Packs for Bearikade Expedition

[HooKooDooKu]

Planning a JMT thru this year leaving MTR with 10 days of supplies using the Bearikade Expedition.

I haven't finished packing supplies yet, but I've heard that 2 to 2.5 pounds of consumables per day is typical. That suggests that the Bearikade is going to weight about 22 pounds leaving MTR.

While I have not weighted all the gear I plan to carry, based on my typical hike, I expect the rest of the gear to weigh 25 to 30 pounds.

My current pack is an REI Flash 62. But the Bearikade Expedition just doesn't seem compatible.
1. The footprint of the Bearikade (diameter) exceeds depth dimension of the footprint of the Flash.
2. There doesn't look like there is going to be enough room inside the pack for the Expedition and all my gear (which includes a 15º synthetic fill bag).
3. The bottom lashing straps are large enough for the Bearikade, but I think the weight of a loaded Bearikade will be too much for the stitching of the straps.
4. The Flash just doesn't look designed to carry a 50 pound load.

So with REI's sale going on right now, wondered if some of you more experienced long haul hikers might have a suggestion on any packs I might want to consider.

[Venchka]

A pack with a floating top pocket (brain) would allow the Bearkade to ride on top of the main pack bag and under the top pocket.
If the straps on the lid and pack are long enough, I would start looking at the Osprey Aether 60.
Good luck with your search.

Wayne


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[Venchka]

Like this from Dan McHale's bear canister page.

<http://www.mchalepacks.com/images/EXP%20cannister%20on%20pack%20side%209x.jpg>

Wayne


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[Venchka]

Like this from Dan McHale's bear canister page.

http://www.mchalepacks.com/images/EX...0side%209x.jpg

Wayne


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Link fixed?

[Venchka]

Try this.

http://www.mchalepacks.com/ultraligh...ter%20Page.htm

Wayne


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[HooKooDooKu]

A pack with a floating top pocket (brain) would allow the Bearkade to ride on top of the main pack bag and under the top pocket.

My REI Flash 63 is so designed, just not sure how well that would work with a 20 can up there (I'll have to try it).

Anyone have any specific feedback on the Osprey Volt 75?
It seems to be one of the lighter weight packs that are a bit on the large size. Current sales price is $160 (Osprey Aether 60 is $208).

[Venchka]

The good news is that the Bearikade weight goes down daily.
I've tried the Aether in the store and it fits me well. It may fit you like a brick. As I recall, Osprey's weight range for the Aether is at least 50 pounds. I could be wrong. And supposedly the store can mold the belt and shoulder pads to fit you.
I've never touched the Volt.

Wayne


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[verysimple]

Osprey atmosphere ag65 or zenith series..


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[imscotty]

I had my Bearikade in a ULS Catalyst. The specs convinced me I could pack it horizontal, but I ended up going vertical and fitting everything around it. It was fine. The real trick was trying to fit 10n days worth of food in the canister, I did not have complete success. The first days meals you can carry outside the canister, I ate a bit lean the other days. All of it was great, no problems.

What I really want to say is that the scenery those last days out of MTR were so great, you really did not care about much else. You are going to have a great time HooKooDooku . Bring extra flash cards and batteries for the camera. Enjoy.

[HooKooDooKu]

...I ended up going vertical and fitting everything around it...

That's mostly what I'm thinking... but I need a bigger pack. My REI Flash 62 is the size large listed as 65L. But with the canister vertical in the pack, there isn't enough room beside it for my sleeping bag (other wise, cloths, sleep pads, etc could be stuffed around it fine).

Bring extra flash cards and batteries for the camera.

Already purchased the Anker Power Port Solar Lite (15W).
Tons of space on my memory card (if I don't shot video).

[MuddyWaters]

The simple solution is to hike more miles per day than 11. Thats a slower pace.

You have very long days in summer. Easy to shave a day or two off. You always have the fallback of hiking out for resupply at onion valley if you run short for some reason as well.

Dont pack too much here, 110 miles isnt far without resupply unless you make it. I would not contemplate a 50 lb pack for this. I met one woman who did, she took 25 days to do JMT carrying 10 lbs camera equipment, and published book of photos.

Plenty do last stretch in 6-8 days with weekender cannister. First days food can be in pack as well. Id say you can expect to do at least same to maybe 25% more miles per day than on southern AT. Water is plentiful. Keep the pack light and the mileage high. If you do 10-12 mpd on AT, you will probably average 14 on JMT.

Plan to leave MTR after lunch at latest carrying only half of that days food. The earlier in the day you leave MTR, the less food you need to fit in the cannister that night. You only need half days food as well the last day to WP. At 12.5 mpd, you only need 8.5 days food in can, plus the first half days out. Total of 9 days at a pretty conservative pace.

I dont think you will get 22 lb food in expedition. Probably more like 15 -16 lb food for~ 9 days. Your going to be lean calories regardless. Expect the weight loss.

Packing tightly is one thing at home. Its harder to do on a bench at MTR surrounded by other people when being given the bums rush.

Practice packing cannister. Anything with air inside package poke hole with needle, squeeze air out, tape over hole. Repackage items, etc.

Find a way to fit the expedition in your pack, swap other gear instead to end up with a lighter overall pack.

[HooKooDooKu]

If you do 10-12 mpd on AT, you will probably average 14 on JMT.

One of my issues is that I don't know what my abilities are. I've been backpacking for over 20 years. But in that time, I've never spent more than 2 nights in a row in the woods.

I dont think you will get 22 lb food in expedition. Probably more like 15 -16 lb food for~ 9 days. Your going to be lean calories regardless. Expect the weight loss.

I did a quick test last night with some of the food I've been prepackaging already and it looks like I can get about 2,600cal in 24oz. (goal was 3,000cal/day). That's only 15lbs of food.
Helps a little with the weight, but not the size of this canister.

[SteelCut]

Depending upon when you are going a 15 degree bag might be over-kill. When I lived in CA I would routinely do summer alpine climbing trips with a 30 degree bag and routinely bivied at over 12K feet with no problems.

And I'd at least consider a down bag over a synthetic bag. That would help you reduce the size/weight of your non-canister gear.

Just my $0.02.

[Hoofit]

Check out the Hyperlite Mountain Gear......maybe the 4400...lightweight, waterproof so no need for a cover and supposedly good for 60 pounds of gear..Campmoor will give you 10% off and free shipping as they are kinda pricey!

[burger]

As mentioned above, unless you're hike is super early or super late in the season (like June or late September), I would first and foremost think about a lighter bag or even a quilt. I suspect that a 25 degree quilt would take up at least 25% less space than your 15-degree bag.

Also, why are you carrying 10 days of food? Why not just go out at Kearsarge Pass and resupply in Bishop/Independence? Yeah, the romantic idea of not leaving the mountains for 10 days sounds great in principle, but when you are struggling under the weight of all that food in a pack that is not designed to hold so much weight, I guarantee you will wish you'd carried less food. Plus Kearsarge is a spectacular pass, and the hike up the pass is not too bad in either direction. It is a long climb from the trailhead, but the grades are fairly mellow iirc.

Plus you should really be eating more than 2600 calories a day. You're not going to starve to death on a trip this short, but you might be happier with more food. If there is any way you can do a shakedown trip of longer than 3 days before your JMT hike, that will be very helpful for figuring out your food needs.

[HooKooDooKu]

Depending upon when you are going a 15 degree bag might be over-kill.

We're talking about the JMT in summer.

I'd at least consider a down bag over a synthetic bag. That would help you reduce the size/weight of your non-canister gear.

I own synthetic bags because my main camping area is the Great Smoky Mountains where the humidity is usually about 110%. Not sure about modern down, but an older brother tried a down bag in GSMNP many years ago and found the bag absorbed moisture out of the air because of the high humidity.

I have a 32º and a 15º Mountain Hardware Ultralamina sleeping bag. For synthetic, they pack pretty small. Here's a comparison of the 15º bag to a comparable Marmot high-end down bag:
15º UltraLamina = 8x16 stuff sack (13.2L)
15º Marmot Plasma = 7.5x15 (11L)


I've considered just taking the 32º bag (33% lighter and about half the volume). But I also recall snow in TM last year in July. This is a subject I've gone back and forth on. I've considered just taking the 32º, but I've been afraid that I'd need to take an extra layer of clothing just to make sure I'll be warm enough... to which I then tell myself that the extra pound of the 15º is possibly the same weight at an extra layer of warm clothing (possibly less).


I've liked my REI Flash 62, and the reviews I can find on the Osprey Volt 75 make it sound vary similar but better and bigger. So while REI has their sale going on, I've ordered the Volt to try out. I should be driving by an REI this weekend, so if it doesn't look like it's going to work out, I'll return it and take the canister with me to look at other things they might have in stock (especially anything REI carries that anyone would recommend).

[saltysack]

Agree with muddy...before my sept jmt thru my longest AT hike was ~100 miles on long weekends. I found it was much easier to average more miles. I finished easily in 13 days. I'd speed up and use smaller canister. The weekender fit nicely horizontal in my circuit with 6-7 days of food.


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[HooKooDooKu]

...why are you carrying 10 days of food? Why not just go out at Kearsarge Pass and resupply in Bishop/Independence?

Time...

When I started planning for this trip, trying to get the JMT done in 21 days felt like I was pushing my limits...
5 years ago, 10 miles in one day was a L O N G hike.
3 years ago, I hit my physical limits doing a 13 mile day in GSMNP (Silers Bald to Spence Field).
1 year ago was the 1st time I had ever hiked 14 miles in one day (mostly down hill, and my feet were killing me by the end).

So with all that said, once I started planning for this JMT trip in earnest, I've always felt like a 21 day hike was going to push my limits, and my schedule just doesn't allow for me to add the two additional days a Kearsarge Pass resupply would add.

Beyond that, my overall situation is...
1. I now own a Bearikade Expedition,
2. I can't justify buying new sleeping bags for just this one trip, and
3. I've been contemplating a new back pack for at least a year (JMT or Not).

[QiWiz]

I used an Expedition Bearikade to load 1.5 pounds/day of pretty compact food for 9 days (14.5 pounds) leaving MTR SOBO and barely got it all in. I doubt strongly that you can fit 2-2.5 pounds/day for 10 days in one. Make yourself a cardboard cylinder the size of the Bearikade and test the fit. You might make it if what you pack are all big plastic bags of trail mix, oatmeal, rice, and other staples, rather than by meal or by day, which is my preference. Dead space is the issue: how to fill every nook and cranny with food.

In terms of pack, used a Gossamer Gear Mariposa and the Bearikade fit fine in that (vertically, with some stuff on either side, near top of pack).

[GDM]

Seek Outside Unaweep pack.. Not cheap, but comfy, adjustable, can carry bear cans in a variety of ways, reasonably lightweight, and can handle anywhere from 10 - 100 pounds.

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