pack dilema - light vs heavy pack

[mankind117]

Has anyone found that despite trying a whole bunch of packs over the years, the one you find most comfortable and want to take is the heaviest?
A little background. I'm 6'6" and skinny and have a 22 to 23 inches torso which is on the edge of many pack manufacturers. I backpack monthly anywhere from 15 to 70 miles. My baseweight with a 5 lbs backpack is still usually less that 20lbs except in winter. I carry a 2lb tarptent and overall light gear. I'm going in the next 3 to 4 years to try a AT thru hike.
When I first got into backpacking and didn't know what I was doing I got an aether 85. I used that for a long time but as I learned and lightened up it is too big.
I tried a gregory z55 on one trip and that was aweful. Something about the pack was making part of my leg go to sleep and hurting my lower back. I sold that pack.
I then tried a ula cataylst. I used that for a year but it never liked it and got rid of it recently. I found the hipbelt and pronounced lumbar pad focused the weight on your lower back and was just not comfortable especially recently.
The ula circuit but that had the same problem. I tried a couple lighter weight osprey packs (atmos65, exos 58) but returned them after walking about the neightborhood; the exos was a little too short and the atmos once again was uncomfortable on my lumbar.
This year I tried the new 2013 model osprey aether 70 that they make in xl. This is by far and away the most comfortable pack I have used. I probably have 150 miles on it so far. It just flat out fits and the hipbelt is so comfortable, it does not irritate my back and the way the shoulder straps fit is perfect.
I also tried a crown vc 60 this year and that is the only other pack besides the aether that I have found I can stand to wear. I've used it about 55 miles and am keeping it but I still like the aether better. I'm considering the aether 60 as well for summer when the 70 is too much space.
Anybody else go through lots of packs only to come back to the fact that the big heavy one is the one that works for you?

[Tipi Walter]

The pack is the most personal individual piece of gear for a backpacker cuz it is worn as much or more than boots and has to transport serious weight for weeks at a time. If you find a pack you like and it's big enough to carry what you need and can haul weight w/o discomfort, well, you've answered your own question.

[ChinMusic]

You are in a great position by having all that experience with different packs. I think you know the answer to question of weight vs comfort. The answer is comfort.

I am fortunate that I found a very light pack that was comfortable as well, the ZPacks Arc Blast. My Osprey pack only serves as a loaner. I never wear it anymore. I have a ULA Catalyst that I use for trip where I need more capacity but it just doesn't ride as well as my ZPacks.

Just like shoes, everyone has a different fit.

[FarmerChef]

I agree with Chin and Tipi. Choosing the right pack is a very personal choice. All I will add to it is that what you put in your pack also plays a role. A pack might be comfortable at a certain weight but become very un-comfortable at a higher weight. I love my golite Jam but I'm an ultralighter who has to carry an extra 20 pounds of food for my family when hiking. At 30 pounds the Jam becomes much, much less comfortable than it is at even 25 pounds and it's a dream (for me) at 20 pounds or less. If I had the money, the kids carried their own food and knowing what my pack contents weigh I would try to get a zpacks frame pack as I believe that's more comfortable than my frameless Jam.

Bottom line: do what's comfortable for you - don't worry about the weight as much.

[TAG]

I completely understand where you are coming from. I tried really hard to go to a UL frameless pack. I tried a few different ones, but just never found one that I found as comfortable as my Osprey framed pack. I'd dropped weight on most of my gear, but continue to take a frame pack because I feel less fatigue at the end of the day by carrying an extra pound or so frame in my pack.
But, this is a very personal preference. Everyone has a different idea of comfort and what works for them.
btw....I love the Aether packs. So...very...comfy.

[mankind117]

yeah, sometimes I feel the way some die hard ultralighters talk they make it sound like you will fly or something if you have a lightweight pack. 20 or 25 lbs is still like carry 4 bricks on your back. I guess I've reached a point where obsessing over 2 or 3 pounds in the instrument that has to carry those 4 bricks it is not worth it. I'm all for lightening everthing else but at the end of the day I like a good hipbelt and frame and the aether has both.

[Drybones]

IMO, a comfortable pack is much more important than being light. My first pack was also a Gregory, don't know how anyone can wear them, killed my back. I now have a Deuter ACT 65+10 lite, REI Flash 65 & 50 and a Granite Gear Crown 60. I'm okay using any of these for a few days but the GG Crown 60 is by far and away my favorite, have about 1200 miles on it now and it's still in good shape.

[Odd Man Out]

Can I ask a follow-up related Q? If comfort is so critical, how does one assess the comfort of all these highly regarded packs (ULA, ZPacks, etc) that are not available to try out in person at a retail store (at least not where I live)?

[ChinMusic]

Can I ask a follow-up related Q? If comfort is so critical, how does one assess the comfort of all these highly regarded packs (ULA, ZPacks, etc) that are not available to try out in person at a retail store (at least not where I live)?

It's really tough. IMO just trying them on at the store is only minimally helpful. Heck, hiking a day in one might not give you the whole picture. The expert at the store might get the fit perfect but it might kill you on the trail. It's kinda a crapshoot.

Again, the analogy to footwear is solid. It takes time to know if you got the right one.

[JAK]

If I were you I would modify a light pack to make it fit rather than use a 5 pound pack to carry 15 pounds.

[MuddyWaters]

I find how much I put in the pack has a lot more to do with comfort than the pack itself.
Of course my heavy pack weighs about 2 lbs.

[Jeeper]

I have the same problem being 6'4" and a 24" torso. I couldn't find anything comfortable. So I made my own pack, about 50 L but thats too big. I am modifying it down to 32L or so with more in the roll top closure. I used a Osprey hip belt and 2 aluminum stays to carry up to 35 lbs so far. I weighs just about 2 lbs.

[MuddyWaters]

I then tried a ula cataylst. I used that for a year but it never liked it and got rid of it recently. I found the hipbelt and pronounced lumbar pad focused the weight on your lower back and was just not comfortable especially recently.
The ula circuit but that had the same problem.

These packs dont have a pronounced lumbar pad, they have virtually no pad.
I suspect that you, like many other heavy pack users, tried them but did not not bend the stays to match your back shape closely.

Pack choice is personal. If you like something, use it. Pretty simple. Heavier packs make heavier loads feel lighter. Nothing wrong with it.
At the end of the day, get all your other gear as light as you can, and it will make little difference if you are carrying 23 lbs in a 2 lb pack, or 25 lbs in a 4 lb pack.

But if you keep the same philosophy of a heavier object being better for everything, pretty soon you have a 40 lb pack while others are toting 25 around. Nothing wrong with that either, you will just be slower. There isnt any race.

[mankind117]

I have to disagree. The catalyst has two stays sewn into a foam back panel and another thick piece of foam. The stays come together at the bottom and this unit tapers to about 5 inches wide and 1.5 to 2 inches thick at the bottom right in your lumbar area. True, it is not a separate lumbar pad, just part of the frame but it is a stiff piece of material in the small of your back none the less. I really wanted to like that pack but it was just never comfortable for me.

I'm not saying heavier is better for everything. God knows I've tried quite a few packs, as many as my wife will put up with. I wish there was super comfy 2 pound pack for my body at 25 to 30 lbs but I haven't found it yet. If I find it I would use it. The GG crown is the closest I have come but the heavier pack still just fits and carries better.

[slbirdnerd]

I feel your pain, mankind117. I'm a tall (5'10) female and have tried on countless packs, men's and women's, looking for something that fit right and it has been very frustrating. What I have is a 5 lb. 10 oz. Gregory Deva, which fits and carries better than everything else I have tried--so far. It's still not perfect but the best as of yet. I made a lot of gear mods to make up for it and its been fine for my weekend trips, but I'm planning to be out 1-2 weeks on the AT in June and would love something that works better and yes, is lighter.

[ChinMusic]

I feel your pain,...... What I have is a 5 lb. 10 oz. Gregory Deva

Oh my, my big 4 weighs less than your pack.

[Namtrag]

Oh my, my big 4 weighs less than your pack.

I hate you!

[Another Kevin]

Oh my, my big 4 weighs less than your pack.

Showoff. Or rather, going that light is both expensive and demanding. I've made a few concessions for the sake of both price and comfort. My tent is pretty fair, it's my newest piece of gear. (TarpTent Notch - 26 oz.) I use a 20° bag for three seasons.It's just 650 down. I couldn't afford the fancy 850+ stuff when I got it. If I did long-distance hiking, I'd get a dedicated summer bag and trim off about a pound there. I use a full-length ThermARest ProLite. My old joints thank me for it. A hip-length pad would save a few ounces, but a good night's sleep is totally worth the ounces.

My pack isn't the lightest by any means: it's an old ALPS Orizaba (64 litre). It carries well on me, but everyone's body is different. Since it has an adjustable torso length, my daughter tried it once, shortening it to fit her. She absolutely hated it, and went back to her Gregory Deva, which is two pounds heavier (!) but carries well on her. In the summer I could make do with a smaller pack, but I figure that in cooler weather I can really use the room. I don't like lashing stuff to the outside of the pack. About the only thing that rides outside for me is my blue foam pad (which goes under my ThermARest in cold weather.), and my traction gear and snow shovel when I'm carrying them. Part of the reason for not liking to hang stuff outside is that I do some amount of bushwhacking and things that are outside tend to turn into confetti. That's another point in favor of the Orizaba, too: it's tall, deep and narrow, so it doesn't tend to overhang on either side, and doesn't get caught on things nearly as easily.

The result is that my Big Four are about 9.5 pounds, probably twice yours. (That includes pack cover, pack liner, and the stuff sacks for sleeping bag, sleeping pad and tent.) It works for me for weekends. Hardly ultralight, but not crazy heavy for my style of hiking.

Disclaimer: I probably have less than 500 miles on the Orizaba. As opposed to my daypack, which I'd guess has at least 1500-2000 miles on it, and which is also heavier than people would advise. But IT FITS ME.

So I'm with the people who are telling you: if a pack holds all your gear and is comfortable enough that you can carry it all day, it's a winner. Whatever it weighs.

[moongoddess]

You want to go with the lightest pack that holds all your gear AND FITS YOU. That last bit is important. If the heavier pack works best for your body, the heavier pack is what you should use. Lightness is a means to an end (comfortable hiking), not an end in itself.

[slbirdnerd]

Oh my, my big 4 weighs less than your pack.

No doubt, Chin! I'll actually be looking at some other packs this weekend on my trek to the closest REI: 2.5 hours away. Wish me luck! Maybe I should take AnotherKevin's daughter with me.. Seriously, I think there is a hole in the women's lighter pack market.