Anyone have any experience with these? Made in USA and reasonably priced. Did a search, only found one very brief thread discussing them.

???

Battle Lake Stuff

They're not a bad pack. I believe Old Scout has one of these and seems to think they're ok. Maybe he'll see this and throw in his two cents.

I've always liked these - they look almost identical to my old Camp Trails packs and those have done well and have features I like.

If the price is right for you, I wouldn't hesitate to try it out.

I'm not suckin' up here, it's just this way. I'm 55, worked outdoors all my life. Back before corporate took over, Red Wing and Chippewa work boots were second to none anywhere on this planet. I'd give serious thought to dam near anything made up there.

I bought and have used the grand portage pack since my first trip in 2007. It is a great pack and I have since purchased a second. My friend that I go with bought his a year after I purchased mine. The packs have been out in the woods and in the canoe for about 7 week long trips. The only problem I experienced was a broken buckle on the waist strap. Not sure how I did it. I still clicked together. I contacted them when I got home and he sent me a new buckle within a few days (I live in MN, they are made in MN), no questions asked. It is a great pack. The materials are tough and the zippers are heavy duty. It has a roll down top.

I paid a relatively cheap $125 in 2007. I bought my second one for the current price 2 years ago and it was still worth it. My only knock is that (at least on my packs maybe he has changed it) there are no grab loops at the top and bottom of the backside. There are grab loops on the top sides and there are three straps to grab on each side, but dedicated grab loops would be a great addition.

Thanks for the feedback, bc. It seems that the closest thing to these by other manufacturers are the GG Quetico and the CCS Pioneer, at $200 and $195, respectively. Grand Portage is about $40 less, but not as many convenient haul loops....

AARGH! This is so stupid! I just spent 40 bucks at Subway for sandwiches for my family and didn't think twice about it, but here I am agonizing over the same amount when it comes to a gear purchase! Could it be because gear purchases receive greater scrutiny than food? Or that I want to make sure I get the right pack that will most likely serve me for the rest of my life? Probably a little of both, but I digress....

The Battle Lake website says they have "Side and back haul loops". Seems like that would suffice.

Another thing to consider is color. GGQ comes in one boring shade of bluish grey. CCS packs come in a colorful assortment of blue, red, yellow, green and (shudder) PINK!!! BLGP comes in a variety of designer hues, including Battle Lake Blue, Olive Drab, Forest (what the hell is Forest?), and the grand-daddy designer color of them all...
(drumroll, please)

ADVANTAGE CAMO!!!!!!

I really think that does it for me. I'm a converted city boy that really needs to stay in touch with his inner redneck!

Or maybe I just need to get outside and get some fresh air. It's been a loooong winter.