Kelty Super Tioga

Review Date
January 17, 2004

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Rich Wentzel(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $125.00 at Campmor

Summary:
Backpacked many trips out west with the pack and hiked entire Appalachian Trail with the Kelty Super Tioga and plan on taking in back for a second round. Yes, it scares small children and pets. Too much room for the ultra-light crowd now in vogue but great for those who want to hike 10-12 days without hitting a town.

Customer Service:
Inner stay of waist belt cracked (did not impair usage but made clicking sound as I walked) and had waist belt replaced free of charge from Kelty. No problem.

Similar Products Used:
Also use internal Frame Camp Trails Wilderness for short trips.

Review Date
March 25, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Chuck Niblack(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Lake Tahoe, CA

Price Paid:  $120.00 at Campmor

Summary:
I've owned my Super Tioga external frame, since 2000. I'm an avid outdoorsman and love to spend every extra moment I have in the wilderness. I like to hike to alpine lakes with a 3-person sevlor raft for trolling. The Super Tioga, can handle all my boat, fishing and hiking gear with room to spare and unequalled comfort. It's rugged, durable and lightweight and has been more than a match for the rugged Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain ranges. I like my pack so much, I'm planning on purchasing the new Super Tioga 4900, to have another pack to share the load so as not to wear my pack out.

Review Date
March 14, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Chris (Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Wisc

Price Paid:  $165.00 at REI

Summary:
The super tioga se is what i have and i the best pack ive owned yet its mnstrous so i can take all kinds of crap with me on the trail. Maybe not a good thing but i really like it so far, this pakc was hard to find for some reason.

Review Date
September 24, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 4 votes

Reviewed by: Roger G(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Buckley, Wa.,

Price Paid:  $125.00 at REI

Summary:
I've had mine for 10+ years. It doesn't have the radial frame, load lifters and still uses the string tie with toggel for the top flap. It's been used & abused. I've carried elk quarters that weighed around 80-90 pounds with other gear, firewood, enoug gear for two and misc. fishing and hunting gear. Been hiking I can't remember how many times with it and it's still going strong. It's comfortable at whatever weight it has carried. Especially compared to ANY internal frame. Being a external it does tend to create balance problems when menuvering under or over objects, like when mountaineering, but that's what I have a Gregory Shasta for. Overall it has proved tough, can carry anything you can lift & walk down the trail with and it's cheap! In this day and age of over priced high-tech packs, it's nice to see Kelty still making a real classic that just works. Need I say more?

Customer Service:
Never had to use them

Similar Products Used:
Cheap orange one 30 years ago, Bow Scout "Yucca" pack, Lowe, Gregory, REI, others.

Review Date
April 2, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: J K Rollins(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from North Wilkesboro, NC

Price Paid:  $119.00 at Campmor.com

Summary:
What a great pack and if you take the time to look around a bit you can find them at a great price as well.

When I first got this pack and started really exploring it I was surprised by how versitile it really is. As far as size goes its large enough to carry far more stuff than I have any business trying to take on a multi day drip. There are pleanty of external pockets so that the gear you use most on the trail is easy to arrange and get to.

The inner bag divides into two main sections (the bottom accessable from the back of the pack. There are numerous smaller pockets, pouches, and rigging points for securing your gear both inside and out.

Inspection of this pack quickly shows why it's so popular. At $180, the list price most places, it would be a fine purchase but a little scouting around should enable you to locate one for less than $130.

If you hurry, Campmor.com has them for $119.

Similar Products Used:
Looked at several Kelty models mostly.