Pack Rabbit Mule Frame (Sandpiper of California Kit, 2nd Generation)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- Simon takes a look at the Pack Rabbit "Mule" Frame (2nd Generation), complete with the Sandpiper of California (SoC) Kit.
A light-weight, incredibly tough, infinitely versatile military-spec pack frame with an articulated lumbar support that doubles as a reclining seat.
Product page: shop.sandpiperc...
Gratuitous link to Bob's Bushcraft channel: / bobsbushcraft
Karrimor SF Predator 80-130 External Frame Mod video: • Bergen External Pack F... - this uses the Lastenkraxe Aluminium Frame.
Rucksack shown in this video is the Maxpedition Condor II, which you can find here: amzn.to/2fIKQin
NOTE: This review and its endorsement are UNSOLICITED! No payment was received in exchange for the genuine opinions rendered, nor was any request made by Pack Rabbit, Sandpiper of California (or any other company) for this video to be produced and published.
Packed To Live does not and never will provide positive reviews in exchange for free gear or payment. While we're happy to take a look at items, test them out, and eventually render an honest opinion on them... our reviews are and always will be 100% genuine, and free from outside influence.
![ผัวเถื่อน - ยูริ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P08ORRVDGl8/mqdefault.jpg)
Looks like great kit, the versatility of the pack is fantastic. Thanks for the vid!
I've recently bought a Swedish lk35 and I must say I am loving the frame for airflow, keeping the pack dry and lashing things too. It's a great idea mush better airflow that the condor had
Yes, the Maxpedition packs don't exactly do so well when it comes to any "significant" loads because they don't have a frame (not even a simple sheetframe).
I've not had any experience of the lk35, but the tubular frame looks like a good ol' fashioned design. What's the unladen weight of the frame (without the pack on it)?
Packed To Live it's currently fully loaded and in the car. But according to the internet the weight (with the empty pack on) is around 5lbs it's a very rugged pack from what I read before buying it. And it gives me an excuse to get that bigger axe I was after at the show
Sandpiper doesn’t have these anymore. Get them from www.pack-rabbit.com/product/large-exo-frame/
How is the pack mule holding up? Just ordered one from pack rabbit.
Rated for Americans. Ouch!! Really good review. Thanks.
2 thumbs up & Double High- 5 ATB " T " God Bless
Will it fit a medium Alice pack?
I haven't tried. I would suggest contacting Pack Rabbit themselves. They are extremely good at responding to questions like this one :)
Any issues with durability? I've watched other reviews & read reports on Amazon that the frames are very fragile & many were broken upon delivery. Thanks in advance.
*Edit: I also think a square top would be much more functional & useable for attaching items on the top of the pack. The round top looks cool but I don't think it's very practical. Also curious how tall you are & what size shirt/pull-over you wear. ie: S, M, L. I'm 6' 1" tall, 19 1/2" torso & wear a large shirt. I weigh about 180 lbs. I only ask these seemingly personal questions because I want to know how it would fit my frame.
Durability hasn't really been an issue for me. I did have a little separation between the foam padding material and the plastics of the frame (the foam was being pressed on by other items when I had it crammed into my car... so I'm not surprised really). I just pressed it all back into place and you wouldn't even know it had separated if you saw it.
I subject my gear to some pretty rough treatment, and I haven't had any significant issues with the frame itself yet. This pack frame is my "everywhere" frame.... goes with me absolutely everywhere except on "duration trips" where I need the larger capacity of the Lastenkraxe frame.
Mine certainly didn't arrive damaged in any way.... and I can't speak to that.
Yes, I reckon the Mule would fit you (the Rabbit perhaps not). I'm shorter than you (5'10"), wear a medium shirt, and have a shorter torso length. At my size, I'm at the MINIMUM size adjustment of the frame. I believe you are comfortably within the adjustment of the frame... probably two down from its maximum (don't marry me to that, you might be one down from the max).
One issue I have had is with the "Gear Mesh"... where it has developed some separation around the edges in two places. I've fixed mine using mil-grade rot-proof nylon thread, adding weave and stitching around the edges to reinforce it.
Interestingly, the Gear Mesh (from Sandpiper of California) is actually made in China... and I think it's the same manufacturer Condor use (low production quality). However, I reckon the shoulder strap system was made by them too and that's still holding up beautifully... so it may well just be that they don't know how to make a mesh that doesn't develop holes around the edging.
Simon, bare with me for a moment, if you wanted a pack board to carry odd shaped gear then fair enough.....
But why would anyone buy such an expensive pack board to then put your bergen inside it, thus adding to the overall weight ??? ( it's very expensive on it's own even before you add postages and import taxes)
Why not just flog your bergen, if it's not comfatable on it's own, take this money and the huge amount of money you saved from not buying the pack board and you then will have enough money to buy any one of the top end bergens, picking one that suits you best...
If the shoulder straps are a problem to you then you can have better ones sew on any new bergen a few places her in the Uk will do the MOD for you.. you would save yourself a huge amount of money.. and point to note, the Alice pack, LK35 all have decent frames that can be used as a pack board and cost around 30 pounds to boot ?
just can't fathom the logic in buying such a board then putting your rucksack in it mate.
I didn't mention in the video but I remove the Bergen's own suspension before connecting it to a frame, and just like with the Predator 80-130, it's original suspension system is heavier than the external frame... so the weight is being reduced rather than increased.
The other thing is multi purpose. The internal frame of a Bergen is only good for one thing: being a frame in a Bergen. This is also a comfortable seat.
Also, being able to remove the pack instantly from the frame to leave it at camp while venturing out to collect firewood and other resources using the pack frame is a huge advantage (especially when daylight hours are so short like they are now).
Yes, it is expensive for those of us on this side of the pond. For Americans, it's not really all that costly when compared to some of the mid- to high-end rucksacks out there. Definitely not expecting people to shell out that kind of money for the frame, but Pack Rabbit told me in an e-mail exchange that they're in talks to set up a UK distributor so this will bring the cost down quite a bit.
I also have an Alice frame, and it's much heavier than either of the two external frames that I actually use (far heavier than the internal frames I remove from the Bergens that I attach to these frames).
It's different strokes for different folks, mate. Definitely not recommending them for everyone. As you say, there are plenty of options... I've just presented one of them in this video :)
AAAAAAAAAAAH that's it then mate, to be honest i thought that must be what you had done but then i noticed the pack you are doing the demo with does still have the shoulder straps fitted ???
Yeah, sadly the Maxpedition packs don't have removable straps... and I don't usually mount that particular bag on that frame (for that very reason). Only reason I showed it in this video is because it's the pack I had with my camera gear (and the tarps/tents I was also doing videos on) so it made a convenient analogue to show the rapid mount/release concept.
All of my proper camping packs have removable suspension systems and removable internal frames. I wouldn't bother buying a pack with a fixed frame or suspension now... and I'm no longer experimenting with the smaller rucksack-style packs like the Condor-II in this video because they are only really any good for light-weight loads.