[pct-l] Pack recommendations

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Jun 23, 2010, at 12:30 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

>> I'm figuring I'll need about 4,000 cubic inches and plan to hike  
>> with 25 lbs or less.
>
> That seems like a contradiction.  Do you mean 25 lbs or less for  
> your baseweight or your total weight?  If thats your total weight,  
> then your gear would have to be much smaller then 4000 ci.
> Many hikers used the ULA Catalyst which will hold the space you  
> requested.  If you truely are only carrying 25 lbs total weight  
> (not baseweight), then you might want to look at packs 3000ci or  
> less.  If you are talking about 25 lbs baseweight, then you should  
> work on getting that down by several pounds.  Most hikers try to  
> get down to about 15lbs or less on their baseweight though many  
> still end up with an extra pound or two above that.
>
> -Miner

It seemed to me that he was planning on no more than 25lbs at any  
time. But if 25 was the base, then the pack I recommended, the G4,  
would not be good. One of the major manufacturer packs like Osprey or  
Gregory or whoever would be better for that.

However, just because a pack is big doesn't mean it's too big. I  
simply didn't have to stuff things in very tight. I also could put  
everything in my pack if needed, leaving the outer pockets empty. And  
of course, all that extra space was mostly used for food. When the  
space wasn't needed, I simply rolled up the top. At 25lbs it starts  
to get heavy and with more than that, the pack won't feel good.

I'd recommend a ULA pack if I had any experience with the bigger  
ones. I have a tiny Relay and it's my favorite pack.



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