[pct-l] Selecting A Backpack

[mceverj at qwest.net (Jim McEver)]

On Sun, 2004-05-09 at 03:09, dmd@email.arizona.edu wrote:
I was curious to know if
> anyone has ever done a substantial hike with a Vortex Pack? I haven't heard
> anything bad about them yet.  Might this not be a wise choice?  Appreciate the
> help.

No specific info on this pack. In general, choose your pack carefully -
next to shoes, probably your most critical piece of gear as far as
comfort and enjoyment are concerned. I definitely second the suggestions
to go as light as possible, I'd advise a bit more caution as far as
uncritically accepting that one of the ultralight frameless packs is
what you want. This is definitely an area where YMMV - some folks can
tolerate an unsupported load, some can't. If an extra pound of pack will
make it comfortable to carry, then the weight is worth it - but only you
will be able to judge this. There are some ultralight packs with minimal
frames on the market - you can probably get close to two pounds, under
three with no problems. I'm not totally up on the current offerings, not
being in the market for a pack at the moment, but I know GVP has a model
with a carbon fiber stay, ULA P-2 has a light frame, I believe, and I
think Golite has something of this nature, as well.

Jim McEver