Zpacks Arc Haul vs other?

[Timinator]

I'm getting a Zpacks tent while on trail and I'm also replacing my 5 LB backpack with something much lighter. My first instinct is the Zpacks Arc Haul pack because of convenience. Has anyone tried this pack? Any argument against it before I spend the cash? And other recommendations?

[fastfoxengineering]

It's a great pack. But there are many other great packs as well. If the cost isn't a concern, you'll most likely be stoked with the pack.

If you want to save some coin. The gossamer gear gorilla is also a very nice pack. Would be my first choice.

Ula circuit or ohm 2.0 are good packs.

It really depends on your intended use for it.



Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[DuneElliot]

Personally I love mine but I did have to make a couple of DIY mods to the hip belt due to my size (kinda boney around my back where the frame sits). The issue I had seems to be unique to me as I can't find any other reference to anyone else having the problem. I will say that you should add the lumbar pad and hip belt pockets to the order...I also really like my top mesh pockets and they are easy access while I'm wearing the pack too for my phone or GPS.

I love how it carries against me and also the air flow with the mesh at your back. I would definitely buy again.

[cmoulder]

+1 to adding the optional lumbar pad.

I've had the personal experience of lumbar discomfort from the bottom crossbar and have read enough about others having the same that I now feel the extra lumbar pad should be standard. However, after adding the lumbar pad it has been a very comfortable pack for me.

[ChuckT]

Another +1 for the lumbar pad. I passed on the Zpacks hip belt pockets (as I already had some 3rd-party pockets in my gear stash) big mistake.😕

[Maineiac64]

The arc haul is an awesome pack. The cost with the added features adds up though. I got the lumbar pad, shoulder pads, and hip belts. Very well built. If you have zpacks tent, keep it in the family.

[soumodeler]

You won't be disappointed. Great gear with great people behind it.

[TTT]

If you buy it you will need money to load it with light gear. If you do then go for it. If not then you might struggle somewhat.

[cmoulder]

If you buy it you will need money to load it with light gear. If you do then go for it. If not then you might struggle somewhat.

The Arc Haul can definitely handle somewhat heavier and bulkier gear, although the main idea behind a pack like this is to still carry UL based gear and use the extra volume and weight capacity for big food (think big bear can) and/or water loads. Also, the Dyneema X grid is more durable than Cuben hybrid, but still not the choice if you're going to be scraping up against rocks on a regular basis. I originally got the Haul for winter use because my Cuben hybrid Blast was sustaining a few little cuts from rock abrasion and scraping thru spruce blowdowns in the Catskills and Adirondacks.

UL kit for the Haul needn't be the absolute lightest, most cutting edge. In the winter I typically carry a silnylon Duomid and Tyvek bathtub floor (approx 31 oz total) and a JB Sumo stove kit for 2, extra fuel, 20°F synthetic EE quilt, Xtherm air mat, etc (hardly superlight stuff!), down parka and down pants, and even with a few days' food there is plenty of room left over.

However, as soumodeler mentioned above, if I were restricted to one pack I would choose the Haul—it will compress down quite nicely for smaller loads but the others can't expand for larger loads!

[Timinator]

I wonder if I should buy the tent and keep my bag. It may weigh 5Lb but it carries loads like a dream with 0 discomfort and it's completely waterproof and water sealed. I wonder if it would be worth the tradeoff? My pack should weigh in at around 20ish lb with the zpacks tent and backpack and 25ish with the tent and my pack.

[cmoulder]

My Arc Haul (med/med, with 1 hip pouch and 1 shoulder pouch) weighs 27.5 oz (1.72 lb actual weight on digital scale). If your 5 lb weight is accurate, that's a 52.5 oz (3.28 lb) difference.

By UL standards 3.28 lbs is a hyooge chunk, almost as much as my summer "Big Four" combined.

But it's your money and your choice and you are the one who will be carrying it.

[Timinator]

I'm just wondering if the tradeoff in comfort is worth it. I use the Arcteryx Naos pack and it can carry any sane load with no discomfort to speak of other than its own weight in my experience (I've carried up to 60lb in the past). It's got some pretty lofty padding and good ergonomics.
I've never tried other packs so I have nothing to compare it to. I've seen a few people say the arc haul gets uncomfortable near 25-30lb. Does this mean it is like my naos until that point or is there "some" discomfort?

[DuneElliot]

I wonder if I should buy the tent and keep my bag. It may weigh 5Lb but it carries loads like a dream with 0 discomfort and it's completely waterproof and water sealed. I wonder if it would be worth the tradeoff? My pack should weigh in at around 20ish lb with the zpacks tent and backpack and 25ish with the tent and my pack.

Is the 20/25lbs total weight, or weight before food and water is added?

I love my Arc Haul, but my 3 season base weight is around 12-13lbs and carries it like a dream with about 6 days worth of food for me plus a couple of days for the dogs (they carry up to four days of their own food) and 2 liters of water to generally top out at around 24-25lbs. I can't imagine starting with a base weight of 20lbs in an Arc Haul.

[DuneElliot]

Oh, and yes it's still comfortable at 25lbs but above that, for me, it gets a little less so...more so because of the actual weight to my 110# size than how it's actually carrying and distributing the weight

[cmoulder]

I'm just wondering if the tradeoff in comfort is worth it. I use the Arcteryx Naos pack and it can carry any sane load with no discomfort to speak of other than its own weight in my experience (I've carried up to 60lb in the past). It's got some pretty lofty padding and good ergonomics.
I've never tried other packs so I have nothing to compare it to. I've seen a few people say the arc haul gets uncomfortable near 25-30lb. Does this mean it is like my naos until that point or is there "some" discomfort?

I'm a little confused because I read one of your posts elsewhere in which you said you're looking at a base weight (which is pack weight—"ALL carried gear"—minus consumables... food, water, fuel) of 6-7 lbs.

If you truly have a base weight of 6-7lbs, which is awfully close to SUL!, there should be no way you'll be carrying 25-30 lbs, except under some rare circumstance right after a big resupply combined with a big water carry. You must have a comprehensive understanding of what "Base Weight" means in order to discuss this. I have a "comfort" 3-season base weight of about 7.8 lbs and with 5 days food and 1 liter of water my pack weight (TOTAL carried weight) is a teensy tick over 20 lbs.

If there's any doubt, IMO it's better to just stick with the heavier pack until you get your gear dialed in.

[Timinator]

Is the 20/25lbs total weight, or weight before food and water is added?

Total weight.
My sleeping bag is about 2LB
My tent would be about 1LB with the zpacks
My sleeping pad is about 1LB
5 days of food is about 10LB
A 3L bladder is about 6LB if I fill it.
My apparel is about 3LB (yes I know I'm working on it)
Phone, toiletries, headlamp, etc is about another 2lb.
So that's about 25LB without pack weight, I guess my original estimate was a bit off.
I can knock out a few pounds with a more realistic water weight and lighter clothes.

[DuneElliot]

So you're talking total weight around 25lbs? The Arc Haul is perfectly suited to that weight.

[cmoulder]

No cooking gear and fuel?

Please check out Mike Clelland's series on youtube to get a better understanding of exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish and how to go about it.

And get a couple of scales, a small platform type with about 5 lb max and a hanging scale to weigh the entire pack. "About 1lb" isn't good enuf in Gram Weenie-ese!

[Timinator]

I don't cook, too much of a hassle after a long day of hiking. I'm just as content eating out of a jar of peanut butter.

[Cheyou]

Are zpacks stuff in stock ? I had to wait a few weeks for mine. I think a lot of weeks

thom