A Word About Duluth Packs
A word about Duluth Packs: sh4dowm4573ri7, on the Man Bag thread, made the comment that Duluth Packs are tough as nails. I'd agree. Our family has been using them for four generations, and they are the cats meow. Simple, yet rugged construction, you can will them to your grandchildren. The cloth is 15 or 18 ounce canvas and the leather shoulder straps - especially on the older packs - is harness leather and is about 1/4 inch thick.
I have 12 packs, a clothes bag, a duffle, three shell bags and a day pack made by Duluth pack and most of them have been in use for years. My oldest pack belonged to my g-grandfather who was a trapper, with a 100 mile trap line, and a timber cruiser. He purchased the pack in 1926. My next oldest pack was my grandfather's and it is from the 1930s and it is still in excellent condition. Most of my packs are from the 1950s when my father purchased a large number of them to outfit canoers. These packs have been on hundreds of trips - by people who didn't take great of care of the equipment - and the packs are still in useable condition (albeit with a few patches).
Unfortunately, Duluth Pack, like Filson, has become a collectors item, and the prices have shot up accordingly. A pack that used to cost $25 is now about eight or ten times that price. Still, if you want a pack you can count on - Duluth Pack is it.
I should mention I have no financial, or other, interest in Duluth Packs. I wish I did. I just believe they are a great pack.
http://duluthpack.com/index.aspx
