We’ve put together a Carry Awards roundup so you can see all the brands and designs that excelled in their respective categories. Kudos to the brands on their achievements and a big thanks to our readers!

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Best Active Backpack

Winner: Osprey Atmos AG 50

Highly Commended: Aarn Liquid Agility

Highly Commended: Timbuk2 Especial Tres Backpack

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Best Active Messenger

Winner: Arc’teryx Lunara 17

Highly Commended: Crafted Goods Carrera

Highly Commended: Mystery Ranch Invader

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Best Work Backpack

Winner:  Haglöfs RYGGSÄCK N:o 1

Highly Commended: Teranishi Venture

Highly Commended: RAWROW R Bag 130

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Best Work Messenger

Winner: Pacsafe Intasafe Z400

Highly Commended: Mystery Ranch 3 Way Briefcase

Highly Commended: BEXAR Goods Co. Porter Satchel

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Best Carry-On

Winner: Alchemy Equipment AEL008 Carry On

Highly Commended: Rimowa Bolero

Highly Commended: Modern Industry Passenger

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Best Check-In

Winner: Samsonite Lite-Cube DLX

Highly Commended: Arc’teryx Carrier Duffle

Highly Commended: Ortlieb Duffle RS

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Best Specialist

Winner: Black Diamond JetForce

Highly Commended: Douchebags Douchebag

Highly Commended: MONO Guitar Sleeve

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Best Accessory

Winner: Incase ICON Sleeve with Tensaerlite

Highly Commended: Bellroy Elements Phone Pocket

Highly Commended: Peak Design Slide Camera Strap

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Hall of Fame

Winner: CamelBak Hydration Backpack

Highly Commended: BabyBjörn

Highly Commended: Karrimor Whillans Alpiniste 1964

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Osprey Atmos AG 50

Some innovations take an aha moment and then it’s job done, proceed directly to go and collect your $200. The other 99% of innovations take a huge amount of work and problem-solving to realise, often stretching over years.

The Atmos is not new to the Osprey range, but the addition of the AntiGravity (AG) suspension system certainly is. However, when you speak to the brand they say that their innovative founder Mike Pfotenhauer has been working on this vision for years, trying to find ways to bring this seamless mesh into a real-world system.

The AG wraps and warps and bends around you like a Play-doh sculptured mesh, with awesome levels of comfort, breathability and movement. Putting it on feels like a child is piggybacking on you, wrapping their arms and legs exactly to your curves. It’s a surprising feeling at first, but one that quickly wins you over and makes you want to go and play.

The stretched mesh reduces hot-spots while increasing ventilation, both of which are holy grails in hiking packs. Perhaps the most impressive aspect is the way the seamless mesh continues down into a sprung hipbelt, keeping the ventilated benefits all the way to the base of the pack’s contact with you. There are female-specific versions, excellent height adjustability, and typical Osprey levels of refinement and patternmaking. This is a huge accomplishment – well done, Osprey.

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Highly Commended

These are the pieces that just missed out, and in most cases, by the smallest of margins. To them, we award a High Commendation. The below were of outstanding quality, displaying fine craftsmanship and design flair. With honour, we bow our heads in the upmost respect and kudos. If this were a dias, they’d be biting their teeth into silver medals, while their flags were hoisted into the horizon – a feat not to be overlooked. And I’m sure they’ll be back, to take it one notch higher, next year.

Aarn Liquid Agility

New Zealand based Aarn have been quietly creating revolutionary pack designs for years now, and their Liquid Agility is no exception, nailing the carrying of heavy loads over irregular terrain. The integrated Flow-Motion systems enhance freedom of movement while still ensuring the pack remains stable on the user’s back. The back length is adjustable to suit different torso lengths and the hydration pocket accepts a 3-liter bladder. The daypack also converts into a bodypack using optional balance pockets – a great way to reduce strain on the body when carrying heavy loads, as well as offering quick access to important items on the go without having to take the pack off. Congratulations, Aarn, this is truly well-deserved recognition.

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Timbuk2 Especial Tres Backpack

Timbuk2 tick all the boxes with their updated version of the Especial Tres Cycling Backpack – enhanced visibility, a better user fit, improved ventilation and the ability to expand the volume for carrying larger loads. This bag packs plenty of urban style, along with a choice of pockets and a waterproof drop liner to keep the contents safe from the elements. Timbuk2 are one of the top names in cycling bags but you don’t need to get around on two wheels to appreciate the appeal of the Especial Tres. Kudos, Timbuk2, you’ve done an awesome job.

The post Third Annual Carry Awards :: Best Active Backpack Results appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

And just to clarify for the masses: when we say the word ‘active’ we’re not generally talking about big, lumbering hiking backpacks that you can shove your entire life into. We’re talking about adaptable bits of kit that give you freedom to move, accelerate and push through space. Whether it be military issue rucks, slimline outdoor or bike packs, these all should haul diverse loads in comfortable ways.

In our nominees you’ll see a eclectic bunch. Each of them has a target activity that they excel in, but each is also versatile enough that you can use it for travel or just for day-to-day activities. This is a hard one…but have fun and go for it!

Your voting form is latched to the bottom of this post. You have two votes to use as you will…

Allocate your 1st choice with 2 points

And your 2nd choice just with the 1 point. 

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Osprey Atmos AG 50

Sometimes there’s an itch that takes awhile to scratch, which was apparently the story with the AG (Anti-Gravity) suspension system for Mike Pfotenhauer, the still active founder of Osprey. The AG wraps and warps and bends around you like a Playdo sculptured mesh, with awesome levels of comfort, breathability and movement. This is a substantial innovation, well deserving on any kudos fired into its atmosphere.

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Triple Aught Design FAST Pack Litespeed 2.0

This cult classic has been updated in a slew ways – the team at TAD worked closely with their customers, penciling down the qualms and queries over the past 4 years of use and abuse, and came out with one seriously wicked update – resulting in an even more versatile and dialled pack. We got our paws on one of the first if you need a reminder – it’s totally rad.

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Boreas Kezar

While Boreas was founded with a very outdoor vibe, the brand is just starting to creep into more urban aesthetics. The Kezar mixes a great geometric silhouette with the awesome Bootlegger system, giving you a well resolved suspension for a very versatile pack. This is a legit all-rounder with styling to boot – it’ll look equally sharp gunning down stretches of tarmac atop your vintage Triumph or traipsing up mountain passes for a weekend spent among the sticks.  

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Black Diamond Axis 24

You have to try the Swingarm shoulder straps to understand how good they are, but for now, take our word that the slight movement you get as your pack straps adjust to a tilt is awesome. The pack then combines beautiful welding, forming and proportions for a versatile outdoor play piece. This is BD at its best. 

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Porter Stealth Daypack

Every time we’ve spotted this pack slung across traveling Japanese, it’s turned our heads. The details are nailed, the proportions are interesting, and the division of pocketing and sections works well. We love seeing Porter play with more youthful shapes, and it’s something we’d love to see more of in ’15.

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Ember Equipement Urban Pack

Somewhere between Steampunk and Star Wars lives the modular Ember backpack. Utilising Fidlock magnetic clips and a stack of modular pocketing, you can customise and tweak this pack in countless ways. And as far as 2014 was concerned, this was the one pack that thrust shockwaves through the community, sparking imaginations of Carryologists everywhere – there’s certainly an X-factor here, and we dig it. 

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Arc’teryx Nomin

Ridiculously beautiful. All performance, no frills. Silly expensive. And incredibly hard to get your sweaty little claws on (we’re telling you, this thing is a unicorn!). Pretty much a winning formula for an instant cult classic. Well played, Arc’teryx [insert over zealous applause here].

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NikeLab ACG Responder Backpack

The Nike SFS Responder was perhaps a little too inspired by Mystery Ranch’s 3Zip format. But when NikeLab has taken that pack, and pushed it much further, they’ve created something really interesting. You can lay this pack wide open, access any part of it, and configure in multiple ways. It’s kinda rad.

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Aarn Liquid Agility

We’ve fallen in love with this innovative Kiwi brand, and the Liquid Agility brings their awesome load carrying into a versatile smaller capacity setup. If you need to carry heavy loads over irregular terrain, this is probably your single best way to do it.

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ILE Apex Daypack

ILE have been making neat bike and camera packs out of SF for several years now. The Apex is a simple roll-top – think the less in more mantra – made for less demanding excursions, but it wins you over with charisma and purpose. 

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Timbuk2 Especial Tres Backpack

This is an update and a darn good one. If you want an urban pack that does it all, this should be on your list. Sleek styling, big capacity, lots of features, ventillation and improved visibility are all there in spades – Timbuk2 called this their Especial, for a reason. 

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Vote Now!

*Voting closes 22nd Feb.

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First up, Top 5 Outdoor Backpacks…

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So what makes a great outdoor backpack?

1) It has to suit the activity you’re in the outdoors to do, which typically means carrying gear for that activity, as well as for any emergency or significant change in the weather.

2) Weight is never an advantage, but sometimes durability is, so it needs to find the appropriate balance between those.

3) And it needs to let you forget about the pack, and get on with your activity, so no annoying niggles or foibles please.

4) Oh, and if it’s versatile for beyond just the activity it was designed for, then that’s a big bonus.

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Black Diamond Jetforce – The first fan forced avalanche airbag, which makes all others feel obsolete.

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Aarn Mountain Magic – One of the most innovative pack makers on this planet. Balanced load = awesome comfort.

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Mystery Ranch Snapdragon – Incredible load access. Excellent comfort. Good all-round versatility.

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Camelbak M.U.L.E – A classic that keeps getting refined. If you need hydration, this works.

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Cilo Gear W/NWD 30L WorkSack – Made from the future. Stripped back to the past. Pure utility.

The post Outdoor Week :: 5 Best Outdoor Backpacks appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

The post Aarn Mountain Magic appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Bodypacks are designed to distribute the weight you’re carrying in the front as well as in the back; simple, right?  This balanced approach allows you to stand up straight and fully rest the load onto your hips – bye-bye bruised shoulders.  Having some of your kit on the front also gives you very welcomed access to more gear than you’re used to having access to on the trail: camera, water bottle, whiskey flask…whatever you desire.  

Aarn is a New Zealand brand with a surprisingly large range.  They’ve got everything from expedition packs you’d imagine wearing on your way to Everest Base Camp to marathon-running bags for the cool ultra-marathon runners who are looking to shed weight but not features.  We’d love to test the whole range but today we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the Guiding Light bag with Expedition front balance pockets.

“Bodypacks are designed to distribute the weight you’re carrying in the front as well as in the back.”

The pack and balance pockets accompanied me on a backpacking trip through Nepal for two weeks.  It was my main bag and provided more than enough storage space and a few interested looks from the locals.  They were either shocked to see someone walking so upright with a bag on their back or they thought I looked strange with the balance pockets carried on the front at the same time.  Either way I was happy to be so comfortable carrying a pack.

Who It Suits

This specific bag and balance pocket combo is best suited to someone who is doing technical backcountry trips or often hikes with poles.  It’s designed with the NZ backcountry guide in mind who may need to cross glaciers, climb mountains, and ski back down all in a single trip.  This pack is for you if you’ve ever thought, “I wish I had a handy spot to store my ice axe so I can free up my hands!”

Who It Doesn’t Suit

If you have an aversion to green you’ll have to get over it or go somewhere else.  For now the mossy green colour is the trademark colour of Aarn packs. It also doesn’t suit the person who wants a pack that they can pick up and use the same day with little thought.  Aarn packs are cleverly designed – so clever in fact, that you’ll need to watch some YouTube videos to help you figure it all out.  Getting the bag fitted is not trivial and I’d highly recommend spending the time in store with a trained rep to get the bag fitted correctly.  The time spent there will pay dividends later.

The Good

The Guiding Light is not your average trekking bag.  It’s designed for climbing, skiing, and any trip where you’ll be bringing some tools (read ice axe, not screwdriver).  It has tool quivers on the sides, a rope door behind your head, and a thin profile to better keep weight close to your body. You ask, “Wait, did you say rope door?”  Yup, there’s a special zippered flap that gives access to the main compartment where you can keep your climbing rope (it also doubles as a hydration port for those of us who don’t have a need for a rope door). The Guiding Light comes in a “small” 57 litre and a large 65 litre size.  With optional balance pockets for your front carry you’ll be able to add up to 20 litres of extra storage.  That brings the overall volume to 85 litres, which is plenty large for a multi-day overnight pack.  

The detachable balance pockets convert into a very basic backpack, which came in handy a few times when all I needed was a day bag in Nepal.  The comfort of the Guiding Light is like no other I’ve tried.  Usually when carrying a backpack I assume a “lean forward” stance to balance out the weight on my back, causing the shoulder straps to put pressure on my collarbones.  To counter this most shoulder straps are heavily padded; however, the Aarn shoulder straps were surprisingly thin and light because the balanced approach rests most of the bag’s weight on your hips. 

“The detachable balance pockets convert into a very basic backpack, which came in handy a few times when all I needed was a day bag in Nepal.”

The hip belt is quite clever with dual compression straps, one high and one low.  This allowed me to tighten the belt up so that it really hugged the crests of my hips.  Aarn even put an extra-spongy material exactly where the front of your hip bone usually gets abused by your hip belt.  After carrying it on the trail for 5 days I couldn’t find a single bruise, not even a sore spot; that’s impressive.

Aarn’s engineering genius was most apparent in the shoulder straps and the way they connect to the bag.  It’s a patented system called Flow, designed to allow shoulder and hip belt movement independent of the main pack.  The shoulder straps on the Guiding Light have what Aarn calls Free-Flow and U-Flow.  With Free-Flow the stabiliser straps that come off the top of the shoulder straps are attached freely to vertical stays instead of directly to the pack.  This allows them to slide up and down, automatically adjusting how much tension is needed.  U-Flow handles the way the lower end of the shoulder straps are attached to the bag, or in this case attached to each other.  Instead of attaching to the bag they are actually linked together through a slot in the bottom of the bag. 

In practice this means if you lean left your right shoulder strap will get longer and your left shoulder strap shorter so that the shoulder suspension system essentially pivots.  This keeps the bag in a more stable upright position as you waddle your way down the trail.  It’s hard to explain and even takes a few minutes to grok in real life, but trust me when I say my mind was blown…in a good way. But that’s just one aspect of Aarn’s entire Flow System, see it explained in its entirety here.

The Not So Good

This bag may outsmart you.  The engineering of Aarn packs is so clever that it can be confusing at times.  While I was in Nepal I had to google how to convert the balance pockets into a backpack because I couldn’t remember how to do it.

The other drawback, if you’re a style-conscious person, is that you likely won’t be invited to model your bag on the runway.  Be prepared to get teased a bit for wearing part of your bag on your front, it does look weird.  If your goal is to look fashionable on the trail you’ll want to look elsewhere, but if you want to impress people with a cleverly designed bag then look no further.

Niggles

Getting the bag on and off is more involved than what I’m used to.  On the trail the number of times you need to do this is mitigated by having the easily accessible balance pockets on your front.  While travelling though it’s a nuisance.  I would generally try to keep the balance pockets empty and inside the main pack while travelling for convenience. 

“This bag may outsmart you.  The engineering of Aarn packs is so clever that it can be confusing at times.“

I would have liked to have some colour options when choosing the bag but it certainly wasn’t a deal breaker. 

Other Bags to Consider

The world of trekking packs is plentiful, but none of them are like Aarn.

Perhaps the best alternative is to buy just the balance bags from Aarn, and attach them to your existing pack: http://www.aarnpacks.com/#!balance-bags/c1paj

Other brands sell gear pockets that can also clip to your front, but these don’t stand the weight up from your hips the way Aarn does.

If you want a more ‘normal’ pack that is still respected for load carrying comfort, you should check out brands like Mystery Ranch, Arc’teryx, Black Diamond and Osprey.

If that feels daunting, check out reviews like http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Backpacks-Backpacking-Reviews These can help cut through some of the noise.

Verdict

If you are a serious backpacker who plans on doing some lengthy hikes you should definitely consider the Guiding Light or one of Aarn’s other large-load bags.  The comfort afforded by better distributing your carry weight is phenomenal.  Another reason to check them out is that if you find yourself regularly accessing your backpack on the trail to get items out of your bag, you will find having balance pockets on your front a welcome addition to your backcountry carry setup.  There are many different balance pockets to choose from including ones specifically designed for cameras. 

“The comfort afforded by better distributing your carry weight is phenomenal.“

Aarn packs are very well engineered and are light.  I’d highly recommend checking them out in store if you are lucky enough to be near a retailer; if not then it’s probably worth ordering one for yourself to see what all the fuss is about.

The post Drive By :: Aarn Guiding Light Backpack appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Some background

The major ways to carry

Developing the Aarn brand

Aarn today

 

Who will benefit from Aarn

Folks who will get some of the biggest benefits from body-centred carry are long-distance trekkers (efficient and comfortable), adventure photographers (excellent access on the go), and shorter folk (it’s a leverage thing).

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If you carry a child for long distances, you’ll love these.

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Apparently many post-operative folks also report significant benefits, including patients of mastectomies and pace-makers. And there’s also a strong argument for backcountry skiers and snowboarders, where typical larger packs have their own momentum when turning, destabilising your turns.

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Who they don’t suit quite as well

If you are fitting and removing your load or clothing frequently, entry and egress does take a touch longer. Note though, with pockets on the front you should need to remove your pack less often.

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If you’re in very hot climates, despite the front packs being designed with minimal body contact and ventilation, you will still feel the increase in volume around you.

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If you don’t like getting your head around new systems, or you don’t want to explain innovative systems to interested folks you meet, then go with something more conservative.

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The post Bodypacks :: Interview with Aarn Tate appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

And in our nominees you’ll see a eclectic bunch. Each of them has a target activity that they excel in, but each is also versatile enough that you can use it for travel or just for day-to-day activities. This is a hard one…but have fun and go for it!

You have two votes to use as you will…

Allocate your 1st choice with 2 points

And your 2nd choice just with the 1 point. 

Note: any votes made over the allotted limit will be wiped from the voting tally. 

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Boreas Bootlegger Backpack System

This is one doozy of a modular pack system. It was originally launched with Kickstarter and fleshed out in front of the masses to great success. You can move the same flexible ventilated harness onto four different formats – depending on your activity. And if you’re more of a minimalist, I’d suggest the black colorway over the blaring bright orange…but that’s just me.

Arcteryx Khard 30 

The Khard is one of the favorites amongst our contributors. It’s not only thanks to its flexible access (side, top, front and lying flat) but it’s incredible modularity, its high level of detail, steadfast materials and hardware that are rarely matched. Not to mention it’s damn good looking and exhibits some of the best pattern making we’ve seen, but this is turning into a bit of a love fest, so I’ll do the professional thing and let you choose.

 Timbuk2 Especial Raider Pack

The Raider Pack is so sweet for many reasons, but mostly because of the purity of the approach that was taken. This is very much a bag for riding to work and Timbuk2’s come at it fresh. They’ve built it around how we carry footwear and clothes and you can tell by the results. There’s an incorporated folding board along with shoe-friendly carry design, served up in a lightweight skin.

Patagonia 35-liter Ascensionist Pack

The Ascensionist Pack is super light and an ode to the fast growing, ultra light packing movement. But it brings something new to that scene with it’s own twists. The 35L has a neat removable frame sheet structure, but its the opening that we really dig. Taking the cinch tube opening and making it simpler, cleaner and more integrated. This is a standout Winter-focused pack, that remains adaptable and very user friendly.

Aarn Mountain Magic Body Pack

Aarn is a New Zealand innovator that’s stayed off radar for way too long. They’ve been doing kick-ass things for many years but have recently been held back by the earthquakes that rocked their home town. Now, thankfully, they’re back on top and progressing quickly. The “balance body bag” approach is at their core, which they’ve spent more time researching and understanding than most brands spend on Facebook. It reduces fatigue, allows a more upright posture, and has excellent flexibility in load amounts. This is amazing stuff that the world should know about.

Kelty PK 50

Admittedly, the PK 50 is larger that what we’d normally throw into this category but it wins votes for its zip-free, highly organized appeal. It splits and becomes modular with ease, while helping you prioritise your packing. Basically, it’s designed so you can take a little or a lot: a beefed out trek pack can transform into a smaller module for an easy going day trip with ease. Nice. Kudos to Kelty.

 PaaGo Works Cargo

This awesome little addition to our awards hails from shores of Japan (and you know we always geek out on Japanese innovation). The Cargo has real ‘internal/external’ appeal, with a radically expandable load space that remains protected and intuitive to use. We love the tactical approach to design PaaGo’s taken with this piece. This pack is fun, light, and has charisma.

Millet Matrix 30 MBS

This Millet is a pack that’s innovating in a lot of ways. From the a pivot waist-belt element that gives you greater flexibility and movement to the asymmetric design that allows ski-carry and access to co-exist. It’s already been a show winner this year, but it’s deserving, so props to Millet.

– VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED –

So what hasn’t made the list?

We still love lots of last year’s winners and nominees, but we want to recognise more than just those. We also have some reasonably active packs that you’ll see pop up in our work backpack or carry-on nominations. Of those that just missed the active category though, we wanted to make a special mention of a few.

The Mystery Ranch ASAP is new and awesome, but we felt it is too close to the 3DAP that won last year. There’s some great outdoor oriented stuff happening at Gregory (like the Targhee). There’s the ultralight Cilo gear, for which one contributor wrote: “An ultralight, insanely tech, alpine daypack. It’d be 1000x cheaper to lose a couple pounds off my gut, but holy crap Dyneema is cool!” There’s the innovative bike oriented Velo Transit, the active photography packs of ILE, and the minimal carry at Exped. All of these packs only narrowly missed the cut, but are still awesome and well worth checking out.

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