ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200 Pack - 85 Liters - Special Buy

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200 Pack - 85 Liters - Special Buy:

Took this backpack on a 4 day canyoneering trip into some very remote areas of the Grand Canyon. The pack was comfortable, was able to carry all the gear, was durable and held up well. I've been a big fan of external frame backpacks so far. This internal frame pack may convert me. My only complaint was the single strip of strip stitched loops up the back made it a little difficult combersom to tie on my rappelling rope. A double row would have been better.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200 Pack - 85 Liters - Special Buy:

Use this pack for multi day backpacking trips

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200 Pack - 85 Liters - Special Buy:

I bought this backpack a few months ago but it was not until last weekend that I got to use it on a three-day backpacking trip to the Shawnee National Forest.
As far as room goes, it cannot get much better than this. I always had problems fitting all my gear on a backpack that fit my body frame (more on that later) but the Cascade 5200 was able to handle a lot. Due to some equipment malfunction on my partner's gear I carried my sleeping bag, the whole tent (REI Quarterdome T2), food for two, cooking utensils, water for one and a half, first aid kit, a change of clothes and some winter undergarments for the evening (amidst other small stuff here and there
). Everything fit with room to spare. The small elastic loops in the outside held my sleeping pad and a fleece cover with no problems (until I had one snap because of my bad handling). There was room for a bigger water skin (I have a 100 oz one).
I've often had problems to find a backpack that fits me nicely. I am about 5'10'', weight 143lb, and have abnormally narrow shoulders. Having said that, this backpack fit wonderfully and seemed to hug my back and shoulders to their exact measurement. It has all the common straps for adjustment otherwise, but it was very nice to feel such a nice fit.
While the weather was hot for mid-november it never went over mid-70s. This was enough to work out quite a sweat during the middle of the day. This backpack's airflow system on the back was awesome as soon as that started happening. When the back started getting sweaty, it was easy to feel air going through the indentations.
With all the equipment and such the backpack was still incredibly stable and gave me no problems when loading, unloading, sitting, and standing. I used some compression straps to keep the stuff in the side pockets from moving (those pockets are huge!), but that was about all I had to do.
All and all, my only complain would be the elastic loop snapping, but I really tugged at it much more than I needed to, so I deserved it. The hip padding was a bit rough, but I imagine it will soften as I break it in. Luckily enough it didn't rain on us, but it was comforting to know the pack has it own "rain jacket" if that happens.
Definitely a great pack, worth much more than what I paid for!

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200 Pack - 85 Liters - Special Buy:

After I picked up the ALPS Cascade 5200 I went home learened how to adjust it and then loaded it up with 35 pounds. I now have 40 pounds in it. There is little to no load sway, the padding is superb, very very comfortable. The load lifters are a bonus. It feels like the load lifts off your shoulders just to give some relief for a bit. I am so pleased I bought this pack !! I highly recommend this product.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200 Pack - 85 Liters - Special Buy:

Last Summer, I was planning a backpacking trip up to Sequoia National Park and saw this pack for sale. Until then I had been using an external frame pack and was reluctant to switch to an internal frame due to hearing about weaknesses of them with heavier loads. But after seeing this one I decided it was time to retire the old external frame and try something new.

When it arrived I gave it a good lookover and noticed how well it was constructed. Next, I loaded up all my gear and and wore it around the house to get a feel for the comfort level. Much more comfortable than my external pack.

Once I was able to get out there this pack met and even exceeded my every expectation during the trip. I was able to fit all my gear (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, stove, fuel, water filtration, two first aid kits, Platypus, extra clothes, and many other essentials) and still had room to spare to help lighten my wife's load. It also held up rather well in light rain (I didnt find the rain cover until after we had already arrived home from our trip.

I only had one complaint about this pack. Perhaps I overlooked it, but I searched high and low for the rain cover. Apparently not low enough because it is located in a velcrow pocket on the very bottom of the pack. This would have been great to know before my trip, however the tags on the pack made no mention of this. Live and learn I guess. Overall, great pack!

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200 Pack - 85 Liters - Special Buy:

I had the pleasure of using this pack for the first time a few weeks ago on a three-day trip into the Tonto National Forest backcountry near Seven Springs, Arizona, and have nothing but praise for it! Up to this point, I had been using the Hi-Tec Inca Trail Hydration Pack (3,356 cu. in. / 55 liter). Though it has a front-end daisy chain for securing everything that wouldn't fit into the pack itself (which was quite a bit!), it was always grossly over-packed, and extremely bulky and uncomfortable – especially on multi-day trips (in its defense, however, it's really not a multi-day pack).

The move up to the Cascade 5200 pack was a great one! PLENTY of space – especially when considering I had to carry over three gallons of water w/me due to the 110+ daytime temps, and lack of dependably running springs due to the usual summer desert drought. Despite the added extra weight of the water (over 25 lbs), however, the Cascade 5200 performed flawlessly and comfortably! Carefully packed, it was quite stable. This was especially noted during one of my usual trip-ups and subsequent falls (thank goodness for kneepads:).

Tripping and falling down like this w/the smaller Hi-Tec pack was a much-dreaded event that always ended up w/my having to awkwardly remove the pack while laying face-down in rock or scrub brush, then hefting it to a suitable "launching rock" to put it back on. Not so w/the Cascade 5200! With even more weight loaded than w/the Hi-Tec, I was able to stand right back up with relative ease!

About the only thing I would change if I could, would be a larger interior hydration pocket. The current pocket size can easily accommodate your standard-to-large hydration bladder, but is barely big enough to hold two – which on a three-day trek in the desert is crucial. Other than that, maybe a little more padding in the shoulder straps would be helpful – but then again – I'm sure my pack weight was well over 75 lbs, so take that "improvement" w/a grain of salt. (Towards that end, I have an old, thick, soft rubber swimming pool chair/flotation-type device I fished out of a dumpster some time ago, that I cut perfectly-sized pieces from, and duct taped to the underside of the straps. . . . wayyyyyy comfortable!)

All-in-all, the Cascade 5200 is innovative, extremely comfortable, secure and roomy, that I enthusiastically recommend for the serious multi-day backpacker!

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200 Pack - 85 Liters - Special Buy:

I just got my Cascade and I am very impressed! It is huge, this is plenty of room for anyone. The top is removable if you want a smaller pack, don't fill the side pockets if you need a narrow pack - it's adjustable in so many ways. The inside can be one big compartment or two separate compartments.

A great plus for a pack this price, is the rain cover is included, easy and quick to get at, and plenty big enough. There are two mesh side-pockets to easily get at water bottles.

The padding on the straps, both shoulder and hip, is thick, and I mean thick. I can't imagine being uncomfortable in this carrying any amount of weight. The back padding is breathable to keep you cool. The frame seems to be very strong.

Oh, and the color is great, of course. I'll be using this for all my travels and extended backpacking trips.

It's just a great pack.

Service and delivery comments:

Quick delivery.