I have a Granite Gear Blaze and was looking for something a bit lighter. I tried the Ohm 2.0 and didn't like it. I thought the frame wasn't robust enough. I am at 12 pound base weight. I do 4 or 5 night trips on the AT and in Western PA.
I have a Granite Gear Blaze and was looking for something a bit lighter. I tried the Ohm 2.0 and didn't like it. I thought the frame wasn't robust enough. I am at 12 pound base weight. I do 4 or 5 night trips on the AT and in Western PA.
The Aquilo is an awesome pack in my opinion. I have carried alot of different packs from full frame to super ultralight and it is by far my fave. If you want something light but with some volume it is a good choice. I have a Klymit motion 35 that I just got and so far i like it but have not carried it for any extended amount of time yet. It was a collaboration between Klymit and EH.
i have a Kalais. Base weight about like you. I also did 5 nights on the AT last summer. Worked great. The frame was robust enough to transfer essentially all the weight to the hips and the hip belt is substantial enough to take it quite comfortably. The buckle has two adjustments on each side so you can adjust the belt to fit your hip will. Kalais is quite roomy. You should have no trouble fitting your stuff, but it compresses down nicely (compression straps on the side, roll-top extension sleeve on the top). Although my base weight is only about 14 lbs, I carried too much food so the pack was loaded up pretty good. Also this was summer and I hiked through some dry spots where I needed to fill every water bottle I had (3.4 L). Carried the weight fine. Here it is after a long climb. You can see two 1L water bladders in the side pouches.
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Did you get the lumbar support. What is the padding like on the back?
I did not get the lumbar support. There is a sleeve inside the back where you can put an extra pad if you want. I had a torso length thin ccf pad I used for sleeping (supplement/backup for my air mattress) that I kept in there, just because it was a convenient place to store it. Not sure if I will take it next time or not. It doesn't seem to have anything special in the way of ventilation or padding in the back, but I didn't seem to need it. It was quite comfy. Its lack of bells and whistles is what keeps it light weight, and one of the reasons I got it.
I got a custom kalais and have been very happy with it. To me, its a good mix of gossamer gear, ula, and osprey packs combined. Very versatile pack and made really well.
Matthew (owner of Elemental Horizons) was great to work with and very accommodating.
Kalais here as well. About 300 trail miles by now.
I have it carried with up to 26 lbs for a 6-day stint (10# base). Excellent load transfer to the hips, very comfortable. Its belt is one of the best amongst the lightweight internal frame packs.
No lumbar pad, and I think it is unnecessary at the lightish loads this pack is carrying.
Its shape matches my tastes for narrow tall packs.
Very good compression. Great wide pockets with decent retention.
I've been hauling many different backpacks for close to 50 years, and don't have a single negative to list about this pack.
Thanks for feedback. I just ordered the Kalais in red with no lumbar support. Can't wait to get it.