Hey yall, need an opinion. I am thinkin about gettting a Dakine Apex or Dakine Nomad

[eruizela]

Hey yall, need an opinion. I am thinkin about gettting a Dakine Apex or a Dakine Nomad Hyrdration pack.

I carry a pump, 3 tubes, patches, multitool, food, cell, walllet, knee+shin combo, elbox and very soon a full face helmet.

Which pack do most people use and like the most.

It seems like the APEX is large for storage but is it too large and heavy? Is the Apex ok for long 5+ hour rides?

It the Nomad the best balance of size and weight.

Thanks for your input!

[CalEpic]

I have the Nomad and really like it. I tend to be a pack rat and need to limit the size of my pack or I'll take the kitchen sink with me. My Camelbak Mule just could not carry enough so I wanted something slightly bigger for longer rides. The Nomad is great with lots of organizing pockets, special straps for a full face helmet and a pocket for an XC lid. Straps for armor as well. I also like the Nalgene bladder with the QR hose. A very handy feature although the bite valve started leaking after only a month or so. I keep forgetting to change that out.

The size is perfect for me.

I lucked out and got one off Steep and Cheap for $40

C

[Kid A]

similar to craig i went from the blowfish (not mule) to the nomad and love it. way durable. a bit stiff at first. will most def take a few rides to break in as comped to a bunch of other packs i have had. have ridden with it with armor lashed to it but never rally carried a fullface with it but i belvie it can be done. I think thye have mad some mods to it since i picekd mine up a few years back as i think boats also has one and it looked so. Apex looks a bit big for every day use but you cannot loose with dakine. I've been rocking theri stufff for years originally from snowboard (board bag, gear bag, hydration, etc) at it has NEVER let me down..except the bladders as mentioned above. i bleive there have been a few threads on the bladder "issue" so suggest you take a search if concerns

[volcomsteban]

I had the Apex and it was too small. The Nomad is a smidge too big but I don't carry 3 tubes or any of my armor. It sounds like it would be perfect for you. I got mine through Backcountry.com and it was super cheap. Shop around and you can find a sweet deal them

[J_Sims]

Wingnut!!!

[Nagaredama]

I'd get the bigger of the two Dakines. My buddy bought the smaller one first then realized he wanted slightly more room and bought the bigger one exclusively. Just because the bag is big doesn't mean you need to fill it up.

[FatPossum]

A friend of mine has the Nomad and loves it. If I had some extra $$ and needed a new pack - it would be at the top of my list.

[Cyanide41]

3 tubes seems like over kill, especially when you have patches too. If you get THAT many flats on a ride, it's time to call it a day. Someone is trying to tell you something.

[sdyeti]

You can always take a larger bag and cinch down the straps or not fill it up all the way to make it smaller....

but you can never make a small bag bigger...

[dhshuttlemonkey]

+ 1 on the Nomad. The only weakness is the Naglene bladder. Some have had issues with it leaking near the quick connect. The fill opening is small compared to a Camelbak. The bite valve tore after a few months of use & hose melted shut after leaving the bag in the car one day. Rei replaced the whole bladder for free but since then I've replaced the hose & bite valve with one from a Camelbak.

[eruizela]

I have em in case any of my buds need one.

Originally Posted by Cyanide41

3 tubes seems like over kill, especially when you have patches too. If you get THAT many flats on a ride, it's time to call it a day. Someone is trying to tell you something.

[theothermrt]

The nomad is an outstanding pack. holds everything you need for an epic freeride mission in the big mtns. The apex holds all that + a dslr w/ camera block and tends to ride better fully loaded than the nomad. I've had 2 nomads and recently switched to the apex because I've been taking my ff + armor+ dslr on my regular rides. Apex carries weight a little better and it has waterproof zippers.

[SAR_boats]

I have both the Apex and the Nomad and both are outstanding packs.

The Nomad is big enough that unless you a carrying everything you shouldn't need the Apex.

Where the Apex shines is where you are doing backcountry stuff where you have to run double bladders but still have room for tubes, pump, tools, etc.