For a nominal fee of $3.50 The McHale & Company product video (the 'Critical Mass' video) stars Dan McHale and is narrated by Bob Ebel and was filmed too long ago. Many people tell us they learn much from the video and watch it over and over. Some can't stand what they consider the 'poor' production qualities! Check it out: It begins with Dan removing his trade show disguise and climbing an artificial rock wall while wearing his favorite pack, all to a James Bond tune, and then falls into the water below!

Although it shows versions of the Sarc and 0-Sarc none of the newer ultralight packs are shown - although it gives a very good idea of what the P&G bayonets are all about with a showing of the Alpine II Bayonet. Order the newer P&G Bayonet DVD - Click here.

This video is more about the larger Critical Mass packs although an older S-Sarc, 0-Sarc, and the predecessor to the P&G packs, the Alpine II, are shown. If you are sitting on the fence about a McHale Pack this will surely knock you off especially in regards to the larger packs. If you are wondering what the heck the Bypass Shoulder Harness, the CM hipbelt, or the bayonets are all about, this is the place to see it. The video is packed with info - 2 hours of it. Many thousands of these tapes have been produced since 1995.

You get two McHale videos in one tape. The first 68 minutes is a promotional video covering six models of McHale Packs filmed on the shores of Puget Sound at Golden Gardens:

* SARC
* Zero SARC
* Alpineer Standard Bayonet
* Critical Mass SARC
* Alpine II
* Critical Mass Alpine II

After that there is a short section on replacing plastic buckles without sewing, which is helpful in saving money and time no matter what brand pack you own. This is easily worth the price of admission.

The second hour, starting at the 68 minutes mark, of the video tape is the Critical Mass Bayonet instructional video, filmed in 1995 at the Banks Reservoir Wildlife Refuge, on top of Steamboat Rock, Grand Coulee, Washington. There is some nice scenery in this section also, and shows Banks Reservoir totally frozen. If you know what to listen for, you can hear the frozen lake humming in the background. Get the video and take a virtual trip to Banks! The bag styles have changed a bit but the mechanics of the packs are largely the same - still ahead of their time after all these years!

* preparing the pack to wear
* proper clothing
* pack adjustments
* how posture changes affect pack adjustment
* using and adjusting the Bayonets and using the Bypass system
* pack construction
* loading the pack

Please send a check for $3.50 to McHale Packs, PO BOX 33672, Seattle WA 98133-0672.

phone: 206 533 1479