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| Biographical
Information |
Name:
|
Mark
Wood
|
A Brief
Introduction
I grew up camping with my
parents and had taken a few short backpacking trips, as well as a
couple of 10-day trips before I got married. While my wife and I have
enjoyed car camping and day hiking for close to 5 years, this year we
have decided to make backpacking a permanent part of our lives. Our
trips are generally shorter (2 - 5 days) over rocky, hilly terrain. My
general pack weight for a 3 day trip is around 35 lb (16 kg) including food
and water. |
| Age
/ Sex: |
25 / Male |
| Height: |
5' 11" (1.8 m) |
| Weight: |
240 lb (109 kg) |
| Email
Address: |
woodmark0 at yahoo dot
com |
| Location: |
Chenango County, NY,
U.S.A. |
| Product
Information |
| Manufacturer: |
Eastern
Mountain Sports (EMS) |
 |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2005 |
| URL of Manufacturer: |
http://www.ems.com |
| MSRP: |
$89.00
US |
| Listed Weight: |
3
lb 7 oz (1.56 kg) |
| Weight as Delivered: |
3 lb 6 oz (1.53 kg) |
| Advertised Volume: |
2200
cu in (36 L) |
| Listed Dimensions: |
25
x 10.5 x 6 in (64 x 27
x 15 cm) |
| Materials: |
330-denier
double ripstop
nylon with hypalon accents and a 1000-denier Kodra nylon bottom. |
The EMS Ridgeline pack is a
rugged pack designed for hard use. It's capable of carrying skis,
snowboards or snowshoes as well as storing enough gear for a day outside.
The sturdy construction with a single aluminum stay and hip belt
are designed to carry a decent load for the pack's size.
For a more detailed description, see my initial report here.
|
| Final Thoughts |
Overnight load in the Ridgeline -- Finger Lakes Trail
I must say, this pack has found a nice home in my gear collection.
While I've really found it to be overkill for short day hikes,
anytime there is any bushwhacking or scrambling involved, I immediately
turn to the Ridgeline. It's suspension simply makes this pack
disappear on my back.
After my field report, there were few questions left, mainly concerning
how the pack would hold up to 4 months of use. I feel that I can
easily say that this pack is very rugged. I have experienced no
snags, rips or even scuff marks on the fabric. The suspension
system has retained it's integrity and there have been no issues with
anything.
My only additional finding with this pack is with it's ability to fit
over warm weather clothing. On one occasion, I wore the pack over
my fleece and shell and found that the shoulder straps of the pack
would gather the fabric from my shell in front of my arms. While
this posed no real discomfort, it was noticeable and slightly
distracting. I found that by loosening the shoulder straps to a
point where the pack was not as stable as I would like, the
problem seemed to disappear. While this was one isolated
occurrence, I felt it worth mentioning.
|
| Field
Conditions |
Due to the mild winter we are experiencing
here in Upstate New York, I have not been doing as much hiking as
normal since all the trails are basically mud. However, when the
days are cold enough to freeze up the trails, I have been taking
numerous day hikes in both state and local parks. Overall
elevations will range anywhere from around sea level up to 4000 ft
(1220 m).
|
| Summary |
Likes:
- Very comfortable
- Good load transfer
- Lots of external attachment points
Dislikes:
- Side pockets are not quite deep enough to hold a Nalgene type water bottle
|
I
would like to thank Eastern Mountain Sports
and
BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to participate in this test!
Read more reviews of EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) gear
Read more gear reviews by Mark Wood
|
