Bora 65
Features anatomic compression-moulded back panel, contoured dual-density shoulder straps, double layer pack bottom, dual daisy chains, dual ice axe loops and two axe keepers, interchangeable hip belt and shoulder straps, kangaroo pocket with drain hole to store everything from a shovel to shell clothing, large floating top lid with key clip taht doubles a a fanny pack with lumbar pad and 2" belt, pivoting thermomoulded padded hipbelt, side zippered main compartment, stretch woven fabric on all body contact surfaces, wand pockets, water bladder sleeve, zippered sleeping bag compartment.
Made of 420D Ripstorm nylon with 1.5 oz polyurethane coating, 630D superpack nylon for durability. Dual 6061-T6 aluminum V-stay suspension system with integrated composite load transfer rods. Colors "Ink" or "Red."
Reviews
Viewing: 1-2 of 2 |
wordlessnature - Nov 17, 2014 3:04 pm - Voted 5/5
a favorite
The Bora 65, now replaced in the Arc'Teryx lineup by the Altra 65, is a great backpack. It has served and continues to serve me well in backcountry journeys time and again.
Of note:
● It's very comfortable, with excellent hip support and customization, including flexible aluminum stays which are to be molded to your frame upon receipt of the pack.
● It's heavy. Weighing around 6 and a half pounds before putting anything into it, it is not an ultralight choice. For me, this is offset by its comfort on the trail.
● It's quite durable. Mine has seen some abuse, and has carried around 50 lbs during winter treks, to no ill effect, and remained comfortable to boot.
Someday I will probably upgrade to an Altra, but for now my ~20 year old Bora is still doing well. A good choice, even used.
Of note:
● It's very comfortable, with excellent hip support and customization, including flexible aluminum stays which are to be molded to your frame upon receipt of the pack.
● It's heavy. Weighing around 6 and a half pounds before putting anything into it, it is not an ultralight choice. For me, this is offset by its comfort on the trail.
● It's quite durable. Mine has seen some abuse, and has carried around 50 lbs during winter treks, to no ill effect, and remained comfortable to boot.
Someday I will probably upgrade to an Altra, but for now my ~20 year old Bora is still doing well. A good choice, even used.
Viewing: 1-2 of 2 |
jtostenr - Aug 3, 2004 12:33 am - Voted 5/5
Untitled ReviewAfter a great deal of research and visits to many stores, I decided to purchase the Arc'teryx Bora 65. I've had it for over a year now and am very satisified. My only complaints are minor and if I had to do it again, I may have gotten the Bora 80, but the 65 is large enough for most of my trips.
Complete Review:
One of the nice things about living in Washington and purchasing Arc'teryx gear is that you can take a short drive up to Vancouver and get the same thing, but pay in Canadian dollars instead of US dollars. I think I saved about a hundred bucks on my pack and got to have a nice day trip to BC.
That said, I did not want to settle for a lesser pack just to save some money. I have bought a few other things from Arc'teryx and have been extremely satisfied with their products, so I may have been somewhat inclined to buy one of their packs from the start.
I checked out packs from all the major manufacturers and ended up primarily looking at the Gregory, Osprey and Arc'teryx packs. I'm sure all of these are excellent packs and would be able to do the job, so at this point it's probably just a matter of personal preference.
I really like the way you can customize the fit of the Arc'teryx. You can replace the belt, shoulder straps and bend the 2 stays to fit the curvature of your back. I've had 50+ lbs in mine and it still remains comfortable.
The top of the pack can detach and be used as a summit pack or day pack. I've done this several times and it works pretty good. The only thing that is missing is a place to put a water bottle.
There is side access through a zipper that runs almost the length of the pack. This is nice to have so you don't have to empty out your pack. There is also a sleeping bag compartment in the bottom. Just unzip the zipper around the bottom instead of having to empty your entire pack to get your bag.
On the back there is a waterproof "kangaroo" pocket with a drain hole in the bottom. This is great for putting your crampons in when they are all wet. It is kind of a tight fit though when the pack is relatively full.
The pack has two wand pockets, which most people probably use for water bottles. My only complaint is that they are pretty far back which makes the bottles tough to grab. I can't really knock Arc'teryx for this though since they are supposed to be for wands and probably work fine in that case.
My only remaining gripe about the pack is that I think the bladder pocket is pretty much useless. It hangs inside the pack towards the front and there is a hole for the tube and a clip on the shoulder strap. The problem is that when you have much of anything in the pack, the bladder is going to really get squeezed and it really gets in the way. Forget about trying to put the bladder in after your pack is full. I've heard that many people just rip these out, but I just left mine in it's folded up position and forget about it.
The last thing I'd like to mention is that I have not babied this pack at all and besides being dirty, it remains in excellent shape. I throw it in the bed of my truck whenever I go hiking and have had many brushes with rock, ice, etc. and I don't think I've seen a single stitch come out.
All in all, this is a great pack that can be had for a reasonable price. If I ever lost this one, I would probably go buy another one (or a Bora 80 for its increased capacity).