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Pack choices for the over-packer


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1 hour ago, ppine said:

I am happy that everyone is polite. That is a hard thing to find on forums.  It is good to see people come to the defense of another poster.

There are many right answers in the outdoors, but 50 pounds for an overnight is hardly ever the right answer.

Streamline your equipment list and leave out  more just in case items.  Have the kids carry their own clothes, sleeping bag and pads. Bring light weight food.  Don't carry more water than you will need to get to the next water source. Then you should be down in the 35 pound range.

Lay everything on the floor in the living room and figure out what else to discard. Weigh the whole works.  Buy your pack last to fit the equipment list.  The badge of experience is less equipment, not more.

Sometimes traditional backpackers, and especially military trained people have a hard time streamlining their outfits. They have to unlearn some habits that add a lot of weight. Think in terms of being on the trail first, and being in camp last. 

I started this business in 1960 with a Trapper Nelson with a wood frame, cast iron frying pan, canned goods and a kapok sleeping bag. We used a tube tent and no pads.  Most of our equipment came from the military surplus store.  I used an old Alice frame pack from WWII some of the time.  Equipment choices and tech have evolved quite a bit in 55 years, and it is an advantage to learn about them.

I want a pack that will stand up to heavy weight. End of story. Finished. Done. I have my reasons, and it's not just because of 1 overnight, that just happens to be the next trip coming up.

And for the record: if I needed to, I'm perfectly capable of packing out a 10 lbs 18 liter pack for multiple days. I don't t necessarily need a tent, sleeping pad, mat, gas stove, etc, etc to both survive and even enjoy a few nights out on the trail. But that's not the intent of this discussion. 

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My closest backpacking buddy and I went on our first trip about ten years ago. It was a three day hike on the AT and our starting weights were 47 and 52 lbs. I carried a Gregory z65 and he used an Osprey Aether 70. I really liked the Gregory, but I was definitely pushing the limits on the weight, at least for my 130 lb frame. While my buddy Adam's Aether seemed to handle the load he was carrying quite well. A few trips later and he was still carrying over 40 lbs with no problem, so that gives me confidence that the pack works pretty well for heavier loads. 

Skip ahead to last year, and Adam bought himself one of the AG 50's. He absolutely loves the suspension on the pack and brags that he doesn't even need a proper fit or to buckle his hip belt and the pack is still comfortable. So I can't speak to the 65 liter version and how it will handle a heavy load, but based on his feedback from the 50 and his Aether, you probably will be happy with either one. 

I'll admit, I'm a sucker for Osprey packs, but there is a reason for that. They make great stuff and stand behind it. 

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34 minutes ago, kwhowell said:

My closest backpacking buddy and I went on our first trip about ten years ago. It was a three day hike on the AT and our starting weights were 47 and 52 lbs. I carried a Gregory z65 and he used an Osprey Aether 70. I really liked the Gregory, but I was definitely pushing the limits on the weight, at least for my 130 lb frame. While my buddy Adam's Aether seemed to handle the load he was carrying quite well. A few trips later and he was still carrying over 40 lbs with no problem, so that gives me confidence that the pack works pretty well for heavier loads. 

Skip ahead to last year, and Adam bought himself one of the AG 50's. He absolutely loves the suspension on the pack and brags that he doesn't even need a proper fit or to buckle his hip belt and the pack is still comfortable. So I can't speak to the 65 liter version and how it will handle a heavy load, but based on his feedback from the 50 and his Aether, you probably will be happy with either one. 

I'll admit, I'm a sucker for Osprey packs, but there is a reason for that. They make great stuff and stand behind it. 

Thank you, it's nice to hear from someone with a little first hand knowledge of the packs. 

Since my original post , I've found a couple of reviewers who have packed the Aether 70 up to 70 lbs or so multiple times without issue. I'll admit, the Atmos 65 feels great, but I think I'm leaning towards the Aether. The comfort level isn't that much different (both are much better than my current pack) but the deciding factor looks to be that I have options to strap on accessories to the Aether. I couldn't find an intuitive way to put the Goal Zero Nomad 7 on the Atmos 65, and I like how the compression straps on the Aether can be routed under the mesh water bottle pocket. 

I almost snagged an Eberlestock v90 Battleship for $250, but missed it by a few minutes. That would be my first choice, 100 liters of prepper heaven. 

Thank you to those of you who were so kind to address my concerns. Maybe I'll see you out on the trails. 

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The hunting packs are your best choice and you have a wide selection to choose from. I actually don't think that the MOLLE frame is all that bad for heavy loads. I used to pack around a fifty pound bag of dog food for training. The frame is heavy, but it's not that uncomfortable. Granted, I haven't packed one for miles and miles.

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Stepbystep

I read through the above and I'd like to offer an alternative consideration.  Check out the Gregory Baltoro and/or the Denali.  They both are very comfortable load haulers, slightly different designs, but both use good stout dual stayed suspension to transfer the load where it needs to be.  Osprey is so fond of the perimeter hoop frames, which are fine for lighter loads, but frankly they fall short for big packs that can be stuffed with more weight.  On the Aether and Xenith, Osprey does beef it up a little with a single center stay and plastic panel, but the comparable Gregory models carry much better.  The Ospreys aren't horrible by any means but for what you're describing I'd totally steer you toward Gregory instead.  Try them on in person, bring some gear or weight to the store with you in case they don't have enough to simulate your trail load.  Keep in mind that with the Gregories you can swap yokes and belts for a different size if need be even if the store doesn't have any on hand.

fwiw, I had an Aether 75 back in the day, and a Dana Terraplane, wore an earlier Baltoro 65 for a little bit.  The old/early Aethers carried better than any of the last several versions.  Dana Designs is still the hands-down cadillac of all time for heavy loads but the Baltoro isn't too much worse (and if you have the cash, you can still buy Dana's packs under his current business name of Mystery Ranch).  I'm more of a UL and Light hiker these days, but I get where you're coming from and your needs are clear.  Always worth lightening up and carefully examining the gear you choose to buy and/or choose to bring, but if ya gotta go heavy or just want to go heavy, no worries.  Some people can't understand that. 

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Dana Gleason is well renowned, both for his Dana Designs and for his current Mystery Ranch packs. 

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Stay with an old military pack.  Do that a few times and it will probably dawn on you that just because "you did it that way in the Army" that you do not need to continue carrying such heavy loads.  Then you will be ready to discuss buying a newer, lighter pack.

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On May 4, 2016 at 3:03 PM, Stepbystep said:

I read through the above and I'd like to offer an alternative consideration.  Check out the Gregory Baltoro and/or the Denali.  They both are very comfortable load haulers, slightly different designs, but both use good stout dual stayed suspension to transfer the load where it needs to be.  Osprey is so fond of the perimeter hoop frames, which are fine for lighter loads, but frankly they fall short for big packs that can be stuffed with more weight.  On the Aether and Xenith, Osprey does beef it up a little with a single center stay and plastic panel, but the comparable Gregory models carry much better.  The Ospreys aren't horrible by any means but for what you're describing I'd totally steer you toward Gregory instead.  Try them on in person, bring some gear or weight to the store with you in case they don't have enough to simulate your trail load.  Keep in mind that with the Gregories you can swap yokes and belts for a different size if need be even if the store doesn't have any on hand.

fwiw, I had an Aether 75 back in the day, and a Dana Terraplane, wore an earlier Baltoro 65 for a little bit.  The old/early Aethers carried better than any of the last several versions.  Dana Designs is still the hands-down cadillac of all time for heavy loads but the Baltoro isn't too much worse (and if you have the cash, you can still buy Dana's packs under his current business name of Mystery Ranch).  I'm more of a UL and Light hiker these days, but I get where you're coming from and your needs are clear.  Always worth lightening up and carefully examining the gear you choose to buy and/or choose to bring, but if ya gotta go heavy or just want to go heavy, no worries.  Some people can't understand that. 

Thanks for the insight. I initially tried the Baltero, but the one I tried on had WAY too much lumbar padding. I've learned since that initial try that some of the support can be removed. There are definitely some things I like about the pack so I think I'm going to give it one more try. 

As as funds allow, I'll start lightening for general use. But I still want something that can handle a load should SHTF. 

On May 5, 2016 at 10:51 AM, ppine said:

Stay with an old military pack.  Do that a few times and it will probably dawn on you that just because "you did it that way in the Army" that you do not need to continue carrying such heavy loads.  Then you will be ready to discuss buying a newer, lighter pack.

Actually, I ended up with and Eberlestock V90 Battleship. 100 liters of mass hauling bliss.

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2 hours ago, ppine said:

Your pack approaches some extreme base weights.

Yes sir, but again that's not a concern. You see, while a single overnight is the first use this pack will get, it won't be the last. Some of us want a pack for more than just a stroll through the woods with a pause for a nap. Some of us like to be prepared for what if scenarios, and a stroll through the woods is just training for that possibility. 

In those situations, 25lbs just isn't going to cut it. 

I understand you think that everyone has the same goals as you, but not all of us do. Next time, it might be more helpful to either answer the question stated if you have the correct experience, or at least take into account the needs of the person asking the question. Your answers were akin to telling someone with 4 kids to get a smart car because they burn less fuel. That's nice, but it doesn't help with the getting the kids to dance and soccer practice. 

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