Backpack for Laos

Before venturing into work today, I finally decided to visit Mountain Equipment Co-op, a specialty store catering to adventurers and people who love the outdoors, to buy my backpack for Laos. This particular model, MEC Ibex 65, is specifically designed for multi-day expeditions, has its own waist belt allowing the backpack to secure itself snugly to one's body, and even sports a special compartment to store a sleeping bag. It has a capacity of 61 litres and weighs 2.8 kilograms.

On the Mountain Equipment Co-op web site, it describes this pack in detail:

This fully featured pack is excellent for multi-day backpacking and or mountaineering. Interchangeable shoulder straps and waistbelts allow you to customize the fit. The backpad plate can be slid up and down the stays, allowing precise adjustment to your back. The pad then locks firmly into place with a large hook-and-loop patch for stability.

• Body is 630-denier Superpack nylon with fully taped seams and bartack reinforcements.

• Bottom, lid, and exterior pocket are extra-rugged 1050-denier smooth nylon.

• Body contact surfaces are covered with 3-D mesh for breathability.

• Polyethylene frame sheet and twin aluminum stays for efficient load transfer to hips.

• Main compartment is accessible via the top spindrift collars, a large vertical zipper, or a horizontal zipper to the sleeping bag compartment.

• Main compartment has a stretch mesh pocket and hose exit port for a hydration system.

• The top part of the sleeping bag compartment can be unclipped to connect to the main compartment.

• Large front pocket accessible via a full length side zipper or the outer spindrift collar.

• Two low-profile side pockets hold items you need to retrieve quickly or quarantine from the main load (such as fuel bottles).

• The underside pocket in the floating lid is fronted with mesh-reinforced transparent plastic for easy location of items inside.

• Twin waistbelt pockets hold small items close at hand.

• All exterior zippers are weatherproof or flap protected.

• Shockcord attachment system can be used for crampons or other gear.

• Removeable ice axe loop.

• Compression straps trim and stabilize the load.

• Twin stretch mesh water bottle pockets.