[pct-l] ultralight packs

[stevesgt at effable.com (Steve Sergeant)]

susan stark typed:
> OK, its been yrs since Ive purchased gear.  Gota start somewhere -
> packs. Whats the scoop on ultralight packs?  Any opinions out there?

First, a lighter pack should be the LAST thing you buy, after you've
lightened everything else in your load first. It's far better to get the
rest of your gear together, and then, knowing what it is you want to carry
around, choose a pack to carry it in.

Even if your current backpack is 6 pounds, I advise you to work on getting
your sleeping insulation and padding as light as possible, perhaps around
2 pounds (or better, as close to one pound as possible) as a goal.  After
that, work on getting your shelter down into the same weight range as your
sleeping gear. Then look at what you have left that's still heavier than
it could be, such as kitchen gear, clothing, and emergency gear (in that
order), and work your way toward lightening that.

Once you have your gear weight where you want it, then look for a backpack
to carry it in.

Since the sport is called "backpacking", most people tend to focus on the
backpack as the first piece of gear to purchase. In my experience (gained
from using at least 16 different packs on about 700 nights-out over the
past 30 years) you'll save yourself much disappointment by choosing a new
pack last, after your other gear is chosen.