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Thread: Pack Capacity

  1. #1
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    Default Pack Capacity

    Hello,

    I'm looking at the North Face Prophet 85L however its a heavy pack really big and I'm having a hard time deciding if I need this much pack. I'm going to be starting at the southern terminus end of April and will be section hiking. I expect the longest trip I would get in would be seven days on the trail. While I know many resupply locations exist I want something that will carry me though the 100 mile wildness and places where I have to pack it! I am also taking a position as assistant scout leader with our local troop and I know I'll be in most cases packing extra in my pack as my son is 85 lbs. soaking wet. I need something that will carry his extra weight as needed within reason. I'm not sure I'll ever need 85 liters though. I'm wondering if 75l is a more reasonable set up for what I'm planning to do over the years. I will carry a trail pillow and a two person Erika Timberline along with the must have essentials. All thoughts are welcome!

    Thanks

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    Its totally your call. You have justified it by the unknown amount you could carry. I like a pack that is larger than my stuff. Load and go where as a small pack needs packed. 85 is big and weighs a bunch but I don't have to carry your pack, you do.

  3. #3
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    I get it and I thought the same thing. With only having to carry food for 2 or 3 days with resupplies even if I did get a 75L there would most likely be plenty of room. Its been years since I've bought a pack. Any opinion on brand, durability, comfort ect....?

  4. #4
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Look long and hard at the ULA Catalyst. It will hold more than you want to carry. It collapses down to hold whatever load you need to carry. Very well made. Very good load transfer to the hips. Relatively inexpensive. Made in the USA.
    Hint: One outside pocket holds an MSR HUBBA HUBBA NX 2 person tent. The other side pocket holds a full Nalgene 3 quart soft canteen and an MSR Waterworks filter. Both pockets weren’t full. A bear can fits in the top horizontally.
    3 pounds empty. You could do worse.
    Wayne

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    I second the Catalyst. Swallows a lot of gear, handles well and is relatively light. I would bet it could handle all the gear you could put in the NF 85, though perhaps not the actual weight of all that gear. It also handles a smaller load pretty well, too. My favorite thing about it is the side pockets and back mesh pocket. Too many packs are made with stretchy fabric for side pockets that aren't really meant for storing bulky gear like a large water bottle or a pot/stove kit. And the see-through mesh on the back is all I need to have easy access to little things, as well as being a great place for a wet tarp.
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    Look long and hard at the ULA Catalyst. It will hold more than you want to carry. It collapses down to hold whatever load you need to carry. Very well made. Very good load transfer to the hips. Relatively inexpensive. Made in the USA.
    Hint: One outside pocket holds an MSR HUBBA HUBBA NX 2 person tent. The other side pocket holds a full Nalgene 3 quart soft canteen and an MSR Waterworks filter. Both pockets weren’t full. A bear can fits in the top horizontally.
    3 pounds empty. You could do worse.
    Wayne
    Wayne,
    Thanks for the lead on the Made in USA product going to give it a hard look.

  7. #7
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    You’re welcome!
    Wayne

  8. #8

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    If you plan on needing to Sherpa, you might want to stick with that size, particularly if it's for more than one child. Do you have all your stuff? A lot depends on your overall "bulkiness factor". Do you have a lot of bulky, synthetic clothes? How about your sleeping bag and pad? Plus hiking time of year.

    I can carry a week of food plus gear 3 out of 4 seasons with 60l. I have a smaller pack i can use too just depends. However, it becomes more difficult to use the 60l if I have a child with me, although I don't have too much extra to carry these days. My next size up pack is 95l, which is very large. It hauls real well though and with kids you don't go far.

    You son is probably 11 or 12 at least? He's probably about to grow more significantly soon (puberty)?

    Consider maybe though that you might get a smaller pack later, perhaps as a birthday present. Drop hints like, "Well I got that bigger pack to help with the Scouts but need to lighten up if I am ever going to section the whole AT."
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  9. #9
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    Consider the Osprey Volt 75.

    It's one of their "no frills" pack. Doesn't have as many bells and whistles as other Osprey packs (and only comes in one size). As such, it's one of their cheaper packs, and only weights a hint over 4lbs.
    I purchased the Osprey Volt 75 for a JMT thru hike... needed something I could carry a 20lbs bear canister (Bearikade Expedition loaded with 10 days of supplies).
    The few negative reviews the pack seems to get has to do with fit (after all, this is a one-size-fits-most). I found it to be comfortable, and had it loaded with as much as 55lbs during my JMT hike.

    Compare that to the Osprey Aether AG 70 or Osprey Xenith 75 that can weight 5 to 5-1/2 pounds for the same volume.

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    An 85 liter pack invites trouble. Being small, your son's gear will be light enoough that he can carry a fair share. You may expect to carry a few extra pounds of consumables, plus some "trip leader" gear but 85L is a huge pack. You can do fine with 75 or less.

    The weight of the Timberline tent is an issue. Consider tarping.

    There are many packs that will carry a monster load in comfort. You still need to move it uphill, which will be no fun at all without some careful consideration of weight. You don;t need ultra light, just a hard look at what you do and do not need.
    "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss

  11. #11

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    You can make do with 75L, but sometimes the difference in pack weight between an 85L/75L model is negligible, so just find something in that range that is comfortable. If the pack is right and it's 75L, you can always strap a couple light items to the back. You can have your son carry the items that are bulky, but not very heavy
    eg: you have a 4 lb synthetic sleeping bag that takes up a ton of room. Your son gets that!
    water/food, etc, that is more dense, you will take and you shouldn't have issues with space

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hikingjim View Post
    sometimes the difference in pack weight between an 85L/75L model is negligible
    That's why I specifically suggested the Volt 75... they make a Volt 60, but it's less than a 3oz savings in weight over the Volt 75.

    As for who carries what when it comes to kids and gear, I've always made the kids carry there own sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and clothing.

    But the biggest issue I found was in finding a pack suitable for kids. To avoid loading them down, I always followed the "rule" of the pack not being more than 20% of their body weight. Well when they start camping with you when they weight only 50 to 60lbs, that's 10-12lbs they can carry. Many packs listed as "kid" packs weight 3 to 4 lbs... which would mean the pack alone is 25-35% of the budgeted weight.

  13. #13
    Registered User LittleRock's Avatar
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    I have a 70L pack and it is about the perfect size for a week-long section hike with no resupply. You may want a bit of extra room if you're hiking with your son, but 75L should be plenty.
    It's all good in the woods.

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    Take a look at the Granite Gear Cloud2, 60 liter. I love mine!! Can carry 4 days of food, fall clothing and only be 75% loaded. I have plenty of room for winter clothes and a few more days food. I carry a LARGE rectangular sleeping bag and 2 person tent, puffy and bulky pillow.....still didn't fill it up.

    It only weighs 2.2 lbs and they rate it up to 35lbs. I was packed at 26 lbs last week before a trip and added a 8 lb weight just to see how it felt, then hiked a mile around my home. The pack felt great. Ordered it from REI so I could have taken it back if I didn't like it. But this pack is a keeper. Best of all, it only costs $199.
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  15. #15

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    The problem with getting a big pack just because you *might* need all that room is you will either fill it up with stuff you don't really need and it will weigh a ton, or you'll hardly fill it up at all and then it won't carry right with all the stuff sitting at the bottom of the pack.

    Chances are you will be doing summer hikes and just for a few days at a time, like weekends. For that you really don't need a whole lot of gear. The only consideration is if you carry a bear vault or not, since that can take up a significant amount of space in a pack.

    So, the best thing is to figure out what you have to carry, then buy a pack to fit the stuff.
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  16. #16

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    We have a local store than lets you rent packs and gear...rent a couple in the sizes you think you might need then go home, fill them up with your gear and his gear (that he won't be carrying) and see what works. This is not about the fit of the pack so no big deal if it's uncomfortable it's about seeing what you actually need.

  17. #17

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    And honestly I can fit 7 days of food plus my gear into 50l so if I was to HAVE to carry a little extra for someone else I wouldn't need more than a 60l pack...so I'd add on 10l space for him over what gear you would normally carry.

  18. #18
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    There’s another problem.
    All advertised XX liter packs are not the same. Different packs. Different brands. All claim to be the same volume. NOT!
    Buyer beware!
    All of this goes back to Make a Pile of your Stuff. Put your Stuff in different packs. Find out what works for you (pack fit) and your Stuff.
    Wayne

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    +1 on the Catalyst - I also have a Circuit - the next size down which is my main go to pack which handles seven days food + gear no problem. Customer service rocks too.

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    There’s another problem.
    All advertised XX liter packs are not the same. Different packs. Different brands. All claim to be the same volume. NOT!
    Buyer beware!
    All of this goes back to Make a Pile of your Stuff. Put your Stuff in different packs. Find out what works for you (pack fit) and your Stuff.
    Wayne
    Yes, they all have the same volume, but the way it's distributed varies. Waist pockets, side pockets, top "brains" and expandable mesh pockets are all part of the overall volume, but take away from the main compartment. So you need to be a little careful of how that volume is distributed.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

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