EPE Explore Planet Earth Carina Rucksack Backpack 65L $59.95 Delivered @ Outdoors Domain

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sludo on 25/11/2015 - 17:48 outdoorsdomain.com.au (393 clicks)
Last edited 25/11/2015 - 18:11 by 1 other user

I have an upcoming long hike in NZ and needed a larger rucksack to do multiple days but didn't want to spend in excess of $200 that most of the big name brands ask.

Although there is not much info on the rucksack there is one quite positive review here

Also the few people who have bought it from the site seem very happy.

I think it looks really great in black and has all the features you need along with being made from similar materials as the big brand 65L rucksacks and of a similar dry weight at 2kg.

Happy Hiking :-)

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  bigspike on 25/11/2015 - 20:30

  I think somewhere in your first hour of walking you will wish you got decent equipment. I'd suggest you go closer to your 200 than this.

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    sludo on 25/11/2015 - 20:57

    Sure thing thanks for the info can you provide me with the evidence this info based on? Or are you guessing this backpack will not be good because it doesn't have 'the north face' sewn on it?

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      bigspike on 25/11/2015 - 21:07

      You don't need a high name brand for 4 or 500 bucks, but I'd suggest you go to a shop and try a few on and check out the harness. 4 days is 18 plus kilos and water on top of that.

      So something mid range is worth the investment. You can always sell it if you only do one trip. My Black Wolf lasted 15 years.

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      BeefBiryani on 25/11/2015 - 21:22

      In my experience, saving a few bucks on hiking equipment is not worth it.

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      scynaz on 25/11/2015 - 21:35

      Only anecdotal evidence. Bought a pack in this price range and took it on a six day hike. Never again. Just fell apart. Nothing I could tell based on how it looked or some basic testing from loading it and carrying it around a bit.

      I don't know about this one, but I can't help being skeptical like others here. These things require real engineering and extensive field testing. It's not about how it looks or whether it appears to be made of similar materials. Think of it this way - it's survival gear, gear you are relying on to survive in wilderness. NOT the place to save money. You're doing a long hike in New Zealand, where most of the best hikes are paid, you pay more than $200 to do the hike. And it costs at least that much for flights. You really want to spoil it because you skimped on the pack?

      That 'review' you linked is just garbage. Lots of 'features' on a pack is big warning sign - it means someone somewhere, usually China, copied a much more expensive pack.

      Backpacks withstand a significant amount of stress. Cheap ones tend to come apart at the weakest point - that's where the lack of engineering costs you.

      Spend that $200 to get a decent pack on sale, or spend $100 to get one second hand.

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        danyool on 25/11/2015 - 22:42

        I don't know about this brand/bag, but there are comments in the review that had problems with it.

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        sludo on 25/11/2015 - 22:43

        Ok thanks for the advice I understand they do require engineering for forces and endurance in hiking but I think you are using the word survival here very loosely and basing purely the price as a representative of the quality and engineering that went into this which I think is pure ignorance. It comes with 12 months warranty and meets Australian standards. A backpack is not going to give you life or death in the wilderness just like more money than sense won't. Please provide some hard facts if your are going to be sceptical purely based on price afterall I am positing this on ozbargain…

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        klownz on 25/11/2015 - 23:07

        @seanludo:

        The manufacturers website appears to offer a 5 year warranty.

        http://www.exploreplanetearth.com.au/explore-planet-earth-ca…

        I think this brand used to have a trade office in North Sydney, so they are probably not cheap copy (unless this specific retailer is selling a copy, but its an Australian site so doesn't look like it)

        Brand is owned by Sitro Group - http://www.sitro.com.au/default.asp

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        scynaz on 27/11/2015 - 23:18

        @seanludo:

        I don't have any hard facts about this pack, and I don't care enough to spend money to find out - I love my Tatonka Yukon. What I do have is experience of hiking with backpacks made by brands without an established reputation among hikers. They also happened to be a lot cheaper. And I regretted it in the first hour. So, colour me skeptical.

        Not a single thing you have said or linked are relevant to determining whether this is a good outdoor pack - 'Australian standards' whatever that means, reviews with little mention of the type of trips taken, the subjective opinion of someone like you who clearly has no clue what differentiates a good pack from a bad one (hint: looking great in black really doesn't come into it).

        Hiking packs are not like other items. Ticking 80% of the boxes for 50% of the price is not an achievement, it's $100 down the drain. If it's not utterly bulletproof and comfortable, it's going to sit in the garage doing nothing after one disastrous trip. That's not a bargain…

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  twocsies on 26/11/2015 - 02:25

  +1

  @seanludo - made from similar materials as the big brand 65L rucksacks

  Note that Polytech 600 is not the same fabric as other backpacks. From google search, this fabric is associated only with the Explore Planet Earth range of bags. Even if it is 600D (600 denier) not just a 600 (brand name), you just can't compare denier across different types of fabrics. For example, 600D polyester is not as strong as 420D nylon. It really depends on the type of material.

  That being said, after 5 pages of google search, I stumbled on another company that uses this fabric is motorcycle gear (http://www.armr-moto.com/?s=polytech). The company does offer the 5 year warranty, but I can't actually see a copy of what that warranty covers on the exploreplanetearth.com.au website. Usually these warranties cover "manufacturing defects in workmanship and materials", but what exactly does that cover? Zippers are usually excluded, and also when the fabric develops small rips, it could be normal wear and tear. Do you need to pay for shipping to use the warranty? If so, hardly anyone would try to use the warranty on a $59 bag. And most surprisingly, there is nowhere on their site that covers the warranty terms, nor is there a FAQ, which is extremely off-putting!

  Note that a lot of stockists carry this backpack. You should be able to find one near you so that you can try it on and read the terms of the warranty. http://www.exploreplanetearth.com.au/buy-explore-planet-eart… (noting that some, such as Scout Outdoor Centre among others, do not seem to carry this brand anymore.

  The company used to retail this product for $AUD 130 to $AUD160 but now it's going for $89 or even $59 (and Gray's Online sold one for $29). Maybe they are going for volume.