[pct-l] Thru hike pack suggestions?

[Jeffrey Haas]

My recommendation would be to take inventory of your current gear and it's weight.  Then plan what gear you'll need to replace to get to a base weight that will allow you to utilize the Golite or RayWay packs comfortably.  Personally the last piece of gear I would buy would be the pack (assuming you already have a pack that you use for your heavier gear).  As you transition your gear from heavier to lighter you can still use your old pack for trips (until you complete the transition).  This will enable you to do a couple things:

1 - comfortably transition from a "heavier" pack to ultraweight backpacking
2 - allow you to test the functionality of some of the lighter gear before you "go all in" with the ultra light packs.  You may find you like some of the ultra light gear and not other.

At the end of the day, I believe this conversion is a process and about personal preference and comfort.  You need to find what you're willing to sacrifice on and what you don't want to.  That's why I recommend you transition the gear over a period of time before you buy the pack.

Hope this makes sense.

Peace

On Sep 14, 2010, at 12:11 PM, Austin Williams wrote:

> I agree with Jeff completely.  As an obsessive ultra-lighter I sometimes forget that there exist people that aren't "gram-weenies" like me.  :)
> I wouldn't recommend the Golite Breeze or RayWay pack if you plan on carrying more than 30 lbs on a regular basis.  In my experience, it can handle up to 40 lbs without breaking the pack... but it will be uncomfortable.  On one section (the JMT) I used a front-pack to carry extra food... mostly because I was too cheap to resupply at Muir Ranch.
> Also, just for comfort, I always carried my water in platypus bag inside a lightweight hip-pack.  I run a drinking tube from there up to my shoulder. It's very comfortable for me and is yet another way I can keep a few more pounds off my shoulders while I hike.  :)
> -- 
> Austin Williams
> 
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