wrote on Mar 11^th, 2007 at 5:33am:

TimA...those US Plastics barrels....the 8 gallons.....what is their widest diameter?  and what pack of yours do they happen to fit in?  got a tape measure?    :)   Jan

Widest diameter is 11 1/2 inches in the middle--narrows down to just under 10" opening. I put it in an older style Granite Gear Superior one pack. If you put two barrels in a pack you will definitely want to use one with the hip belt and suspension system to be able to vary/re-balance  the load. The dimensions for my pack are 20l x25h x11w. I mentioned this before, but the newer GG packs are made with a newer material and don't seem to be as good of fit as I have with my older pack. I'm sure any of the manufacturers make something that would work.

I've also toyed with the idea of bringing one 30L barrel in a pack (since that is all I really ever need for food)---then just putting it in the center of the pack and loading other gear around it to keep it balanced. Then about any pack would work for it---using the two barrels it is just too easy to keep the load balanced is why I haven't tried it yet.

The barrel harness is not an option for me because I already have pack that works (don't want to spend extra on harness) and I like the versatility of having the barrel in an actual pack because other stuff can go in the pack besides what fits in the barrel.

Tim