Kelty Trekker 65 Backpack, Garnet Red

My 1980 version of this great external frame pack finally wore out beyond repair, so I bought the '65. It arrived with the bag mounted so high on the frame it swung like a pendulum with every step. I had to drill 4 new holes in the frame to lower the bag 4 inches to make it usable. It now seems quite trailworthy. The bag seems durable, but the small plastic zippers will never last as long as the original. It seems to be the best available external now for the money. A blue version would be nice.

I use this pack to go backpacking with my son and his troop on their trips. I have an internal pack and never felt it fit that great and would always dread peeling it off my sweaty body at the end of a hike to then jump into my tent and sleeping bag. I did some research and found these external frames like I had when I was a scout and was happy to see that the materials and harness are just as modern as any of the newest internals. I was impossible to find any external frame packs at all the usual outdoor shops so I ended up ordering all of the models Kelty makes and had them shipped to my house to try them out. Since my son is just starting scouts we had the whole lineup here so we could both find one that was right. So we had the Sanitas, Yukon, Trekker, Tioga shipped here.I'm about 5'8" and about 230 with a 40" waist with a 21.5" torso. This pack is super adjustable. It could fit someone a bit smaller and much larger then myself. I measured my torso and then measured from the top bar on the pack to the upper middle of the belt and ended going about 2 adjustment holes higher than that. At this point the shoulder strap was high enough to be off my shoulder and then with pulling the load lifter straps have about an inch of clearance above my shoulders so I wasn't putting weight on them. I ended up sticking with the Trekker out of all of the packs that fit my torso (excluding the Sanitas since its for kids.). The Tioga is super nice and I wish the Trekker had a long pocket and an adjustable main pocket divider but it is much to big for my needs even though it has the same frame as the Trekker. The Yukon has a little bit smaller bag than I wanted and the top bar isn't adjustable like the Tioga and the Trekker. The Trekker is a nice balance between payload size and adjust-ability.Pros: Not super heavy. Its around 5 pounds and at 65L I can carry enough for several days. Most of the large internals weigh as much. I can put my water bag in the top and route the drink tube through an access hole on the left or right and then over my shoulder. It has load lifters that keep the weight off my shoulders as well as side, belt, and shoulder adjustments. I have a big waist but there's plenty of room on the belt which is pretty thick. Overall it rides on my body well and the mesh vent panel against my back provides a lot of great ventilation.Cons: Not a fault of the pack but comparing it (the Trekker) to the Tioga. I wish that there was a long pocket on one side like the Tioga and that the main compartment divider was adjustable.Happy with the pack and its priced well. Feels good on me. Is very adjustable and is a quality build. On our scout trip today all the leaders peppered me with questions and kept saying throughout the hike they really liked its looks and wanted me to tell them about the other pack's in the lineup. I think Kelty owes me some back pay!

I started backpacking in the sixties and seventies (Sierras, Appalachian Trail, etc...). What I used was a simple sturdy external frame pack. I did use an early internal frame pack in the Himalayas. Since then things have changed and while the super-engineered internal frame packs are cool, in my opinion, they lack versatility in terms of what can be carried and how they distribute weight. Their body-hugging features may have advantages in some challenging terrain, but otherwise, I am not a fan. I bought this and took it backpacking in the Wind River Range this September. It kept me comfortable and let my hips and legs do all the work of carrying 35 pounds up to 11,000 feet. This pack has wide supportive hip belts and a well-designed suspension system. The mesh back kept me cool. I value the flexibility with regard to load attachment as well. From a weight perspective, this is competitive with internal frames. Depending on the packs I compared it came out even or the Kelty was at most a pound heavier. Great pack!

I bought this pack for my time with a conservation corps, back in the late summer-fall of last year. The pack served me admirably for the whole 4 month service term, and other than some dirt, still looks brand new.First off, this pack is hella comfortable, even when carrying 80-100 pounds. The beefy frame and hefty straps, while being heavy, stabilize and cushion whatever load you happen to be carrying. One small critique here is that the pack seems to be designed more for slightly wider/rounder people, and I usually topped out the waistbelt adjustments by the end of a hitch.Second, The external straps and attachment points are incredibly convenient for carrying tools, helmets, rope, whatever! The pack is also constructed in such a way that, when empty, a number of long-handled tools (Mattocks, Double Jacks, etc) can be held securely inside of the pack, with their handles sticking out the top. Very comforting to know you won't get a pick through the eye on tricky, dodgy terrain! Additionally, the heavy construction that allows this use, also makes me feel comfortable carrying the Griphoist and (heavy, steel) rigging.The third point builds off the second! This pack functions well as a daypack, owing to the adjustable straps. The sleeping bag compartment can be collapsed, and then the top compartment can be used for your water, tools, helmet, lunch! In this capacity, the pack doesn't feel clumsy or unbalanced in any way. This is VITAL when working in the backcountry, and convenient for carrying tools in the frontcountry.A few small critiques:- Because the load is carried so high, it can be a little difficult getting the pack on when carrying a heavy load, as it wants to flop over. This also means that the pack can feel pretty clumsy on more technical trails. This wouldn't be a problem if you stayed within the recommended weight.- The top of the pack sticks out above your head, so it can get stick on low-hanging branches.- As another reviewer pointed out, the pockets on the side are a little useless, and it's difficult to find a place for water. However, a 1-1.5 Litre Nalgene fits comfortably in the bottle holder.In conclusion, you can't really do better than this pack for Corps work. However, you may want something a little lighter and less heavy-duty for general hiking.

This is an upgrade to an older, smaller Kelty external frame backpack (~20 year old Long Trail) that I foolishly ruined by putting it in the washer and drier. I was pleasantly surprised how every aspect of the Trekker 65 is an improvement: from the lighter weight to the comfort I couldn't be happier. When the box arrived I thought it couldn't be the backpack as it seemed too light. I don't know what they changed but they significantly improved the weight. The only downside so far is I think my older pack may have had bigger, smoother zippers. But the fabric, pockets, straps, adjustability, back mesh, hold open bar, even down to the split rings are of higher quality. I'm happy that I upgraded. Great job Kelty! Too bad external frames are out of fashion. Internal frames feel better in the store without weight on them as they hug your back. Put any significant weight and I predict more people would prefer the external frames. Three things I prefer external frames to internal are 1) Your back is kept cooler and 2) you can carry significant loads much more comfortably and easily and 3) You can attach things that wouldn't fit in the pack to the frame using straps. Do yourself a favor and try an external frame backpack out, if you can find one.