[pct-l] packs

[mark at verber.com (Mark Verber)]

> I think my base pack weith will be around 15 pounds so with a 
> full load of food and/or water I could expect my total pack 
> weight to be 25 pounds or more (I'm thinking of long 
> waterless stretches or long re-supplies).

My experience is that different people have very different tolerances for
frameless packs... and that the comfort drop-off is non linear (e.g. an
extra 1 lb can make a very significant impacts to comfort).  My suggest
would be to see if you can borrow a frameless pack from someone and run some
experiments on local trails to see what 25lb in a frameless pack will be
like.

For me, 16-17 lb has been the cut-over for most frameless packs.  After
that, I want some sort of frame.

> Does anyone have any experience with these packs or have any 
> recommendations?  I guess I would lean towards the P-2 if the 
> frameless packs are uncomfortable with 25 pound loads and 12 
> hour days.

I don't like the Gust... I found it too unwieldy... too much volume without
a good way to compress the pack.  I haven't had a chance to try the P-2.  I
would encourage you to also check out the Granite Gear Vapor Trail... I
think it would be just about right for you.  I have written up a bit more on
my pack page:

http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/pack.html

Cheers,
Mark