[pct-l] Backpacks

[Bill Burge]

With a big load in any pack, the important thing is to get the waist/hip belt adjusted properly.  After that, almost no load was on my shoulders and no additional padding was required.

At 40 pounds, I did 4.5 miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain (with a very bum knee, another story) and felt I could have gone all day.

At 50 pounds, I didn't have too far to go (less than 3 miles) and did feel that I was exceeding the ability of the suspension to distribute the weight.

The pack is awesome at 30 pounds and can be under packed as well.  It has a good compression system and also has two clips inside the pack that allow you to close off the bottom third of the main compartment to coincide with the compression for carrying much smaller loads.

BillB



On Oct 28, 2010, at 11:18 AM, Stewart Johns wrote:

> So far what I gather is that the ULA packs are pretty durable and all  around 
> good packs as well as many PCT hikers have used them. I'm not a  minimalist or 
> ultra-lite hiker but am weight conscious and am looking  for a more comfortable 
> liter pack. So the big question for me is, which  one. If I get to big of a pack 
> 
> and pack less volume, or vise verse,  how  will the weight distribution handle?  
> 
> Anyone have any experience over  packing or under packing the ULA Catalyst or 
> Circuit? Thanks.
>  
> I had to over pack my Catalyst recently on a 10 day trip to Isle Royal National 
> Park.  With 10 days of food, I weighed in at 42Lbs. I knew this was beyond the 
> recommendation of the pack, and indeed, was the first time I have ever carried 
> this much weight with it.  I bought some pipe insulation and used this as extra 
> padding under the straps, and it helped a bit.  Honestly though, it was not very 
> comfortable.  I can remember picking the pack up by the loop to swing it over my 
> shoulder, and felt the threads tearing.  It was also hard on the back after 
> about 8 miles.  This pack is really only for UL or at worst Light.  If you put 
> more than 30Lbs in it, you will be uncomfortable.  Keep your weight under 30, 
> and you will love it, just as others have said.
> Doc Holiday
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