Bushwalk Australia

Gidday all. Could anyone who has one of these packs give some feedback on them. I have read some mixed reviews especially on the quality of the Onyx. Any info appreciated.

Hi steady,

I have a mercury 75 but have not had it long enough or put it through enough to give a fair call on durability.

But I am surprised that there have been issues of note reported. The quality appears very good when going over the pack with a fine tooth comb - good stitching, reinforcement, fairly heavy duty materials. Having said that i would rather not have the J-zip (potential point of failure) or water proof zips (more weight and complexity).

What are your top priorities from a pack? If you are after flat-out bomber, last 20 yrs maybe consider one planet or macpac. But given these BDs can be landed into Aus for not much more than $200 it may be worth putting up with a little less lifespan.

Of note the suspension (the feature system of this pack) is great - i think it is a genuine improvement over traditional fixed systems (and I had a lot of doubts leading up to the decision to purchase).

I've got the mercury, , its made of pretty strong nylon... looks pretty abrasion resistant to me, i thin its likely to stack up well to competitors..
i've been using a black diamond infinity for years , it is made of lighter materials and its lasted well.
i havent got round to using the mercury yet i dont use it for all my trips, i'll be using it for a week at new years...
it uses 400 denier nylon

Thanks for the replies nq111 and wayno.
My initial interest was in the harness set up and it's pleasing to hear that it seems to be effective. The question of quality/longevity was from reading a couple of reviews about zip failure after minimal use. Perhaps these were isolated cases - hopefully. The other aspects of the pack fit the bill for me.
nq111 what are the US sites that sell BD to Aus?

the harness is the same on the infinity as the mercury and onyx, i've had no problems with it...
the zips are pretty robust. they are stiff to operate but reviews say this improves with time..

steady wrote: nq111 what are the US sites that sell BD to Aus?

Actually - i got mine from the UK - good price at the time and only about $10 shipping ( http://www.fruugoaustralia.com/black-diamond-mercury-75l-medium-stone/p-1818395#i-1 ).

I have a US reshipper so the 'do not ship' clauses were not an issue - just the deal. Specials have probably changed - try ebay sellers and a google and you find an even better deal.