Pondering a Pack Predicament :D

[RagingHampster]

Well I've used my 5lb LL Bean Mt. Washington pack, my 2lb homemade external frame pack, and my 15oz Go-Lite Breeze. Excluding my pack, my gear-weight is down to 12lb. Enter 12lbs food for 5 days, 2lb H20, 1lb Alcohol. I've carried all this weight in all 3 packs, and I keep leaning back to the Baked Bean Juggernaut. It certainly feels heavier at start, but 10 miles I feel less fatigued with it than with the other two packs (although I still love my external-frame because my back isn't soaked with sweat).

I believe it comes down to the monster padding, and hipbelt. Anyways, my new trend (if youd call it that) is minimum gear weight w/a cadillac bag.

[Hammock Hanger]

What you have posted above has alot of merit.

My first year out I got razzed constantly about the weight of my pack (the pack not contents). It was 7 pounds. I was carrying a huge load of unneeded items that caused my total weight to rise to 55 lbs. Thing was I was carrying it without much complaint. My back never hurt my hips were fine, etc... Mainly because it was a great pack with a strong suspension system. By the end of my hike I had parred down the contents and that 7 pound pack didn't even feel like it was there.

Giving into peer pressure and to the advertiments I went out and purchased a new lighter pack, 3.5#. It was a good pack, carried all I needed and was comfortable. Plus should I have a brain fart and add a little too much after a grocery town stop it could handle it.

Then, deciding to go even lighter (it is additive) I bought a new 1# pack. Well it is okay as long as I definately pack very light! No room for error or options.

Thing is my heavier packs didn't feel all that much different on my back cuz they had the ability to carry themselves. So after all this rambling I go back to what I first said, your comment has merit!;)

Hammock Hanger

[RagingHampster]

I still use my Go-Lite Breeze on day-hikes, but anything more than a night and I break out the gorilla.

[chris]

If you have found something that works for you, stick with it until you find something better. I can't use my ULA Zenith during the winter time, since I tend to bring a lot of warm clothes and more camera gear, etc. Then, I break out a larger pack. It is certainly less comfortable with the larger load than the Zenith (with the smaller load), but that is a price I am willing to pay.

[Mike Drinkuth]

i'm really glad this came up. I'm thinking the same thing. My big pack (dana design) just rides so perfectly that i'm hesitant to switch to something without a frame like the golite breeze. I dunno. Mabye i'm just cheap and don't want to spend the 70 bucks but my pack weight is dropping as I learn more and more and my pack hasn't even looked full in a year. Even thru trips w/5 days of food the thing looks like a shar-pei puppy but it feels awesome! (yes...except for the sweatty back) and i'm forgetting the monster weighs 6 pounds. I think i'm on board w/you raging hampster and your new trend.
I still will likely buy a golite breeze as I am a hopeless gear junkie and try it out so I am ultimately ignorant until then. I just wanted to chime in cuz I've totally been thinking the same thing lately.

[kythruhiker]

I carry a 7lb Osprey, and have for years, but rarely ever come close to capacity. I agree, 7lbs or not - it carrys the load nicely for small-medium loads (35-40 lbs). Before my thru next year, I may try out something in the 4-5 lb. range, but I don't think I'll go any lighter than that.

Ed

[chris]

A pack recommendation for this new trend, that is, if you don't already have a big pack. Take a look at the Serratus Alpenlite. It was reviewed in Backpacker recently, which means absolutely nothing. A 5500 ci, 4 or so lb pack. Serratus makes very good packs and I have two of them. Extremely tough and functional. I can't imagine ever buying a regular pack from another company. It is a fully suspended pack, but doesn't have lots of bells and whistles. You can take a look at www.mec.ca. Remember that prices are in Canadian pesos, which means that, after shipping, etc, you pay 70% of what the listed price is.

[Kerosene]

I have also been vascillating about swapping out my cushy Dana Designs Terraplane X (7 lb. 13 oz.!) for a lighter bag, especially now that I've got my late Fall weight with 5 days of supplies down to 25 pounds. But the Dana is soooo comfy. I keep looking at the Mountainsmith Ghost, but can't figure out where my sleeping bag will go. Even then, I'm not sure it would be quite large enough outside of Summer. The ULA P-2 mentioned on another thread looks promising, especially since I'm not all that hard on equipment. Someday.

[RagingHampster]

With all my gear (including fleece jacket) in my Go-Lite Breeze, I have to use the whole extension collar, just barely securing it with the lock on the string. The food bag has to go underneath, which flops relentlessly. This bag would be perfect for 2 people when sharing a tent, etc. But when going solo, it struggles to hold everything. Whereas all my gear (including my jacket & food) fits inside my Baked Bean Juggernaut (thanks to minimum gear wt/volume), gets cinched down with 2 bajillion straps, and rides like nobody's business. I even slide my modified Z-Rest inside like on a frameless pack for an additional amount of padding. Overall I'm very pleased with this setup, although I would like a duplicate bag without the 3" thick material laced with lead thread. Perhaps before I hit Springer next April I will upgrade (again...). I need to have a tag-sale this summer to dump all my extra gear (lol...cry...).

[stranger]

I good solid pack with a good suspension, properly sized and "fitted", applied properly and stable will ALWAYS be more comfortable than a frameless pack. Carrying 25 pounds in say a Gregory Shasta will be MUCH less stressful than carrying 25 pounds in a Go-lite...even though your total weight is more.

Concept simple: Your hips and legs are much stronger than your back and shoulders, so more weight on your legs is less stressful than 5 less pounds on your shoulders. Anyone who disagrees can go the the gym and see how much weight they can benchpress...and for how long. Then do the same with the legpress...you will find 99% of the time you can press more weight, for a longer time with your legs.

7- 8 lb packs are a little silly though in this day and age, but not too many people are gonna run out and buy a new $300 pack to save a damn pound, especially if they like their pack...I know I wouldn't. SUSPENSION IS STILL EVERYTHING!