I type too fast. I can't believe this forum doesn't allow you to edit your posts!
I type too fast. I can't believe this forum doesn't allow you to edit your posts!
Any reason you haven't mentioned a ULA pack? The Catalyst would be a great pack.
I looked at ULA's website, I remember them from several years ago when I was looking for a lighter pack. It seems very similar to the Quest, a little lighter. It seems a little heavier than the Pinnacle. All 3 very similar. The ULA being quite a bit more money (I got the Osprey for $160 at REI).
If I decide the GoLites & Osprey aren't it for me, the ULA will be next on the list. The Starlite as well.
Curious to know how much gear you're trying to get in there. I have just packed the Quest for a week on the BMT and I have 7 lbs of spare clothing, including my Frogg Toggs, tent, fly, bag, pad, small tarp, extra garbage bag, Ursack with 7 days of food, snacks, drink mixes, stove, water filter, all inside the pack. I carry my camp shoes, a saw, TP, poles in pockets strapped to the side, personal effects, 1st aid, in the big main pocket and I have daily snacking and map in the hip pockets. 2 liter Platypus in the lid.
It weighs in at about 34 lbs w/o water.
I can't say for sure because I've not tried the Osprey but I know someone who has (and I did have a similar "problem" with an REI pack). They say that due to the curvature of the Osprey, it's a bit awkward to pack. I would guess that it would be even harder to get your gear in that if you can't get it in the Quest.
Only thing I had against the Quest right off was the use of some pretty cheesy buckles here and there. The top lid has one on the front that actually unbuckles. The same adjustment on your back panel side has some slip adjustment deal that was a PITA to adjust. I had my wife sew a real set on.
And, there are a couple of connection points I can't help but wonder about. How long they'll last. The point where the shoulder strap comes down and connects to the hip belt....hmmmm. But I guess it's about the same as how everyone else is doing it.
Once again, good luck with the search.
How much gear...let's see...pretty standard-issue stuff...
REI 1/4 Dome UL tent
Thermarest (full-length)
40F bag, in a compression stuffsack, makes it the size of a cantelope (almost)
Camelback 100 oz. Unbottle
Stove/Fuel/Pot/etc. Just 1 pot. I only boil water.
Water filter
Thermarest pillow (which compresses down to the size of a ...shoe...I guess...
Food... haven't weighed any yet, but my dinners are dehydrated & re-packed to save space. Same ol stuff... trail mix, granola, Baby Bel cheese, oatmeal, etc.
Clothes... besides my EMS Windshear jacket (like a Marmot Driclime), just an extra pair sox, extra undies, 1 extra t-shirt, 1 insulating long sleeve, and if it's cold, long johns. And if it's wet, rain jacket & pants (precip), hat
It's definitely not a WEIGHT thing... it's a VOLUME thing. And it all boils down to the pad. If the pad is left out, I have room to not even use (or barely use) the spindrift collar, if the pad goes in, even with the spindrift fully extended, all the gear barely fits.
I've narrowed it down. Between the Pinnacle & Quest, I chose the Pinnacle. Loaded with the same gear/weight, the Pinnacle was simply more comfortable, despite it's lack of a rigid frame & narrower hipbelts. Packweight including food & water was 26 lbs.
As cool as the top pocket & hipbelt pockets on the Quest are, the simple comfort factor (and a "gut feeling") overruled. And the 2 lbs of weight savings wasn't bad either! Interestingly, while these 2 packs are purportedly the same volume, I think because of the top lid pocket on the Quest, it's packbag was a bit shorter. Loaded with the same gear in the same way, the Quest ended up being taller than the Pinnacle- the spindrift/lid pocket was extended behind my head. Not so on the Pinncale.
I actually called REI to cancel my backorder on the Atmos 65- simply because I like the Pinnacle more than enough to give it a real-world test. But alas... REI received & shipped the Atmos 65 early... it's on it's way. So I'll still have a Pinnacle vs. Atmos "shootout."