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02/19/2021 01:49PM  
Just heard from a Canadian friend that Bill Ostrom - Ostrom Outdoors - is back in business offering his packs. Sounds like he has found a manufacturer for his updated pack designs.
 
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mschi772
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02/19/2021 01:56PM  
Wow! And I just saw that Recreational Barrel Works is now offering some nice-looking packs as well. VERY similar to Ostrom packs, but that's no surprise as I believe they've had a relationship with Ostrom in their barrel harness. Suddenly so many pack options again for everyone in 2021.
 
02/19/2021 03:15PM  
mschi772: "
Wow! And I just saw that Recreational Barrel Works is now offering some nice-looking packs as well."


I just saw this link to Ostrom website in another thread today.

One question I have is, who is making the Ostrom packs?

It looks like the packs are being offered as a pre-order item.
 
02/19/2021 03:42PM  
mschi772: "
deerfoot: "Just heard from a Canadian friend that Bill Ostrom - Ostrom Outdoors is back in business offering his packs. Sounds like he has found a manufacturer for his updated pack designs."

Wow! And I just saw that Recreational Barrel Works is now offering some nice-looking packs as well. VERY similar to Ostrom packs, but that's no surprise as I believe they've had a relationship with Ostrom in their barrel harness. Suddenly so many pack options again for everyone in 2021."

Remember the 80s with all of the pack options. Grade Vl comes to mind.
 
02/19/2021 05:09PM  
I emailed Bill Ostrom earlier today asking him the country of origin for his new packs and will advise when I get a reply.
 
billconner
distinguished member(8607)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/19/2021 06:48PM  
Wasn't it Ostrom that made the two part pack for soloists? Zip or buckle top half from bottom so you can balance solo.
 
CRL
senior member (85)senior membersenior member
  
02/19/2021 08:40PM  
Blatz: "
mschi772: "
deerfoot: "Just heard from a Canadian friend that Bill Ostrom - Ostrom Outdoors is back in business offering his packs. Sounds like he has found a manufacturer for his updated pack designs."

Wow! And I just saw that Recreational Barrel Works is now offering some nice-looking packs as well. VERY similar to Ostrom packs, but that's no surprise as I believe they've had a relationship with Ostrom in their barrel harness. Suddenly so many pack options again for everyone in 2021."

Remember the 80s with all of the pack options. Grade Vl comes to mind"

Yup. I have a Grade VI day pack I got as a 3rd grader. Used daily through high school, college, and several years as an Outward Bound instructor. I had some repair work done on it and it is still my fishing day pack. That is over 30 years of consistent use. Not bad!!
 
02/19/2021 11:13PM  
I still use my Grade VI pack. I got it sometime in the '90's on a clearance sale at Chicagoland Canoe Base.
 
OldScout48
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02/20/2021 12:54AM  
I watched the video today by Andy at Recreational Barrel Works and its the same pack as shown on the Ostrom website.

He seemed to be showing just the larger pack but the top draw string closure with 3 top closure straps is the exact same.

I wonder if they are working together to get their packs out there,

Kevin Callan was filming the Recreational Barrel Works video and I know he has had a long relationship with Bill Ostrom.
 
02/20/2021 10:37AM  
Lovely gear. Well designed and it looks to be well sewn with good materials. The prices are certainly reasonable.

I just hope there will be another color option.
 
user0317
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02/20/2021 11:26AM  
billconner: "Wasn't it Ostrom that made the two part pack for soloists? Zip or buckle top half from bottom so you can balance solo."


Darn... I had forgotten about that pack, and now I am coveting one again.
 
campnfish
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02/20/2021 05:12PM  
user0317: "
billconner: "Wasn't it Ostrom that made the two part pack for soloists? Zip or buckle top half from bottom so you can balance solo."



Darn... I had forgotten about that pack, and now I am coveting one again. "


This one, i sold one awhile back, i thought it was too big for solo trips?

 
billconner
distinguished member(8607)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/20/2021 06:01PM  
I'd like to find one.
 
user0317
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02/20/2021 06:48PM  
campnfish: "
user0317: "
billconner: "Wasn't it Ostrom that made the two part pack for soloists? Zip or buckle top half from bottom so you can balance solo."




Darn... I had forgotten about that pack, and now I am coveting one again. "



This one, i sold one awhile back, i thought it was too big for solo trips?


"


Yep, that's the one.
 
andym
distinguished member(5340)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/20/2021 09:50PM  
There was a small group purchase from Ostrom of specially ordered solo packs in 2018. I remember because I was sorry not to do it but couldn't justify the cost without a plan to use it.
 
02/21/2021 08:26PM  
Bill responded yesterday to my inquiry regarding country of origin for the current iteration of his packs:
"We have found a manufacturer in China who we can trust. We have worked with them for 5 years and they stand behind their work. From my perspective they consistently manufacture to my specifications and communicate well. So far, they have exceeded my expectations."
 
02/22/2021 10:11AM  
unshavenman: "Bill responded yesterday to my inquiry regarding country of origin for the current iteration of his packs:
"We have found a manufacturer in China who we can trust. We have worked with them for 5 years and they stand behind their work. From my perspective they consistently manufacture to my specifications and communicate well. So far, they have exceeded my expectations."
"


Thanks for following up on this.
 
tumblehome
distinguished member(2912)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/22/2021 11:14AM  
unshavenman: "Bill responded yesterday to my inquiry regarding country of origin for the current iteration of his packs:
"We have found a manufacturer in China who we can trust. We have worked with them for 5 years and they stand behind their work. From my perspective they consistently manufacture to my specifications and communicate well. So far, they have exceeded my expectations."
"


Made in China. It’s just another pack. Too bad.

I was on the ‘buy American’ band-wagon long before it was politically cool.

Or at least ‘buy North American’.

Tom
 
Canoedad89
senior member (56)senior membersenior member
  
02/22/2021 04:55PM  
unshavenman: "Bill responded yesterday to my inquiry regarding country of origin for the current iteration of his packs:
"We have found a manufacturer in China who we can trust. We have worked with them for 5 years and they stand behind their work. From my perspective they consistently manufacture to my specifications and communicate well. So far, they have exceeded my expectations."
"


Most of us have to work hard to earn a wage to support our families, regardless of where we live. If a pack is constructed with skill and quality materials, it is a quality product, regardless of where it was built.
 
02/22/2021 05:56PM  
tumblehome: "
unshavenman: "Bill responded yesterday to my inquiry regarding country of origin for the current iteration of his packs:
"We have found a manufacturer in China who we can trust. We have worked with them for 5 years and they stand behind their work. From my perspective they consistently manufacture to my specifications and communicate well. So far, they have exceeded my expectations."
"



Made in China. It’s just another pack. Too bad.


I was on the ‘buy American’ band-wagon long before it was politically cool.

Or at least ‘buy North American’.


Tom"

While I can appreciate the reasoning behind this, there is a difference between Chinese made junk and products made in China. Fjallraven, Arcteryx, Outdoor Research, and Mountain Hardwear make numerous products in China and other east Asian countries and no one is debating the ethics or quality of these companies.
 
aholmgren
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02/23/2021 07:41AM  


here is my Ostrom in action in the area wilderness
 
mschi772
distinguished member(806)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/23/2021 08:13AM  
tumblehome: "Made in China. It’s just another pack. Too bad."


Like others have said, where something is made is no longer a reliable indicator of it's quality. I have RBW's barrel harness. Made in China. It's extremely well-made. It is also supremely comfortable, and nothing about its materials or construction is compromised.

Lots of equipment that this community loves is made overseas--Asia in particular.
This community loves their Luci Lights. Made in China.
Helinox is also popular. Korean frames and Vietnamese seats/cases.
Muck boots? China.
UCO lanterns? China.
My awesome Ontario Knife Company RAT 1? Taiwan.
MSR Pocket Rocket? Korea.
Irwin hand saws are made in Denmark.
Silky saws are Japanese.
Mora knives are Swedish.
GSI cookware? China.
(Some or most) MSR cookware is made in Thailand.

Heck, I have suits that use fabrics from Italian mills but are made in China that most people would mistake for $3000 bespoke European suits (outside of the wilderness, I can be a bit of a sartorial geek).

If you want to buy something made more locally, fine, but you are dead wrong to judge the quality of something based on where it was made. There are some excellent products made in China, and there is some worthless garbage made in the US. The "Made in" label only tells you where a thing was made and nothing else.
 
tumblehome
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02/23/2021 08:34AM  
dschult2: "
tumblehome: "
unshavenman: "Bill responded yesterday to my inquiry regarding country of origin for the current iteration of his packs:
"We have found a manufacturer in China who we can trust. We have worked with them for 5 years and they stand behind their work. From my perspective they consistently manufacture to my specifications and communicate well. So far, they have exceeded my expectations.""

Made in China. It’s just another pack. Too bad.

I was on the ‘buy American’ band-wagon long before it was politically cool.

Or at least ‘buy North American’.

Tom"

While I can appreciate the reasoning behind this, there is a difference between Chinese made junk and products made in China. Fjallraven, Arcteryx, Outdoor Research, and Mountain Hardwear make numerous products in China and other east Asian countries and no one is debating the ethics or quality of these companies."

I'm one of those weird dudes that goes out of my way to buy American-made when I can. My camping gear reflects that. I'm sure Dan Cooke or Frost River would appreciate our business!!

There is absolutely no reason to buy a Chinese made camping pack when there are several excellent domestic manufacturers.

Tom
 
02/23/2021 11:01AM  
Another angle on this debate.

The nearest CCS/ Ostrom comparison would be the CCS Hybrid and the Ostrom Quetico. Both wonderful packs no doubt, but the CCS pack is $100 more(even more given the Ostrom sale current sale).

I would be patient and put aside money every month to buy the CCS pack, or even a Duluth pack or Frost River because they are excellent products made by people making a living wage in this country. I can afford to do that, but not every one can. Asian made products are often very good deals for young folks trying to get their first outfit together.

 
tumblehome
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02/23/2021 12:32PM  
Absolutely nowhere in any of my posts did I say that Chinese gear is of poor quality. You put words in my mouth.

If your job competed with chinese made goods would you have different feelings about where our gear came from? If you have a son or daughter working in a business that competes with foreign-made items would you hope people would try to support goods made here?

We have a choice on the subject of packs. We dont always have a choice but with a lot of camping gear we do.
When the chinese start exporting canoes, will we all buy those too?
It's a conscious choice and it makes a big difference.

Our cultural heritage makes us a country of innovators. In China, their cultural heritage is one or replication. One thing I can say about American-made goods is most of the time they are excellent quality and we can talk to the people that made them if we have a problem.
Tom

 
Jackfish
Moderator
  
02/24/2021 09:54AM  
Let's make an effort to stay on the topic of the original post.
 
BWCA
Administrator
  
02/24/2021 09:56AM  
There are a lot of generalizations, simplification, and emotions on this thread.

How about we let the product stand for itself?

I have worked in China in the manufacturing sector. For instance, I used and was in the factory that produces the buckles and clips on almost all decent quality backpacks including CCS packs. The company which makes these is American, but the supply chain makes it such that these make sense to make in Asia. The factory is largely automated, the quality impeccable, and innovation is impressive. I have also worked in factories that need a lot of management.

No matter where a product is made, quality management is important. You can have significant problems if you leave everything to trust.

We aren't going to solve US labor issues on this thread.



 
03/01/2021 08:47AM  
Anyone know the difference between these packs or are they the same?

Ostromoutdoors portage packs

Recreational Barrel Works packs
 
03/01/2021 09:09AM  
timatkn: "Anyone know the difference between these packs or are they the same?


Ostromoutdoors portage packs


Recreational Barrel Works packs "


Based on the web sites the capacity of the packs is different.

The Tripper model from RBW also seems super basic and lacks some of the features of the other packs.

The other difference is that the packs on the Ostrom site are designed with different sized shoulder straps and hip belts.

The Ostrom about page says that he was available for design and consulting to small businesses. Combined with some of the things that have been put out by RBW on youtube it would seem that one small business that Ostrom was consulting with was RBW.

*** Edited to remove incorrect speculation.
 
CApackman
  
03/07/2021 06:00PM  
Hi, Bill O. here. Just to clarify we are not working together. There has not been a business connection between RBW and Ostrom Outdoors since 2019.
 
CApackman
  
03/07/2021 06:14PM  
rdgbwca: "
timatkn: "Anyone know the difference between these packs or are they the same?

Based on the web sites the capacity of the packs is different.

The Tripper model from RBW also seems super basic and lacks some of the features of the other packs.

The other difference is that the packs on the Ostrom site are designed with different sized shoulder straps and hip belts.

The Ostrom about page says that he was available for design and consulting to small businesses. Combined with some of the things that have been put out by RBW on youtube it would seem that one small business that Ostrom was consulting with was RBW.

Reading between the lines it seems that the RBW packs were designed by Ostrom. It could also be speculated that they come from the same factory."


Hi, Bill O here. Still trying to figure out how to reply to a specific post. Lol. I just want to clarify that we did not design the RBW canoe pack. We've not had a business connection with RBW since 2019.
 
03/07/2021 07:11PM  
I've used an older Ostrom barrel pack on an Ontario trip, and it was fine. Hard to say any pack is great when the food barrel is heavier than lead. But I'd use one again, for sure. If I were buying one, I'd probably buy a CCS, but that's me.

Dan's business is an awesome exception in the world of outdoor sewn goods.

Once you get to the point where you have to hire a large number of people who are really top-shelf workers & who can sew outdoor gear as well as Dan...it's tough.

I know the owner of one such business well (I believe they have several dozen folks on the production/sewing floor) - they've managed to make it work with domestic employees (however the products don't quite require the same level of sewing skill that CCS's products would). Another I know has had to send production overseas not because of cost, but because the expertise simply does not exist domestically (at least, in terms of number of potential employees who are at the highest levels of the trade) for their high-end sewn products. There are other 'cottage' outdoor gear manufacturers that have kept production in the USA but have famously struggled with quality (those UL guys in FL). Others have done OK & over time improved (think EE in Winona - good for them!).

Complex issue, to be sure.

Regardless, always glad to see operations like Ostrom making a go of it. They've got a great rep.
 
03/08/2021 10:50AM  
CApackman: "
rdgbwca:



Reading between the lines it seems that the RBW packs were designed by Ostrom. It could also be speculated that they come from the same factory."



Hi, Bill O here. Still trying to figure out how to reply to a specific post. Lol. I just want to clarify that we did not design the RBW canoe pack. We've not had a business connection with RBW since 2019."


Hi Bill O,

I corrected my original post.

Thanks for the clarification.

-rdgbwca
 
joewildlife
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05/17/2021 10:49PM  
I was in on the group buy of the Ostrom Solo pack a few years ago. Bill said those would be the last Solo packs he makes. I'm glad I got one!

I do not think they are too big for solo use.
In fact I had a custom pack made with the same concept, it is much larger, and has a drawstring/flap setup like the CCS Guide packs (which I also own and love).
The custom pack gets used more than the Ostrom pack, so far. I don't pack small, I guess.

The Ostrom pack is cool, in that 2 15lb Vittle Vaults fit perfectly in the bottom duffel. Some folks use those as an alternative to blue barrels. Another buyer of the Solo pack fits a 20L blue barrel in his Solo pack.

My Solo pack:
 
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