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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Jul 14, 2023 6:26:32 GMT -8
… Re: internal volume. You will find that an almost impossible amount of stuff fits into the mesh front pocket. .. More packs of the “cottage” variety are using “ultrastretch” mesh (formerly “venom” mesh) which is a lot tougher but doesn’t stretch as much. So that 40L pack + 15L pocket volume may become + 10ish liters. Fine for me as at least the west’s landscape changes with more blowdown and downed trees = snagging the old type mesh. For summer I’m contemplating ever more UL-designs as the ability to move away from fires, deal with obstacles, etc.. becomes a necessity even on well-used trails. Trail maintenance monies have been diverted to firefighting, and, while completely necessary, now trail maintenance is ever lagging. I’ll give credit to the UL pack industry as many respond to their users and tougher up their designs while still keeping weights down. It’ll be the same for my more wintry gear when I get around to it. A larger volume pack made of the same materials (may have a cottage maker add internal straps so I can use a winter inflatable as a “frame” too).
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Post by leadbelly on Sept 5, 2023 7:55:23 GMT -8
A lot of this depends on how the backpack wears for me. I replaced an old Gregory Baltoro 65 a few years ago. It was the backpack I considered to be 'general use' for a long weekend up to a week, non-winter. Tried on a number of alternatives, spent a lot of time thinking about a Granite Gear Blaze because it was close to two pounds lighter, though still a pound heavier than a ULA Circuit. Granite Gear does a nice job. I ended up with a newer version of the same Gregory Pack, mostly because it felt comfortable and was an evolution of a backpack I already liked.
My winter bag is an older Mystery Ranch backpack - a monster, good for the bulky gear I used for winter camping, carries high weight well. It's pretty heavy and old school in some ways, though. I wasn't very excited about their smaller backpacks, though.
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Sept 7, 2023 5:31:30 GMT -8
In the spirit of this thread, I’ve actually found ultralight lists which have a fair amount of luxuries. Stoves, pots (albeit Toaks lightwt titanium),.. foldable cup and bowl, plus Heliox ultralight chair and even a mini-folding table. It came in at 8-ish pounds (ultralight is up to 10 lbs).
Much of the gear game has gone ultralight-lightweight too. So weight reduction but also makes “room” for carrying gear for other outdoor purposes; camera, packrafting (stowing an inflatable raft in the pack w/special poles that take screw on lightwt paddles).. and even saw paragliding-backpacking on Reddit UL. So on the last two part of the trip is on water or apparently hang-gliding.
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