BWCA Kitchen Pack: Duluth pack v Frost River? Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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07/09/2020 04:31PM  
Hello everyone.
For the past few years, a buddy of mine has been coming on my yearly trip. He owns a very old Duluth pack Kitchen pack and I have kind of fallen in love with it. LOL. Sadly, he will not be able to go to the BW this year and I was thinking of picking up a kitchen pack of my own.

Here is my question, does anyone have the Frost River version? What are your thoughts? I notice they are cheaper than Duluth pack and they appear to have better straps. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks all.
 
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Jackfish
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07/09/2020 06:29PM  
Serious question - what do you carry in a "Kitchen Pack" that makes you want a specific pack? What do you use for your other gear packs?
 
THEGrandRapids
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07/09/2020 07:25PM  
I have a Duluth Pack kitchen pack I picked up on the forum here from another guy. Fits two bear vaults, garabge dry bag, plus my fry bake pretty well in main compartment. I have tarp and first aid in one side packet and cooking supplies in the other (bowls, mug, stove, etc.). This pack goes to the "kitchen / fire grate" The new Duluth pack pricing (as of 5 years ago? ) is too rich for my blood now, but I picked up an old, lightly used one and love it. I would not hesitate getting a frost river. I have a mix of duluth packs and CCS packs, plus a Kelty backpack on occassion. The Frost River stuff looks like great stuff when I stopped into their store.
 
Abbey
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07/09/2020 11:28PM  
Between DP and FR, I would go FR every time for comparable items.

With that said, the last pack that I got was a CCS. I liked having a decent hip belt.
 
Savage Voyageur
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07/10/2020 09:33AM  
There is a food pack and a kitchen camp pack. People get these two mixed up. The kitchen camp pack is the one with the two pockets on the sides. I bought a Duluth kitchen camp pack years ago when they were $200. Now they are over $600.

To Jackfish’s question, just about everything but clothes. I put our food, stove, pots, utensils, fuel, saw, and all my gear in this pack. All clothes and hammock go in another Duluth pack. The problem comes when you go to lift it. You can put so much gear into it besides the food it’s hard to lift. In camp you unload all the gear and leave to food in the pack.
 
07/10/2020 09:11PM  
I have the DP Food Pack and used it with the heavy duty returnable beer card board cases which I think it was sized to fit. Don't use it any more since I switched to plastic food barrels. As I recall, I could carry my food plus much of the kitchen stuff in it also. Nice box like shape was easier to pack in the boat than food barrels.
 
07/13/2020 11:46AM  
Hey Jackfish
Sorry for the delay. I was out of town this past weekend.

To answer your question, everything that isn't in a personal pack. My group and I use backpacker frameless packs for all of our gear, each person responsible for their own gear (tent, sleeping, clothing, et al). Frameless packs fit very nicely in a Winona canoe sideways. :P

The only other 2 packs we carry is our food barrel and our "kitchen pack". Both the FR and the DP kitchen packs can hold one of those gray wash bins and gives the perfect storage for all things camp and kitchen related. Dutch oven, plates & bowls, saw, tarp, fuel & stove, you name it, if it is for the group, it fits awesomely in the kitchen pack.

One of these days I will post a picture of us with our gear set up.
 
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