Help identifying Kelty pack...

“Just picked this up today from a local thrift store for a whopping $4.00 - not sure if I'll use it just trying to ascertain the model.

Some pictures:
http://www.picoodle.com/view.php?img=/3/9/5/f_IM000007m_40c3e82.jpg&srv=img34

http://www.picoodle.com/view.php?img=/3/9/5/f_IM000008m_cec5a9b.jpg&srv=img34

The pictures are kind of crappy so I'll describe it a bit. It's marked "L", presumably for large. It has one large side pocket, two small side pockets, a map pocket on the top flap, one of the hold open bars (the name escapes me) and the frame looks to be welded by a person :p.

Thanks in advance for any help on this and since this is my first post - "Hi! I'm GaryS from Boise, ID! =D".”

“Wow!!!!...looks like my first pack I purchased @ a garage sale back in 2000 & it was old then...I loved that pack!!!....but now I love internal packs better...not sure what happened to my old pack...we passed it around family & friends....I loved all the pockets!!!...easy access for your stuff!!!”

“It looks like an older Tioga. The frames have changed over time but the basic pack is pretty much the same.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___60678”

“I think that I have a slightly newer version of that pack and I still use it today as a matter of fact I took it to Mt Rogers last month and I still love it!

No I forgot mines made by Jansport but it looks almost identicle.
last edited: 9/06/08 7:06:41 AM”

“IT'S A HOGNOSE!!


Just kidding.

It looks like a Kelty Ridgeway. I used to have one like it.”

“Circa 1990. Can't recall the name but I still have mine, somewhere... It was a work horse (you could strap anything on it) but noisey. Creaked and groaned with every step. Ah, the joys of an internal frame pack.”

“Circa 1990. Can't recall the name but I still have mine, somewhere... It was a work horse (you could strap anything on it) but noisey. Creaked and groaned with every step. Ah, the joys of an internal frame pack.”
Pamster
11:07:37 AM
9/06/08


From the looks of that frame suspension it could easily have been pre 1990's. My folks had frames like that well before. Used to be you bought the frame and the bag separately. My folks put a Frostline Kit copy of the Yukon on a Kelty frame like that. The Tioga and the Yukon have been in the Kelty product line forever.”

“Any way you look at it bro 4 bucks was a steel!!!”

“That looks like the very first pack I owned. Maybe a later version but I put it circa 1980. Kelty had one we all called the "H" frame.”

“I thought maybe it was the old Kelty BB5, but it is probably a later model than that.”

“KELTY TIOGA......I have one in my arsenal....”

“Can you say workhorse? I knew you could...”

“a good pack finds new life. great story.”

“Neat!!! It's cool to see how much packs have changed in such a relatively short amount of time. My first pack was a REI (actually Recreation Equipment Incorportated - before the abreviation of the name) external frame, similar to that one.”

“Looks like a kelty Tioga, about 1980 vintage. The Tioga was for advanced backpacking or mountaineering. Tiogas came out in 1973 with that improved wrap around belt, the Jim Lawrence designed quick release cam buckle, and had the cordura cloth patch surrounding the leather crampon attachment points.

The Tioga came with the u bar on top, which was an add on to other models. your pictures don't show it, but it likely has an ice axe loop at the bottom, and a leather tie on above that to secure the tip of an ice axe. They first had four side pockets, and the full length pocket on one side was a later feature. They were green or red at first, and the blue was several years later.

You might check the shoulder pads to see if the foam has hardened, but they were always pretty firm. Wear points are on the bottom ends of the frame, where the caps can come loose or wear out, on the belt, where the stitching can wear out, on the ice ace tie on, where the stitching can wear out or the leather stretch, and on zippers, which can wear out.

I have a Tioga of 1973 vintage, and its seen a lot of trail miles, and is still totally functional. I use it for long trips, and as a loaner.”

“holy Tioga encyclopedia, idaho bob!”

“I know the old Keltys pretty well. Kelty's design engineer in that era was Jim Lawrence, a buddy of mine. He sent me a few products to field test for them, but not the Tioga. I had to pay hard cash for that!

More on the Tioga at:

http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2005/01/dick_kelty_and_.html

The first internal frame pack, a Kelty, at:

http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/outdoor_technology/”

“Idaho bob.....remember the KELTY 3/4 radial frame pack? My first real monster pack.”

“Refrigerator, I don't know that one. A picture would help.”

“I remember that one - it was to rival the Eurosexy internals.

I bought my Karrimor (Lancashire, UK) internal frame expedition pack in 1980 after falling in love with it on the wall at the old EMS in Lake Placid. NY. It is a dark purple, but at the time people would stop in their tracks at the outrageous colour (how things change). The pack is still my favourite, but I now use a 75l MEC pack because a bear canister is now mandatory and the 75l is a better for the bulk of winter camping.

Memories, memories (sigh).”

“Thanks for all the responses and idaho bob's description is spot on. It seems to be in excellent shape - the foam is what I'd call rigid but not hard/brittle. The caps at the bottom are in good shape and now that I have it adjusted to fit I'm going to try it out next time I have a chance.”

“You won't find a better pack for carrying a heavy load. I have an Arcteryx Bora 65 that is great for light loads, like up to a 4 or 5 day trip, but that big old Tioga can carry bulkier and heavier loads, and I did three Ptarmigan Traverses with it, 5 Rainier ascents, an arduous hike around Mt. Challenger, and lots of backpacks. Here is my Tioga fully loaded and with a rucksack full of stuff on the top. I was crossing the Chilliwak River in Washington, in 1975.

”

“'tis not the natural choice for an ultralighter.... that much is true. But it was and, still is, the Percheron of backpacks.”