Kelty Redwing 2900 vs. 3100

“I have a Kelty Redwing 2900 (2900 cubic inches) that I bought a few years ago. Been happy with it. Recently I have wanted a slightly larger pack so today I bought the Kelty Redwing 3100 (3100 cubic inches). I have the 2 packs side by side now on the floor. I have been measuring every dimension and they are essentially identical in size. Looking at them they also appear to be exactly the same size. The style of zippers, etc. has changed a little bit, but the new pack is definitely not 200 cubic inches larger. What's the deal here? Even though Kelty claims on their website and on the tag that it is 3100 cubic inches is it really 2900 cubic inches? This is bizarre and I am really disappointed. Has anyone else here checked out these two packs?”

“The difference is possibly/probably in the top flap. Check to see if the 'larger' pack has a spindrift collar under the lap. This collar allows you to overpack, usualy by about 500 ml/300 cu in.”

“The 2900 and 3100 don't have a top flap.

Last night I spent time with a tape measure carefully measuring the internal dimensions of the 2900 and 3100. I checked the length, the width at 3 points, and the depth at 2 points (top and middle of pack). I also stood them up back to back and verified that the height and width were the same. The exterior pockets are similar and the volume appear to be the same. Then this morning my wife said she wanted to measure. Her hobby is sewing so has a lot more experience measuring irregularly shaped things made of cloth. She discovered where I messed up. :-) As I said I measured the depth of the pack at the top and middle, but didn't measure at the bottom. On the 2900 the bottom is the same as the top and middle. Well, it turns out that the bottom of the 3100 is much deeper than the middle and top. It sort of bulges out at the bottom when it is full. The 3100's volume really is larger than the 2900. Sorry for the confusion. :-)

Now, for an unrelated thing. Kelty has for some reason eliminated the metal pull tabs from the zippers and replaced them with a short loop of string. I hate this style, but I notice that these days many packs have these sort of pull tabs. They are much less robust, but the biggest issue for me is that I use my 2900 for backpack travel in various countries. I have small padlocks that I use to lock my pack. The padlock goes through the holes at the base of the pull tabs. Of course, this doesn't create absolute security, but it is sufficient to discourage thieves who are looking for a quick, easy theft. It is also sufficient generally when I leave my pack in the room of a guesthouse. With the 3100 there are only these cheap string loops attached to the zipper. :-( Does anyone have any idea why Kelty and some other companies have switched to this style? Is it just because they are cheap? How expensive is a normal metal pull tab?

I leave for a month traveling in Vietnam on Monday. I planned to use the 3100, but now I am wondering if I should go back to my old 2900? The 2900 was fine for many years, but lately I have been carrying a bit more camera gear than a few years ago because digital requires battery chargers, etc. Also, I have started carrying a netbook. My old 2900 is just a bit too small now, but the 3100 should be fine and even leave a bit of space. If anyone is interested, you can see my photos here:

http://www.bakubo.com”

“I don't think you can put a regular metal pull zipper on there without replacing the whole zipper. One option would be to put metal cable pulls on there and hammer them shut with the metal closures you can get at the harware store. I can't really think of another option.

I used the pacsafe when I traveled abroad for a year.

Have a great trip to nam.”

“What Rosey said: www.pacsafe.com.”

“Also, check out www.thinktankphoto.com.”

“Does anyone have any idea why Kelty and some other companies have switched to this style? Is it just because they are cheap? How expensive is a normal metal pull tab?

Hey Kelty, I would be willing to pay the extra 5 cents for proper metal pull tabs. Go ahead use metal pull tabs and raise the price of the 3100 by 5 cents. I bet none of your customers will complain. Sheesh.”