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Sarah, a “kitchen-sink” cragger, reviews the MEC Cragalot backpack, both stripped back to essentials and loaded with too much crap.
When I go cragging around home in Squamish, I like to bring a lot of stuff. I usually have a rope, rack, several layers of clothing, warm hat, sunglasses, snacks, and all the extras that I think I might need. For me, the ideal pack for carrying the kitchen sink is something that’s really comfortable, is durable and still pretty basic and simple.
The redesigned Cragalot backpack keeps most of the elements of the first generation pack, but doesn’t include any unnecessary frills. It’s big enough that you can throw whatever you want in the 50L compartment (I haven’t tried, but I think you could fit a kitchen sink in there), then use the detachable lid to hold all your little things: cellphone, sunscreen, keys, and energy bars.
Made of an incredibly sturdy 840-denier fabric, it can be dragged through the dirt, slid over rough granite, and thrown in the trunk of your car with all the other stuff you might have rolling around in there.
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If I’m hiking longer distances to the crag, I can pare down this pack by removing the detachable lid, and simply use it as a large 50L sack with a rolltop closure. The plastic frame sheet and aluminum bar frame are also removable, so you can take one or both off. For really heavy loads, with the frame sheet and bar frame in place, the pack feels sturdy, like a finely tuned, load-hauling machine.
Like all good, versatile backpacks, the Cragalot has webbing compression straps and a rope strap under the lid, just in case you end up carrying so much crap that you need to throw your rope on the outside of your pack!
This pack is a pretty simple solution if you need a carry-all cragging pack, with enough versatility to be effective, no matter what size load you end up carrying or how rough you treat it.
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
