[pct-l] (no subject)

[steve_peterson at sbcglobal.net (Steve Peterson)]

I've owned a G4 for about a year. I know some folks have taken them on the PCT, 
and that's why I bought mine (hoping to go in '05), but after numerous training 
hikes and a 130-mile trip last fall, I've decided it's not the pack for me for 
the PCT or other long trips. Here's why:

For me, it's huge--my gear fits in 1500 ci and even with a Garcia bear can 
(packed vertically) I still have so much room left over that the pack slumps 
badly when the load gets up around 25-30 lbs. Now, admittedly the pack is not 
meant for that heavy a load, but with a 10-lb base, 2-4 liters of water, and 5-7 
days of fuel and food, you're going to be hard pressed to be under 25 lbs.

On the other hand, it's a well-built pack (in my opinion) and I very much like 
the 1-lb weight (which is why I bought it in the first place). I did have to 
modify the waist belt because as I lost weight on my long trip, the belt 
wouldn't tighten enough (the pack was a "medium" and I started with a 34 inch 
waist).  I also found that for the heavier loads the belt and shoulder straps 
needed more padding. Durability (as far as fabric wear and so on) seems good--I 
haven't babied mine, though I haven't dragged it across granite boulders 
either--I have no visible wear anywhere on the pack, except for some shoulder 
strap stitching coming loose because I've been lugging 30lbs and I shouldn't be.

I can't comment on the newer packs made by GVP/Gossamer Gear but my personal 
belief is that no frameless pack is going to carry 30-40 lbs very comfortably 
and that 25 is probably about the max one should consider carrying for any 
distance. I don't know how many packs Golite has sold, but last I heard, GVP 
sold over 1,000.



Judson Brown wrote:
> What experience do people have with GVP packs? Which are more widely
> preferred, GVP or Golite?
> 
> Judson
> Ashland
> 
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