Macpac Camping Equipment

Robust, durable, and not too heavy. You can't go wrong here – I am very pleased with my choice of tent - the Macpac Microlight - after agonising over the decision for so long. (The Macpac Sololight was the other… Read more

main contender, but in the end I chose durability over lightness.)

The first time I slept in my Microlight was on my back lawn. The second time was also on my back lawn, but I deliberately chose a night when I knew it was going to rain, so I could see how well it performed. And it rained alright. It absolutely hosed down. But I stayed warm and dry all night. And the third time was in the wilderness.

The Microlight is robust, easy to pitch, and not too heavy. It has plenty of room for one person, it is a breeze to pitch and take down, and the Multipitch system offers incredible versatility.

I was aware of three potential issues people had identified with the Microlight, but I found all of them were either easily resolved or were non-issues.

The first was that the limpet shape resulted in minimal living space. While it is true that the shape does significantly reduce the internal volume, I found I had plenty of room. I put my boots, poles and cooking gear etc. in the vestibule, and there was plenty of room inside the tent for my pack, clothes, and stuff I needed to keep completely dry.

The second was condensation. I observed this myself the first time I used it, but on subsequent uses I completely resolved it simply by leaving the inner door very slightly open at the top.

The third was sagging. But I found this was not an issue because I took the time to pitch it properly.

All up, if you want a versatile and robust one person tent, you can't go wrong with the Microlight.

If your most important consideration is travelling light over summer, you might be better off with something lighter. But if you dont want to be limited by the seasons and you want something that is going to stand up to whatever the weather might throw at you, the Microlight is well worth the extra couple of hundred grams.

I had wondered for months whether I had made the right decision here. Now I know I did.

good allround daypack – Purchased this to replace a 20 year old Kathmandu Unisac- Canvas, this was my perfect pack, used every day but finally the zips gave up. Litealp was… Read more

the closest replacement I could find. The canvas seems tough and the zips are good n chunky just a few designs quirks let it down.

1. Front Pocket. The diagonal pocket zip is awkward a straight horizontal zip would be better, the dividing material between the pocket and main compartment in flexible plastic not canvas. This plastic seems cheap and prone to degradation. The flexible plastic divider allows items in the pocket (sunglasses, food, whatever) to be crushed by items in the main compartment, a problem I never had with the canvas divided Unisac.

2. Back Padding. Person taste but I don’t think a small canvas daypack needs any extra padding, I find thick canvas is padding enough. This pack has layer of what feels like closed cell sleep mat lining the back. It is just a waste of internal space; I will remove it if I can without damaging anything.

3. Straps. The straps although well-made are too thin to be comfortable under load. An extra centimetre or so width would make a big difference. Canvas, Zips, Size, Price Design quirks

Older version of the ravine is still going strong 20years later! – I bought the older model of this pack in 1994. Looks the same as the picture so I thought I would review it. This is the perfect bag for hiking.… Read more

Large enough to hold or your gear but not so large that you can't carry it. Slim line and without stupid pockets everywhere so you don't get caught on vegetation. Only zip on mine is at the top pocket. Minimal zips equals less problems and better waterproofing. Great adjustable and comfortable harness.This bag has hiked with me for a month long stint in east gippsland Victoria and has travelled with me through the himalayas for more than a month too. It has survived many, many other smaller adventures, but I was not kind to this bag and it is still strong 20years later. How is that for quality? One of the better products I have ever bought. Lasts forever, perfect for serious hiking and situations where you will be actually carrying your bag a lot. This is not the best choice for back packers doing the youth hostel circuit. The things like, only one top loading space, that make it great for hiking, make it annoying for general travel where a suitcase or travel pack may serve better.

Best lightweight tent I've come across. Easy to assemble single-handed & in poor conditions – Had a Minaret for 5 years then lost half (the inner) - I miss it so much. Best light-weight tent I've owned. My friend has the new model and we… Read more

often take it with us when competing in overnight Rogaines & other events - between us it's just an extra kilo each!

In good weather you assemble the whole thing with just 4 pegs; and in poor conditions it's so low to the ground & streamlined that rain & wind just brush off it.

It <i>is</i> a lightweight tent - so it's not roomy & the vestibule is only really big enough for one small pack. But if you're travelling solo or are happy to leave your bag outside the tent this is not an issue

The only other draw back it's not a dome tent so you have to use pegs to hold it up, which can be a pain in very tough ground.

Standard assembly is to have the inner permanently attached to the outer, which makes it super convenient...

However ours got very wet in Switzerland so we took it all apart - leaving the fly dripping outside my bag and stuffed the inner in a side-pocket. When I arrived at Zurich station, the outer was still dripping but the inner was nowhere to be found! Gutted.

garbage – I took this pack (Cascade with a liberator harness) on a backpack trip, and the crap they use to construct the hold around the straps where it meets… Read more

the pack itself fell to bits, what a load of garbage.

Macpac using cheap and inferior products on their backpacks.

Could barely use it afterwards and a real effort to get out of the bush.

From reading warranties this is a common issue and they refuse to either fix it or pay for it. what garbage, stay away from macpac and buy quality not inferior quality.

AVOID MACPAC BACKPACKS THEY FALL TO BITS. GARBAGE - ENUF SAID!!!!

Low quality vs price – Bought a MacPac Polaris 3 person tent about 4 years ago. I have only used it about 5 times. It is good for dry weather, but rapidly gets damp with a… Read more

heavy dew. The floor seems to get damp. The fly brushes up against the tent walls making the tent damp. The pegs are light weight but bend very easily.