Dana Design Arc Altitude Jet Pack

No matter how much time I spend digging, I still turn up Dana Designs packs I haven't seen before. Looking at some old catalogues online I found this cat:

It is probably the first time I've seen a major deviation from DD's famous torpedo front pockets. It is constructed in much the same way, as one continuous piece of fabric divided by a daisy chain (on my DD packs the pockets are actually connected if you care to stick your finger between the bartacks), but obviously this stops before the bottom. The entire bottom third of the pocket appears to transition to one full-width pocket, I cannot say this is terribly appealing as most anything you would put in the pockets would fall and mingle, losing the organization gained by splitting the pockets. Since this is the only pack I've seen without the full split I'll assume other's agreed.

eBay find: Dana Designs Flip

A fairly simple, stripped down DD pack from what I assume is the early, leather-patch days.

A few features I thought worth calling out; like several Dana packs the compression is one continuous strap with the buckles on the user side. Some Dana packs are tacked in the middle of the strap to keep it from wandering too much, but the plastic slots imply to me that this one is not. Also like many Dana packs the top ladderlock is set on a longer piece of webbing then the bottom, I assume there is a very good reason but I have not found it yet.

The panel layout (distinct and contrasting front and side panels) with the zippered top-loading is an obvious ancestor to the current Hill People Gear Ute and Umlindi packs, probably even more so then the continuous panel Kifaru Lateseason and Day Stalker that is easy to assume is the main source of DNA for their packs.

The backpanel is kept typically spare, with a slight flare at the bottom corners providing a bit of wrap around before turning into a simple web belt.

The bottom shows two things, the dimension in the lower portion of the pack is actually supplied by darts, and not panels, as most modern packs use. Also the wrap around in the bottom corners is encouraged by the bottom panel, allowing them to be stuffed and shaped with the pack contents if the user is patient and fastidious enough.

eBay find: Dana Designs Cold Creek

A while ago I wrote about the Lowe Alpine Double Dipper, at the time it was the only waist pack I'd seen with its peculiar water bottle pocket placement. Now I have found another and I begin to wonder if it was a more common arrangement then I thought:

In general the design details are much simpler, I'm not good at judging chronology but it strikes me as an early-to-mid era Dana pack.

The bottle pockets are small and appear to be neoprene-y.

Classic Dana lumbar pad and hypalon grip-panel on the back side, and a thinly padded waist belt.

What strikes me as the most interesting design feature is how the waist belt is attached to the far side of the pack and routed through a webbing slot to keep it pointed towards the wearer. My theory is this behaves as the compression mechanism and removes the need for the separate stabilizer straps that so many lumbar packs sport.

The search is on for more specimens!

eBay find: Woodland Dana Designs

According to the auction this was one of twelve packs made for the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team and was built off an arcflex pack.

Dana Designs Colter

When I started to prowl outdoor forums more intensively a while ago I started to hear more mentions of Dana Designs backpacks. Since I had long ago been exposed to the cult of Kifaru and Mystery Ranch I didn't understand what the fuss was about. Cordura backpacks with heavier suspension systems? Hadn't seen that before...well I've come full circle in a way. I really started to understand why people didn't want 1000d full-molle hauler frame monstrosities, and that many of the non-tactical, non-hunter, non-prepper community hasn't really been exposed to Kifaru or MR, and that older participants would remember when DD was more mainstream then either of those two will probably ever be.

More recently as I have been scrutinizing backpacks with a more intentional eye towards design I have developed a new appreciation for Dana's packs. While many of the features and designs are fairly obsolete, or perhaps less then successful at the time the important thing is that there was a huge amount of experimentation and innovation going on, not just updating the same old Lowe Alpine designs from yesteryear.

Check out this Dana Design Colter pack I saw on eBay:

tapered front panel, monster stabilizer straps connected to the hip belt, and best of all, one of the more elegant solutions for a lidless cinch-top pack. The integrated flap just covers the hole, offers some top compression, and is small enough to stay out of the way when you're digging through the pack. 

There aren't tons of Dana packs that are on my shopping list, but I'd love to pick up one of his larger packs and compare the arcflex suspension to my newer packs. The simplicity compared to many of the newer corudra packs is certainly appealing to me, the shortcomings I expect to find are a lack of backpanel ventilation and skimpy shoulder straps.

More to follow.