Re: [pct-l] pack dilemna

[ROYROBIN@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/7/00 8:51:35 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
youngjack@hotmail.com writes:

<< My PT (who is a backpacker) telling me to keep as much weight off of my 
 shoulders as I can.  Of course I like to not only hike light but hike long.
 
 The lack of flexibility in a conventional frame pack really bothers me these 
 days. It seems to me that my best option may be to go with the configuration 
 that Michael has on his ultralight webpage of light pack on the shoulder and 
 a hip pack....  My dilemma is getting the right configuration or just 
throwing 
 that idea out and starting with something totally different.  >>

Jack --  I suspect you will get plenty of advice on this one.  The good news 
is, there is a backpack out there for you.  The right one will require you to 
carry about the same weight on your shoulders as you now do to hold your 
shirt up.  I can't tell you which one will work best for you, but the Kelty 
Cloud or Vapor are fine packs for me.  But expensive.  Many of the newer 
packs in all price ranges are built to transfer weight to your hip belt, 
leaving your shoulder straps and load levelers to do nothing more than keep 
the pack stable and close to your back.  You should probably avoid some of 
the ultralight packs which have insufficient vertical support built-in, or be 
very careful to pack them so the contents provide the needed rigidity.  In 
short, go see what's available and works for you.  It's out there.     
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