[pct-l] Experiences with the Following Packs

[GARY HEBERT]

Yes.
Ron Moak @ Six Moon Designs (owner/designer) is SUPER customer friendly.
Very knowledgable, honest, helpful. Bought my luna solo enhaned tarptent 07
from him and talked extensively since at Trail Days 08 about his and other
tents. Had minor issue with my tent shortly before I was leaving for AT, I
called him up, sent it 2 day shipping, he turned it around the same day and
shipped it overnite. Definitely has tweaked his products for little details
and stands behind them fully.

Ron Bell @ Mountain Lauren Designs is AT LEAST as knowledgable and customer
friendly. He is currently my favorite among the cottage industry for his
persistence to tweak and tweak and tweak his designs to get it perfect.
Every piece of near-custom gear has benefited from minor revisions with tons
of added usefull features at very little added weight. Ron REALLY
understands SUL gear and the balance of durability, functionality and very
low weight. I own his SUL (Cuben Fiber) Patrol Shelter (tarp), SUL tent
lines & tension adjusters,SUL orange colored shepard hook titanium stakes, &
6" Titanium V stakes, eVent Rain/Wind MItts (shells), SUL Tall Gaitors, SUL
Caribiners, Noseum Bug Head Net, and soon his SUL Bivy & pack. He has a very
thorough understanding of features which enhance strength, durability and
functionality for thru hikers under intense weather conditions, yet keep
added weight to the absolute minimum. Even if you make your own gear (MYOG)
with the same materials it would be difficult to make it lighter than most
of his custom gear-it's the lightest stuff out there and still loaded with
features. (READ his product descriptions filled with details of why it's the
best. Common sense - once he explains it & points it all it to you.) His
tarps are light years ahead of most. After talking with Tom @ Hennessey
Hammocks at Trail Days 2008 about a possible future SUL Cuben Fiber (the
lightest material out there now) HEX fly for his hammock, he said it's still
in the works.  After talking with Ron Bell I learned it was Ron who will
make it for him! Similarly I've had 2 very minor issues with orders which
were quickly corrected. Once had a minor issue with my new tarp tent, again
I sent it back, he turned it right around & shipped it out the next day -
right before Christmas! I will likely purchase one of MLD's packs & litest
bivy's for the PCT very soon.

Glen & the staff at Gossamer Gear also really know their shit. I own every
ground waffle & flat closed cell pad they make, the Mariposa Pack which I
used for the AT 07, the LT 08, and several hundred other miles on the AT 08
including Tennessee, Virginia, CT, Maine, the Whites, most of the upper LT
in VT  last winter, and recently a little in the Adirondacks.  After
??3000-3500miles my pack is a little worn at a couple seams (threads
loosening here and there), the mesh is a little tattered (mostly from
bushwacking) and one lower pack strap stitching ripped out but was very
quickly temporarily repaired on the trail & later tacked back in place. (GG
offered to repair it free, but since it was free at Trail Days I had the
guys there fix it - it's still fine.)  Many clever & functional design
features are incorporated into this and Glenn's other packs. I don't remove
the padding to replace with socks, etc. but I've carried 33.5lbs on a recent
trip and 30+lbs many times coming outta town with way too much food - well
over the 25lb rating. (The new Mariposa PLUS is rated for 30lbs) and it's
worked fine.  What I like most is the flexibility to fill the pack up to the
collar (TONS of room) or snug it down for slackpacking with almost nothing
inside, carry bear canisters, rolled pads,etc., wet tarps & rain shells and
mega other stuff on the OUTSIDE and easily accessible without emptying my
pack during a rainstorm or whatever. Again, gurus of functional features,
not just useless fluff that adds weight to the design. They even offer
instructions on the web site on suggested ways to use and pack the pack. (I
don't follow all these, but it sparks ideas to best understand how to max
it's flexibility). They're very knowledgeable about materials and features
as well as competitors products. (Side note Ron Bell's MLD pack hipbelt &
packstrap pouches are better designed and have better features, but I'd
already bought the pretty damn good SUL GG ones)

All 3 of these guys know eachother well and all the competitor products on
the market.  They  thrive on getting it right. making the best stuff out
there, not just the lightest, though theirs are pretty damn light.

I own ULA MIST Overmitts I bought at Neel's Gap (AT 07) for $30 & I'm still
using them, though a bit worn. They're SUL (<1 0z) highly wind & water
resistant and work great with liner gloves even in winter! I've carried &
used them on EVERY overnite or serious hike since I bought them, including
winter trips. Awesome product. (Recently I switched to MLD eVent Mitts for
better durability for $45 but they're still awesome-especially for $30 &
under 1 oz. I did own the Helix Potty Trowel aka SUL Ice Axe. It was well
designed and SUL, exactly as specified and reviewed in backpackinglight.com.
It just did not inspire confidence for me and seemed functionally too short
for side hilling or self belay though I bought it too short; so I will
purchase my own more traditional ice axe for serious winter treks. It was
however exactly as described, I should have listened to the warning on ULA
website and others. Just not for me. Sold it quickly on BPL forums. Several
I met used ULA packs with great pleasure.


I have no direct experience with ULA packs or customer service.

Sorry if I got off on a couple tangents but WOW you've hit my short list of
cottage industry gurus. Backpackinglight.com reviews and forums are one of
my favorite sources of serious reviews, articles and info and these guys
stand up in those reviews.  Sorry for off topic ramblings.

Choosing products from any of the above is more about personal preference
for different features or tradeoffs than quality.

whoooh.....breathe.....ahhhh....

:)