the lightest daypack mode 3.6 ounces can be left behind, the heaviest parts being the stays themselves and the long bypass straps.

Below: Detail of lenomesh water-bottle pocket. They weigh 2.2 oz. each - 2/10 ounce each heavier than the double bottom dyneema grid pockets. Lenomesh has a tear strength similar to 1000 cordura and similar abrasion resistance.

Just sitting around!

Above: A light fully padded internal frame pack I made that's just sitting around not getting used! It's one third dyneema grid and 2/3 silcoat. Why aren't these on the site? Mostly because I believe packs should only be so light ( for security and safety reasons ) and do not feel right telling people they should be lighter than I think they should be, regardless of what the rest of the world is doing. We're talking 3 lbs in most cases and even 2.5 lbs at 4500 cubes. If made simply enough even a framed Dyneema Grid pack can easily weigh 2.2 lbs ( Subpop style ). To go lighter than that with the pack just does not fly around here - I just can't get my head wrapped around throw away packs. It's also because much of my business is working with people that do extreme things - the pack is one of the barriers between you and the extreme. Because there is some trade in used McHale Packs I also like to feel that anyone buying a used McHale Pack will be buying a safe pack that will be reliable.

Going light is about what you take and carry in a pack and as such, the pack is NOT one of the 'Big 3' but one of the most important pieces of gear you can buy, at least as far as comfort is concerned. A pack is something that is on the back for many hours a day and is not a passive piece of gear like a sleeping bag or tent. Everything in the pack may be 'ultralight' but adds up to loads that never seem to be ultralight! Irrational exuberance is something we all suffer from at one time or another. Beware of putting too much emphasis on empty pack weight - it is not a practical religion - going with a lighter load is. It seems to me that a sub-3 lb. pack that is failsafe and can carry a significant load is better than a sub-2 lb pack that might not get you home and feels like hell even if it does. The silcoat pack above does not break 2 lbs anyway ( because of it's size and some special features ) . This year may be one of the peak years that we see people out on the trail with relatively light loads that are still suffering because their pack is too light and inadequate because somebody convinced them that internal stays and padded belts and good design are excessive. Don't get me wrong though. I have absolutely nothing against people doing what they want and experimenting. I simply want to make clear what it is I do here and where I draw the line.

I have been building light packs for quite awhile. Way before there was a Ray Jardine people were packing with my 1.5 lb. 3,000 cuin. internal frame summit pack. We built quite a few of these in the eighties and ninties. People bring them in regularly to have the bottoms replaced and get holes patched. The pack did not have padded shoulder straps or a padded belt. I did draw the line at having padded stays! It's easy to run THAT experiment - figuring out which is the most important to keep. Today it is easy to talk reasonable people into more comfort and slightly more weight for their pack.

Below: The World's smallest McHale Packs ( Greg and Nate ) trying to mess with my printer!

Those guys can use some rope handling hints ( notice that Nate is also using his knee - this is only allowable in chimneying, offwidths......not printers!).

The stick-climbers were made by McHale customers in Missouri, Ed Ponder and his wife. Ed would be happy to make you some climbers too.

Below: me in Yosemite, Fall 2 years ago, on Tenaya Peak. What a fun romp - except for the epic descent in the dark! It's all fun though. Since we missed the quick ways down, we got to enjoy a walk along Tenaya lake in the moonlight at midnight. We had the entire day AND night to ourselves, except for a climber that soloed past us earlier in the day.

Email me at: dan.mchale@comcast.net PHONE: 206 533 1479

Remember, even though these are custom packs, advance notice helps us like any manufacturing company, especially a custom company. Please get into the schedule as soon as you can - please do not wait until you need it - that only works with off the shelf products in stores. The rush thing is difficult for us because no matter what, we are always already rushing like the rest of the world.

CAUTION: Light packs are not as tough as heavier packs.

Our grid fabric for light packs is now officially made with Dyneema Grid. The white ripstop grid pattern in the fabrics is the Dyneema. The fabric in between the little white squares is 210HT nylon. We have Green, Navy Blue, and black with small grid in the 3.8 oz/sq yd. weight, and Royal Blue and Black in the more conventional 1/4" dyneema grid. These special type HDPE fibers are known as Dyneema throughout the world, except in North America, where the process is licensed to Allied Signal/Honeywell and is known as Spectra.

BEWARE: Some companies like to talk about the Dyneema in Dyneema grid fabric as being 10 times stronger than steel. I would like to point out that the rest of the fabric that the Dyneema grid is imbedded into is not 10 times stronger than steel! Only FULL Dyneema is 10 times stronger than steel, based on weight. Nevertheless, the Dyneema Grid fabric seems to be holding up pretty well for most of my customers over the last 7 years. Our Full Spectra bottoms are actually 6 oz./yd. Full Spectra so they can take a bit of a beating. This is a standard option charge of $39.00. Even our Dyneema Grid fabric has more has more Dyneema in it than the industry standard - see photo below. The smaller grid pattern ( green fabric ) gives the fabric more abrasion resistance since it covers more surface area. We also have 4 oz/yd. Full Dyneema in stock now for packs.

We have been adding a layer of gray dyed 4 oz Full Dyneema or 6 oz. Full Spectra to the pack bottoms and sidewalls on request at the extra charge if you are not getting a full Dyneema pack. After having a tough urethane layer ( not coating ) laminated to our SPECTRA, and after we hot cut the pack parts, we then subject the parts to an ironing process that further seats the lamination before we dye it. Labor intensive! Below: 2 photos showing our Full Spectra before and after dying. This weave of Full Spectra looks very much like 1000D Cordura but being Spectra it is far stronger.

Been There Done That!

You've come to the right place if you are hovering between the ultralight world and the world of reasonably light. I'm a bit old fashioned and know that going light means not taking a bunch of stuff you don't need - this is more important that getting a light pack that is TOO light. I know there are many people suffering needlessly even though they are carrying relatively light loads! My personal style revolves around 2 major items; a good pack and a light but very adequate tent (when needed) to pitch once I'm done for the day. Of course, having enough clothing is important.....then there's food.....Keep your load light so you can get to where you are going and then be secure when you get there! Below: Me at Thumb Rock, Liberty Ridge. I carried a Sarc. That vintage parka I'm wearing is Snowlion Polarguard!

Above: Me at Thumb Rock on Liberty Ridge. Below: On top of Mt. Rainier in the early 90s - 2 days of storms on top after climbing Liberty Ridge! I led our group of 4 trying to find the way to the Wintrop from the summit of Liberty Cap in a white-out but kept walking in circles and falling in small crevasses. We finally camped behind the only rock up there and were lucky to find it, just above the Russel Ice Cliff! We ran out of food, fuel, and water, but we were secure - almost! I had a killer crome/molly steel shovel but could only dig a cave big enough for one person lying down, I dug that in case the tent blew away which did not happen but almost!

I know the toughest part of packing is just finding the time to do it. There has always been light gear and it has never been a secret that if you don't have to carry a 40, 50, or 60 lb. load you don't. If you have to carry 60 lbs there is no way to make it lighter than 60 lbs! You knew that! As a packmaker I like the challenge of making packs out of good old fashioned fabrics (that are actually quite remarkable) like 420 high tenacity - HT - pack cloth - USA made ( there are many imitations that have the tear strength of cotton! ) and making them reasonably light - after all, it's what you put in the pack that will make or break you. If a company says they use 420 denier fabric it does not mean it is a high quality version.

Anyway, you can get what you want here and I won't argue with you whether you want a 2 lb pack or a 5 lb. pack. To my way of thinking; if you put a 30 lb load in each the percentage difference is just not that significant - especially when you consider the comfort advantage. It is even less significant when you throw your body weight into the mix, which is what most formulas leave out. Yes, being overweight in the body has it's own impact, not the least of which is the negative effect it has on pack performance - hipbelt effectiveness etc. You cannot wear a hip belt high on the hips around the illiac crest or 'crest' over it if you are overweight - the bigger your belly the less you should expect from ANY brand of pack. A large belly forces the hipbelt too low and then interfere with leg stride and blood flow. It's the impact of your total body and pack weight taking each step and that 3 lbs difference in pack weights out of 200+ lbs isn't going to change things. Let's say you weigh 175 lbs with your boots and all, and your total load including your 3 lb pack weighs 32 lbs. That's 207 lbs landing on each step! Getting a 1.5 lb pack at this point will make a .73% difference - woopie! Anyway, this is just the tip of the argument iceberg. I know it sounds stupid but I like to say you are better off carrying a 30 lb. load in a 10 lb pack that works than in a 1.5 lb. pack that doesn't. This makes even more sense of course when you look at what even a 3, 4 or 5 lb pack can do. There is a lot of cult pressure to use 1.5 pound packs. There is such a thing as cult stupidity. Learn to tell by just looking at people to see if they are uncomfortable. They have always been out there and they are there with 1.5 lb. packs too. The notion that you can't be uncomfortable with a 1.5 lb. pack is just more cult stupidity. I get a kick out of looking at photos of packs on people on the internet. It is easy to see when a pack is uncomfortable without even being there - but it's all relative.

You might have to carry a 4 or 5 lb. pack and it's not as bad as some make it out to be. A 4 lb. pack is light, even if I have to say so myself. The best argument for a five pound pack is the 15 lb load. So you have to carry 20 lbs when you have a 5 lb. pack instead of 16, 17, or 18. It starts to get pretty silly and you start wondering what it's all about. What!? I'll take the pack that gives me the option to carry the rocks that are in my head in the pack. People from just the last generation would think we are all a little touched I think. The more generations you go back the more..... On the other hand, I do understand the urge to roll up in a tyvek tarp - and I understand that can get old! Going light is good. It's much easier. Personally I prefer a light enclosed tent to keep the bugs, snakes and even larger critters off of me. I was born and raised in Southern California. It only takes one encounter with a cougar sneaking into your camp at night to make you think twice about a little more barrier. It happened to me when I was 17 or so in the Los Padres National Forest on Piru Creek in Piru Canyon - that would have been 1969. I woke up at about 2:00 in the morning with a cougar within 10 feet - just the other side of our packs! I was with my Stepfather and little brother. I have to admit the circumstances were unusual; I was practicing survival techniques and sleeping without a sleeping bag on top of a warm firepit covered with sand. I'll bet I smelled pretty good to that Mtn Lion! I actually had a .38 revolver with me but by the time I had it in my hand the cat was gone. The interesting part was that the cat did not panick and run in fear - probably because I didn't! Instead it ambled off in kind of a casual/stealthful way. I must have been a cool cat myself! Mt Cobblestone was my first love affair with a mountain. I was all over that place and the ticks were usually all over me.

There is a huge psychological aspect to backpacking not to mention situations like this! If you don't enjoy what you are carrying who cares about the rest of it - believe it - a 25 lb. load can get to feel pretty lousy if it's done wrong. It can feel much better in a slightly larger pack, for instance, spread out and not stuffed like a rock in a pack that is really to small AND too short. . A slightly larger pack can move and flex with you instead of being an annoying lump in your back. Getting a pack that is too small in volume and/or fit makes about as much sense as getting boots that are too small or not adequate in order to save weight or to look sleek ( I know - I have size 14! ). Already, many of the companies that started off making frameless packs in this little revolution going on, are making packs with frames as I predicted they would. They all think they are doing something new - making new ground - but they're just newbies. I could make packs that don't work but I refuse to be stupid. It's simple; refuse to succumb to idiocy and trust what you think feels better. It is my personal knowledge that backpacking has taken quite a plunge backward in time at the very same time that it has gone forward with the advent of newer lighter gear. I deal with people daily and weekly that have very wisely given up on the notion that the lighter a pack is a better pack!

McHale Packs, P.O.Box 33672, Seattle WA 98133-0672

Phone: 206 533 1479