Rucksack for carrying a float tube

[Billy]

I have a relatively cheap and large rucksack from Millets. Bought a good few years ago it was purely bought for the float tube but my daughters have had more use out of it for 'T in the Park'.

I always intended doing the same thing and heading up to some remote lochan. EMC's loch at Dundonnell for example would be the type of place but not got around to it yet.

Loch of the Blue shrimp would be a bit of a trek but I have seen the pace you set going up the hills Robbie.

Billy

[corsican dave]

That fire brigade frame looks interesting, wonder how comfortable it is compared to a standard rucksack. other downfall is you would need something like a duffel bag to hold everything on the frame.

pack frames are surprisingly comfortable and light (if you buy a good one). as Vaughan says, the karrimor was superb, but now only available second hand. you'll either pick one up for nothing or pay quite a bit for one depending on where you find one! the fjallraven one is lighter and stronger. as for carrying stuff; the ortlieb stuff bags http://www.ortlieb.com/_prod.php?lang=en&produkt=drybag_ps21r are available at reasonable cost from most outdoor stores and are ideal. we use them all the time as kit bags for canoeing/kayaking and two or three of these gives you a nice, modular system for arranging your kit. the ortlieb ones last for years and will survive a lot of abuse. if you buy cheap ones (as will doubtless be recommended in subsequent posts.... :roll:) you will be disappointed!

this is what we use for our "portage" bags for longer canoe trips http://www.ortlieb.com/_prod.php?lang=en&produkt=xtremer_xxl   pretty similar to the bag Vaughan mentioned. superb, but i'd prefer a pack frame for more general trekking as the hip belt takes a lot of weight off the shoulders

[Wildfisher]

if you buy cheap ones (as will doubtless be recommended in subsequent posts.... you will be disappointed!

Depends what you intend to use it for Dave. While the inexpensive one I have would not be the best choice for  Everest,  I have never gone float tubing in Nepal. However for carrying the tube and fishing gear to a  modest Scottish hill loch occasionally it has a proven more than adequate.  I'm certainly not disappointed with it, more chuffed to bits actually.  : 

[corsican dave]

my comment actually referred to stuff bags Fred, but apply equally to the rucksack itself  . Robbie has already stated that he is prepared to buy the best he can, yet people are suggesting cheaper alternatives. it's interesting that you'll happily spend £200+ on a reel, yet the okuma airframe is more than adequate.... just saying (since I now own 2 sage rods!)  :lol:

[Wildfisher]

When I take The Dug for a walk I normally wear trainers, it's raining today, so I'll wear wellies.    :lol:

I use the gear I believe best suits the task in hand in relation to what it costs and how much use it will get. As I understood the original post Robbie was looking for a 'sack for carrying his new float tube to hill lochs. Having been on the hill with Robbie I know he  already has at least one 'sack. This is  exactly the same position I found myself in.

In actual fact I have 3 rucksacks. A small Berghaus  day pack which is fine for summer, built like a brick public convenience I have used it since the early 1980s. It's been to the Himalayas with me twice (we hired porters to do the heavy lifting).  For longer trips / winter days out I have a 65ltr Karrimor. Strong, well made, infinitely adjustable and very comfy. Not enough capacity for the float tube though.

I could not see the sense in spending a small fortune on yet another r'sack that was bound to get very little use. The 100ltr cheapo does the job fine. It would not stand up to regular hard wear of course, but it's never going to have to. Whether I paid £25 or £250 it would have spent 99.9% of this time in the cupboard and that, I suppose is the difference between it and my expensive fly fishing tackle. It doesn't!

Even for today's look at me,  kiddy-on, over equipped  "mountaineering"  day trippers a  100ltr 'sack seems to me to be a bit of an overkill for ordinary Scottish hillwalking, but if you are looking for a multi purpose, very regular use device then for sure  it's  better to spend a bit more.

[sinbad]

Some cheap rucksacks will start to come apart quickly but others are pretty tough. Ive got both expensive and cheap my £35 hi gear sack is stronger and much drier than my berghaus that cost many times as much. However its heavier and sweats my back more. For extended trips in the hills over a few days i take the berghaus, for a float tube day trip i would likely choose the cheap hi gear and a spare T-shirt.
The linked to rucksacks are undoubtedly better quality, the only thing would be could you be fine with the other one on say half a dozen trips a year and spend the cash on other parts of you re gear ?   :crap  Cheers SB

[Robbie]

I do believe in buying quality gear, at the end of the day this is something i do for enjoyment and I don't want to end up "making do" when it come to the kit I'm using. Good kit should add to the experience and be nice to use.

Having said this the ruck sacks and pack frames (which i am very interested in) are expensive.My current ruck sack is a 30L Karrimor that i find just about big enough for day trips (I don't seem to travel light) but I can't fit a stove in with everything else. So the ruck sack I buy will probably be used for more than just lugging the float tube, especially if I manage to get a few overnight trips in which is  on the to-do list.

Having said this I am aware that lugging the float tube long distance may prove to be just plain stupid and it may be a mistake to spend a small fortune on a top end ruck sack which could end up only being used once or twice. I am now leaning towards the cheaper option for the first couple of trips, if this works I will upgrade it. This way I am only going to loose out on £35 - 50.

Thanks to everyone for the information and advise, it has been a great help.

[Otter Spotter]

Having said this I am aware that lugging the float tube long distance may prove to be just plain stupid and it may be a mistake to spend a small fortune on a top end ruck sack which could end up only being used once or twice.

I personally think its agreat idea BUT I have been racking my brains (as has tony) for a solution to get all the gear you need to the places you want to be. My previous post only stands for day trips, I too cant come up with a way of getting ALL the gear for more than one day. perhaps next time we are out one of us should carry the tubes and the other other gear, 1 stove rtc minimalism! teaming up (unless tony builds the 'Hill Cartie' :-)) and splittint the gear is the only way I can think of.
I took all the float tube gear up to Boltachan in my rucksack and it was murder!
tube itself isnt too bad but there has to be a better light weight solution to the flippers and also some way of negating the need for wading boots. could probably save 5kg on those alone.
When I win the lotteyr I'm getting a helicopter tahts will solve all the problems :-)

[Wildfisher]

Unless you are a masochist you have to accept that you won't be carrying camping gear and float tube gear up the hill no matter what rucksack you buy. It's just too much gear and too heavy. I'd estimate you would be looking at about 35 KG for a weekend.  That's a lot.

[Fishtales]

35 Kilos Fred?

I have had a look about as I don't own a float tube so these are average figures . Obviously you would need to weigh your own gear.

Float Tube ------ 4 to 5 Kilos

Flippers------ 1 to 1½ Kilos

Pump-----½ Kilo?

Rucksack-----2 to 2½ Kilos

Tent--------2 Kilos

Sleeping Bag-------1½ Kilos

Sleeping Mat------¼ Kilo

Cooker, gas, pot, cutlery----------1½ Kilos

Food--------1 Kilo (based on the 4 Kilos I take for six days )

Total----13 to 15 Kilos

My pack weight for six days is between 18 and 20 Kilos.

Which leaves 5 Kilos for fishing gear, camera, GPS, and spare clothes.

These are just figures based on my weights and will vary by each individuals items but 18 to 20 Kilos for a weekend should be doable.