See History of Kelty Spectra Backpacks for lots of information and pictures about the Kelty spectra packs. The Kelty spectra packs are likely the most durable packs ever made. All of the stitching is done with Kevlar thread, which is far stronger and abrasion resistant than nylon thread. (On my McHale spectra pack some of the stitching is in spectra, but most is in nylon.) In addition, the shoulder straps and waist strap is made with spectra fabric. Most spectra packs don't have spectra shoulder and waist straps. Most of the things sewn to the pack, such as the daisy chains and mounting points for straps are made of spectra, which I have never seen in any other line of packs. This pack will survive a tremendous amount of abuse compared to any other pack. I have thtee Kelty Cloud 4000 packs. Each of them are slightly different from the others. One has blue and gray trim, the other has all blue trim. This one has purple trim. This pack is a 4000Reg, and has no side pockets or rear shovel pocket. All of them have a removable, adjustable hip belt. The hip belt is secured to the pack with Velcro and can be moved up or down a total of 2 inches, to allow for different back lengths. |
Here are exterior pictures of the pack. The trim is purple for this pack. The fourth picture shows a close up of the daisy chains that are on the back of the pack. There is a reinforcement layer of spectra under the daisy chain. The daisy chain, like all the daisy chains on the pack are made of spectra fabric, sewn with Kevlar thread. Most packs have daisy chains on the back of the pack, like there. This pack also features a pair of daisy chains on the bottom of the pack, a vertical pair going from top to bottom of the pack, and a pair on the lid. The fifth picture shows the bottom area of the pack. The two ice axe loops are removable. Also visible are two daisy chains on the bottom of the pack.
This pack has three compression strap which go from one side of the pack to the other side of the pack. These compression straps end in a reinforced loop of fabric sewn to the side of the pack, as can be seen in the picture above (though the compression straps are not in the picture).
Here are pictures of the shovel pocket. It is big enough for a decent sized snow shovel blade (roughly 12 inches by 12 inches. You could also put other things in it. It has an elastic cord that goes on the back to secure wet clothing or other stuff outside the pack. It has a drawstring on top to secure interior items. The next picture is the side pockets. They have a zipper to access the inside ot the pocket. The purple loops on the back are where the side pockets and shovel pocket attach via the black clips visible on the shovel pocket and side pockets.
The first picture is of the top of the lid. You can see two spectra daisy chains going from side to side. The zipper to access the compartment is at the bottom. The two buckles in the front secure the lid to the main bag. The buckle, loop, and strap with matching buckle attach to the rear of the pack via sewn loops in the purple webbing, and the buckle clips from one side to the other side. All the cloud packs attach the top compartment this way. It is a simple, light, robust mechanism, however there is limited room to adjust the lid upward for large loads. I think there in enough adjustability for the height of the pack skirt extension. (The skirt is made of spectra and is about 6 inches long. The next picture shows the bottom of the lid. The last picture shows the lid zipper.
There are two straps that go from the upper pack to the shoulder straps for helping move the top of the pack closer to your body. Their attachment point on the shoulder straps can be adjusted by the slider. There is a sternum strap. The haul loop is made out of spectra fabric.
The last picture shows how the hip belt is tightened. Note the metal rectangular ring sewn near the end of the hip belt. The strap goes through that, which makes a pulley system to aid in tightening the hip belt. I believe Kelty calls this the "Scherer™ cinch". Though it does help to tighten the belt, I rarely have a problem tightening the belt. One feature, is if you have to loosen the belt because of bulky clothing, you can unthread the belt from the ring, making it longer.
Here is a side view of the pack. Note at the top and bottom of the pack the reinforcement areas where the gear loops can be attached. The mounting points are quite robust.
You can attach gear loops to a variety of places on the pack as well as the hip belt. This pack has six 'gear loops', which are made out of folded webbing with a clear plastic tube around the webbing. As the plastic ages, it becomes less clear and less flexible. They are often used for holding rock climbing gear, though it seems odd to do technical climbing while wearing the pack. You can clearly see how the plastic has become less clear. I removed all the gear loops, as I don't have any use for them.
This is a picture of the spectra skirt extension of about 6 inches.
The frame is a critical part of the pack. It transfers the weight from the shoulders to the waist area. It is the backbone of the pack. The Kelty frame is made mostly of aluminum. The aluminum isn't flat stock, but rather it is corrugated to be lighter than flat stock of similar outline, and stiffer than flat stock of the same weight. Kelty calls the aluminum LightBeam, which is an appropriate name. The above picture shows both sides of a piece of Kelty LightBeam.
The frame consists of two stays of stays of aluminum, and a HDPE plastic sheet which holds them in place. The first picture shows the entire frame. On the left, is the part which mates with a pocket at the inside bottom of the pack, on the other side of the waist belt. The frame rails are partially visible inside the white HDPE frame sub-assembly. On the bottom is black nylon fabric surrounding some padding. Also visible is a removable aluminum cross bar that attaches to the HDPE frame sheet. At the far right of the frame is a cross bar which is sewn into the HDPE frame sheet frame sub-assembly. I suspect it is aluminum.
This is the other side of the frame.
Here is a picture of the LightBeam rails attached to the bottom of the frame. The next to last picture is of the interior of the pack showing the pocket the bottom of the frame goes in. The hip belt attaches to the other side of the pack. The frame has been inserted into the pack, and secured with two straps. I think this is a pretty secure and robust internal frame. It isn't as heavy as the McHale, nor as strong, but I suspect it is strong enough for almost all uses.
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