View Full Version : I have a lot of 10-20 mile hikes under my tad litespeed 22L
I really like the way it carries, it is a little heavy but also gives me piece of mind it will not fall apart. I was thinking of adding a dunamis gear cargo pouch piggy back to put me in the 2000 c.I. area..I pack ultralight.it has a framesheet built in, never gives me sore shoulders and fits right in the small of my back.
Is there any reason why I should not use this pack on an AT thru hike? SOBO....I live in bar harbor , Maine..thank u
Triple Aught Gear Litespeed V2 model
I really like the way it carries, it is a little heavy but also gives me piece of mind it will not fall apart. I was thinking of adding a dunamis gear cargo pouch piggy back to put me in the 2000 c.I. area..I pack ultralight.it has a framesheet built in, never gives me sore shoulders and fits right in the small of my back.
Is there any reason why I should not use this pack on an AT thru hike? SOBO....I live in bar harbor , Maine..thank u
Wow, I can think of a very good reason, it weighs a ton (61oz.) especially for a tiny pack. I carry a small pack but it weight 3 POUNDS less than yours and my first pack of this style, an MLD Burn, lasted the equivalent of two plus thru hikes. Another hiker I know got over 10,000 miles on a Burn. A quality pack does not have to be made of Cordura to "not fall apart"
One final thought, have you ever tried to carry your gear and 5-6 days worth of food in it. (I know, you won't carry that many days as a norm on the AT but a three day thruhikers load will be like a 5-6 day normal person food load.
For a start I am not sure how you could fit a shelter/sleeping bag/mat/rain gear/spare socks-underpants/warm layer/medical kit, stove and fuel , 3-4 quarts of water and 3-6 days of food in that pack.
As Malto is saying, you can get several 50-60L packs that will more than last the trail and weigh a pound or so less than that.
I have read countless reports of Ula's,zpacks, etc failing while on the AT..I'm sorry but if I'm dropping $200 plus on a backpack I'd at least expect it to last 5 years or more..
1 pack for each hike sounds like garbage to me
The Solemates
06-28-2016, 07:36
My granite gear Virga2 weighs 16 ounces. At first I thought u had your numbers transcribed. Nearly 5 lb for a pack would make me think twice!
I have read countless reports of Ula's,zpacks, etc failing while on the AT.
Got any links to some of those reports?
5 month hike, 30 days a month, 150 days total. Most people go will go on, maybe, one or two week long hikes a year, say 14 days. Thats almost 11 years they are going to use a pack.
The trade off for havinging ultralight gear is the fragility of it being ultralight. Most people believe saving that three poounds off every step you take for 5 million steps is well worth the trade.
I have read countless reports of Ula's,zpacks, etc failing while on the AT..I'm sorry but if I'm dropping $200 plus on a backpack I'd at least expect it to last 5 years or more..
1 pack for each hike sounds like garbage to me
The world is full of people who can break hammers, anvils, etc. Some of them may also backpack. Mags has a ULA Catalyst that he uses for big loads. Ask him how many miles he has on it. Colorado_rob uses a ULA Ohm 2 almost exclusively. Ask him the same question.
If you want a pack that will survive folks who break hammers and probably outlive your hiking career, look for a pristine, low mileage, pre-1995 Dana Design pack built in Bozeman, MT. Yes, it will be heavier than current packs. That is the price of bulletproof construction and comfort under heavy loads. You also get the benefit of a pack that shrinks down to day pack size when needed or expands to load monster size when needed. No, I'm not ready to sell my 1994 red Terraplane. Sorry.
Good luck pack shopping.
Wayne
Old. Slow. "Smarter than the average bear."
I have read countless reports of Ula's,zpacks, etc failing while on the AT..I'm sorry but if I'm dropping $200 plus on a backpack I'd at least expect it to last 5 years or more..
1 pack for each hike sounds like garbage to me
The only packs that I am aware of that are advertised as only lasting a single hike is some of the zpacks cuben packs. The packs made from dyneema will last much long than one thruhike which you clearly missed in my first post.
I wonder, will you take the same 5 year life approach with shoes/boots. IF so, better invest in some Limmers. If not, then why not? For most LD hikers the lifecycle cost of shoes are much greater than the lifecycle cost of a pack.
cmoulder
06-28-2016, 11:18
I have read countless reports of Ula's,zpacks, etc failing while on the AT..I'm sorry but if I'm dropping $200 plus on a backpack I'd at least expect it to last 5 years or more..
1 pack for each hike sounds like garbage to me
"Countless reports" LOL
Hey, go ahead and do it with that TAD Lightspeed 22L and report back in a few months.
colorado_rob
06-28-2016, 11:30
Funny, in 50 years of backpacking, I've never worn out a pack, and I have used some really lightweight ones.
I've seen this "concern" before here on WB, pack durability. It is a complete non-concern, IMHO. I even have seen folks afraid to check their backpacks on airlines for fear of significant pack damage. Packs are tough. Even UL ones, though of course, those are the least durable. I've never owned a cuben pack though. I don't think the couple ounces of weight savings are worth the cost.
My ULA OHM 2.0 lasted an entire AA plus many shorter hikes (3 years old) with nary a scratch, it would last 3 AT's easily.
Silly concern, that of pack durability.
colorado_rob
06-28-2016, 11:31
My ULA OHM 2.0 lasted an entire AA plus many shorter hikes (3 years old) with nary a scratch...woops, not "AA" but "AT" ! burp.....
I've never owned a cuben pack though. I don't think the couple ounces of weight savings are worth the cost.
Funny you mention that. I've got a cuben pack (the stronger hybrid fabric), but only because ZPacks offers the Zero in a simple, customizable format. If the same thing were available in a more traditional fabric for less money, I'd gladly accept a couple of extra ounces. It's just over half a pound as it is, so I'd never really notice that difference.
cmoulder
06-28-2016, 11:46
Hopefully they'll start offering the Zero made with Dyneema X or Robic.
Or heck, even the Haul with 45l and 52l bag sizes... after all, now a Haul is just a 60l Blast made with Dyneema X.
Maybe they already do — I haven't checked in a while.
fastfoxengineering
07-02-2016, 18:06
If you can't get a thru hike from a defect free ula pack, you need to learn pride of ownership and treat your property better.
Cuben typically looks well worn out after a thru but typically has alot of life left in it.
Casey & Gina
07-23-2016, 08:44
Dunno why people are so critical over someone wanting to carry something that's a couple more pounds than UL offerings. It's their weight to carry, and durability *is* a really valuable aspect - UL offerings are pretty delicate. I'd be more concerned about the small capacity of this pack. That will be the real problem.
cmoulder
07-23-2016, 09:29
I see your point, Casey, but 61 oz (3.8 pounds!) for a 22 liter pack is seriously kooky. :)
My pack, tent, quilt and air mat combined weigh about 62 oz.
But, as usual, it's HYOH and if somebody wants to carry it that's fine by me. However, it seems that there are quite a few people who don't have a good understanding of the actual weights of UL gear these days.
AfterParty
07-23-2016, 10:01
My mystery ranch is 70 and bulletproof. Still a Dana design. comes in at just under 5. I wouldn't trade it for more common thruhike packs for anything. Op at 22 you are gonna have hanging objects all over that pack. However if you can load up what you like and hike 10+ miles and be truly comfortable in the shoulders and back, you have a well fitted pack. Whatever it weighs. Not all packs have comfortability and durability. The two things in my mind that are most important to me.
Slo-go'en
07-23-2016, 10:21
That pack is designed as a day pack. Besides being overly heavy for what it does as, you will simply not be able to fit all you need to carry into it, even after adding a pouch for additional space (and weight).
I have a 30L North Face climbing pack. It's pretty rugged and weighs a tad over 2 pounds. I can just fit enough gear and food in it for a one or two night mid summer trip when I can get away with little more then a sleeping bag, bivy sack and lite jacket. I could almost fit everything I need for an extended hike in it, but then I don't have any room for food.
It's difficult to do a thru hike with a small pack. I used a 45L on my recent LASHER (700 mile Long Ass Section Hike) and it was really marginal. I really wished I had my larger 65L pack.