[pct-l] Wahoo! - ... - Backpacks

[jjolson at uwyo.edu (Jeffrey J. Olson)]

One of the joys of reaching 50 is the backward look to my beginning days as
a backpacker - 1960 when my pack was a board frame and canvas sack.  The
shoulder strap ran from the bottom left, up around the top horizontal part
of the frame, and down to the bottom right.  It slipped and slid and I
remember it was pretty miserable, even if all I was carrying was a sleeping
bag and clothes.  My folks took us up into the Eagle Cap Wilderness in
Oregon.  it rained for three days and we spent it all under a big piece of
clear plastic.  My dad had an old army sack with no frame that he filled
with all our gear.  My mom used his 1957 or 1958 Kelty, which he still has.

I headed out on the PCT for a 75 day trip in 1992 - not that long ago - with
a Kelty Super Tioga that weighed 72 pounds.  My girlfriend's Jansport D-4
was 55 pounds.  I blew out an ACL near Hwy 50.

One of the joys of reaching 50 is being able to have a base weight of 12
pounds or so.  Before going back to grad school, getting a PhD at 47, and
starting to teach here at the University of Wyoming, I made more than $20K
in a year only twice in my life.  Money was never important.  A new backpack
or sleeping bag were heralded events.

Over the last couple years I've been able to cruise the net and find gear
that let me get down to 12 pounds and still have a couple luxuries.  And I
didn't even worry once about what it cost.  What a heady sense of privileged
freedom!  I could still get by with a tube tent and one of those 3 lb. car
camping sleeping bags though.

But I do like my GoLite Gust.  The only thing I wish it had were mesh water
bottle pockets.  At 19 oz, or close to it, everything fits and I don't have
to stuff the bag.  It takes up the upper half of the pack.  Maybe it's a
myth that says the first time you stuff down it looses 10% of its loft, and
loses a little bit everytime its stuffed.

In 1992 we averaged 10, hard miles a day with those heavy packs.  I hurt
from dawn to dawn.  Now even out of shape I can start at 12 miles a day and
in a week be up to 20.  I feel a little stiff in the morning, and that's
gone in minutes.  In 1992 my legs ached nonstop, even on the flats.  My
girlfriend and I used to drink coffee and argue religion and philosophy til
10AM, partly because I think we were loathe to start walking.  The wonders
of technology and even gentle learning curves!!!

Jeff Olson
Laramie Wyoming...