Looking to buy one of these for my gf but wondering what size to get her. Is the 115 liter too big?

It depends completely on what you would be using it for, I think.

Look into compression bags that are waterproof before you pull the plug. I like the medium size for clothes from sea to summit, the large for a fillow and a sleeping bag.

Tyler11: "Looking to buy one of these for my gf but wondering what size to get her. Is the 115 liter too big?"

115 liters is a very large bag (7000 cu in). I just got one, and it's much larger than what I use for 10 day solo trips (plus a day pack). Your mileage may vary.

They are very big especially if you fill them up. Might not be easy for a smaller person, male or female, to carry.

I had a 115 and it was too big for me. I didn't like how deep it was to get stuff at the bottom. Great bag though.

Would you recommend a ccs pack over one of these?

Tyler11: "Would you recommend a ccs pack over one of these? "

It's personal preference mostly. I prefer dry bags, whereas most on this forum prefer more conventional portage bags such as CCS and Granite Gear. Both work. Conventional portage bags require additional waterproof liners, but probably fit canoes better. Dry bags commonly end up as large sausages with a more rounded shape than portage bags. And some use backpacking packs with liners--I started out that way years back--it works fine too.

There is a lot of discussion on portage packs on this website--I'd suggest reading some of it. For example Portage pack discussion and Portage pack search

the Sealine 115 will probably be a bear for most women if you get anywhere near full. The propack is a good one though. At least it was 10 years ago.

Look into a Watershed duffel. I used to trip with Seal line roll top dry bags and they were a hassle. Kept stuff dry but anything you wanted was always at the bottom. Pull it all out to get what you wanted, put it all back.........and then do it again in 5 minutes aaarrrrrgh!

Watershed duffels are tops.........completely waterproof, compression straps, d rings plus additional compression straps so you can last things directly on top (I put my collapsible tarp pole on top and lash it down). Pop it open and everything is in plain sight. Whew, much better! Plus they don't hang so low when you are carrying them as opposed to the Seal line.

That is a Very Large pack without compression straps. To get that pack to carry as designed there is no way it will scale less that 50# + unless it’s full of cotton candy or feathers. You may not have a GF after that trip.

Yes, the 115L is too big (it's huge) - get her a smaller one like the 70L. Bulky items like clothes and sleeping bags can be put in compression sacks to reduce bulk, IF you need to.

MT I think somebody needs a packing lesson!

Wife and I both use 115l bags. I love it, she puts up with it because portages are short in the BWCA. They have served is well for 15 yrs now and are going strong.

Nice to have multiples of the same gear, makes things easy.

They fit perfectly in the aluminum Lowe Line, sideways.

BTW she is 5-6/5-7, and a shorter pack would probably fit her better.

Moss Tent: "MT I think somebody needs a packing lesson!


"

Perhaps.........I used the Seal Line roll top dry bags for quite a few years. One big mistake was to have the same color for all 3. I was forever digging.........was it in this bag? Nope, maybe in this one? Um, no,.........Its gotta be in this one! Rats, it must of been in the first one and I missed it!......... LOL........... 20 minutes later I have my flashlight! Now, where is that Toilet Paper?

I grew to hate the cylindrical shape which loads from the top. Sucks in a mega sort of way IMHO.

Once you use a Watershed duffel its like the sky opens and the sun comes out. Ahhh.......No Hassle! A different color for each bag as well.......Red is of course all the cooking stuff, Blue is clothing, green is foodstuffs etc. etc. Pop it open and everything is laid bare, no digging, no pulling stuff out etc. etc. Plus they have incorporated compression ties and sturdy D rings if I want to lash anything on top.......and I do. My chair gets lashed on one and my collapsible tarp tent pole gets lashed to another along with my collapsible water container (which has soap and a scrubber inside). Never worry about weather and they carry very nicely across portages. In a word, they are perfect for typical canoe country tripping.

We (my wife and I) have the seal line 115L. It's a great pack, but as others have pointed out, its BIG. However, it's the one she uses.

My wife is not a large woman (5' 7" and 133#) but she's strong as hell and has a great attitude towards portaging. She quite happily (and safely) carries 70#+ loads at the beginning of our trips. This is possible for her because the pack has a very nice framesheet and adjustable harness and hip belt that we can dial in to fit her very well. This makes a huge difference.

Using cheaper packs without the great suspension/harness system that the seal line has made her miserable with much lighter loads.

I think it's a great pack if you spend a little time getting the harness right and work out an acceptable load limit.

Tyler11: "Would you recommend a ccs pack over one of these? "

I have both - the ccs is a NICE piece of kit, and the one I use. Wife uses the seal line. See my other reply for more details.

you can't go wrong with either IMO.

Yup, the 115l harness is very adjustable. Although we got it to fit my wife very well, her issue with it is how high it can get above her shoulders. She must like throwing her head back a lot :)

Also, she never, ever carries the canoe, nor do we ever carry it together. I find it much easier to single-hand the canoe, and carrying it isn't a problem for me--so the height of the pack isn't a canoe-carrying issue for her.

I'm taller, so the pack doesn't protrude as high, and shouldering and carrying the canoe is no problem for me.

I get the issue with the cylindrical shape, although we pack ours so that they flatten into much more of an oval...MUCH more. You can only pack them so flat, though, because at the bottom the shape is kind of determined by the bottom of the pack, which is probably a very squarish oval shape.

It has plenty of lash points to put, say, a chair on. I lash rods on the outside all the time, along with water bottles.

Not advocating one way or another, there are many solutions. Our bags have been everywhere, have done everything, and are still going strong. Like an aluminum canoe, they are something that I have never had to worry about. By the time you have gone through multiple fabric packs and kevlar canoes, I will still be on my first--FIRST--115l bag and aluminum canoe.

I guess I place a high premium on not having to worry about something failing, YMMV.

Last year I started to think that going UL would be a fun aesthetic, and we tried an SR Quetico. I have lightened compression bags, water filter, etc., but honestly, the last two things I would consider lightening are the 115l bags second last, and the aluminum canoe last. I can save something like 9-10 lbs on our tent alone if I lighten up. Plus, I don't think that the packs are actually that heavy.

I always know whose pack is whose first by how much is in it (mine is always bigger), and by what color bear bell is on it.