Moved from Straight Forward: Quick Backpack Buy

[blackbird04217]

Well, I noticed some sales over are REI outlet and main site that ends today. I have found two backpacks and if I get some feedback here I might be buying one today, which will save me roughly $20 or so.

My first choice overall backpack was the REI Mars 85 (http://www.rei.com/product/762496)

My second choice found only today is the JanSport Klamath 85 (http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/779466)

I don't have much time to make my choice, and a few of the features I really enjoyed about the Mars 85 are missing on the Klamath 85. (Seperate compartment for sleeping bag, the hip belt pocket, etc)

The Klamath is almost 1 1/2 lbs lighter, but it also doesn't look quite as rugged. I am fully prepared to spend $180 on the Mars 85 tonight, but also spending $70 on the Klamath is really a savings, and also lighter weight even if it is lacking some features that I wanted. Don't worry about telling me to go for a smaller pack size unless you have some serious reasons, I want a big pack because if I ever want the space I will have it available. I'm not going for ultralight hiking, I am going for a nice adventure, and I am also hoping the pack will be with me longer than my thru-hike. Please make any remarks quickly if you know either of these pack, or have experience choosing pack like this.

I've always read about trying the pack out with your other equipment, but this is a purchase over the internet, as well as I don't have my other gear yet. I am positive with the size of the backpacks I could fit what I needed. Thanks in advance!

[KG4FAM]

(Seperate compartment for sleeping bag, the hip belt pocket, etc).....

.....The Klamath is almost 1 1/2 lbs lighter, but it also doesn't look quite as rugged......Seprate compartments for sleeping bag if used in that fashion are not worth it. You don't need access to your bag during the day so you don't need that feature.

If you are worried about quality, then don't worry. Its REI you are buying from, 100% garuntee.

I am assuming that you are buying this for the thru hike that is mentioned in your upper right hand corner thing. If you are looking for one pack for the trip this is way overkill. If you just want a bigger pack for more fluffyness in the begining and change up when it gets warm then sure.

[BookBurner]

Forget the Mars. At 6 pounds, you might stubbornly carry it on a thru, but you'll never use it again after that. By Maine, you'll have realized how needlessly heavy that model is. Juts ask my dusty Gregory Palisade.

[blackbird04217]

I'll take your word for the sleeping bag compartment, although I always figured that would still be nice to keep things separated and I am an organizer for the most part. But I do feel the front pouches on the Mars would be very nice to have built into the pack rather than attempting to have a hip belt and backpack. I feel the hip belt would make the hike easier, keeping the camera more accessible, as well as allowing me to keep snacks or such in during the day so that I don't need to dig around for them. Maybe I am looking at it the wrong way, and maybe I should just go with the Klamath and save myself $100.

I know whatever I end up getting will work for me in the end, I'll make it work. And the hiking habits that I don't have yet will develop for whichever backpack I have and what I am able to do...

[Bulldawg]

Look at the Granite Gear line of ultralite packs. Nice stuff, good quality.

[blackbird04217]

Forget the Mars. At 6 pounds, you might stubbornly carry it on a thru, but you'll never use it again after that. By Maine, you'll have realized how needlessly heavy that model is. Juts ask my dusty Gregory Palisade.

Wow, well you nailed that on the spot. I would certainly be stubborn enough to carry it through to Maine, and deal with the situation. I keep trying my best to consider weight, and have put a school backpack on with water containers, dunno the weight but I oughta figure that out and see what works... Will experiment with that later tonight when I get home.

[scope]

Does REI sell any packs for a thru? Being facetious, but they're choices are really limited and the two you mentioned don't seem worthy based on what is available out there. Seems like much of the backpacking business as a whole is using a business model that has left REI behind. Don't get me wrong, I go there a lot, but make yourself aware of the many other choices you have out there. While its great to have a place to go to and touch/feel before making the purchase, just about all online suppliers are beyond excellent with their return policies. Buy online, touch/feel and fill at home. Get out with the pack and return it for another if it doesn't feel right.

[KG4FAM]

Here's one for you that fits into the insane huge pack category.
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370 (http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370).
only 3.5 lbs

[kayak karl]

Does REI sell any packs for a thru? Being facetious, but they're choices are really limited and the two you mentioned don't seem worthy based on what is available out there. Seems like much of the backpacking business as a whole is using a business model that has left REI behind. Don't get me wrong, I go there a lot, but make yourself aware of the many other choices you have out there. While its great to have a place to go to and touch/feel before making the purchase, just about all online suppliers are beyond excellent with their return policies. Buy online, touch/feel and fill at home. Get out with the pack and return it for another if it doesn't feel right.
i have a Mars used it twice, now carry golite pinnicale. i picked up my Mars yesterday to move it, i thought i left the 3 liter blatter full :D

[BookBurner]

Blackbird - Allow me to expand upon my previous thoughts as I can't help but see you about to make the same regretfull decision I made in 2002. You're looking at the nice hipbelt pockets on the Mars and thinking to yourself "boy, they sure will be handy to carry my candybars. Now I won't need to root around my backpack when I get hungry". So the four times a day that you want a Snickers you'll save yourself two minutes of searching time. It's a nice luxury, for sure. No argument there. The problem is that those hip pockets add a surprising amount of weight to your overall load (as does the lush padding, sleeping bag divider, etc.). You're going to have to carry that added weight 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, 4 weeks a month, for 6 months. Most successful thru-hikers who have shouldered that sort of burden would say the benefit is not worth the cost. Spend 8 extra minutes a day looking for your snacks and you'll enjoy 11 hours and 52 minutes each day carrying a lighter load on your back. Food for thought.

[blackbird04217]

I didn't go to REI because of store, actually closest one is 5hrs from me and I would probably pay the $12 to have it shipped here from the internet rather than drive to pick it up... I'm not fearful of buying the pack online, and my first instinct told me to stay away from REI's packs and such, although for whatever reason I am attracted to these two packs. I am getting a vibe from the thread that I should keep searching, and I suppose I can delay the purchase. I mean, what is $20 of saving.

I do have an open mind about other alternatives, but I really don't want to have a pack where I have to squeeze things into. I am very good at packing a lot into a small space, too good actually that occasionally I'll pack it so well that I can't get the same things back in once I've taken them out.

[blackbird04217]

Blackbird - Allow me to expand upon my previous thoughts as I can't help but see you about to make the same regretfull decision I made in 2002. You're looking at the nice hipbelt pockets on the Mars and thinking to yourself "boy, they sure will be handy to carry my candybars. Now I won't need to root around my backpack when I get hungry". So the four times a day that you want a Snickers you'll save yourself two minutes of searching time. It's a nice luxury, for sure. No argument there. The problem is that those hip pockets add a surprising amount of weight to your overall load (as does the lush padding, sleeping bag divider, etc.). You're going to have to carry that added weight 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, 4 weeks a month, for 6 months. Most successful thru-hikers who have shouldered that sort of burden would say the benefit is not worth the cost. Spend 8 extra minutes a day looking for your snacks and you'll enjoy 11 hours and 52 minutes each day carrying a lighter load on your back. Food for thought.

Yea, you do have some points, but yea it is hard for me to let go of those types of luxuries. It is exactly that though, and I need to look at it as the weight I will be carrying, at this point I feel its worth it. From your experience it seems you regretted it, and its quite possible that I would too. I will try my best to keep these thoughts in my mind, although it is quite hard since I don't have any backpacking experience... I have been in the wilderness, just not with camp sitting on my back.

[buckwheat]

Here's one for you that fits into the insane huge pack category.
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370 (http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370).
only 3.5 lbs

And, I think if you use the word HOLIDAYS as a coupon on the checkout page, you can get another 20% off of that price.

I'm pretty sure that coupon is still valid.

Cheers,
Buckwheat

[scope]

Here's one for you that fits into the insane huge pack category.
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370 (http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370).
only 3.5 lbs

I think that's a good pack to consider. I looked hard at a Quest which is a 4000ci version. One of the things about this pack was an ability to cinch down smaller loads, which most have, but this one does a little better. It could accommodate you as you lighten your load on the trail, and at 3.5 lbs, you're not giving up too much. There are other packs out there that are lighter that would probably work for you - not necessarily more expensive either - but sounds like you don't have a lot of experience so going with a larger pack now might be the way to go.

[scope]

And, I think if you use the word HOLIDAYS as a coupon on the checkout page, you can get another 20% off of that price.

I'm pretty sure that coupon is still valid.

Cheers,
Buckwheat


Used mine recently and code was OUTLET25 in case the other doesn't work.

[blackbird04217]

Here's one for you that fits into the insane huge pack category.
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370 (http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370).
only 3.5 lbs

Wow, nice find, I am actually surprised I missed this. It doesn't have the bells and whistles as the Mars pack, but it does get the weight down. Also it seems to feature the ability to compress down if its not all being used, the "ComPacktor" system.

Which leads me to a question. My biggest worry is a bag that isn't big enough to hold whatever I may want. Which is exactly that, whatever I want. I don't want to get my supplies, fit a bag to them, and live with minimal extra space after. But I should ask if having a bag too big is going to be bad. Things that I have read about big bags was the weight shifting around, and possibly upsetting the evenness of the load. I've felt for the most part this is avoidable with smart packing habits. Am I wrong here or will this forever haunt me by making inexperienced decisions.

[scope]

Wow, nice find, I am actually surprised I missed this. It doesn't have the bells and whistles as the Mars pack, but it does get the weight down. Also it seems to feature the ability to compress down if its not all being used, the "ComPacktor" system.

Which leads me to a question. My biggest worry is a bag that isn't big enough to hold whatever I may want. Which is exactly that, whatever I want. I don't want to get my supplies, fit a bag to them, and live with minimal extra space after. But I should ask if having a bag too big is going to be bad. Things that I have read about big bags was the weight shifting around, and possibly upsetting the evenness of the load. I've felt for the most part this is avoidable with smart packing habits. Am I wrong here or will this forever haunt me by making inexperienced decisions.

I have had the same fears and I can tell you from experience that having more size is not terrible. Not having enough size can be. Having crap hanging off your pack is going to be worse than having to make some pack adjustments now and then. As you get more experience, you'll figure out how to pack it better and probably won't have to make any adjustments. If you get to the point where you can afford to have equipment that makes the 5500ci obsolete, then you'll be able to afford a new pack.

[Egads]

IMO a big pack is good for winter's insulation or expeditions, not the A.T.

[BookBurner]

Blackbird - I regretted my decision to carry the Palisade as soon as I saw the lighter options my fellow thruhikers had discovered before hitting the trail. But being very stubborn and on a limited budget, I stuck with my original decision for 2100 miles. I haven't used the pack once since then though. And I laugh now at how heavy the darn thing is every time I pick it up!

I suspect you will discover that the greatest luxury on the trail, by far, is simplicity. Simplicity is light, easy to pack up, less expensive, and rarely breaks down. Keep that in mind when making all your gear decisions and you'll already be a long way down the path of an experience.

As for your specific question regarding an oversized pack, most people tend to fill whatever they carry. For some reason, we just can't stand to see unused cubic inches. So the load often unintentionally swells to fill the pack. Even if you can manage to fight this aspect of human nature, know that a 3/4-filled pack is less stable and more wobbly than a full pack. It just doesn't ride as well. And that can become a problem when you have to haul it around day after day. My advice would be to buy a pack that just fits the gear you intend to carry to Maine. Don't try to buy a pack to last you a lifetime. I promise you, after 2100 miles, your entire backpacking philosophy (and associated gear list) will have changed.

[JAK]

Both packs are way too heavy, not just a little.
Most people that buy overweight backpacks should learn to regret their purchase.
I did.

[JAK]

p.s. Don't go smaller. Just go lighter. Much lighter.

[blackbird04217]

[/URL]I am taking the advice of going lighter, combining it with KG4FAM's find: [URL]http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370 (http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/784370) and considering this. If I could edit my first post I would, but it seems that is not a feature here, or I haven't been around long enough yet. This is pretty my the middle of the two I suggested, just it also went on a diet as well. 3.5lbs is half the weight of the Mars and a pound less than the Klamath, and had a lot of decent features such as the compacting system and such.

[Blissful]

Yea, you do have some points, but yea it is hard for me to let go of those types of luxuries. It is exactly that though, and I need to look at it as the weight I will be carrying, at this point I feel its worth it. From your experience it seems you regretted it, and its quite possible that I would too. I will try my best to keep these thoughts in my mind, although it is quite hard since I don't have any backpacking experience... I have been in the wilderness, just not with camp sitting on my back.

If you have no backpack experience, then take it from those of us who do. I stubbornly carried a 6 lb pack until mid VA when I had to downsize because of injury, and the change is what made me get through. No way would I have been able to carry that thing through the Whites and southern ME. You will want to downsize before that, the weight will be too cumbersome. And guaranteed by Neels Gap you will be mailing your luxury items home. It's a given. Diffucult to think that will happen while sitting in your home, but believe me, it will happen. My son stubbornly decided he would take his 2 lb knife, it got sent home in a week. Along with other stuff he wasnever gonna be without. You learn quick.

So might as well get a pack now that will serve your needs the entire hike, esp when gear is also downsized in the summer months. Look at Osprey, nice capacity around 4lbs or so and used alot on the trail.

[Tinker]

My first internal framed pack was a Gregory Shasta. Back in 1991 it was made in the US and weighed 5#11oz. It had no sleeping bag compartment. It was just a big sack with a lid. Did fine for most of New England, all of the Long Trail, and various trips in between. As I hiked more, I realized what I could do without, and most of the time my pack was half full (or half empty, if you're a pessimist :p). About four years ago, I bought a 3200 cu. in. Golite Dawn without a frame. It weighed 14 oz. I've been using it every year since, carrying it this September through the Hundred Mile Wilderness and up Katahdin. I used every cubic inch and then some (my food bag was sticking about 8" out the top, only held in by the lash strap that goes from the front to the back of the pack. The "frame" is a 3/8" piece of blue foam, cut to the height of the pack and long enough to go under my torso if I decided not to use my hammock. I rolled the foam up, dropped it in the pack vertically, let it unroll, and stuffed everything into the middle. I used a heavy duty plastic bag for my down bag and sleeping clothes, another for my warm-up clothes, one for my food, stove, and cookpot, I put my food bag on top of that and had my wind and rain wear on the very top. Just enough room.
I just bought a Granite Gear Virga from Prolite Gear for $70 something dollars. 3500 cu. in. I have no doubt that I could do a thru with it. For now, it will be my new winter pack, replacing the Gregory which I gave to my son when he summited Katahdin with me.
Your mileage may vary.

[Compass]

I started Sectioning with the Gregory Whitney and all kinds of excuses why a 8+ pound pack would be a good choice.

Dropped down to a 3 pound pack(Osprey Atmos 50).

Now looking at a 17oz. pack. There was no way I could have started out this light but I could have started more wisely 3+ range and improved. Necessity tends to be the mother of all invention.

[skinewmexico]

If you're on here to learn, take the advice. I've never seen anyone on here talking about how they went from a Golite Pinnacle to a Gregory Whitney. BTW, the Pinnacle is on sale at SunnySports for $78. And like a previous poster stated, you will fill whatever size pack you buy. If I take my Pinnacle, I always seem to fill it. But I can do the same trip with my Jam2, or Mariposa, and get by with them too.

[Egads]

Some lessens are best learned from experience. Buy any pack you want. You are on your way to becoming a gear head with a closet full of seldom used gear. You might as well start with a pack.

[gearfreak]

Personally, for the money you're willing to spend I'd go with the ULA Circuit (http://www.ula-equipment.com/circuit.htm). :cool:

[Egads]

Personally, for the money you're willing to spend I'd go with the ULA Circuit (http://www.ula-equipment.com/circuit.htm). :cool:

I'd second the ULA pack, except blackbird doesn't seem interested in either advice or good gear.

[Grinder]

the only way to become a true believer in the "less is more church of backpacking" is to bust your ass with heavy for a few days.

That's why Neil's Gap does such a good business.

Enjoy your first few days and be sure to bring your credit card.

Grinder

[skinewmexico]

Some lessens are best learned from experience. Buy any pack you want. You are on your way to becoming a gear head with a closet full of seldom used gear. You might as well start with a pack.

Cynic. :-?

[Tinker]

the only way to become a true believer in the "less is more church of backpacking" is to bust your ass with heavy for a few days.

That's why Neil's Gap does such a good business.

Enjoy your first few days and be sure to bring your credit card.

Grinder

Well said. I started moderately heavy and went to ul, then back to light. I have a lot of old "junk" that I lend out to friends for short trips.

[blackbird04217]

I think I have decided to go with the GoLite Odyssey pack. 3.5lbs, all the space I desire and has a few of the features I looked into. This is down 3lbs from the Mars 85, and down a pound from the Klamath. It also weighs less, and costs less than the Osprey packs I was looking into (Aether @ 4lbs 10oz). So I have taken the advice hear and gone lighter, I didn't go down to a pound bag, but it does make sense to shave of a lot of the weight, the rest I'll just have to learn for myself.

Grinder seems to know me quite well, actually I think I did good already in that I am listening to you guys and not going for my first choice pack. So you have had a lot of influence, and I am sure I will appreciate that later. Last night after a quick overview of tents and sleeping bags I found that my Pack, Bag and Tent would be under 10lbs. Of course I haven't decided to that bag or the tents I looked at but I was surprise that it was under 10lbs, since I was expecting 15lbs for the three items.

Thanks for the input and saving me 3lbs :D

[blackbird04217]

Well I just wanted to let you guys know I did buy the GoLite Odyssey pack, and it has arrived now, also bought my tent; Eureka Spitfire. Total weight so far is a tad over 7lbs. I must say I am happy with the pack I chose, and have loaded it up with blankets and clothes and I must say the hip-belt does way more than I ever thought a hip-belt could. It's quite amazing the amount of weight that can take off the shoulders...

Thanks for taking a few pounds off my back, and I know it isn't as light as some other suggestions, but I did take some advice and cut my backpack weight in half. Thank-you.

[FritztheCat]

I have the same tent. Sets up quick and worked well during a camping/gear test trip when a blustery wind was blowing during the night (combined with sideways rain falling). I'm going to replace the tent stakes with either plastic or titanium though. The aluminum stakes bent too easy.

[JAK]

Not a bad choice. It's still a monster pack but light enough to be a keeper even if you get a lighter pack some day. Also, you are probable young and lean enough to fill that sucker up with grocs and go 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. Have fun with it.

[pyro]

Well I just wanted to let you guys know I did buy the GoLite Odyssey pack, and it has arrived now, also bought my tent; Eureka Spitfire. Total weight so far is a tad over 7lbs. I must say I am happy with the pack I chose, and have loaded it up with blankets and clothes and I must say the hip-belt does way more than I ever thought a hip-belt could. It's quite amazing the amount of weight that can take off the shoulders...

Thanks for taking a few pounds off my back, and I know it isn't as light as some other suggestions, but I did take some advice and cut my backpack weight in half. Thank-you.


Hey blackbird,
I'm new to the site and am in the same spot you're in, trying to cut my pack weight in half. Been carrying 40 lb loads long enough. Just bought a Tarptent Rainbow saving 3 lbs over the Hubba Hubba I've been carrying and am considering an Odyssey pack like yours. I plan to carry 25-30 lbs at first until I can afford to replace more gear items hoping to get down to 20-25 some day.

So now that you've had your Odyssey for a few months what do you like or dislike about it? How much weight have you carried and is it comfortable?

thanks,
pyro

[Jim Adams]

Atmos 50 @ REI

geek

[Two Tents]

Don't get in a hurry! This site can change your mind. Alot of experience here use it ,look around. Get much of your gear then pile it up and see how big of a pack you think you will need. Trust me you will be happy with less weight in the long run and you won't end up buying two of something. ---Two Tents

[Jayboflavin04]

I mean, what is $20 of saving.



What ever direction price wise. I think you will be happy with a properly fitted pack! Bottom line, price doesnt matter, features dont matter, COMFORT DOES. You will not notice the lack of features, or the amount of money u spent on it when you are totally enjoying yourself. You will be saying "I wish I had spent that extra $50" when you are fighting sore feet, sore knees, and shoulder, and the WRONG pack, and not totally enjoying yourself. "Blissful" would say get all your gear and go to your nearest outfitter get measured, load up the models you are looking at, and test drive em'!

[AeroGuyDC]

I"m glad I read this page. I was considering the Mars 85 as well, but the more I read, the less interested I am in that particular pack. My other favorite (so far) is the REI Ridgeline 65. I've tried on several packs, and the Ridgeline immediately had a comfortable feel that the other packs did not.

I will start separate thread if I need to, but i'd welcome any comments on the Ridgeline 65 if anyone has experience with it. To help with comments, my plan is a 100-ish mile section hike from PenMar to Front Royal.

[blackbird04217]

I'm not sure about that pack; but I did want to fill others in about my experience and maybe you would be interested.

I had been hearing a lot about how a smaller pack was better, as it kept you from putting weight on and a few other reasons. Where those ideas are probably good for someone worried about their pack weight I had never been concerned.

My first day on the trail my GoLite Odyssey it was packed to the complete limits; course my parents had a lot of say in telling me what I needed when I already knew I didn't so some of the stuff was bought simply for comforting them, carried to Neel's Gap and sent home assuring them a professional helped me. (I did buy my own load of crap as well being it was my first ever hike.) However as SquidHead watched me heave my pack on for the first time on the trail he said, "You will quickly learn a new way to do that, or you're legs will be massive."

With my inexperience I did learn a lot on the trail, and enjoyed learning it. I am very grateful that I took the Odyssey over my first choices; thanks for that advice guys! But I am also largely grateful that I stood stubborn with the idea of keeping a 'large' pack. Someone told me that with any pack you tend to keep it filled, thus you'll keep the large pack heavier. I will agree with this statement for my first few inexperienced days on the trail; however after Neel's Gap I had found some room in the pack. I enjoyed that space. (10lbs sent home makes a wonderful difference that you can only experience if you've carried it those first few days while getting new muscles.)

The GoLite Odyssey has an extender at the top, allowing several more cubic inches of room. That section was only used when I was doing large sections without stopping, and I am glad I had it. I only have good things to say about my pack; it did 95% of the trail before it broke, and even then it was a simple stitch job by Crazy Lady that held it together the rest of the way.

Ultra Lighters beware, read the following with cation;
I carried at least 70 lbs here and there; well over loaded with food weight. I had a really decent 'pack weight' of near 25 lbs without food or water, and including all other 'consumables'. Yes, that means I carried about 50lbs of food; and not only once. I was on a very -VERY- tight budget when it came down to the wire. I originally planned for $2000 with $500 as a backup, and a lot of people told me that was far too little, I'll spend that on lodging alone -etc. I took their warnings and made sure to watch what hostels I stayed at, only stayed in 2 hotels that my parents took my to for birthday, and a group of hikers entered with a low rate. My point is at Neel's Gap I had $1000, and I made it all the way to Maine with about $1200 total as I did dip into 'reserves' a little bit. To do this my strategy included planning town stops where some of them went from big stop to big stop. Take Virginia for instance. I walked from Erwin -> Damascus -> Pearisburg -> (small stop at Catawba) -> Waynesboro -> Harper's Ferry. That is sometimes over 150 miles without a town stop which; kept my funds where they belong, and yes coming out of town was 'heavy' - very heavy. I have a walmart receipt of $127, and had carried it all out and made it a long friggen ways without stopping again.

I don't recommend anyone doing this. I had been trying to pull 20s like everyone else in later VA, but couldn't until I started lowering pack weight, and so I used this pattern in a flexible way to make long distances when I needed to, yet also do shorter town stops because it was better as well. Sorry I made a long post, but my main point is I am very glad everyone gave me all their advice, perhaps if someone never mentioned that I'd be likely to fill it always then I would have always filled it - but I watched for it on a sub-conscious level I assume. Same with people warning me where big spenders were, I watched out for it and carefully planned my stops to places where it was close to $5 as required by the tight budget,

I bought my pack online, and got extremely lucky the GoLite fit me so well, it was amazing and as if someone professional had fitted me - I will say that how the pack rides is almost everything to your successful hike, far more important than the weight it carries is how it carries it.

-AeroGuyDC; I hope some of the above is useful to you, although it was about a different pack. If you have a good 'gut' feeling I say go with it. Worst case with a 100mile hike you can bring it back when you finish. Not saying I want you to buy just anything, but if you have a gut feeling saying buy, then listen it is usually correct in my experience.

Again, thank everyone here that helped out with my successful trip and made the beginnings that much better. I hope my 2 cents ,(or 20 cents by the length), is useful to someone!

[AeroGuyDC]

I'm not sure about that pack; but I did want to fill others in about my experience and maybe you would be interested.

I had been hearing a lot about how a smaller pack was better, as it kept you from putting weight on and a few other reasons. Where those ideas are probably good for someone worried about their pack weight I had never been concerned.

My first day on the trail my GoLite Odyssey it was packed to the complete limits; course my parents had a lot of say in telling me what I needed when I already knew I didn't so some of the stuff was bought simply for comforting them, carried to Neel's Gap and sent home assuring them a professional helped me. (I did buy my own load of crap as well being it was my first ever hike.) However as SquidHead watched me heave my pack on for the first time on the trail he said, "You will quickly learn a new way to do that, or you're legs will be massive."

With my inexperience I did learn a lot on the trail, and enjoyed learning it. I am very grateful that I took the Odyssey over my first choices; thanks for that advice guys! But I am also largely grateful that I stood stubborn with the idea of keeping a 'large' pack. Someone told me that with any pack you tend to keep it filled, thus you'll keep the large pack heavier. I will agree with this statement for my first few inexperienced days on the trail; however after Neel's Gap I had found some room in the pack. I enjoyed that space. (10lbs sent home makes a wonderful difference that you can only experience if you've carried it those first few days while getting new muscles.)

The GoLite Odyssey has an extender at the top, allowing several more cubic inches of room. That section was only used when I was doing large sections without stopping, and I am glad I had it. I only have good things to say about my pack; it did 95% of the trail before it broke, and even then it was a simple stitch job by Crazy Lady that held it together the rest of the way.

Ultra Lighters beware, read the following with cation;
I carried at least 70 lbs here and there; well over loaded with food weight. I had a really decent 'pack weight' of near 25 lbs without food or water, and including all other 'consumables'. Yes, that means I carried about 50lbs of food; and not only once. I was on a very -VERY- tight budget when it came down to the wire. I originally planned for $2000 with $500 as a backup, and a lot of people told me that was far too little, I'll spend that on lodging alone -etc. I took their warnings and made sure to watch what hostels I stayed at, only stayed in 2 hotels that my parents took my to for birthday, and a group of hikers entered with a low rate. My point is at Neel's Gap I had $1000, and I made it all the way to Maine with about $1200 total as I did dip into 'reserves' a little bit. To do this my strategy included planning town stops where some of them went from big stop to big stop. Take Virginia for instance. I walked from Erwin -> Damascus -> Pearisburg -> (small stop at Catawba) -> Waynesboro -> Harper's Ferry. That is sometimes over 150 miles without a town stop which; kept my funds where they belong, and yes coming out of town was 'heavy' - very heavy. I have a walmart receipt of $127, and had carried it all out and made it a long friggen ways without stopping again.

I don't recommend anyone doing this. I had been trying to pull 20s like everyone else in later VA, but couldn't until I started lowering pack weight, and so I used this pattern in a flexible way to make long distances when I needed to, yet also do shorter town stops because it was better as well. Sorry I made a long post, but my main point is I am very glad everyone gave me all their advice, perhaps if someone never mentioned that I'd be likely to fill it always then I would have always filled it - but I watched for it on a sub-conscious level I assume. Same with people warning me where big spenders were, I watched out for it and carefully planned my stops to places where it was close to $5 as required by the tight budget,

I bought my pack online, and got extremely lucky the GoLite fit me so well, it was amazing and as if someone professional had fitted me - I will say that how the pack rides is almost everything to your successful hike, far more important than the weight it carries is how it carries it.

-AeroGuyDC; I hope some of the above is useful to you, although it was about a different pack. If you have a good 'gut' feeling I say go with it. Worst case with a 100mile hike you can bring it back when you finish. Not saying I want you to buy just anything, but if you have a gut feeling saying buy, then listen it is usually correct in my experience.

Again, thank everyone here that helped out with my successful trip and made the beginnings that much better. I hope my 2 cents ,(or 20 cents by the length), is useful to someone!

Your post is very helpful. Thanks!

I certainly have to give you props for your determination and making things work on a tight budget. You did what you had to do to accomplish your goal!