There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Gregory is a great backpack manufacturer, however their packs though very durable, and spacious, tend to be heavy.
When using a backpack that weighs 5 pounds or more, you experience physical stress and inefficiency, as the extra weight just makes your body work harder, and puts added stress on your heart, lungs, feet, back, shoulders, and joints.
The weight of a heavy backpack needlessly adds to the weight of the necessary gear, food, and water that you must already carry.
Some companies to look at that manufacture lightweight, yet durable backpacks include the following:
ZPacks, ULA, Mountain Laurel Designs, Gossamer Gear, Hyperlite Mountain Gear, Granite Gear, Osprey, Katabatic Gear, Superior Wilderness Designs, Mountainsmith, and Sierra Designs.
Additionally, I hesitate a little to mention this company because they went bankrupt under another company name, but My Trail Co was launched in 2015 by the same founders of GoLite, an ultralight backpacking company that closed its doors in 2014.
The founders utilized the best designs from the most popular GoLite products and rebranded them under My Trail Co.
My Trail Co manufactures the UL 50 backpack which is seemingly a good deal.
Weight: 1 lb 6 oz Capacity: 50 L Price: $119
It's kind of a plain Jane pack but seemingly durable, light, and inexpensive.
I think that it would also be enlightening, and interesting to discuss the various materials that are now being used to construct lightweight backpacks that are waterproof, and extremely durable such as Dyneema (Cuben Fiber), Robic, and various other exotic fabrics ha that are now becoming more mainstream.