If Shaun White Met Hendrix

July 22, 2011 7:43 AM

I want to put a backpack up for sale on Craigslist, but I wanted to make sure I knew what kind of thing it was first -- but I can't find what I think is the brand name, and looking at the type of pack it was supposed to be also doesn't look right. What the hell kind of pack do I have?

I got this off eBay a couple years ago. Ostensibly, according to the eBay listing, this is a snowboard backpack. It's got a big main compartment, and a separate pouch (about 10" by 12") that is affixed to the back with straps which can be tightened or loosened. Also, one side of the pouch has a zippered pocket so you can put stuff in it -- but the UNDERSIDE of the pouch also has a zippered pocket with two other straps that can come out and latch onto something. So it looks like you should be able to slip something between the pouch and the pack, use the straps from inside the pouch to hold it in place, and then use the other straps holding on the pouch to further tighten it down and secure the whatever-you-slipped-under-it.

However, all of the "snowboard backpack" googling I've just done doesn't yield anything resembling this construction at all. Also, the only sort of brand name or logo I can detect on this is the name "Voodoo Child," and I'm similarly unable to find any backpack or outdoor company with that name online, nor am I able to find any company that makes a pack with that model name. I got this off ebay in 1999, so maybe I'm dealing with something comparatively old.

I wanted to check what the going price for this sort of thing is so I can just get rid of it (I meant to get it for camping and figured "backpacks are backpacks", but now that I'm finally getting into camping I'm realizing it's really not going to work), but now I'm not even sure what it is I've got. Can anyone confirm what I've got so I can list this accurately? Thanks!

posted by EmpressCallipygos to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 answers total)

Photos?
posted by k8t at 7:47 AM on July 22, 2011

I can add some this evening (sorry, I'm being a bad girl and posting from work).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:48 AM on July 22, 2011

So it's not this?
posted by Houstonian at 7:54 AM on July 22, 2011

....Holy crap, Houstonian, I think that might be it. You wouldn't know of a better picture, would you?

(And I'm chagrined you were able to find that when I wasn't.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:56 AM on July 22, 2011

I looked, and haven't found a better picture yet. Notice that the one I linked to is dated 1997. There seems to be a Quest Store in New Zealand (might be the same, but why would they have an 800 number in 1997?) but their website is under construction. That old article has a telephone number, but if you call it you get customer service for a company called Zinus, Inc. (not what you're looking for).

If that's the one, at least you have a general description and an idea of it's retail price in 1997?
posted by Houstonian at 8:05 AM on July 22, 2011

Yeah, the more I'm looking the more I think that's it. And I wasn't going to charge much (I think I only got it for about thirty bucks anyway), so the "$110 retail in 1997" will help my cause big time. It also looks like that's what used snowboard packs are going for online in general.

Awesome. Thanks!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:10 AM on July 22, 2011

A back-issue of Backpacker magazine from 1999 shows some packs by Quest (but not yours). In the article, it gives a physical and email address for the Quest company (jwiusa.com in Freemont, California).

Looking for jwiusa.com shows that it was owned by Jinwoong, Inc. Looking up that company finally gives some information: An article on allbusiness.com from 1999 explains why you can't find the Quest brand: "Two decades ago, Jinwoong began the Quest brand name on the premise that it would offer the market higher-end product at an attainable price. Since then, the Outdoor Industry Group bought the brand (1996), only to see it sold back to Jinwoong in 1998. Now, Quest will be seeing a change in parent companies once again. Company officials announced in early July that Jinwoong will now be known as Northpole."

The NY Times wrote an article about this company in 1990, and it seems that equipment was sold at many price points, with Quest being their top line.

Here is Northpole today. Their Contact Us page gives an 800 number for customer service located in Missouri. The page for requesting instruction manuals gives a customer-service email address. I bet if you sent them an email, they could tell you all the great things about your pack.
posted by Houstonian at 9:38 AM on July 22, 2011

Checked out the Northpole site -- it doesn't look like they offer any kind of packs at all right now, so I have the sinking feeling that they wouldn't be able to help any.

But seriously, thanks for doing the legwork; I've got plenty to do up a Craigslist ad now, between that and the first link with the picture you found. Thanks!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:39 PM on July 22, 2011