Kelty Red Cloud 5600 Hiking Backpack Video

This is the Kelty Red Cloud 5600. This pack has been a longtime favorite of backpackers looking for a large capacity pack with a supportive suspension. It is available in two colors, Khaki and Night Sky Blue. With the Red cloud you get a top loading main compartment with a spindrift collar for when you need some extra capacity. At the bottom is a zippered sleeping bag compartment with a removable gear shelf that helps to keep the gear from the top of the pack separate from the gear at the bottom of the pack. When you don’t want it you can just detach it and move it out of the way so you have one continuous compartment inside. If you are like me when you are on the trail, the piece of gear that you want in always somewhere at the bottom of the main compartment. This zippered front panel lets you gain access to that without having to unload everything from your pack. You can see that over here a little bit better. The top lid has a front map pocket and a rear valuables pocket with a key clip. There are two side pockets each with zippers and a velcro closure at the bottom that allows you to stuff smaller objects behind without them falling out or to pass longer object like tent poles all the way through behind the pocket. These Red Clouds are large capacity packs designed to carry heavy loads comfortably. What you don’t want is all that weight just hanging off of your shoulders. The objective is to transfer all that weight from your shoulders onto your hips. Kelty accomplishes that with the Cloudlock 2 suspension. At the heart of this suspension are the Lightbeam aluminum stays. You can see that over here a little bit better. These stays carry the weight from the top of the pack to the base, and ultimately transfer that weight to the lumber pad. The contoured hip belt is made of dual density foam. What that means is that there is softer foam up close to you body that is backed by firmer more dense foam for support. The hip belt is articulated. That keeps you hips free to move so that you can maneuver around obstacles on the trail. The hip belt, lumbar pad, back panel, and should straps are all lined with a breathable ventilated mesh fabric. Proper fit is essential for a comfortable carry. That is why Kelty makes the Cloudlock 2 suspension system adjustable for a variety of torso lengths. Simply move the shoulder harness up and down on the Lightbeam stays to adjust to your specific torso length. Load lifter straps pull weight up off of the shoulders. Stabilizer straps pull weight in from the back of the pack and distribute it more evenly across the hip belt. The adjustable height sternum strap pulls the shoulder straps in to prevent chafing under the arms and around the neck. The patented Scherer cinch lets you adjust the hip belt with a single pull forward. Pockets on the hip belt keep things like energy bars always handy. The top lid is removable and comes with its own waistbelt. It’s the perfect capacity for some raingear and lunch for those day hikes away from base camp. There you have it, the Kelty Red Cloud; A comfortable way to carry lots of gear into the backcountry.