Females Only, Pack of choice

[attroll]

This poll is for females only to answer. I want to get a backpack for my girlfriend and I want to know what you females would recommend? She has backpacked before and does enjoy it. But she has not done it in years. I want to get a backpack that will last her and is light and most of all comfortable as so not to discourage her from backpacking in the future. I would like to keep this hiking partner.

[RagingHampster]

Be a man and carry her gear for her! Lol, I'm just kidding. You could always suit her up with saddle bags, and propose that she carry your stuff too. Better get ready to sleep on the couch though!

[Alison]

I use a Golite Breeze, which has no frame at all. I've attached a hip belt to it, though, as I found my shoulders became extremely sore without one. In retrospect, I probably should have gone with a G4, which has a hipbelt. One of my friends uses a G4, and she is very pleased with it. Hope this helps a little.

[Jumpstart]

I used the Osprey Aether 60 in a small/medium and was extremely happy with it. Tried on lots of packs, but Osprey's have always been the ones I go with..my winter pack is one also. Good luck!

[Ann]

If you are able I'd have her go to as many stores as she could and try out packs for herself. Ideally if she can load up the pack with around the weight she's going to carry and then walk around with it in the store. Even then that will NOT give you a really good idea, but if the pack is uncomfortable to begin with at least it will be a red flad. DON'T BE BASHFUL at the store, that's what they get paid for!!!!! What I find comfy other women may not based on framesize the amount of weight that I tend to carry etc. In general if she is going to carry under around 20 lbs it's a non-issue but with heavier loads a pack can make a difference. What I use for an overnight is way different from the pack I use for a week hike. I want a good frame when I'm carrying 40+ lbs, when I'm just carrying around 20 a rucksack is just fine. What type of backpacking will she be doing? Will she be doing a thru or just going weekends??? What kind of weight will she be carrying??? Is she small or does she have a bigger frame....all these things are to be considered.

[attroll]

Ann

That was my goal. I am going to take her to LL Beans this spring and we will try on packs and load it to the weight that she will be carrying and see if we can find one that she likes. I am limited to stores that carry a lot of packs. I only have LL Beans and EMS in the area. I don't want to order off the internet or out of a magizine because if it does not fit right then you have to deal with sending it back and all those headaches. I personally like and internal frame. That is why I was asking your opinions. She is not new to backpacking. But has not done any extended trips. So I don't know if she will like a frameless one like the G4 like Alison was talking about. Since she has not done any extened ones I don't know if it would be a good idea to have her start out with a GoLite style pack. I don't want her to get turned off on the first three day trip. If you know what I mean.


Alison

Do you think starting out with a GoLite style pack is a good idea for her being fairly new to backpacking. Or should I start her with a internal or external first?

[Ann]

I personally LOVE my Golite for loads under 25 lbs.
I do want to state that is for loads UNDER 25 lbs. AND I got the small frame version. I tried my husbands out, which is a medium and HATED it...the load tends to ride too low and kind of sags on me. What I do for overall support is, I loosely put my ensolite pad inside tha bag and then pack inside that. It gives the bag more overall support. I DON"T know how it would hold up on a THRU and it is NOT waterproof, but the way I look at it is that I usually have my sleeping bag in a silnylon sack, the ensolite is some protection and in a pinch I'll use a pack cover. It's also best to do a GOOD job packing it.
Where are you from...because if you are close to LL Bean in ME, Kittery Trading Post has a lot of pack to try on, (no golites) and they have bags that will simulate weight.

BTW, when I originally got my Golite, and it's one of the older ones, a Gust, I was a little leary. I contacted them and they told me no problem when I ordered it. If I didn't like it I could send it back so I felt a little bit better about ordering it.

I have to also add that I might be a bit biased on the rucksack because I kind of grew up hiking with a boyscout knapsack, (green that was canvas) that I used for my formative years so ANYTHING I see as a big improvement.

[attroll]

Thank You Ann. I never thought of the Kittery Trading Post. I know there is a place in Bethel also. They have some GoLite packs. I will take her up there too.

[Ann]

Also I don't know how far south you are willing to drive but there is a REI in Reading and another possibility might be Moor and Mountain in North Andover, MA.

REI in Framingham has a larger selection of packs than the one in Reading...also I haven't been to Moor and Mountain in years so I don't know what kind of a selection they might have there but I did see that they carried Golites awhile back from the Golite site.

Anyway,
GOOD LUCK ATTROLL!!!!!!

[Alison]

AT Troll,

Let me preface my answer by saying that I am, myself, new to backpacking. I've done only a week-long hike and an overnight hike. My load on the week-long hovered around 23 pounds (including food and water). My load on the overnight was around 19 (again, food and water included). I will be thru-hiking this Spring and plan to use my Golite (not finished tweaking my gear list, but have lessened my load some--not yet sure how many pounds it will be). I am extremely pleased with it, except for the one major issue I mentioned earlier: sore shoulders prior to sewing on the hip belt. I use my Ridgerest as the "frame" by placing it in the pack first and then dumping everything inside. It really works well for me, even as a beginner.

Oh, and--like Ann--I think I bought the small Breeze, not the medium. I'm tall, but have a short torso.

[Bad Ass Turtle]

I carried a Bora 80 (internal) for the first and last part of my 2001 hike; in between, I carried a Kelty Trekker (external).

Here's my thinking -- I love the Arcteryx packs (like the Bora 80 and the newest one I'm ordering, a Bora 60) for their comfort. Even with loads of over 50 pounds my blue Bora 80 felt comfy. I got it with the women's hipbelt and women's shoulder straps -- I think that made a big difference.

Then in the summer, I switched over to an external frame, because I was carrying a much lighter load, and I felt that the way an internal frame hugs your back would make it much less comfortable in the heat. I'm not sure how I would have done with the internal in the INTENSE heat of August in Connecticut, but I do know that I tend to perspire very heavily -- so I was worried about heat rashes. The Trekker did very nicely until I got my winter gear back in New Hampshire.

BAT

[Alison]

Oh, a couple of other points. As I mentioned earlier, if I had it to do over, I would buy the G4 for two reasons:

1. A hip belt is very helpful for me, because my upper body strength is not all that great.

2. You don't have to compress your sleeping bag with a G4 from what I've heard. This is one of my least favorite tasks. And I'll just have to put up with it with my Breeze--I believe there is less room in the Breeze than the G4. But they are designed to hold around the same amount of weight.

I believe they cost about the same.

[Dirtyoldman]

Gee and not one person wants to touch the shoulder strap issue .....

if shes a newbie then get her a pack with a hip belt since her shoulders wont be up to carrying much weigh.

[poison_ivy]

I use a Gregory Reality.... I cannot get my pack weight down far enough so that going without a hip belt will be comfortable. I think Gregory packs are really great and very comfortable, though a little on the heavy side.

Also, you may want to call the REI in Framingham before going there to see if they have put their spring gear out yet. I went there last month and was disappointed because they had such a limited selection of backpacks. I think it was just a winter stocking issue, because as Ann said they used to have a much better selection there.

-- Ivy

[Wander Yonder]

I have had several packs, but the only two of the ones I had that I would consider for an AT thru hike are the Go-Lite Trek and the Women's Kelty Satori 4500.

The Go-Lite trek is fine if you keep weight under 25 pounds. Above that, I had to tighten the hip belt too tight. It cut into my hipbones and finally pulled apart from the frame. Also it has closed cell padding right up against your back and you sweat profusely no matter how cold it is. They recommend wearing a vapor barrier vest, but I decided the pack just wasn't for me.

It looks really good, but if you look at the stitching inside, you can see that it is very cheaply put together. I would have gotten a C-minus in Home Ec for that sewing job!

The Kelty Satori 4500 is wonderful! The suspension is awesome and it is very comfortable. It weighs 5 lbs 2 oz, but is modular and can be stripped down in summer. If you are an ultralighter, you can strip it down to 2 pounds. http://www.outbackgear.com/satori4500.html

[Ann]

Just wanted to clarify that the Golite Gust and the new models that came out last year DO have hip belts.

It is the Golite Breeze that does NOT have a hip belt.

The Gust, doesn't have a sternum strap and honestly I do not miss it with loads under 25 lbs, I actually LIKE the freedom of NOT wearing a sternum strap. The newer models of Golite packs, the generations that came out last season, DO have sternum straps.

One drawback of the Golite Gust that I should mention is that it is NOT a good winter pack especially if you want to carry snowshoes. I have not seen the newer generation Golites to see if carrying snowshoes would be easier so I cannot say one way or another. I use another pack when hiking in the winter if I want to carry snowshoes...a pack that has a taco.

[DebW]

ATTroll, I presume your girlfriend is not about to start a thru-hike, just some weekend and maybe longer trips. So I would recommend something versatile - not a light pack meant only for loads <25 lbs, but something that can carry the 35-40 lb loads needed in late fall as well. If she carries less, that's good, and it will still be comfortable in a pack with a good suspension. I don't like the trend toward narrow pack bags seen in most women's packs and some men's packs. Narrow packs are hard to get a 3-season or winter sleeping bag into, and they force the weight either further away from your back or higher up, both of which make balance more difficult.

[Guest]

I use a Dana Design Glacier. It is a bit on the heavy side, and a bit expensive. However, it carries like a dream. Of course everyone has to find their own pack. I wouldn't trade my Glacier for anything though! Oh, I usually carry between 25-30lbs.

[Dirtyoldman]

If you can keep her weight down and can live with 2900 cu kelty makes a tempest that is only 2.5 pounds and 80 bucks retail.

[Tenderfoot]

I have the EMS summitt 4500 and LOVE it! Lots of room, very easy to adjust, and compresses well too. Weighs in at 6 lbs but so comfortable! Not ultra light obviously, but wihtout the cap/fanny pack it is lighter, smaller and PERFECT.