Cactus Foray 75L

Quick Verdict

Best for: The Cactus Foray is Built to last forever. If you intend on a simple designed pack that is capable of almost any load and large enough for week long missions this is a decent pack.

Avoid if: 

  • You carry light loads.
  • You like features.
  • you don’t want a heavy pack.

Reviewer Rating: 3⭐️

Overall score: 83/100

MODEL

PRICE

WEIGHT

TERRAIN

SCORE

Cactus Foray 75L

$1,000 NZD

3kg

Multi day Tramping 

60/100

Key Specs

  • Category: Tramping Packs

  • Tested by: NZ hiking guide

  • Weight: 3kg
  • Price: $1,000 NZD
  • Intended use: Tramping/Hiking

Scores

Key: 1=Very poor 2=Poor 3= Decent 4= Great 5 = Best in category

1=20 points 5=100 points toward overall rating

  • Comfort: 3/5
  • Weight: 1.5/5
  • Features:  2/5
  • Durability: 5/5
  • Value: 2/5
  • Reviewer Rating: 3/5

Who this Pack is for:

Ideal user: Back country trips, on and off trail. Overnight hikes. Multi day.

Ideal terrain: NZ national parks, tracks, DOC tracks, off trail.

Do not buy this Pack if:

You want a lightweight pack and don’t often tramp multi day. It is very heavy and simple in design so I’d also say for new people looking for their first pack I would lean towards a more feature friendly all trips in 1 pack that is better value on price.

Pros:

  • ✅Durable
  • ✅Reliable
  • ✅Carries heavy loads
  • ✅Kiwi brand

Cons:

  • ❌Heavy
  • ❌Limited features
  • ❌Expensive

Field testing summary:

Terrain tested: Off trail, on trail, guiding, river crossing.

Weather tested: Rain, coastal, alpine, hot weather, multi day.

Distance or time worn: Owned 4 years Minimum 70 days 350km 

Verdict:

The pack was a dream pack for me and I hate to say it but was a tad disappointed. Though simple design appealed to me, as soon as I had a pack with hip belt pockets and compartments I found myself never using it for guiding and rarely for tramping & camping. Comparing to other packs I have used I found under a load it was actually less comfortable (even if it’s more capable) for loads between the 18 to 30kg range. In saying this I trust this pack more then any other for big technical trips and will continue to get use out of it.

Alternative Pack models:

Links attached

Where to buy:

        Links attached