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Question for you 5# – 6# base weight guys
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Apr 8, 2011 at 7:53 am #1721899
If my first purchase does not fit my 3-Season gear then I'll probably pick up one of those TNF packs. Price is right, few outside pockets, should be bigger than what I ordered.
Jul 1, 2011 at 2:35 am #1754959In the 5-6 pound range BPW I use the ZPacks Blast 26 (cuben fiber) with two shoulder pouches. It is 2600 cu, as the name implies. I can get all of my winter gear inside of it, and around 7-10 days worth of food. Pack weight is a little over 7 ounces.
For my 2.4 pound BPW setup I use a ZPacks Zero (sized x-small, cuben fiber) with no outside pockets and two shoulder pouches. It is 1000 cu (16 liters). I can get all of my XUL gear plus around 4-5 days of food within it (not enough for thru-hiking, but enough for the weekend get-away). Pack weight is 3.3 ounces.
Jul 1, 2011 at 4:08 am #1754969I second the Murmur recommendation.
There was a used one sold on this site today for $40, and they're only $90 new. 8oz? Something like that.
It looks like many of the zPacks Zero models are under $80 and certainly well under a pound.
@John, Are those lists posted online somewhere? I stumbled across your PCT list, but no others. I'm amazed you could fit four days of food and anything else into 16L.Jul 1, 2011 at 11:17 am #1755062My general sub 5 list that I find to be good to just below 20F. I originally put this together with a Jam so I could carry more water with in the Desert without the weight penalty but it packs into a lighter pack to go SUL well too.
Jul 1, 2011 at 12:58 pm #1755098I cannot say enought good things about the Murmur,IF you can keep the total pack weight to 10lbs or less. Even at 10 lbs, in my old age, I find that after 20 or miles in one day my shoulers are somewhat sore. Anything over 10 lbs, it is truly uncomfortable for me. YMMV.
The Murmur is really easy to live out of. This is an intangible, but regarding packs, I always have an eye on functionality, as it pertains to getting to gear and food during the day.
You can get a Murmur's weight down below 7 oz, and even under 7oz if you remove the shoulder strap padding and the waist belt. If you are truly SUL, you don't need a waist belt, IMO. The foam in the should straps is removable, and you can replace it with a sock or bubble wrap.
A great functional item of the Murmur is the back mesh pocket that allows you to insert a folded torso length pad in it. A GG Night Light torso pad folded with the bumps out, helps a little to allow air circulation on your back. I find it much easier to pack gear if there is not a rolled pad inside the pack acting like a quasi-frame.
The water pockets are fairly large, and bottles will not fall out.
The front mesh pocket works well. Holds a lot of stuff, you can see the stuff, and things like wet tarps drain well. But the mesh stretches over time and can be a branch magnet.
The ZBlasts are very similar in desgin, so they should be similar in function compared the Murmur. But I think you have to put your rolled pad in the pack as a quasi-frame… something I do not like. Also Joe will tell a cuben pack will only last one thru hike, because it deteriorates in the sun. I do not like gear that does not last… gear replacement costs money and "throw away" gear is not enironmentally responsible… if you have that concern.
You can get a Murmur almost as light as a ZBlast, it will last longer, and costs half as much. Both Joe at ZPacks and the folks at GG are great people to work with. I buy all my cuben sacks from Joe. I have bought a lot of stuff from GG. On one trip, a passer by mentioned that I looked like a walking Gossamer Gear advertisement :)
I recently did a 2 night/3 day trip with the Murmur. Total weight at the trail head with food and 2 liters of water was just at 10lbs. Slight chance of rain, and possible temps at night below 40F. With a large tarp, very warm quilt, down jacket, and a rain jacket I was prepared for much worse conditions than I actually saw. Base weight under 4lbs. I am not doing many trips anymore with these SUL kits. I am getting too old to sleep on a foam pad. Plus with my McHale there is zero weight on my shoulders and the hip belt never shifts or slips on my hips, and my hips have never had the slightest discomfort during a hike, or at the end of the day. On most trips the McHale adds a little over 2 lbs versus Murmur or similar, but to me it is worth it. Plus it will never wear out.
But when it comes to a SUL pack, at a great price, you really can't beat the Murmur.
Recent gear list.
Gossamer Gear Murmur Pack 6.8
MLD Pack Liner 1.2
BPL Nano Tarp 5.1
Tarp Guylines/Stakes 1.8
Enlightened Ephinay Quilt (20F) 12.0
Gossamer Gear NightLight foam pad 4.5
Gossamer Gear Polycryo Ground Cloth 1.7
Marmot Essence Jacket (size L) 6.7
Montbell Extremely Light Down Jacket 6.1
Outdoor Research PS50 Watch Cap 0.5
Smartwool Merino Wool Glove Liners 1.5
Caldera Cone GVP Keg Stove Kit 3.0
Cuben Food Sack 0.3
Lexan Spoon 0.3
Platypus 1 liter (2) 1.8
DEET in mini-dropper bottle 0.5
Driver License, ATM Card, Cash 0.4
1st Aid Ointment (2) 0.1
1st Aid Towelettes (2) 0.2
2" X 2" gauze (2) 0.1
Cuben sack 0.1
Leuko Tape 0.1
Medium Bandaids (4) 0.2
vial w/7 Advil 0.3
Cuben sack 0.1
Derma-Safe knife 0.3
Dr. Bronner's soap 0.4
Finger Toothbrush 0.1
mini BIC Lighter 0.3
Thread, needle, etc. 0.1
Micropur tablets (10) 0.2
Zip Lock Bags (3) 0.9
Polaris Compass 0.9
Topo Maps (2) 2.2Total Base Weight 3lbs 12.8 oz
Jul 1, 2011 at 1:33 pm #1755117"You can get a Murmur's weight down below 7 oz, and even under 7oz if you remove the shoulder strap padding and the waist belt."
My Murmur must be an older model with a different fabric or something. Mine weighs 7 ounces even with shoulder strap padding, waist belt, and sternum strap.
GG told me that it was good for only 15 pounds of load.
–B.G.–
Jul 1, 2011 at 5:50 pm #1755182"My Murmur must be an older model with a different fabric or something. Mine weighs 7 ounces even with shoulder strap padding, waist belt, and sternum strap."
Bob,
You got me wondering about the weight since I weighed mine several years ago and I the time I entered 6.8 oz in my spreadsheet. So I went and got it out of the garage. It is 6.1 oz without the hip belt or foam pads. The sternum strap is still on it, since I have narrow shoulders, and it cannot be removed without cutting it off. I don't remember if the initial time I weighed it if the bladder shelf had been removed. But I did remove after a few trips… it took me that long to realize it had one. My scale is not very expensive, so it could be a little inaccurate. I also trimmed the nylon straps compression straps and the bottom of the shoulder strap adjustment. Again, I don't remember if this was before or after I weighed it a long time ago.
This pack is the old spinnaker material. Also has several duct tape repairs to tears, but the additional weight of the tape is probably negligible.
I have the newer silnylon version but have not weighed it.
I have carried up to 20 lbs in mine with no damage to the pack. But this was when I was fully loaded with a lot of water, which does get consumed as one hikes. But IMO, 15 lbs is uncomfortable too.
Jul 1, 2011 at 6:08 pm #1755189Nick, you always bring allot to the table. Though I'm not even contemplating a 5 lb. base weight, it is very interesting to see in text and photos how you got there. And also interesting that you continue to be very happy with your McHale. My current pack is a GoLite Quest and is similar in weight to your McHale. It is in no way a McHale, but I did buy it because of reasons similar to yours. Having the weight on hips as opposed to shoulders is loads more comfortable, no pun intended.
BTW I think that most of us have cheap scales. I have one that is $7 and another that is $30 and they both weigh things very similarly. I actually use the $7 scale more often and like it better.
Jul 1, 2011 at 6:16 pm #1755192"This pack is the old spinnaker material."
Yep. We wouldn't want anybody thinking that this was made out of heavy Cordura nylon or something.
–B.G.–
Jul 1, 2011 at 6:32 pm #1755204Sometimes I think we get too fixated on weight. But it is good reviewing each piece of gear for options. I think Colin Fletcher said that if you look after the ounces the pounds will take care of themselves.
There is so much light weight gear available, I contend that the pack itself is no longer that important weight-wise. Most of us spend more time with the pack on our back when hiking than anything else, so pack comfort first in my book. Not to say that on some trips a truly light pack and gear can be pretty pleasant. The only problem is that a lot of the really light stuff is really expensive.
My cuben tarp and quilt only weight 17 ounces together, and the quilt has 2 1/2 inches of loft. We can find many ways to reduce weight. I will continue to use the Murmur on some trips. My Mariposa Plus probably no longer has a place in my arsenal.
BTW, about a month ago I did a hike with a few BPLers and one had a MLD Burn (I think is was a Burn). It is a really nice looking pack. The main bag is made from Dyneema X which should be pretty sturdy. The only thing I did not like was mesh side pockets… to easy to catch on stuff. I think it only weighs something like 11 oz.
Jul 1, 2011 at 6:34 pm #1755206"Sometimes I think we get too fixated on weight."
That's blasphemy on this forum!
Off with his head!
–B.G.–
Jul 1, 2011 at 10:02 pm #1755263My 'small' pack is a 1500ci Zpacks Zero with some options. The pack is 1.5 cuben and the options are 2 cuben side pockets, a simple webbing hipbelt and a mesh rear pocket. It weighs 4.9oz and I'm really happy with this pack overall. The only thing I want to change is adding a sternum strap because the shoulder straps have a tendency to splay out and start slipping off my shoulders.
As shown, my base weight is about 6 to 6.5 lbs. With this sort of baseweight, I can fit one days food easily and 2-3 days if I really cram it and utilize the rear mesh pocket. The inner tent for my HMG Echo I shelter consumes quite a bit of space. If I ditch this and just use the tarp then I have way more volume for stuff like food. I could use another 100-250 ci, but the small size of this pack encourages me to go light and to keep working away at my baseweight. I imagine by the end of this summer this pack will be the perfect size for my short trips.
Oh and 1.5oz cuben is the perfect material for this type of pack. It's plenty durable IMO. I consider 1.5 cuben far more durable than normal silnylon.
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