[parashakthi]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

, but I think this is the best place to ask.

• I am looking for a 50 liter backpack.
• I don't need it for trekking or mountaineering. I just need the bag to travel. I intend to carry it instead of a suitcase.
• Must fit a DSLR bag, I have this bag : The Official Tamrac Homepage - The leading manufacturer and distributor of camera, photography and camcorder bags

Can anyone suggest which bag to buy? I looked up the net, there is hardly any info on woodland backpacks. The wild craft bags seem to be a bit expensive. Found Quechua to be reasonably priced. Anyone using this? How is the product?

Quechua bag:
FORCLAZ 50 BACKPACK Mid-Volume Backpacks BACKPACKS

Widcraft:

Rucksacks, Trailblazer

Rucksacks, Savan D

I would be grateful if someone could provide feed back on woodlands bags.

Also, among the sleeping bags, what to choose?

S10 BLUE Camping SLEEPING BAGS

Equipment, Sleeping Bag LITE

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Where to buy in Bangalore at reasonable price?

Hi,

Quechua I am using and I find it a real good product. Good quality- the material, zips... I picked up mine a month ago from decathlon on sarjapura road. They have almost everythng under the sun. Check their you might find one as per your taste. I picked up 40L for 2.5K

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by parashakthi

Hi,

Quechua I am using and I find it a real good product. Good quality- the material, zips... I picked up mine a month ago from decathlon on sarjapura road. They have almost everythng under the sun. Check their you might find one as per your taste. I picked up 40L for 2.5K

Hi, thanks for the feedback. Is Quechua sold in decathlon only? I ask this because a few online sites are selling the 50 liter bag for 2.3-2.4k while the decathlon is selling for 2.8k. Of course, I have never heard of these sites and they might or might not be scam. Is Quechua available anywhere else?Other retailers in Bangalore who offer less than what decathlon offers? Any other place you know of?

EDIT: Any idea about sleeping bags?

[parashakthi]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

Hi, thanks for the feedback. Is Quechua sold in decathlon only? I ask this because a few online sites are selling the 50 liter bag for 2.3-2.4k while the decathlon is selling for 2.8k. Of course, I have never heard of these sites and they might or might not be scam. Is Quechua available anywhere else?Other retailers in Bangalore who offer less than what decathlon offers? Any other place you know of?

EDIT: Any idea about sleeping bags?

Sachin,
As I know this is the only place as I generally go there to shop for trekking or outdoor activity shopping.
I am not sure of any other shops selling quechua products. If you pay a visit to decathlon, you will find everythng there. Sleeping beds are also available not sure how much but!!!

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

, but I think this is the best place to ask.

• I am looking for a 50 liter backpack.
• I don't need it for trekking or mountaineering. I just need the bag to travel. I intend to carry it instead of a suitcase.
• Must fit a DSLR bag, I have this bag : The Official Tamrac Homepage - The leading manufacturer and distributor of camera, photography and camcorder bags

Can anyone suggest which bag to buy? I looked up the net, there is hardly any info on woodland backpacks. The wild craft bags seem to be a bit expensive. Found Quechua to be reasonably priced. Anyone using this? How is the product?

Quechua bag:
FORCLAZ 50 BACKPACK Mid-Volume Backpacks BACKPACKS

Widcraft:

Rucksacks, Trailblazer

Rucksacks, Savan D

I would be grateful if someone could provide feed back on woodlands bags.

I am using a backpack from a brand called Ozone. IIRC, I paid 2.8k for the 50 ltr backpack. Why don't you check out a shop called Adventure One. It is located on Museum road diagonally opposite to the St.Joseph's School gate. They have another Korean brand of backpacks and were reasonable (forgot the name, I think it is PE or something like that). You can find all adventure related stuff in this store.

Decathlon too is a good place to check out for such stuff. I think Quechua is a Decathlon brand and hence you don't find it elsewhere. For your requirement, I would suggest you go for Quechua backpacks. Wildcraft and Ozone have top loading backpacks while Quechua has a semi-top-front-loading combination. Top loading might be a problem for your requirement.

Btw, I feel carrying a big backpack will be more cumbersome than carrying a suitcase or a kit bag unless you are planning to walk with it

Originally Posted by sachinj12

Also, among the sleeping bags, what to choose?

S10 BLUE Camping SLEEPING BAGS

Equipment, Sleeping Bag LITE

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Where to buy in Bangalore at reasonable price?

Sleeping bags again, Quechua has a good range. You may want to look at the different categories. They will have light, ultra light etc etc. And they have different types for different temperatures, upto 10 degrees, 5 degrees, 0 degrees and so on. I have a Wildcraft Sleeping bag for which I paid 1,200 (IIRC). It will be better if you take a look and then decide

[libranof1987]

Any treks this weekend - Friday/Saturday night? I'd like to join in.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

I am using a backpack from a brand called Ozone. IIRC, I paid 2.8k for the 50 ltr backpack. Why don't you check out a shop called Adventure One. It is located on Museum road diagonally opposite to the St.Joseph's School gate. They have another Korean brand of backpacks and were reasonable (forgot the name, I think it is PE or something like that). You can find all adventure related stuff in this store.



Decathlon too is a good place to check out for such stuff. I think Quechua is a Decathlon brand and hence you don't find it elsewhere. For your requirement, I would suggest you go for Quechua backpacks. Wildcraft and Ozone have top loading backpacks while Quechua has a semi-top-front-loading combination. Top loading might be a problem for your requirement.

Btw, I feel carrying a big backpack will be more cumbersome than carrying a suitcase or a kit bag unless you are planning to walk with it



Sleeping bags again, Quechua has a good range. You may want to look at the different categories. They will have light, ultra light etc etc. And they have different types for different temperatures, upto 10 degrees, 5 degrees, 0 degrees and so on. I have a Wildcraft Sleeping bag for which I paid 1,200 (IIRC). It will be better if you take a look and then decide

Thanks for the heads up. Will surely check out the shop on museum road.

As for carrying a backpack,I intend to do Ladakh next July/Aug (good willing), hence the need for one. The same goes for sleeping bag too.

What is the advantage of semi-top loading? How is it different from top/front loading bag?

Can you please give feedback about the Ozone back pack and the WC sleeping bag?

Among Quechua/WC/Woodland, which product is VFM?

Sorry for asking too many Q, couldn't help!

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

Thanks for the heads up. Will surely check out the shop on museum road.

As for carrying a backpack,I intend to do Ladakh next July/Aug (good willing), hence the need for one. The same goes for sleeping bag too.

Oh, then it makes sense, you'll probably have to get a very snug sleeping bag then. Make sure you ask for a low temperature sleeping bag.

What is the advantage of semi-top loading? How is it different from top/front loading bag?

The top loading bags usually have 2 openings, one at the top and the other at the bottom. So, once you zip up the bottom, you would have to dump your stuff on top of each other from the top. So, if you need to take out something from the middle, you will have to remove all the items at the top and reach for the middle ones.

The Quechua backpacks have a zipper at the front. So if you want to reach something in the middle, you can open the zipper and pull it out directly instead of unpacking and repacking the whole of your luggage. I have not used this type of backpack, but I did see it in Decathlon and I saw that it will be practical.

Can you please give feedback about the Ozone back pack and the WC sleeping bag?

Among Quechua/WC/Woodland, which product is VFM?

Sorry for asking too many Q, couldn't help!

I have used the Ozone backpack for 2-3 treks and it is holding good. It is quite comfortable too. I have not used the other backpacks, so cannot compare. Earlier I used a front loading backpack (picked it up from Metro, Yeshwantpur for 1k). Although, the quality was good and tough, it used to sag a lot and the absence of 'stays' (flat rods which rest on your back) was hurting my back a little. I would suggest you to buy a backpack with stays (my personal opinion). Now, with the Ozone backpack, I feel a lot more comfortable while trekking (compared to the earlier backpack I had).

You can also try 'Adventure Worx', another brand which sells backpacks, sleeping bags etc. They have stores in Jayanagar 7th Block and one near the Wildcraft store in Jayanagar 3rd Block. They are supposed to have good backpacks at reasonable prices. One thing I found out about them is that they are always out of stock in the 55ltr category

Btw, the Ozone was suggested to me by a friend who is a hardcore trekker.

Sleeping bags. I think my sleeping bag is the above 10 degree Celsius category. I have used it around 4-5 times in the wilderness and till now, no tears. And it does a reasonable job of keeping me warm. It is not very compact, but not very large either, so it suits my requirement. Haven't used other brands, so cannot comment on that.

The Value for money part, I cannot say for sure. I did not find Wildcraft backpacks are value for money. A cousin of mine though, swears by the Quechua products. But, I have not used them personally, so cannot comment. No idea about Woodland.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Oh, then it makes sense, you'll probably have to get a very snug sleeping bag then. Make sure you ask for a low temperature sleeping bag.

I saw the Decathlon website and they have a sleeping bag for 12k, looks awesome. But then, that would result in my dad disowning me. Whenever I ask something nowadays. mom says, "You will begin working in another 1 year, buy whatever you want then". He he. Besides, I still haven't bought a tripod for my camera.

Quechua has a sleeping bag for 1.3-1.4k which is rated at 10 degree C which should do just fine I guess.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

The top loading bags usually have 2 openings, one at the top and the other at the bottom. So, once you zip up the bottom, you would have to dump your stuff on top of each other from the top. So, if you need to take out something from the middle, you will have to remove all the items at the top and reach for the middle ones.

The Quechua backpacks have a zipper at the front. So if you want to reach something in the middle, you can open the zipper and pull it out directly instead of unpacking and repacking the whole of your luggage. I have not used this type of backpack, but I did see it in Decathlon and I saw that it will be practical.

The front loading uses a zipper unlike the top loading,which I believe will give away after a few years of use. There in lies the biggest advantage of top loading.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

I have used the Ozone backpack for 2-3 treks and it is holding good. It is quite comfortable too. I have not used the other backpacks, so cannot compare. Earlier I used a front loading backpack (picked it up from Metro, Yeshwantpur for 1k). Although, the quality was good and tough, it used to sag a lot and the absence of 'stays' (flat rods which rest on your back) was hurting my back a little. I would suggest you to buy a backpack with stays (my personal opinion). Now, with the Ozone backpack, I feel a lot more comfortable while trekking (compared to the earlier backpack I had).

Please see the link I posted of the Quechua bag, can you confirm if it has the flat rods? Also there are various bags with different features like ventilation and stuff which I feel might not be necessary for my usage.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

You can also try 'Adventure Worx', another brand which sells backpacks, sleeping bags etc. They have stores in Jayanagar 7th Block and one near the Wildcraft store in Jayanagar 3rd Block. They are supposed to have good backpacks at reasonable prices. One thing I found out about them is that they are always out of stock in the 55ltr category

I think the 40-60L category is the most practical and sought after. With intelligent packing and traveling light, you can pack a week's cloth in a 40L for regular travel. Also, the price difference is insane once you cross the 40L category.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

The Value for money part, I cannot say for sure. I did not find Wildcraft backpacks are value for money. A cousin of mine though, swears by the Quechua products. But, I have not used them personally, so cannot comment. No idea about Woodland.

I was reading some reviews on Quechua online and they are a very popular choice among the Europeans.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Any treks this weekend - Friday/Saturday night? I'd like to join in.

Not sure of anything for the weekend.

On a different topic

Of late I keep hearing that the Skandagiri night treks, may be a thing of past.
Authorities plan to stop it.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Btw, the Ozone was suggested to me by a friend who is a hardcore trekker.

If he is a hard core trekker, then what title do be we give you?

Jokes apart, @Addy, @Sachin, I think Decathalon to me is the right place for shopping such items. Though I have not purchased myself,
I know a lot of guys who keep shopping there for such items. (But sorry I cant comment on the specific items being discussed here. No idea)

[rk_sans]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

EDIT: Where to buy in Bangalore at reasonable price?

You can also try PinBall, Factory outlet, Opp Thyagarajnagar Police Station.

[black12rr]

Guys any one doing kumaraparvatha ? .Any upcoming treks?

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by ampere

If he is a hard core trekker, then what title do be we give you?

I am just an amateur sir. There is still a very long way to go before I am called a 'hardcore' trekker

[Ketan]

Originally Posted by black12rr

Guys any one doing kumaraparvatha ? .Any upcoming treks?

We did KumarParvatha a couple weeks back, it was an amazing experience when you do it from the Kukke side. We couldnt make it to the summit, but we camped at Mantappa since we started late and were a bit slow. however, we enjoyed it a lot.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...5352202&type=3

I had been to KP from the Somvarpet side a couple years ago, that time we made it to summit and camped there. going thru the forests and night at KP was a great experience indeed!!

regarding Skandagiri, I read that there was an accident in December and since then cops are not allowing even during the day time - we are (same team of few friends at work) planning to do some short one again and considering either Kuntibetta or Savandurga. Lets see what we decide.
We are planning a night trek. Inputs and suggestions are welcome.
Thank you.

[W.A.G.7]

Is there anyone interested in trekking in Pune? With the summer starting to hit the peak, this is not exactly the season for trekking, but I am interested in trekking in the rainy season. Hence the advance question.

You Bangalore boys seem to have a lot of fun, there are lot of people interested in trekking!

[Ketan]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Is there anyone interested in trekking in Pune? With the summer starting to hit the peak, this is not exactly the season for trekking, but I am interested in trekking in the rainy season. Hence the advance question.

You Bangalore boys seem to have a lot of fun, there are lot of people interested in trekking!

Thats one beautiful place where you have lots of trekking spots around that. In summer, you can do some night treks or go for beach treks /around costal lines where you can continue your tail in the night and during the hot day you can camp some place, you can search internet for more details on that.