BackpackGearTest.org - CampTrails Catskill Backpack Owner Review by scott reichinger

I started backpacking in Boy Scouts, when I
was 12. I was fortunate enough to be in a scout troop with an "old-
school" leader who really believed that ¾ of scouting is outing. I
learned early to enjoy camping and hiking 12 months a year.
I spent 3 years in the U.S. army in Bavaria, Germany where I hiked a
couple more miles in the foothills of the Alps.
I do a variety of backpacking; usually 2 or 3 day hikes a month
(skiing or snow shoeing in winter), 4 or 5 weekend trips a year, and
at least one 5-7 day trip annually. Most of my time is spent in the
Adirondacks of New York, with occasional trips to the Catskills (New
York) and the Wind River mountains of Wyoming.
I'm an avid fly fisher so I try to plan at least a couple of weekend
trips a year where fishing is my main goal.
My 3 bulldogs accompany me on most of the easier, non-fishy trips –
which is about half the time.

Product Info

Manufacturer : Camptrails http://www.camptrails.com
Listed Weight : 4lbs 15 oz (2.244 kg)
My Weight : 5lbs 1 oz (2.3 kg)
Volume : 4500-5800 cu in (74 - 95 L)
Price : $150 msrp

Product Description

The Catskill is a basic top loading internal frame pack with a draw
string divider wall to separate the sleeping bag compartment. It has
2 medium size pockets on each side (12x6x2 in) (30x15x5 cm), 2
smaller, flatter pockets in the center of the back (8x8x1in) (20x20x3
cm) and a surprisingly large hood compartment. The hood compartment
is difficult to measure, but it easily holds my fleece sleepingbag
liner and my wet weather gear (jacket and pants). All the pockets
have large double zippers.
There are vertical compression straps located on each side of the
back. There is a set of 2 straps on the bottom portion of the pack
that are useful if the sleeping bag does not fill the lower portion
of the pack. Then there is another set of straps for the top 2/3,
making 4 total. The top compression straps perform the double duty by
clipping to the lid and closing the top of the pack. There are also 2
ice pick loops on the back. The lower sleeping bag compartment has a
large double zipper to open the bottom of the pack to get the bag
out. It also has 2 water bottle holsters (bottom sides.)
The frame consists of 2 vertical aluminum stays. There is a 6 in
tall by 9 in wide (15x23cm) pad that slides up and down the stays to
adjust for torso length. This pad is 1" (2.5cm) thick and is
adjustable for torsos 16in (46cm) to 22 in (56cm).
The thick, wide shoulder straps are attached to the top of the
adjustable pad. They're 3 in (8cm) wide and 1in (2.5cm) thick and
have a sternum strap and load adjuster straps.
The hip belt is humongous. It's a full 4in (10cm) wide, and over 1in
(2.5cm) thick.
It doesn't have any of the newer, nicer features of more expensive
packs like a hydration sleeve or a removable hood / fanny pack.
The packs' colors are red & black.

Testing Info

Most of my experience with this pack has been in the Adirondacks of
upstate New York, typically at elevations of 1000 to 4000 ft (300 –
1200m.) I go backpacking 12 months a year, and I've had this pack for
8 years so it has seen a wide variety of weather conditions – sleet,
snow, all day drizzle, downpours, ect. and temps between –10 F to 95
F (-23 to +35 C).
When I first purchased this pack in 1996 I used carry 50 – 70 lbs
(23 – 32kg ) for a 3-5 day trip. The Catskill could easily handle
any amount of volume I ever needed. The suspension system with it's
wide, thick padding really shines under those kinds of loads. But
knee injuries forced me to reevaluate my pack weights and so
gradually I've gotten lighter and lighter. Last year my average pack
weight for 3-5 days was closer to 30 lbs (14kg). The pack still
performs well with lighter weights and smaller volumes, thanks to the
4 compression straps.

I do think there are a couple of small things that could be re-
designed.

1] The lower sleeping bag compartment.
When I stuff in my sleeping bag (from the top opening), the
drawstring closing dividing wall invariably gets shoved down
underneath the bag. Reaching in and pulling the divider wall back
out, around, and on top of the sleeping bag can be quite a chore.
Now I pack all the rest of my gear on top of the dividing wall.
When I make camp, I just unzip the lower portion of my pack to
access my sleeping bag, while that dividing wall keeps my other
stuff from falling out.
Fine. Great. The problem occurs the next morning when I pack up to
move out. I have to completely empty out my pack so that I can load
my sleeping bag back into the pack through the top.
So what's the point?
The zipper should be either redesigned to allow 2 way access to the
lower compartment (so I can load my bag from the bottom), or get rid
of the zipper and the drawstring divider all together.
My solution – I don't bother to use the divider anymore. When I get
to camp I just dump out the whole pack anyway. I just use plenty of
smaller stuff sacks to keep my equipment fairly neat and separated.

2] If I pack the top flap pocket completely full it hits the back of
my head when I look up.
This little flaw can be pretty annoying at times. Of course, just
knowing that I can't stretch my neck all the way back makes me want
to look up even more.
The other small problem with the top pouch is the zipper is on the
front of the pack, behind my neck. I don't know why they didn't put
it on the back where it would be much easier to get to.
My solution – I don't pack the lid compartment completely full.

These are really minor issues. There is one other problem that has
finally caused me to buy a new pack – the weight. When I was carrying
60 lbs (27kg) the 5lbs (2.3kg) for the pack itself wasn't a big deal.
Now I am trying to get my pack weight down to 20lbs (9kg) and that
kind of pack weight is ridiculous. Besides, carrying only 20lbs
(9kg), I don't need that the nice soft [heavy] padding for my hips
and shoulders or the 4500-5800 cu in (74 - 95 L) of volume.
This winter I purchased a Granite Gear Virga. It's 1/5 the weight. A
big part of me is really going to miss the ol' Catskill – the part of
me that's not my knees anyway.

Things I like:

Durability – 8 years/ 2,000+ miles without even a broken zipper.
Unbelievable. I convinced a friend to purchase one 5 years ago. Other
than a couple of stains, and maybe a slight fading of color they are
still both in near-perfect conditions.
It truly amazes me – not a single broken stitch or zipper to this
day.

Volume – This pack is huge. I can't imagine anyone ever wanting more
room from a pack.

Water resistance – It takes a lot of water quite a while to soak thru
this pack.

Value – I paid $100 in 1996. I still frequently see this pack for
sale for less than $120. If you're tight on cash, and don't mind the
weight you can't go wrong here.

Things I Don't like:

Weight – 5 lbs (2.3kg) is a lot for an empty pack.

Lower compartment – Very difficult to pack it from the bottom.

Top compartment – Hits the back of my head when stuffed full.

Summary – This pack is a tank. A big, heavy, tough, tank.

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > CampTrails Catskill Backpack > Owner Review by scott reichinger

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > CampTrails Catskill Backpack > Owner Review by scott reichinger