No overnighter this week off but a brainstorm the night before our slack of McQueens Gap to TN Hwy91....the LuxuryLite Pack is touted as being the 'one pack' you will ever need, in that you can remove cylinders to convert from multiday pack to daypack, and that is exactly what I did. I had placed everything used on the 5 day hike 2 weeks prior into all the cylinders, so I emptied them and then decided the middle sized cylinder would do for a day hike.
Cylinder removal is a 5-10second process per cylinder.
Re-attachment of a cylinder just as quick.
In the middle sized cylinder I put:
Speer Hammock
MacCat Tarp
Thermawrap Jacket and Pant (even if a day hike I carry enough to get me through the night just in case)
Headlamp
very little food (couple of bars, reeces cups bite sized)
Rain Jacket and pants
Rain hat, fleece mits and OR shell mitts
Stamper for shelter registers
lighter

Gitchee Goomie had the first aid kit in her saddlebags along with her food.

Attached to the pack frame was a baseball cap.

In the front pocket I had a 100oz. Camelbak bladder and camera.

Impressions:
This pack is full of surprises. It doesnt look comfortable but it is. It doesnt look lightweight but it felt nonexistent at daypack weights. The hipbelt is even more comfortable than the Mithril's, the old Jansport D2's but not as comfortable as the one on the Arcteryx Bora 80 (but it probably weights 1/10 the Boras). The biggest surprise was the front pocket. I almost left it at home being very dubious about its comfort or use---how wrong I was. The front pocket does balance the load, and there is NO weight on the shoulders with this pack. The shoulder straps are just webbing....I realized well into the hike (10.7 official miles, 12.2 after looking for La AquaNas dad) that the shoulder straps (called load lifters by Bruce Warren) can be left to dangle after the front pocket is attached (attachment is simply hooking the straps around the end of each frame members/uprights, and placing the 'beaver tail' under the hip belt). The beaver tail is a piece of wide webbing (quite thick) that is permanently attached to the bottom of the front pocket. I used to keep a camara in a camera pouch attached to a shoulder strap....the front pocket is much easier/quicker to produce the camera....also having the water bladder in the front pocket made fill ups easier than having to take off the whole pack and remove the bladder from inside. At home I was thinking the front pocket would sway from side to side, it does sway but only an inch and it didnt bother me at all.....I suppose in the rare case where you might fall flat on your face (like I did 2 weeks ago at Fuller's Rock) the bladder would act as an air bag......
If you look at the pics I uploaded to my folder you will see I attached a GoLite umbrella to one upright. Late in the day the rains came and I thoroughly enjoyed being in the dry and having both poles in my hands. The velcro I used for the bottom attachment (I attached it in two places to prevent sway) was way too much and created a bulge that I could feel on my shoulder, after a couple of miles it became an irritant and I reach up and around and twisted the velcro bulge further back to solve the problem.
I could and did deploy the umbrella while hiking without stopping my stride to either raise or lower, or to wrap the little strap back around the umbrella.
At Double Springs Shelter Bishop said he thought Mary Poppins was coming down the trail!
Cylinder performance: advertised as waterproof and it was in a definite gulley-washer.
Ventilation: I was dry from the seat pad on up (look at the pic in my folder), whereas La AquaNa using a CamelBak was soaked on the back. I could have placed the attachable seat outside and around the cylinder but didnt think of it at the time.
OK, remember what Sgt. Rock says about people who spend money on gear? He says (and I'm paraphrasing) that if you spend a lot of money on something your inner self will not allow you to admit that you've been had or that the gear is no good. What can I say except that so far the LLP has passed a 10+ mile day hike with flying colors and it will be on our next multiday hike (Buena Vista to Rockfish Gap probably in July).
I admit I miss the virtues of the external frame pack but hated their weight. This concept of Bruce Warrens about balancing the load with a front pack was proven to a certain degree on this hike, I say certain degree because it was not a multi-day load and that has to be seen.
I love being able to attach the umbrella but I want it in the center of the pack. Bruce said that a hole would weaken the aluminum cross member- I doubt that it would weaken it measurably and will have a hole to accomodate an umbrella as soon as I can get to the machine shop with a drill press.
As always, any questions dont hesitate to ask, more pics just tell me what part of the pack you need pics of.
MedicineMan