View Full Version : buy your pack last?
i've heard it said time and time again here that one should always buy their pack last. to buy all your gear first and then find the pack that everything fits in.
i disagree. if i had bought my pack first, i would have bought some huge mastodon like the catalyst, and then put in a load of crap that i didn't need in order to fill it. my reasoning would have been if they make a pack this big, they expect me to fill it, right?
i chose to go in the other direction. i decided on how much i was willing to carry, found a pack that could handle that, and THEN bought the gear that would fit the pack.
TV
Firefighter503
11-09-2011, 12:02
There are good arguments for both ways of doing it. When I first started buying gear, I bought my pack first (Deuter ACT Lite 65+10), and borrowed/scrounged for gear laying around for my first couple of times out. I filled that thing to the brim, and was probably carrying 30-35 lbs of stuff, plus food/water. As I got more knowledgeable, I took a look at the gear that I was using, and based on the research I did, bought lighter, smaller gear and ended up carrying a pack that weighed almost as much as the gear I had in it. I ended up with a ULA Catalyst with half the stuff in it in the end. My dry weight is now about 15 lbs, and I can and will cut more weight as I continue to backpack. Its a process, and I think inevitably people tend to upgrade their gear as they go.
ParkRat09
11-09-2011, 12:21
I can see the argument for both sides...for me though, when I went ultralight for my NOLS course (and now forever), I bought all my gear first and then bought the greatest pack ever for UL ppl (ULA Circuit). I was leaning towards the Catalyst at first but then decided to buy gear first and saw that the Circuit was better for me by a wide margin.
corialice81
11-09-2011, 12:38
six of one...half dozen of the other...
skinewmexico
11-09-2011, 12:48
What you did was the equivalent of buying your pack last. Amazing to hear NOLS has an ultralight course now. Miracles never cease.
blackbird04217
11-09-2011, 12:49
I ended up buying my pack as the very first item hiking related. Given I bought online, I am glad it fit and worked so well. I'm sure those who buy it last, taking all their gear in the store to be sure it fits- and how it feels; likely know what they are talking about and are doing, just never have done it myself.
If you're somewhat of a beginning backpacker - which should hold true if you're having to make buying decisions on ALL your gear - then you're probably going to find that gear purchasing is not a momentary process but instead is ongoing until you get to the point where there are diminishing returns. In other words, your gear is going to change over time.
So for now, I think you are correct to think that buying a pack of reasonable volume will help shape other purchases based on your needs related to that pack. As you come to a point where you are more comfortable with what your gear list looks like, then I do think it is better to be able to put your gear in a pack that you're considering so that you can be sure of how it all fits.
I think the main issue is support. Buying a pack that is more supportive - and therefore probably not the lightest - gives you more flexibility with what you can pack, almost no matter what it is. Buy a pack based on how light it is, then results can vary a lot more based on your gear, no matter what the overall weight figure might be.
Blissful
11-09-2011, 15:10
I am confused by your post. You say in the second paragraph basically what the argument is against buying your pack first. But yet you advocate it. It's pretty hard to know how the pack will fit comfort-wise and work for you empty. With your gear in tow, you can load it and check it. You can see if what you have does fit inside the pack. Many packs also fit properly with the proper weight of the gear. Can't do that with zippo gear. And how are you going to know your gear will fit, even if you had chosen it, but don't have it yet?
BTW - I don't consider the catalyst some mastadon (!) Unless you are a UL person... :) Of which the majority of hikers are not
Maybe the Gregory Baltaro Or Kelty pack from Wally World sure...
BobTheBuilder
11-09-2011, 15:39
Both incorrect - just keep buying new packs and new gear, like every other part-time hiker on here with a small amount of diposable income. I currently own 3 packs, two tents, two bags, three sleep pads, two sets of poles, and a hammock. Funny how each gear upgrade costs more than the previous. Still a cheaper hobby than owning a boat, though.
skinewmexico
11-09-2011, 15:46
Both incorrect - just keep buying new packs and new gear, like every other part-time hiker on here with a small amount of diposable income. I currently own 3 packs, two tents, two bags, three sleep pads, two sets of poles, and a hammock. Funny how each gear upgrade costs more than the previous. Still a cheaper hobby than owning a boat, though.
And we have a winner!! But only 3 packs?
I am confused by your post. You say in the second paragraph basically what the argument is against buying your pack first. But yet you advocate it. It's pretty hard to know how the pack will fit comfort-wise and work for you empty. With your gear in tow, you can load it and check it. You can see if what you have does fit inside the pack. Many packs also fit properly with the proper weight of the gear. Can't do that with zippo gear. And how are you going to know your gear will fit, even if you had chosen it, but don't have it yet?
BTW - I don't consider the catalyst some mastadon (!) Unless you are a UL person... :) Of which the majority of hikers are not
Maybe the Gregory Baltaro Or Kelty pack from Wally World sure...
sorry blissful - typo. i meant to say if I HADN'T bought my pack first, i would have probably gotten a whole bunch of heavy gear, and then found a big enough pack to put it all in. but as skinewmexico pointed out, i already had a good idea of what other gear - or a weight level - that i was shooting for.
btw thank you so much for your blog, i have found it very helpful and informative.
nitewalker
11-09-2011, 19:40
Both incorrect - just keep buying new packs and new gear, like every other part-time hiker on here with a small amount of diposable income. I currently own 3 packs, two tents, two bags, three sleep pads, two sets of poles, and a hammock. Funny how each gear upgrade costs more than the previous. Still a cheaper hobby than owning a boat, though.
i totally agree except you have not purchased enough gear yet...lol........only two tents!!
ParkRat09
11-11-2011, 01:13
What you did was the equivalent of buying your pack last. Amazing to hear NOLS has an ultralight course now. Miracles never cease.
It's in its 6th year now I think...AMAZING course I highly recommend if you ever get the chance!
garlic08
11-11-2011, 09:42
It sounds like you were lucky finding the right pack, right away. Most don't have that pleasure. It's like shoes--I had to go through 4 pairs of losers over 2000 miles to finally find the right pair. Some get it right the first time.
Though I like the idea and repeat it often, I know what you mean about "buying the pack last". That's kind of hard to do, when you really don't know how it will feel until the second or third day of a long trip--like shoes. To me, it's more a warning that what you buy may not work out as well as you think.
garlic08
11-11-2011, 09:50
It's in its 6th year now I think...AMAZING course I highly recommend if you ever get the chance!
I met a couple of NOLS instructors in the Rawlings HQ in 2006 when I took a day off from my CDT hike. They saw my UL load, had me take it apart, talked about diet (it was my first committed stoveless hike), and took notes for their UL class. I thought they were just thinking of starting it, but apparently it was going already. They said they were concerned about hurting some people with the huge loads that were standard at the time.
The website confirms it's in its sixth year, and the goal is 10-15 pound base weight. They're sponsored by GoLite.
MuddyWaters
11-11-2011, 20:38
If buying a pack only entailed fitting you gear into it, it would be easy.
However, quite often buyers are concerned with comfort, fit, compressibility, load hauling ability, way it works with different seasonal loads, how it carries a bear canister, etc. Until you can load one up with all your gear, and walk around a while, its hard to know if it really works for you or not. I have spent hours over the course of a couple weeks packing/unpacking/repacking different ways/walking around with a pack before deciding it just wasnt as comfortable as another one, and returned it to the mfg.
sir limpsalot
11-11-2011, 22:48
Both incorrect - just keep buying new packs and new gear, like every other part-time hiker on here with a small amount of diposable income. I currently own 3 packs, two tents, two bags, three sleep pads, two sets of poles, and a hammock. Funny how each gear upgrade costs more than the previous. Still a cheaper hobby than owning a boat, though.
most boat owners reach a saturation point...
(really,only 2 tents? fess up!)
for anything but winter camping - Oct. 15 - March 15 (on the AT) buy a 50 liter pack - everything else should go in. My winter pack is an (um) 75 liter pack which is big but in winter, I like a bunch of food, fuel, down, and other comforts so my vote is buy the bag -- if everything doesn't fit, you've got some choices to make - - almost everybody has too many clothes -- that's the first place to trim.