Pack Size (or brand) Suggestions?

[riverine17]

Hello everyone,

Brand new to the site here, and loving all the useful information. Im pretty new to civilian multi-day hiking, in fact, my first trip with my wife is coming up in July. I have been on several multi-week "hikes" while in the USMC as an 0311 but never spent more than a few nights camping near my car in the civilian world.

Me and my wife will be hiking the Picture Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, I am asking the help of the experts on here for suggestions on pack brand or size. I own a Marmot Twilight 2 person tent (gift from a friend) and will be purchasing some lightweight sleeping bags soon. She has a Teton 45L bag (another gift) and I dont really want her carrying much weight, therefore I will be carrying most of it, including my tent and what not. We plan on multi-day hiking at least 2-4 times a year, and I want a pack thats comfortable and durable....

Any suggestions? What size would be ideal? What brands are better? Im looking to spend under $200...

Furthermore, any suggestions on "essentials" for our trip? I am used to the survival essentials, IE map, compass, first aid, lighter ect. ect.... but what about for our trip? Any tips?

Thanks in advance!

[JoshL]

I have found a lot of people here like the ULA Circuit http://www.ula-equipment.com/circuit.asp but it is just slightly over your price range. For other brands I like Osprey and Gregory, and you can probably find something nice under 200 from either of those companies depending on what size you are looking for. The best way to pick a pack is to get properly sized and try them on as every person is different. REI is pretty helpful for this if you have one near you. As far as other essentials, some sort of sleeping pad is incredibly important in addition to a sleeping bag if you are planning on tent camping. Thermarest and Exped make some nice ones depending on what you want. If you use the foam ones don't be afraid to double up and use 2. Personally I love having a camelback for water and I would never go on a hike without it; it keeps hydration simple and it is much easier than trying to use bottles, although there are plenty of people who get by just fine without them. Other than that some sort of water treatment or filtration will be necessary for any extended trip, and opinions vary on what is best, and it largely seems like a personal decision.

[JoshL]

I should also mention in regards to weight distribution, don't be afraid to have your wife carry something. When I first went hiking with my girlfriend I carried nearly everything and she just wore a super light day pack. She was constantly ahead of me and I was sweating trying to keep up. If you want to carry more that is certainly fine but I think you will both enjoy the hike more if you share the load and keep a similar pace. There is a dramatic difference between someone hiking with 30+ pounds and someone hiking with ~10-15 pounds regardless of gender, so assuming that she is physically capable of carrying more and is up to the idea I would certainly encourage dividing things up more evenly.

[Feral Bill]

Pack fit is very personal. If there is an outfitter near you see them to try on packs in person. Otherwise, order from REI, LLBean, or others who will let you return a pack if it doesn't work for you, even after use in the field.

[leaftye]

Buy your pack last.

[riverine17]

If it helps any, Im 6'2" and 185lbs...

[rocketsocks]

There are outfitters that also will rent packs so you can try them before you buy,you may even be able to work a deal where by they'll not charge you for the rental if in fact you buy a pack from them,doesn't hurt to ask,check with a store manager for somethin like that.Also check out the home page here,Lotta good reading there on gear and stuff,and then if you form a specific question,many members with experience on particular piece of gear gear may weigh in,and that could prove more fruitful.If your going to be carring a lot of weight as you said,you may not want to go with a light weight pack that is designed to carry a much lighter load,so when shopping look for recomended Max.pack weights,most all of the good pack makers will provide this information,if not,keep looking.

to White Blaze

[bigcranky]

Can you get to an REI and try on some packs? My first guess is that the REI Flash 65 pack will fit your criteria. It should be large enough to carry what you need, it's well made and comfortable, and the cost is reasonable. (And really, if your gear doesn't fit in 65 liters, you are taking too much stuff.) Pack fit is a big deal, and very personal, and best accomplished in person at an outfitter. Other brands to look for are Gregory and Osprey. ULA packs are popular on the AT, but they are mostly mail order and it's tough to recommend one without knowing all the gear you are taking.

Other gear: you need to sleep (tent, sleeping bag, pad), eat (stove, pot, spoons, water bottles and treatment), and protect your body (hiking and camp clothing.) The basics aren't much different from your military service, though you won't need to hump all that ammo. The little stuff is similar, too -- nav gear, first aid kit, etc. If you are interested, PM me and I'll send you my Excel spreadsheet that lists everything.

Your lovely wife will want to carry her own clothing and sleeping bag/pad, plus her personal items. This should weigh no more than 15 pounds total in her pack, which should be fine. You can carry the tent and food, which will be the heaviest items. If the posts on WB are any indication, most women sleep colder than most men -- she'll need a decent sleeping bag, some synthetic long johns, and nice thick wool socks to sleep in. Don't forget chocolate and maybe some red wine, if appropriate.

Have fun!

[Saprogenic]

Gregory makes some tough packs. I love mine. Also, lighters are nice, but they do fail easily. I tend to stick with a firesteel and and magnesium bar or cotton balls for tinder(don't like the ferrocium bar on the mag bars personally). http://www.amazon.com/Swedish-Firest...8924965&sr=8-1

[riverine17]

Thanks everybody for your input, I'm going to be heading to the local REI to try on some different packs, I will buy online though as it is much cheaper.... Thanks again for the input!

[bigcranky]

I'm going to be heading to the local REI to try on some different packs, I will buy online though as it is much cheaper....

So you're going to spend several hours at a shop that has the packs in stock, getting help from the salesperson, getting measured with a fitting device, walking around with the packs to decide which is best, then you'll say thanks very much, and go home and order it online to save twenty bucks? Really? Nice.

[riverine17]

So you're going to spend several hours at a shop that has the packs in stock, getting help from the salesperson, getting measured with a fitting device, walking around with the packs to decide which is best, then you'll say thanks very much, and go home and order it online to save twenty bucks?

Yup, minus the several hours part.

[leaftye]

And folks wonder why gear shops don't bother hiring sales people that know anything about the gear.

[Slosteppin]

Thanks everybody for your input, I'm going to be heading to the local REI to try on some different packs, I will buy online though as it is much cheaper.... Thanks again for the input!

When you get to REI make sure your saleperson is a backpacker. There is usually at least one knowledgeable backpacker on staff. You don't want a road bike racer giving you advice about backpacking.

Pictured Rocks was my first backpacking about 35 years ago. I started out with a 75 pound pack weight. Now I could do the same hike with 25 to 30 lb.

Regarding packs, first get the right size for your body. Then load it with about 10 lb more weight than you expect to carry. Then, after the knowledgeable salesperson helps to get it properly adjusted, hike around the store for an hour including up and down some stairs. There are some hills at Pictured Rocks. When you find a pack that is still comfortable you should be happy to hike with it.

[Bucketfoot]

Nothing is better than seeing and trying out an item in a store, not to mention the good and knowledgeable advice you can get. I would also buy there. Reminds me of the people who buy motorcycle tires online and then take them to their local dealer and expect him to mount them. Nice that the dealer is there but he won't be there long if people don't buy from him.

[dornstar]

Honestly, I really don't think there's a better pack than the ULA Circuit although it's slightly higher than you limit at $225.

[jelloitsalive]

U.S Army A.L.I.C.E Pack is all you need. I perfer the Medium pack even if you fill it, the straps will alow much more outside storage. Its light weight heavy duty been serving the military sine Vietnam. You can get a brand new one for around $60 Used $30 I got mine off Ebay just make sure get the Curved shoulder strap and not the Straight.

There is also a U.S Army CF-90 but it is Heavy for long distance hiking. But still a very intresting pack.

[coach lou]

MY USMC, All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment pack gets used for 3days!

[Bucho]

[QUOTE=Slosteppin;1296781]When you get to REI make sure your saleperson is a backpacker. There is usually at least one knowledgeable backpacker on staff. You don't want a road bike racer giving you advice about backpacking.
QUOTE]
OMGZ Brown Chickens rei flash kicked the bucket and we went to two different REI's in DC to find her a pack. The first employee who "knew" about backpacking kept showing her nearly 4 lbs packs even after the 3rd time I asked her "around 2lbs, absolutely nothing over 3lbs". A different REI and 3 employees later we gave up on help and used their little handout on packs.

[cavediver256]

Nothing is better than seeing and trying out an item in a store, not to mention the good and knowledgeable advice you can get. I would also buy there. Reminds me of the people who buy motorcycle tires online and then take them to their local dealer and expect him to mount them. Nice that the dealer is there but he won't be there long if people don't buy from him.

Same thing applies to lots of equipment this day and time....nothing ticks me off more than to have someone buy their diving equipment on line and then drag it into the shop for service......and expect you to "cut them a deal" on the service charges. You're buying more than a piece of equipment when you buy from a local shop.