View Full Version : Everthing but the pack
Thumper 2006
12-06-2004, 17:45
I have a question that has been driving me crazy! The solemates have given me great advice on this question but am still a little hazy as to it. I want to know about pack size (in cubic Inches). IS the Gregory Palisade to big for a thru hike. I am a small frame size so the pack is 4850 in cubic inches. I have the forester right now but do not feel that i can organize all my gear in it plus food without the brain of the pack being stretched to its limit. The reason that I want this pack is so I can put my sleeping bag at the bottom WITH THE TENT FOLDED ON TOP. With all my gear in it along with food i want the pack to close like it is supposed to. I would still be lightweight, I am just obsessive compulsive about my gear. I want to make sure everything has a place. can any one give good pack advice and answer the question? I have gotten all my gear and i am now faced with a pack dilemma.
Footslogger
12-06-2004, 17:52
Wonderer ...
Rather than think of the Gregory Palisades as being too big or too small why not try this ...take all the gear and clothing you plan on carrying to the outfitter and pack it in the store.
I own the Reality (same size as the Palisades) and found it to be too large. One thing for sure ...if you have a large pack your tendency will be to fill it up. That's why I suggested the above.
I started off last year with a Gregory Reality and ended up with a Granite Gear Vapor Trail. About half the capacity and less than half the weight (empty). Everything fit fine, including my 4 - 5 day food bag and my starting off water supply for the day.
'Slogger
AT 2003
Yea I agree with SLogger. I'd shy away from the Palisade, tho I'm a lightweight wimp now. I started in the Forester and it's a great pack. If you can't get all ur stuff in the Forester with the top lid, you're packing way too much stuff. I started with the lid and sent it home in Erwin and eventually ditched the pack altogether for a Mountain Smith ghost, 3100 cu inches and 2 lbs. If I'm not mistaken the SOlemates started in early february? and probably were packing more gear than the average thrus start with. If you're comfortable with a mother load 7 lb pack then go for it. Its an extremely well made pack. Just realize that a month or two into the hike you may wish to downgrade and lighten up. I can't stress how muich more enjoyable and comfortable long distance packing is with a lighter (sub 30 lb load). Some folks don't care, but after lugging a huge load every day over mountains, its sure nice to be able to travel lightly. You've got to figure out what works for you.
Alligator
12-06-2004, 18:07
The size seems a little large, but if you have all of your gear and the current pack is too small you may need to move up.
If you are OC, you will have to put your tent there. But I wouldn't bury my tent on top of my bag but under other gear. I find it best to have my shelter as handy as possible, without having to dig into the pack. Should it be raining, you don't want to have to pull stuff out to get the shelter. Tents are good candidates to go on the top lid. It puts the weight up higher plus the tent has a stuff bag. This would allow you more room inside the pack. A drawback though is that if not balanced well, the tent may flop around on the top lid. It is much nicer balance-wise though to have it on the inside.
Personally, I fit everything I need inside an Osprey Aether 60 (3900 c.i.), plus four days food (In the winter I use a larger pack). I use a tarp, so a small tent would need to go on the outside.
The Solemates
12-06-2004, 18:14
If I'm not mistaken the SOlemates started in early february? and probably were packing more gear than the average thrus start with. If you're comfortable with a mother load 7 lb pack then go for it. Its an extremely well made pack. Just realize that a month or two into the hike you may wish to downgrade and lighten up. I can't stress how muich more enjoyable and comfortable long distance packing is with a lighter (sub 30 lb load). Some folks don't care, but after lugging a huge load every day over mountains, its sure nice to be able to travel lightly. You've got to figure out what works for you.
Yea, we started Feb 1 and I carried the Gregory Z-Pack (3800 cu in size L) and my wife carried the Reality (3500 cu in size S I think). 3800 was plenty big enough for even all our winter gear. if we were starting later I would have carried a smaller pack around 3000 cu in. We advised him against the Palisade, opting to go smaller and lighter.
On a side note, I carried a 4820 cu in pack in Alaska for a month long trip without any resupply and everything fit in there okay (with sleeping pad on outside). a months resupply is not needed on the AT.
Pencil Pusher
12-06-2004, 19:00
On a side note, I carried a 4820 cu in pack in Alaska for a month long trip without any resupply and everything fit in there okay (with sleeping pad on outside). a months resupply is not needed on the AT.
Uh, a month? Were you towing a sled or doing double carries? That's around 45 to 60 pounds of food alone.
SalParadise
12-06-2004, 19:23
Have you got your different items in stuff sacks, like clothes in one and misc. in another? That's usually a good way to keep everything organized. 4850 is a pretty big pack for the AT, but if that's the one you like the best then just go with that.
BookBurner
12-06-2004, 19:36
I carried the Palisade in 2002 and can say from first hand experience, it was too big! Heed everyone else's advice and at least try something smaller and much lighter. I am amazed at how heavy the Palisade is everytime I dust it off and pick it up. What was I thinking? No wonder I was always the last one into camp!
Happy Trails-
BookBurner
www.enlightenedthruhiker.com (http://www.enlightenedthruhiker.com)
I'd be more concerned with the weight of the pack than the size. My P-2 is bigger, 4900 cuin, but is under three pounds. That Gregory's 4.5 pounds, I think? Still a sweet pack, and you don't have to worry about being overly gentle with it. (How things have changed. I completed the AT by section a few years back using a pack that weighed nearly seven pounds. Total pack weight was around 45 pounds and I didn't worry about it.)
But I give a strong "me too" to getting yourself to an outfitter with your gear and trying out the packs. I've been talked into packs before on the strenth of recommendations alone, and they've all ended up on ebay.
If you can't fit all your gear in a gregory pack, you're probably taking too much gear. Rather than buying a new pack, leave some stuff behind. If you feel you need everything you're planning to carry, wait until you get to walasi-yi. I promise you'll send plenty of stuff home.
Hope this helps.
To each there own as far as what gear they require to hike their own hike. Still, If you post a gear list, you will receive suggestions on how to make all of your gear fit into the forester or something smaller. The folks here are knowledgable and I bet you end up on top of springer with that 4850 cubic inch Gregory or something smaller. The palisade is a hefty financial investment that could maybe be spent better somewhere else as far as gear. good luck on your thru.
OK, I suggest that you try this. If you already have the Gregory Forester, then you have a good pack. And, if you can't fit everything into it, along with food, then you are trying to bring along too much gear.
So, step one is to cull your gear until everything fits into the Forester.
Step two, start out with the Forester. As you go along and if you find out that you have gear that don't want to carry anymore, send it home.
Stop three, when it comes time for a new pack, go into Mountain Crossings, or MRO, or what ever outfitter is next on the trail and buy a replacement then.
After a few weeks on the trail you will have a much better idea of what works for you. I would not advise you buy another pack at this time.
OK, I suggest that you try this. If you already have the Gregory Forester, then you have a good pack. And, if you can't fit everything into it, along with food, then you are trying to bring along too much gear.
Start out with the Forester. As you go along and if you find out that you have gear that don't want to carry anymore, send it home.
After a few weeks on the trail you will have a much better idea of what works for you. I would not advise you buy another pack at this time. This is very sensible advice. Nicely done, Peaks.
Thumper 2006
12-07-2004, 23:48
That everytime i use the Forester I have my tent folded down in it. It is a mountain hardwear thru-hiker tent. I feel that i will not have enough space for the rest (including Food) of my gear with the tent down in it. As for putting on top of my pack that is out of the question. The pack makes a teeter totter motion and you wear yourself out trying to haul the pack
This is the way I packed my Forester when starting the trail:
Sleeping bag was in the bottom seperate compartment. Then the main bag carried three stuff sacks, all lined up vertically resting against my back: clothing bag, food bag and tent. My little kitchen bag (stove, pot, spoon, lighter etc.) was resting against the main 3, towards the front of the pack (farthest from my back). I had a stuff sack in the top loader (while I kept it) including handbook, journal, maps, mp3, tp, soap, headlamp, etc. Water bottles got stowed in the mesh pockets, as did my pack cover and fuel bottle.
If you are having problems fitting everything in the forester, maybe you should consider taking it to an outfitter and seeing if they can assist you in packing the bag. I'm not sure where Greer SC is, but if you could take a trip over to Mountain Crossings in Georgia, they could help you immensly with this. No reason why 4 days of food and all winter clothing and 2 liters of water shouldn't easily fit in there.
rainmaker
12-08-2004, 00:18
Greer is just this side of East Hell...tee hee... which is where I live. Anyway, the folks at the Backpacker in Columbia may be able to help.
The Solemates
12-08-2004, 15:40
Uh, a month? Were you towing a sled or doing double carries? That's around 45 to 60 pounds of food alone.
Actually it was 23 days without resupply. I guess I exaggerated a little. And we were just hiking in the backcountry. I went with my dad a few years back, and yea, our packs at the start were around 65lbs (pop's) and 60lbs (mine). By the end they were both around 30lbs.
Alligator
12-08-2004, 16:37
That everytime i use the Forester I have my tent folded down in it. It is a mountain hardwear thru-hiker tent. I feel that i will not have enough space for the rest (including Food) of my gear with the tent down in it. As for putting on top of my pack that is out of the question. The pack makes a teeter totter motion and you wear yourself out trying to haul the packThinking about it further, I generally only place my sleeping pad on top of the lid. A better place to put a tent is to sandwich it between the top lid and bottom compartment. This allows for cinching down the straps that tighten the top lid. Also, it helps to separate the tent parts. Put the poles and stakes which are heavy but small in the main compartment, then put the body and fly on the outside. You could even get a shorter wider stuff sack for the tent and fly which would not stick out as much.
You say that you are a small pack size? Moving from the Forester (4550 ci) to the Palisade (4850 ci) is only 300 ci, but adds 19 oz and the cost of a new pack (current models listed at Campmor). If you need just another 300 ci., add on a belt pouch or side pockets for less weight and cost. REI has a set of side pockets for $15.00, 8oz., 800 ci. Then, later, should you reduce pack volume, you can just take them off.
A little off topic here, but who ever came up with the idea of putting a folded tent in the bottom of your main compartment obviously never backpacked in the east. I don't want to dump my entire pack out in order to get the tent out, especially when it's raining out. So, like A-Train, I keep the tent bag vertical in the main compartment. I just open up the top and pull it right out without taking anything else out.