Home > Fit, Materials, ...

All about CiloGear, and what goes into these packs...

Click through the below links for information on Materials, Fit of the packs, and our ethics. Information on ordering, our address and all that is in the navigation bar on the top of every page.

We're a very small company based in St. John's, Portland, just about underneath the St. John's Bridge. We make all our packs here in house, from our Alpinist Mountain Standard winning WorkSacks to our Dyneemaź packs and wallies.

If you're ever visiting Portland, please consider yourself invited to stop by and check us out. We've got office hours on Wednesdays and Fridays, from 3 PM to 5 PM.

Materials
Materials
Dimension Polyant VX51:
Found on The Bottom of:
75 Liter, 60 Liter, and 40 Liter
500x1000d Cordura laminated in a five ply sandwich with dacron X-Pac for rip resistance and structural stability. This fabric is 200 psi waterproof.

Dimension Polyant VX42:
Found in the Center Panel of:
75 Liter, 60 Liter, 45 Liter, 40 Liter. It is also the bottom of the 45L and 30L.
420d Cordura laminated in a five ply sandwich with dacron X-Pac for rip resistance and structural stability. This fabric is 200 psi waterproof.

Dimension Polyant VX21:
Found in the Wings of the Center Panel:
75 Liter, 60 Liter, 45 Liter (and bottom sides), 40 Liter and the center and wings of the 30L and the bottom of the 20L.
210d Cordura laminated in a five ply sandwich with dacron X-Pac for rip resistance and structural stability. This fabric is 200 psi waterproof.

Dimension Polyant VX07:
Found in the Lid and the 20L:
70d Cordura laminated in a five ply sandwich with dacron X-Pac for rip resistance and structural stability. This fabric is 200 psi waterproof.

Dimension Polyant VXDyneemaź:
Used in the NWD and Dyneemaź Packs.
210d Dyneemaź laminated in a five ply sandwich with dacron X-Pac for rip resistance and structural stability. This fabric is 200 psi waterproof.

Cordura / Dyneemaź 210d Ripstop:
Found in all V2.5 and earlier upper side panels
This material is a 210d Cordura with a Dyneemaź ripstop pattern. The Dyneemaź is the white grid pattern. This material is also used in the lids.

Cordura / Dyneemaź 500d Ripstop:
Found in all V3 upper side panels
This material is a 500d Cordura with a Dyneemaź ripstop pattern. The Dyneemaź is the white grid pattern. This material is unbelievable robust. We've switched to it in our ongoing goal of reducing waste: with this material, V3 WorkSacks should easily last more than 500 days in the field. It makes the packs a bit less than four ounces heavier, but the returns to our environment are substantial.

Parachute Cloth SilNylon 1.1oz:
Found in all extensions
This material is a 30d cordura impregnated with silicone on both sides to provide moderate self-healing properties and superior water resistance. This material is also used in the hydration bladder pocket.

Heavy Parachute Cloth SilNylon 1.9oz:
Found in Lids and Internal Lid Pockets
The designers of this material use it to drop tanks and relief supplies from airplanes. We use this 70d cordura impregnated with silicone on both sides to provide moderate self-healing properties and superior water resistance in the V3 Lids and Internal Lid Pockets.

SilNylon Oxford210d Cordura:
Found in the bottom of the Internal Lid Pocket except the V2.5 45L
This material is a 210d Cordura oxford. Despite the famous antecedants of this Silicon Impregnated Cordura material, this is the simplest cloth used in our packs, and is used for the frame pockets in the packs.

SilNylon Taffeta210d Cordura:
Found in the framesheet pockets of the V3 packs
This material is a Silicon impregnated 210d Cordura Taffeta. This lightweight material is the lightest available fabric that stood up to our extensive field tests for fabrics for the framesheet pockets.

210d Dyneemaź Oxford:
We use woven 210d Dyneemaź in our woven Dyneemaź Packs. This is the world's best material for making packs, and while it is extremely expensive, it's also more abrasion resistant, stronger and significantly lighter than anything else. We're one of just a few companies selected by DSM to make packs out of this material. It is 200 psi waterproof. We also use it on the bottom of our non woven Dyneemaź packs.
Fit and Sizing
Fit and Sizing
Basically, you want to take a flexible measuring tape and measure from the bump under your neck to the top of your hips. That should do it. If you know your dress shirt size or dress coat size, that can provide more information, but basically the length of your torso is what we need.

You can do a images.google.com search for a picture, try 'backpack sizing' and you'll get a bunch of pictures.

For the 75L, 60L and 45L packs the sizing is as follows: Small fits from 14.5 to 17.5 inches Medium fits from 17 to 19 inches Large fits from 19 to 22 inches

For the 40L and 40B packs, sizing is as follows: Small / Medium fits from 14 to 17 inches Medium / Large fits from 17 to 21 inches

The 30L packs come in two sizes: Normal and Long. Normal fits most folks up to about 19.5 inches. Long fits the rest of us, from 19.5 to 24 inches.

The 20L packs are one size fits most.
Ethics
Ethics
We manufacture our packs in house. Our office and workshop is in a building over 100 years old. Our electricity is hydroelectric, from the Columbia river that runs between Oregon and Washington. Our materials are sourced in the USA, and the vast majority of our materials are made here. I doubt that there is a 'greener' backpack manufacturer out there shipping as many units.

There has to be a balance between making money, selling quality product at decent prices, and taking care of our employees and the rest of the world.

We feel that lean manufacturing and reducing waste is the best way to accomplish this balance. We build the packs to order, and we respond to what the market wants.

Work can, and should, be kind of fun. You've got to make a high quality product with good design and materials, but we also try to have fun making the stuff.

While they’re not climbers, they are damn good at what they do, and they do care about the quality of their product.
Action
Action
We support the following groups with product, time and whatever else we can. We hope you will support your local area group as well. The picture is of OMR's old truck. With our donations, OMR got a new one. Good for them, and good for us!

Access Groups:

Gunks Climber's Coalition
Friends of Muir Valley
Friends of Joshua Tree
Outdoor Turkey

Climbing Groups:
ASCA

Mountain Rescue Groups:
Hudson Valley Mountain Rescue
Portland Mountain Rescue
Olympic Mountain Rescue
Liability
You will get hurt. That's the odds with these sports. Get competant instruction and learn how to use gear. We are not responsible.

to put it another way: Some aspects of hiking, mountaineering and related activities, including but not limited to rock, ice, and snow climbing, are potentially hazardous and dangerous. Any person using our packs in any manner is personally responsible for learning the proper techniques involved, and assumes all risks and accepts full and complete responsibility for any and all damages and injury of any kind, including death, which may result from the use of any equipment purchased from CiloGear or our representatives.
Warranty
If a bear eats your pack, we'll charge you to fix it. If you have photos of it or even close, we'll probably do it for free.

If your pack is found with chocolate bars in it halfway up the Rupal Face, and somebody else takes it home after stabbing it with an ice axe and wants to get it fixed, we'll charge them for it. But we'd like pictures...

If a seam blows out, we'll most probably fix it for free.

If you tear out the drawstring cords or something like that, we'll repair it for a minimal charge or offer you a discount on a new pack.

If the framesheet pocket or closure lid dies, we'll more likely than not replace it for free.

It's up to us to decide, but we like happy customers and packs in the field. Cilogear Packs are fully guaranteed to the original owner against defects in materials. If a product fails due to a manufacturing defect we will promptly repair or replace it at our option, free of charge. If your pack shows signs of normal use or abnormal abuse, we'll fix it for a modest fee or offer you a discount on a new pack.

Repairs above and beyond use & abuse, due to accidents, bears, improper care, storage on the Rupal Face, or sheer negligence, will be performed for a reasonable charge.

We only repair packs. We don't repair straps, framesheets or pads. Keep the removable parts with you, and just send us the pack bag itself. We do NOT repair dirty packs. If your pack is dirty, we unfortunately will be forced to charge you $15 to clean it before we can fix it.

A 60L WorkSack fits into a 12" x 10" x 4" box when folded in thirds. It doesn't need packing peanuts or bubble wrap or anything else.

With your Repair Authorization Code in hand from CiloGear, please comply with the following instructions:
Include a piece of paper with:
  • your name,
  • shipping address,
  • email,
  • a DAYTIME phone number and
  • a brief description of the problem.
  • Please specify if you have a sentimental attachment to the pack, or if you just want a working pack.


    • Again, items sent in for repair MUST be cleaned first or we will charge you before doing any work.

    CiloGear
    6635 N. Baltimore Ave. Ste #238
    Portland, OR 97203


    Once a year, we offer upgrade pricing for our existing customers. If you purchased the pack from one of our retailers, you can register with us by sending a copy of your receipt. Upgrade pricing announcements go out to the email addresses from which orders were processed, so if you change your email and you'd still like to be eligble, keep in touch. Unfortunately, our upgrade pricing applies only to those people who bought their packs from CiloGear or one of our retailers. If you bought it from Craigslist, you are SOL.

    Email repairs at cilogear.com and we'll get right to it.
    Joe Puryear Assistance Fund
    Dear CiloGear Friends:

    Many people have graciously offered their assistance to Michelle and the rest of Joe Puryear's family.



    A fund has been set up to help alleviate the substantial costs of the recovery effort for bringing Joe home, as well as for Michelle and the family's travel expenses to Kathmandu, Nepal. Please contribute by clicking on the above button and send your donation directly through Paypal to the Joe Puryear Assistance Fund.

    Or Go to: http://www.climbtibet.blogspot.com/ at the top of the blog there is a post for the donation, press "Donate" and this will link you to Paypal.

    Or, donations can also be mailed to this address:

    Key Bank Attn: Danielle Grubenhoff 100 7th St. PO Box 657 Zillah, WA 98953

    Please make checks payable to: "The Joe Puryear Donation Account"

    3) You may also visit any Key Bank Location and inform the teller that you would like to Donate to "The Joe Puryear Donation Account"

    On behalf of Michelle, Gail and Shirley Puryear, and all of Joe's friends, thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide, and most of all for the tremendous outpouring of support and well wishes.
    		Gift Certificates
    Gift Certificates
    Give the gift of CiloGear! Gift Certificates in the common denominations of CiloGear Packs
    $150 CiloGear Gift Certificate
    $235 CiloGear Gift Certificate
    $260 CiloGear Gift Certificate
    $50 CiloGear Gift Certificate
    		Gift Certificate
    Gift Certificate
    We now offer gift certificates for the value of our top selling products. The gift certificate will be emailed to you within two days of the transaction.
    $150.00