View Full Version : Lightweight Backpack
tucker0104
09-20-2010, 00:10
I currently have a Osprey Atmost 50 as my main backpack. I have read a lot in articles about ULA and gossamer gear and other lightweight backpacks. Are these just more popular because of the weight you save? They are the less frills just cram it in kind of packs, right? I am only asking because I am always looking to shed some weight and I have never seend one of those packs in person.
stranger
09-20-2010, 00:41
I wrote a review on a ULA Circuit that you might want to read...I don't know how to make a link so you will have to look under 'packs' in gear reviews.
Simplicity is probably the main difference between something like an Atmos 50and a Circuit, and to a lesser degree materials, Osprey does tend to overbuild things, as do many other pack manufacturers.
You can buy a ULA and try it on, even do a short day hike and they will take it back. Great customer service.
Personally, i'd rather have a heavier pack that feels bullet proof ( I also have the atmos 50 and love it) than a light weight pack that feels as if setting it down on rocks will tear up the bottom. I'm too hard on my gear to go completely ultralight. Also, i like pockets. If i didn't have tons of pockets on my pack, then i'd probably put everyting in stuff sacks so it wouldn't save any weight anyway.
daddytwosticks
09-20-2010, 07:24
I have an older Aether 60, an Atmos 50, and an original ULA Conduit. I find myself using (and liking) the Atmos for most of my style of hiking. YMMV. :)
bigcranky
09-20-2010, 07:46
I have a ULA pack and a Six Moon Designs pack. Both are under 2 pounds, but neither of them is so fragile that I have to baby my gear. Oh, and they both have the best pockets I've ever used on a pack, especially my SMD Starlite. And I've owned a lot of packs. The Starlite is more than five years old with a lot of miles, and is in great condition.
When I came to discover that my 6 pound Kelty Pack was GROSSLY overbuilt, it was a real eye opener. It wasn't just because of unneccessary features. It wasn't because it was made more rugged to be more durable. It was deliberately overbuilt, simply because foolish people like me will pay more for something that weighs 6 pounds than something that weighs 2 or 3 pounds. Now you can go to far the other way I suppose. The ULA packs certainly do not go to far the other way. I have a JAM2 that is lighter than a ULA Circuit, and I don't even think it is going to far the other way. You can go lighter than that, and perhaps at some point you are giving up too much. There are reasonable compromises and trade offs, and I thing anything in the 1-3 pound range, if designed and well built for its weight, can fit into that category.
Anything over 3 pounds, I would seriously have to question. In my opinion the VAST MAJORITY of packs over 3 pounds are made that heavy for no good reason, other than because they can be sold in higher volume for more money, even though they are unsuitable, and the VAST MAJORITY of outfitters will not tell people otherwise, because they would not stay in business if they did.
Outfitters also like bigger packs because if people have more room, they can fill it with even more stuff they don't need. It isn't about getting people out on the trails properly equipped. It's about making $$$. People have to learn that the outfitters are NOT representing the novice hikers best interests.
That's ok. People need to learn. Nature isn't always on your side either.
skinewmexico
09-20-2010, 10:04
ULA packs aren't ultralight. Sure are tough though. If you don't know how to take care of your gear, or don't care to, you should probably buy something bulletproof. A lot of bulletproof packs are bulletproof because they are built with cheap but heavy and thick materials. You can build a pack that is just as tough with lighter, expensive, high tech materials like dyneema or spectra.
I have a zpack 3200 CI cuben fiber with all the pockets and gizmo's and it weighs in at 10 ounces. I'm saving a pound or more over my ULA and six moons. Its not a rugged and only good for a thru hike. It'll last me years though.
skinewmexico
09-20-2010, 10:33
I almost bought a Z-pack, but then Joe was on his CDT thru when I was hot to get one. I'll have to look into it again. You can never have too many packs.
ky chris
09-20-2010, 10:38
I like ULA packs because they are lighter, simpler, built tough, and great for the price. I started with the Circuit but moved down to the CDT last summer. I really like the "stuff everything into one compartment" idea. I don't use compression sacks because the whole pack acts as one. My ridgerest is curled up inside and works as the frame and cushion. When I remove everything, the pack gets stuffed into a case to use as my pillow. Nothing to store outside my tent except my food sack.
KY Chris
bigcranky
09-20-2010, 10:47
You can never have too many packs.
You been looking in my gear closet?
garlic08
09-20-2010, 12:05
An ultralight (less than one pound) pack is completely different tool for a different purpose than an Osprey. You don't bring a knife to a gunfight, so don't try to substitute one of these packs for the other without completely overhauling your load, and maybe your style of hiking.
You can definitely go too light--there's a threshold for most people, and that threshold varies for everyone. In my current style of long distance hiking, a 9-oz silnylon frameless pack is perfect. An $80 Gossamer Gear G5 (discontinued) has lasted years and thousands of miles. I once tried a 7-oz version of the same pack in spinnaker cloth, and it was a failure for me, not at all worth the 2 oz savings. I didn't even think of trying a silnylon pack until my base weight was under 10 pounds, and that took many seasons of fine-tuning the load to my hiking style.
I currently have a Osprey Atmost 50 as my main backpack. I have read a lot in articles about ULA and gossamer gear and other lightweight backpacks. Are these just more popular because of the weight you save? They are the less frills just cram it in kind of packs, right? I am only asking because I am always looking to shed some weight and I have never seend one of those packs in person.
The various cottage industry packs are popular among long distance hikers because they have features that long-distance hikers need more than weekenders. For example, many will have a big mesh pocket on the back where you can put your wet tent or tarp so that it will drain while you are hiking. Most regular backpackers will just wait until the sun is out and their tent is dry before they pack up. Long distance hikers tend to want to maximize hiking hours, especially in the morning, so they won't wait for their tents to dry.
Most of their features are extremely well thought out. Nothing is added to make the pack look cool. It all serves some kind of purpose in the most minimal way possible.
My issue with most of these lighter packs is that they are only available to me online, as opposed to conveniently located at my local outfitter. I don't like the hassel of buying and returning packs because they don't fit right.
skinewmexico
09-20-2010, 17:33
You been looking in my gear closet?
Close your curtains.
Joker4ink
10-04-2010, 02:40
I see you use an Osprey and if you love it, try an Osprey Exos 58. I LOVE it!. It's 2pounds, 8 ounces so its 14 ounces less than the Atmos 50. I originally bought an Atmos 50 and returned it for the Exos 58.