McHale & Company Super Critical Mass Alpine II Bayonet

Review Date
October 5, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Timpe(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is a post in regards to Mark's review of this pack. He has been giving his opinion all over the net. In my dealings with Dan he has always been great and helpful.If you are interested in his packs you should check this thread out where Mark put in his review and Dan also responds. All the subsequence e-mails are also posted.
http://forums.backpacker.com/viewThread.jsp?thread=10863&forum=4#-

Review Date
October 2, 2002

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Mark (Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $659.00 at McHale Packs

Summary:
Worst gear purchasing experience of my life!

I was very excited when I received my new McHale Super Critical Mass Alpine Bayonet II in the mail. I had e-mailed Dan McHale back and forth for a few weeks to get the measurements just right. And I had also tried out one his demo packs.

I tried out my new pack on a short 3-day backpacking trip in the Snowy Mountain Range in Wyoming. Actually, I had planned on a 6-day trip, but I had to cut it short due to pack problems. I experienced the most severe shoulder and hip pain ever. I was carrying about 45 to 50 pounds of weight, which should not have been a problem. I have been backpacking for over 5 years--not an expert, but not a novice either.

When I e-mailed Dan with my problems that I had experienced with the pack on my trip, he sent me a number of angry, bizarre, and abusive e-mails. After I received these e-mails, I asked for a refund. He did finally refund most of my money, but he kept $130.00 for what he called "shipping costs" and for "wear and tear" on the demo pack. Both packs that I sent back to him were clean and in perfect condition. In addition, I had already paid for the shipping costs.

I know that his packs have received great reviews on this site. Furthermore, my McHale pack was a solid pack. The stitching and materials used were top notch. It was a strong and well-made pack. And I let Dan know that. But the pack just did not work for me.

I am giving the pack a low rating for the difficulty I had with it, and for the poor customer service.

When you spend $659.00 for a custom pack, you expect the company to stand behind its guarantee. You also expect that the company will treat its customers with respect and professionalism.

Customer Service:
Very poor!

Similar Products Used:
Dana Design Glacier and Kelty Slickrock 6000. My Kelty pack is actually more comfortable than the McHale pack I returned.

Review Date
June 5, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Lars (Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from texas

Price Paid:  $549.00 at Direct

Summary:
If they make packs in Heaven, they would use this pack as a model. The pack fits like a glove which means that even when loaded beyond imagination it is comfortable and does not fatigue shoulders, back or hips. The hip belt is remarkable in the way it distributes the weight around your entire waist instead of depositing it on a couple of points. The harness system is so simple to use in terms of shifting weight between shoulders and hips that I can't imagine using any other system again. And the versitility is superb, it can be a BIG pack when you need it to be but it also breaks down in a matter of seconds into a mid-sized pack when you don't need the extra space or you want something that will cling even more intimately to your body in less than stable situations. There is simply no reason to consider any other pack if you do anything bordering on serious backpacking or big time expeditions -- can you buy a cheaper pack -- yes you can, but you will be sorry -- and seventeen thousand feet up on a glacier is not the time to realize that you made an investment error. Finally, this thing is built to be virtually indestructable. I have the experience that proves it: I was climbing in the Cascades, coming down a boulder field of some one thousand feet after three days of snow totaling close to 3 feet. I had twisted my knee and it became obvious that I could not negotiate the bolders with my pack loaded as it was, at least sixty pounds, I had snow shoes, crampons, an ice axe, climbing helmont, sleeping bag and pads, a tent and its parts, clothing, stove, shovel, poles, you get the idea, the pack was loaded. We decided that the only way to get this thing down with us was to heave it down the bolders as far as we could, over and over again. Each time we got to it to toss it again I expected it to be in shreads. After we made it back to the trailhead (I probably slipped and slid down another one thousand feet of snow/mud trail on my back before we got to the trailhead) I examined the pack and although it was encrusted with layers of mud (Dan McHale later suggested I keep my pack a little cleaner in the future, he did not know the full story), it was in perfect condition except for one small hole that my crampons had finally punctured in the rucksack. This pack received more physical abuse in about two hours than I would have expected it to receive in ten years of re

Customer Service:
Excellent -- imagine dealing with the person who made your pack -- made it for you based on your actual body and personal desires -- why would anyone buy a serious backpack from some guy in a sporting

Similar Products Used:
Kelty, North Face, Gregory.

Review Date
August 25, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Aaron(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Brenham, TX

Price Paid:  $639.00 at McHale Packs

Summary:
I can say that Dan Mchale puts out a very good product. I ordered my Mchale pack back in spring and recieved while I was on a trail crew in New Mexico. This pack can carry the weight(my minimum was usually 65lbs but I carried up to 110lbs at times) and it carries it well! The ability of the pack to go from around 8,000 cu. inches down to around 3,000 cu. in. is great! That quality alone made the pack worth while. The hip belt on the pack I chose to get with the cam buckles and that option has worked out so well, it helped with the very heavy loads. Everything is quality on the pack and its made exactly for you-colors, hipbelt, and whatever else you need.
This is a great pack and if you can take the plunge with the money it will be well worth it.

Customer Service:
Ordering from Mchale was great. Everytime I called there I talked to Dan McHale and he was very helpful.

Similar Products Used:
Dana Designs packs, North Face packs, and others...

Review Date
May 3, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: Kai Larson(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Longmont, CO, USA

Price Paid:  $1000.00 at direct

Summary:
The McHale Super INEX Alpineer (spectra)

I was a long-time Dana user. I carried an Arc Flex Astralplane for several years on many long trips. Although overall, I really liked the Astralplane, I found it somewhat lacking for carrying REALLY heavy loads (upwards of 75 pounds). After a great deal of research, and testing out packs by Gregory and Osprey (which I didn't like as well as the Dana Astralplane), I bought a McHale Super INEX (McHale's biggest) in spectra fabric. This was in 1995. After several years of use, and probably close to 300 miles with this pack, here are my thoughts as to how the McHale Super INEX performs. Please note: The spectra fabric version of the McHale pack is no longer made, but based on a peek at McHale's web pages, the suspension and other features of the McHale packs appear to be the same or similar to those of my pack.

Waistbelt

The McHale pack has a super wide waistbelt, so wide that you need two buckles to fasten it properly. McHale's waistbelt is definitely more comfortable than any other pack I have carried. Even with a big, heavy load, the McHale waistbelt is so wide that the weight gets distributed very evenly all the way around your hips. The waistbelt on the McHale can be left relatively loose and still support the load and not ride down on your butt. The McHale waistbelt also hinges as you walk, and the pack doesn't sway or bounce up and down when you walk, because it isn't locked into your hip movement, in contrast to other packs' belts, which tend to bounce and sway a bit when walking fast or taking big steps, particularly when going downhill. Rather than being pulled very tight under big loads, resulting in more discomfort, the McHale is simply snugged down. After long days hiking with other packs, my hips would get sore under heavy loads. This does not happen with the McHale.

Shoulder Straps and Stabilizer (load lifter) Straps

McHale doesn't believe in multi-curved s-shaped contoured shoulder straps and instead uses plain curved straps. Having tried both, I think that s-contoured provide slightly more clearance for my arm swing. McHale's straps are comfortable as long as I have the sternum strap buckled, but when it is unbuckled, they tend to interfere with my arm swing a bit. This isn't too big of a problem, because I usually keep the sternum strap buckled.

The McHale pack has separated the stabilizer straps from the shoulder strap tightening straps, so you can adjust the tension of the shoulder straps independently of the tension on the stabilizer straps which pull the pack into your back. It takes a while to get used to this feature, but it is a big improvement and is not only more convenient, but also allows you to maintain a snug wrap of your shoulder straps over your shoulders, while really cranking on the stabilizer straps, improving lateral stability. With other packs, cranking on the stabilizer straps lifts the shoulder straps off your shoulders, decreasing pack stability. You can compensate for this somewhat by re-adjusting your shoulder straps, but the Dana system doesn't seem to provide quite the same fit as the McHale system, even after much fiddling with fit adjustments and years of experience. This feature sounds relatively insignificant, but it does contribute to long term comfort and stability, two issues which become increasingly important, the larger the load you are carrying.

Pack Bag Features

The McHale Super INEX is a HUGE pack. With the extension sleeve extended, the McHale could hold more than I could lift. With the extension sleeve extended, the McHale would also be incredibly tall. Even without the extension sleeve, the McHale is substantially taller than most other packs when packed with the same amount of gear. McHale's philosophy is to keep the load as close to your back as possible, and he accomplishes this by making his packs wider at the base, thinner front to back, and very tall. The balance on the McHale is very good although you would never guess this because the McHale is reminiscent of the Empire State Building. The result of the McHale's shape is that you hunch over less because the weight is pulling you back less, and overall balance is improved for things such as skiing and boulder hopping. The McHale really is more comfortable and was easier on my back, although the height is a real anoyance while bush-whacking.

I miss having outside back pockets on the pack. The single back pocket on the McHale is sized to hold smaller items like mittens and maps rather than nalgene bottles and stoves. I sometimes use attachable pockets on the McHale, but the pack is so huge, it seems like a waste to add more capacity. The main compartment of the McHale is very easy to access, however, because of the GIANT sleeping bag compartment, which is big enough to hold a 4 season synthetic sleeping bag AND my 3 man Kelty Windfoil tent AND a pile jacket. Access to this compartment is via a big wrap around zipper which is easy to get into. Although the McHale lacks the organizational benefits of external pockets, the ease of access to the zippered lower compartment mostly makes up for this, as it makes my spare clothing easy to get to. The easily removable back-pad on the McHale is a nice touch. It makes a great sit-pad.

The McHale pack looks somewhat rough and boxy, and he top lid on the McHale looks especially home-made, and needs flaps which will extend past it to cover the top opening better. When I bought it, it tended to flop about a bit when the pocket was stuffed full, and didn't function very well as a covering for the top of the pack. (see modifications section) As for overall quality, this pack is built like a tank, and I doubt I could wear it out.

Stability, Headroom
Because of its height, I expected the McHale to have excessive side to side motion, but this proved not to be the case. Even without the stability straps cranked down, the McHale is very solid against my back, and with the stability straps cranked, the pack was glued to me, although my headroom suffered a bit with the pack pulled up close. McHale recommends bending the stays back a little if you need more headroom. I did this, and headroom was improved.

If you can dump some of your stuff and make do with a smaller pack size, the McHale makes use of two piece removable aluminum stays which allow the pack to convert to a much smaller, shorter pack which has substantially better stability, balance, and excellent head room. This feature will not replace a real climbing pack for hard climbing (too stiff and heavy), but for easy to moderate climbing routes requiring a big pack for the approach, this feature is quite useful. I've also used it for side trips on skis and it worked adequately for that purpose.

Weight:
The McHale is a bit heavy, but the extra load-handling capacity and comfort more than make up for it. It is comparable to other load-monster packs.

Modifications/Customer Service:

After using the McHale for about a year and a half, I sent it back to McHale for a few alterations, which he performed for a modest fee. At my request, he added a long load stabilizing strap lengthwise inside the pack which I can use to compress and stabilize tall loads and improve headspace (an idea borrowed from Dana Designs). This added feature really made a big difference. Dan also added a couple of straps to the top pocket, which helps the top pocket stay put on top of the pack when the pocket is filled up and bulging with stuff. With these additions, I find the McHale close to perfect.

Conclusions:

The McHale really is better at carrying big loads than any other pack I have carried. The combination of the super wide and super comfortable McHale hipbelt design and the overall balance and stability of the pack makes it significantly more comfortable with lots of pounds on my back. I can stand more erect, and never developed any sore spots on my hips with the McHale, in spite of carrying some truly huge loads (90+pounds). The McHale is very stable. It is easy to adjust the way the McHale pack rides and take more or less weight on your shoulders and still maintain the pack's stability because of the unique separated stabilizer straps.

The McHale is expensive (my spectra pack cost about $1,000, the same pack in packcloth is about $650) but for carrying really big loads, it is by far the most comfortable pack I've ever used. On all accounts, the McHale delivers as promised, and is the best BIG load pack I have carried. If you (like me) often find yourself carrying loads which are more fit for pack mules than humans, I would recommend the McHale. For me, at least, it has been an excellent investment.

Postscript

McHale INEX vs. Super INEX (how big is big enough)

When I received the Super Inex, it was so large, my first thought was that I had made a mistake and should have ordered a regular Inex, which is a bit smaller. After having used the pack for quite a while, I am glad I got the REALLY big Super Inex. There have been several occasions when I have loaded my Super Inex to the max, and was glad of the extra space, for example:

A two week trip to the Bugaboos, loaded with food, camping, and climbing gear used up all my space. My partner had stuff strapped and bouncing all over his pack. I was able to carry the monster load in a much more controlled fashion. Every summer, I go on week-long camping trips with my boy scout troop (I'm a scoutmaster) and because twelve and thirteen year old boys who weigh only 70-90 pounds can't carry all that much, I end up carrying the greater part of the food for the whole group for the whole week. When I go backpacking with my wife and two small children and a toddler, I also tend to stuff my Super Inex full, as my wife is carrying a kid carrier backpack, and I carry pretty much everything else (tent, 2 adult sleeping bags, kid bags, food, etc. In short, I think the extra space is worth it, especially because the weight difference between an Inex and Super Inex is not that great. The cost difference isn't that great either, if you think about how long you will own the pack. Some people argue that a smaller pack makes you pack smarter and lighter, but I tend to disagree. I always pack as light as possible, and the only thing a too-small pack does for me is make me curse as I try stuffing things into a space that is too small. I own other smaller packs that I use for smaller loads, light-weight excursions, and week-end camping and climbing trips. The McHale comes out for those trips where I'm going to suffer under the weight of multi-day big load hauling, and for this purpose, I find that I want the biggest pack I can carry.

Customer Service:
Customer service has been excellent. The pack hasn't needed repairs, but Dan McHale did some custom modifications for me for a very modest fee. The pack ordering process was easy, and you work directly with the owner/designer.

Similar Products Used:
Dana; Osprey; North Face