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Choosing a back pack

ECLM
WCF

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D

Delboy

Following on from a previous thread about getting into window cleaning.

Can any one link to a good back pack.

I just want something good & reliable which i can make a trolley system out of.

Ive looked about but im not sure whats good or bad. I liked the sound of the bad boy 22ltr facelift.

Is it better to buy a set that comes with the pole or to buy it all separately?

Its hard when you dont really know what your looking at ?

Whats the crack with the fittings, seen hozelock mentioned where it asks you to pick which fitting you want.

I want to keep everything as light as possible without going crazy expensive in case it doesnt work out for me.

Im planning on buying my water.

Theres a place close to me that sells RO water from a vending machine at 5p litre.

Its advertised for aquariums, take it its the same as i'd need.

 
Most guys on here (inc me) have the Gardiners's back pack. In my opinion, forget hozlelock fittings and go for the EZ fittings at Gardiners.

Regarding the pole, most on here use the SLX 22, quality pole

 
As Steve said I started off with a gardiner backpack and a £15 alley sacktrolley off eBay also a slx22, the backpack as never missed a beat my son as been using daily for a year solid until a couple of weeks ago (still works perfect) until he got a pure freedom nano trolley. 

 
Den said:
As Steve said I started off with a gardiner backpack and a £15 alley sacktrolley off eBay also a slx22, the backpack as never missed a beat my son as been using daily for a year solid until a couple of weeks ago (still works perfect) until he got a pure freedom nano trolley. 
Click to expand...
Cheers guys, that Gardiner is much cheaper than the ones i was looking at ?

Bit worried it says 9hrs for the battery but reviews saying they last days.

If i bought that backpack with ez snap end, a slx22 pole is there anything else i need?

The other thing i wanted was to make the hose from pole to back pack longer so i could when possible leave the backpack at the front of the property and walk around the back with just the pole.

Also do i add something to the hose (like a tap) to turn water on and off to save waste or is it not needed.

 
This my simple approach I have 15m of gardiner's reinforced pole hose and 15m of exceed blue pole hose univalve on slx pole, I have two backpacks both identical setup apart from I have gardiner green pole hose on the other setup.

IMG_0060.JPG

 
Den said:
As Steve said I started off with a gardiner backpack and a £15 alley sacktrolley off eBay also a slx22, the backpack as never missed a beat my son as been using daily for a year solid until a couple of weeks ago (still works perfect) until he got a pure freedom nano trolley. 
Click to expand...
 Any reason for the upgrade?  Is there a benefit to the nano freedom?

 
Is there a reason why you have the 2 different colour 15m hoses joined together rather than 1 x 30m hose? 

Sorry if thats a silly question lol.

What connector(s) do i buy to join the hose from the gardiner (with ez stop end) if i wanted to extend it to say 25m then connect it to the pole.

What size hose do you recomend?

Sorry for all the dumb questions ?

 
Yes the nano is far superior much quicker to change a barrel than fill the gardiner's backpack, build quality is top notch we have a few houses that I have to walk through to clean the back as no side entrances, these houses are really big with huge connies and take 20 plus litre each just for the backs, much easy to carry the nano then the container separately. I do a couple of blocks of flats I can drop a couple of containers off for my son and then I do the other block with my van mount, also houseboat the wheels are better than a cheap trolley.

but the gardiner backpack is a great cheap alternative and as serve me really well over the last year and if your budget can't stretch for a nano I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I used the reinforced pole hose on the backpacks but when I installed the univalve I started using the blue and green pu hose as these work better with the univalve then I went tubeless they why the blue hose in wrapped around the trolley handles.

 
Dave B said:
How are you doing the tubeless Den?

Is it still jg pushfit?
Click to expand...
Yes just like you and Mark067 showed me, glad I did as keep getting disconnections with the rectus fittings.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mmmm, i could afford the nano and it looks bloody great but is it overkill for a newbie whos only about to start out.

Gonna do flyers soon and start canvasing but i want to buy stuff now to practice at home and on the neighbours.

Also, would it fit into a ford focus car? ?

 
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The nano is tiny as an adjustable handle that can be lowered check pure freedom nano trolley website for lowered dimensions even with the pneumatic wheels it's still more narrow than the backpack with the tiny trolley wheels takes up no room, I have a van so I don't need to lower the handle.

 
Delboy,  I am not sure of your physical situation or how you intend to get the water to your car.  For me, I used to use a back pack 10 yr ago and took ill (nothing to do with my gear, my body just tried to kill me lol).  I am just going to be restarting after a decade of being mostly in bed.  The backpack system served me great, I used the most feeble of trolleys and just used to handball the backpack if I needed to.  Sometimes it would fall over, it was never the end of the world.  It did nothing that my friends expensive trolley system could and visa versa.  It is not really to be used on your back, get a trolley for it.

In saying all that, because of my condition I have not got much choice but to look for the lightest system I can find and literally throw money at it, and turn down lots of work too to be honest (an 18ft extreme & a 4ft CLX is crazy for most people).  With the Gardiner I will have to find a cheap trolley which is no problem, and then bungee it. I will have to do the same with each 25 litre drum I wheel to the car. With the Pure Freedom Nano I will have the trolley, and the drums slot in.  The Pure Freedom Nano is about the same weight as any trolley you will probably buy for the Gardiner Backpack. Occasionally with either one you will have to dismantle it and walk it round (or through), I will probably have to turn a bit of that work down, we will see how it goes though. I think the Pure Freedom just pips it for me due to the narrowness and the fact it looks a damn good trolley.  But it is really close though and the price, well that isn't close at all.  Grrrrrr!

 
Delboy said:
Mmmm, i could afford the nano and it looks bloody great but is it overkill for a newbie whos only about to start out.

Gonna go flyers soon and start canvasing but i want to buy stuff now to practice at home and on the neighbours.

Also, would it fit into a ford focus car? ?
Click to expand...
i use an old mazda 323 and carry backpack 6 barrels, bucket of trad tools, wfp, trad pole, chems, small karcher, hose reel, bucket of bits and bobs, and a triple, double, and single ladder on the roof. Usually got half a garden bag of stuff from gutters in there as well if I have a gutter clean, and a Harris pole with progutter. Kept seats up and backpack, reel and pressure washer on back seat with poles resting on rear bench seat with base in rear footwell, everything else in boot. Works for me and that's similar to a focus in size.

 
Clisty1989 said:
I have water genie backpack and had no issues, with a barracuda 27ft pole does everything I need it to.
Click to expand...
mine keeps cuting out ive striped it and found the battory is fiting the wires volt meter no longer works when i contacted to seller i was less than inpressed with the rasponce  so ive lurnt a lesson stick with alex gardner as if it goes rong u can be shore it will get replaced or fixed with out me having to faff about with it as im bizzy working 10 hour days + sat half days, i realy dont need the hastle im just to tired and craby when i get home + i should not have to deal with it , its now a case of will it work or will it need striping again on sight to get the dam thing working not inpressed realy to be fair

 
tench0771 said:
mine keeps cuting out ive striped it and found the battory is fiting the wires volt meter no longer works when i contacted to seller i was less than inpressed with the rasponce  so ive lurnt a lesson stick with alex gardner as if it goes rong u can be shore it will get replaced or fixed with out me having to faff about with it as im bizzy working 10 hour days + sat half days, i realy dont need the hastle im just to tired and craby when i get home + i should not have to deal with it , its now a case of will it work or will it need striping again on sight to get the dam thing working not inpressed realy to be fair
Click to expand...


My water genie backpack is also knackered. Had it about 3 months

In first week hand on trolley thing broke, it's just not string enough to use as a trolley.  So I binned that. Few weeks later it wouldn't charge. Then voltmeter stopped working.   Ended up stripping it down and re wiring it just to operate off the on off switch and now use a car bat charger to charge it.  

 
Karls Window Cleaning said:
Delboy,  I am not sure of your physical situation or how you intend to get the water to your car.  For me, I used to use a back pack 10 yr ago and took ill (nothing to do with my gear, my body just tried to kill me lol).  I am just going to be restarting after a decade of being mostly in bed.  The backpack system served me great, I used the most feeble of trolleys and just used to handball the backpack if I needed to.  Sometimes it would fall over, it was never the end of the world.  It did nothing that my friends expensive trolley system could and visa versa.  It is not really to be used on your back, get a trolley for it.

In saying all that, because of my condition I have not got much choice but to look for the lightest system I can find and literally throw money at it, and turn down lots of work too to be honest (an 18ft extreme & a 4ft CLX is crazy for most people).  With the Gardiner I will have to find a cheap trolley which is no problem, and then bungee it. I will have to do the same with each 25 litre drum I wheel to the car. With the Pure Freedom Nano I will have the trolley, and the drums slot in.  The Pure Freedom Nano is about the same weight as any trolley you will probably buy for the Gardiner Backpack. Occasionally with either one you will have to dismantle it and walk it round (or through), I will probably have to turn a bit of that work down, we will see how it goes though. I think the Pure Freedom just pips it for me due to the narrowness and the fact it looks a damn good trolley.  But it is really close though and the price, well that isn't close at all.  Grrrrrr!
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear youve had health issues.

Thankfully im fit as a fiddle, bit plump around the middle lol but health is fine.

Ive just spent 10 yrs doing a job where every 4-5 mins i had to manually lift 2 x 30kg reels from a machine, carry them to a table, pack them then carry them to a pallet. Would average 3 ton a day, so lifting shouldnt be a problem.

If i was already in the job i would go for the nano 100%, but im not and have zero customers lol.

Scary spending that much ££££ but so so tempting. 

Clisty1989 said:
i use an old mazda 323 and carry backpack 6 barrels, bucket of trad tools, wfp, trad pole, chems, small karcher, hose reel, bucket of bits and bobs, and a triple, double, and single ladder on the roof. Usually got half a garden bag of stuff from gutters in there as well if I have a gutter clean, and a Harris pole with progutter. Kept seats up and backpack, reel and pressure washer on back seat with poles resting on rear bench seat with base in rear footwell, everything else in boot. Works for me and that's similar to a focus in size.
Click to expand...
Cool.

Its the family car, so i dont want to wreck it but i dont want to buy a new vehicle just yet.

 
Last edited:
tench0771 said:
mine keeps cuting out ive striped it and found the battory is fiting the wires volt meter no longer works when i contacted to seller i was less than inpressed with the rasponce  so ive lurnt a lesson stick with alex gardner as if it goes rong u can be shore it will get replaced or fixed with out me having to faff about with it as im bizzy working 10 hour days + sat half days, i realy dont need the hastle im just to tired and craby when i get home + i should not have to deal with it , its now a case of will it work or will it need striping again on sight to get the dam thing working not inpressed realy to be fair
Click to expand...




My water genie backpack is also knackered. Had it about 3 months

In first week hand on trolley thing broke, it's just not string enough to use as a trolley.  So I binned that. Few weeks later it wouldn't charge. Then voltmeter stopped working.   Ended up stripping it down and re wiring it just to operate off the on off switch and now use a car bat charger to charge it.  
Click to expand...
odd, i spoke with Adam when I had a small issue and he sorted it straight away. (loose wire to controller). Must be a bad batch, shame as I was gonna get a second one for my father in law.

Delboy said:
Sorry to hear youve had health issues.

Thankfully im fit as a fiddle, bit plump around the middle lol but health is fine.

Ive just spent 10 yrs doing a job where every 4-5 mins i had to manually lift 2 x 30kg reels from a machine, carry them to a table, pack them then carry them to a pallet. Would average 3 ton a day, so lifting shouldnt be a problem.

If i was already in the job i would go for the nano 100%, but im not and have zero customers lol.

Scary spending that much ££££ but so so tempting. 

Cool.

Its the family car, so i dont want to wreck it but i dont want to buy a new vehicle just yet.
Click to expand...
mine was £300, will be upgrading to van when the mot runs out, but a banger will get you on your feet, and saves unloading it every day, ill take a couple pics when I have a few mins so you get the idea

 
Cheers mate.

Its not so much buying the vehicle i can get a cheap run around easy enough its the extra, insurance, tax etc.

 

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