Backpacks for surfing
Does it have to be a surfing company?
Nah it doesn't Ben..but none of them seem big enough or tuff enough
I use one of these for my rock fishing and wa south coast surfing trips
http://www.blackwolf.com.au/product/Monashee-40/46/category/10
Quite often walk an hour and a half through the bush to get to the remote fishing ledges so carrying 4L of water plus fishing gear. Loaded up with 10kg of fillets on the walk out it sits really comfortably on the back. Has a few straps on the outside also that you can strap down towels, good length of rope or cliff gaff to yet still holds quite a small profile.
I think with wet wetties the only way to go is a couple of those thicker shopping bags you get from surf stores or your missus brings home from clothes shopping!
Barley. I bought a Bong one about 4 years ago I think from surfstitch. About 30+L by memory around $100. 3 large sections plus the front pouch and side pouches. Padded straps and back, padded laptop section etc. Whilst not carrying wetties, I've had it bursting at the seems on OS trips and still been able to put it on as hand luggage on the planes squeezing it into OH lockers. Use it all the time at home too and still going strong.
My PC is running as slow as an old mule ATM. If I can find a link to it I'll put it on here..
I have been using a mountain designs escape 40 pack for a while no complaints so far, not much online about them but from memory i think it was around 130 bucks on sale. Build quality seems good it has held up well so far havent really had it long enough to say how tough it is in the long run. It has the capacity to carry a fair bit of gear without being too large i use a dry bag or plastic bag for wet gear etc in the bottom sleeping bag compartment works well for me. I have found it pretty comfortable loaded up on long hikes. I like packs in the 30- 40 litre range these seem to be the ideal balance between carrying capacity and size for me.
I gave surf branded stuff away along time ago preferring the quality and performance of bushwalking gear. You will find many 30 and 40 litre packs that will suit your needs, the better ones will have adjustments inbuilt to suit your body shape/height. There will not be any wet compartments for a wetsuit but a super tuff plastic bag inside the pack will do the job. Like with board bags zips can be an issue after awhile so pay close attention to zips when purchasing a pack and then clean the zips every now and then. Still, you can get top loading bush walking packs without zips! Finally you can check out Rays and Anaconda etc but for expert advice try the smaller shops, you will be surprised but its true the staff really do have excellent product knowledge unlike most surf clothing shop type thingies
Thanx lads..all good advice..for me the 30l are a bit small..by the time you have a wet 5/4/3, towel, booties etc..it can get a bit tight..I usually try and get the ones with foil on the inside back..so wetness doesn't get on you when carrying it..don't the hiking ones go all the way to your waist?most spots I surf have a 10-15-30min walk. I just wondered when the idea came in that every backpack needs a fuckn laptop carrier? Surfbrands have sort of lost the plot for their core users!!
these are great for use on boats & general beach use. Probably a good option to put wetties in when in a back pack too. No zips and completely watertight:
http://www.waspbags.com.au/?gclid=CK-YrrTZn7sCFcFXpQodpSoA5A
A towel is always good for wetty, Will be semi dry in an hour or so. Roll out towel, lay wetty on top, roll it up.place in bag or car.
Good if its not sunny etc on cold days.
i hear what your saying barley when i was looking for a new pack seemed like they were all designed for people who like to carry their laptop and pens everywhere forgot to mention the backpack when you have forgotten your pack stuff all the gear into the body of your wetsuit and tie the arms around your neck and legs around your waist great on the way in not so much fun on the way out unless you like a wet back.
crusst makes good boardbags maybe contact him for a custom backpack ?
What's Crustt's company?
crustt makes boardbags lorne area ,and has some dog friendly beachside holiday rental accom.
Hi Udo, yep that is me. I'm not so much a company, just a man with a sewing machine and I'm also glorified cleaner. Thought about making backpacks, but they would be to expensive, so I just stick to boardbags. Mainly for big guns , kneeboards and multi board bags.
When you are looking for a backpack just steer away from zips and get a dry bag to go with it to put your wettie into. I have one similar to this and a dry bag so nothing ever gets wet.
www.over-board.com.au/waterproof-backpack-dry-tube-60ltr-black.html
Unfortunately the big surf companies very rarely make products for core surfers, you all want value for money, where is the profit in that? :-)
Just wondering if anyone can give advice on a fuckn decent wetsuit/towel/access..handling backpack..for a reasonable price..I have looked and gone through heaps but most are not resilient or large enough to handle a wet wetty/towel booties , wax etc..when will a SURFING company make a backpack for SURFING not school or snowboarding or hiking??