External Frame Backpack

If you would have to ship it back if the fit is not to your liking then buying from afar is obviously chancy.

From what I have read in many posts, the Paradox packs are mighty nice – have heard frankly zero actual trail reports on the Vargo.
Also, for what it's worth, having sold packs of all kinds in the past, and made my own for about forty years and thought about packs far more than any sane person would, I would say the paradox packs are really well thought out. Those guys know what they are about.

But, one other suggestion for you is Jansport Packs. Some of them are not too heavy and they can be found pretty cheap on sale. A lower risk option if you will.

You can get a sul pack and strap it onto the Luxury Lite frame. Works well. My combo weights 2.6 lbs. or so.
But the Paradox looks great; Exped also has a well structured pack that's lighter. How about Osprey? famous for their comfort.

What about the zpack arc hauler? Lite, framed plenty of ventilation and in 300 dollar range. Also well respected in the arena of backpacks

I am not sure this would work shipping to Aus., but it is sold by amazon so it has a fantastic return policy if it doesn't work out.

Vargo Ti Arc Backpack with cuben packbag, sub 2lbs

Regarding the straight frame, the hipbelt area has a nice lumbar curve support panel.

Link to amazon page:

http://goo.gl/UkM3u0

You can probably get one of these on eBay for under $100. They last too. I bought this one in 1971. I upgraded the belt when I bought it. Had to replace the shoulder straps about 4 years ago.

Thanks all for your input. Considering what I should do next.

Special thanks to Drew! That's a damn good price. Shipping cheap too. That CF+Cuban version costs less, delivered, than the "regular" one!

So, so tempted.

Zpacks has been developing a modern external frame pack in the Arc Blast for the past few years. The newest iteration, the Arc Haul is a full-on external frame in modern materials, retaining the best features of an internal frame…easy to load/unload, large external pockets, lots of lash points, and the big plus of being very highly water resistant.

The Vargo is really interesting but the limitations mentioned in reviews have me baffled. The top hoop seems like a decent enough idea, but the too-long mounting tabs, the odd structure of the top of the bag (water bowl), inability to put a pack cover on it, and the small opening for loading the body to me don't make any practical sense. And how can a 3lb pack have a 30lb load limit? A pack of that design and materials should be able to carry 50lbs. All this points to a v1.0 product in serious need of refinement, which I hope Vargo does…there could be a lot to like, once they get it right.

The Ti-ARC is the most comfortable pack I own, I'vs had it for about a yaer. I will be taking it on the JMT in a few weeks. I have found that most of the issues are a bit overblown. The only annoying bit I have found is the water collecting at the top, but if its raining enough to collect water I will have a cover on it anyway since its not waterproof. I made a pack cover from trash bags and duct tape (1.5oz) that works great and I should get my Zpacks cover tomorrow so I can see if it fits as well.The size is perfect, I just did 60 miles on the PCT with a bear can and had no issues fitting all my gear in the bag. The loading from the back is also not an issue, it unzips pretty big.

I have carried up to 35lbs in it and its great under 30, after that it gets less comfortable but still can carry fine. It might also be that I just don't like to carry more than 30lbs. But even with the bear can full of food for 8 days I just touch 30lbs so its not a big deal.

"I will have a cover on it anyway since its not waterproof."

Thanks for your feedback. Nice to hear from someone who owns one. If I do get the Ti-ARC, it will be the cuben fibre* version, which as I understand it is 100% waterproof. Just wondering if you said your version wasn't waterproof because of the material, or the design? (which my CF version would still suffer from).

I'd still use a pack liner, ie the often recommended compactor bag.

* man, I AM a novice. I thought the Ti-ARC CF was made from *carbon* fibre

Ya I have the regular version. The CF one will be waterproof so you wouldn't need a pack liner really. If I could have redone it, I would spring for the CF one, but I would definitely still reccomend the regular version.

Having had external frame packs, internal frame and frameless…. my first thought would be don't go with a frame pack. While they are good to carry heavy loads, and do help with air flow past your back…. with a bad back, you should be going light anyway. As most of us would tell you, get your gear first then get your pack. And your gear/kit should be towards light. Your back and knees will be happier for it.
I have a Kelty pack. BAckpacked many miles in it… and while its a good pack, I regulate it to the garage these days, unless my older son goes with me.. and since its few and far between, mostly it just sits. You can get airflow in a variety of ways, but truly most packs can be hot at times. Something will be in contact with you back, hips shoulders etc and the less weight on them, the better you will feel. Look at packs like the ULA catalyst or circuit. My younger son has the circuit and its a nice pack. I have a giant Osprey but soon will have a Hyperlight mountain 3400 windrider. Looking forward to dropping more weight.

It's more money but I think the Unaweep is worth it. I regularly carry 40-50lbs in mine. The suspension is amazing. Don't worry about getting a sweaty back. in SE QLD it's going to happen with any pack you use. (i'm in Brisbane)

@Robert

Cheers. I'm buying all my gear from scratch, and it's primarily for a 50 day, 1200km hike through urban Japan (ie roads, very little wilderness). I'll certainly be packing light, but I don't want to "risk" going for a frameless pack.

@Everyone

More research has led me to looking into the durability of Cuben. One post said I can expect to get 2000 miles from it, before it needs replacing. Is that hyperbole? I don't want to buy a $400 pack that is half dead by the end of my first trip! I want something that's going to last 10 years, even if that means a BIT more weight (Ti-Arc CF == 1 lbs. 15 oz).

I would try to get some more feedback on your weight and volume of your total gear and then asking again about packs.
I had long back issues but have had packs that carry greatly and transfer almost all weight to the hips – none of them with an external frame.

Many packs can for sure carry ~15Kg easily while transferring all weight to your hips and not buckling. Not sure of course but I don't think it would be difficult to get below that weight on your largely urban trek.
Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to backtrack a bit and reconfirm if you need a external pack?

Any case I would first get your gear list together, and after that look at which pack would be able to hold it all.

Hope you have fun planning

I have and recommend the Exped Lightning 45, but only for carrying unusual heavy loads of water.
It doesn't put you off balance the way traditional external frame packs do, but can be worn with just enough gap to provide air flow.

They are distribute world wide. So you could try them out at a local outfitter.
Otherwise, I only use a frameless pack.

As stated, if you pack light, an external frame pack is not going to be any more comfortable on your back than an internal frame or even a frameless pack.

My ULA frameless pack gives me a fairly dry back. I think it wicks moisture better than other packs I've used.

I'd second taking a peek at the Lightning; I own the 60, but it's identical to the 45 in everything but volume- the T-Rex frame works very well and you don't have to worry about sizing issues as you can adjust the length to anything you want.

The attachment of the load lifter straps at the end of the "T" really works, very comfy waist belt (I mean very comfy), nice roll top w/ an innovative zipped pocket that can be accessed form the outside, this pack carries like a cadillac

The should straps could be a little beefier imo, but this only comes into play w/ heavier loads (30-ish), I have difficulty reaching the stretch side pockets for water- I'm not overly flexible, might just be me

Just a fyi … My zpack medium pack cover fits the ti-arc with a bear can on the bottom, I have a few concerns on the durability against the top frame extensions, but it's nothing 2 small squares of duct tape won't fix

If you are new to backpacking, you might try borrowing gear to make sure it's really what you want and to better figure out the details you really need. You might not be able to borrow the external frame backpack of your dreams, but I'm betting a lot of people have some kind of external frame backpack in their garage they'd be willing to let you try out. I had one until recently. I decided to leave it on the street. It was gone in less than an hour.