Advice for a 45L/2800 ci backpack – packload never above 26 lbs/12kg

I backpack with an Osprey Talon 44 . Comfortable, good features, reasonable weight (2 lb, 6 oz) and a great warranty. I quite like it.

Lot of choices out there..

Give us some specific requitemts .

like

Suspension -carrying 20 to 25 pounds ,do you need max load transfer to the hip belt?

Weight limit of pack itself?

Price limit?

Materal durability- cuben or no cuben, lots of mesh or no mesh on pockets etc etc

In framed pack, likely candidates are made by ULA,GG, Zpacks ,Elemental Horizons and Katabotic..

Weights are 1 to 2 pounds and prices are from $200 to just over $300 ..

Within that range is how light you eant to go vs how comfortable and durable you want the pack to be..

Bob , is that you ?

I've used the Fusion 50 since it came out and am impressed with how well it transfers weight to my hips. In my opinion, it has one of the best hipbelts available on an ultralight pack.

Light and cottage made is good. Price can be 200 to 300 usd
I prefer a weight of less than 1 lbs, like zpacks zero with a hipbelt, but not sure it will be cnomfortable to carry 26 lbs with?
With the verto 32 i can easily transfer the load to my hips, by using my foam mat as a cylinder in the pack. I really like the flex it gives to my shoulder movements compared to more fixed systems like in ospreys, which i find constricting.
I am open to hybrid cuben (bushwhacking!) and don't need mesh pockets, but they are welcome. I may cut them off if i dont like them.

The ULA Ohm could work for you.

OK,NOW we are getting into the.meat of the question…

Your personal weight transfer preferences with regards to the foam frame are very telling and narrow things down a bit

I elliminated the various MLD packs at first,due to the fact most folks want a fixed internal frame with stays at 20 to 25 pounds loaded,

Given the fact you like an internal pad as your frame and you want to be around a pound, I would recommend an MLD Prophet or Exodus

About $200, USA Cottage made, superb quality, dyneema consrutuction and works great with just a pad frame .

And tbeir new Wasabi green dyneema color is "totally bitchin", too..:)

BCBob has a good suggestion with the Osprey Talon 44.

Or look at Osprey's EXOS 48. It domes in a Small (45 liters), Medium (48 liters) or Large, (51 liters) with the medium coming in at 2 lbs 8 oz. I have an EXOS 58 and it is the most comfortable pack I've ever tried,including my Dana Designs Terraplane.

For a lot of hiking, ~25# maximum load follows easily. Most of us do not do through hikes. Most of us do not do winter hikes. So larger volumes are not needed. It sounds like you have your gear fairly well dialed in to the light weight category.

The weight should not exceed 1#8 in any event. Even that is a bit heavy for a UL pack, but anything up to two pounds will work. Anything heavier is just hiking dead weight. There are many packs <2# that can do the job. The Gossamer Gear Mariposa was BPL's choice this year. The stay works well if you already carry an inflatable pad. Otherwise it is possible to add several layers of sit-lite padding, cutting/fitting them together into a 5 layer pad that *just* fits into the pad keeper. You can then drop the internal stay, using the multiple layer foam as a frame. This also saves about 400ci in backpack space. The Gorilla is somewhat smaller, but works the same. Note that none of the GG packs include the extension collar. They are larger than what the specs say.

They generally carry fairly easily, with stay or with foam frame. The 25# weight limitation is really not relavant. All the packs in that size range will work. I usually use the Murmur at 35L and 25#. It doesn't have a stay. It is UL fabric, though, and you mentioned some bushwhacking. So, I won't recommend it. Even though it fits the other criteria. (I know it says 20 pounds, but it carries 25 easily through the ADK's.)

1) You might consider adding side pouches for carrying water. These can catch if you are bushwhacking, so, should be fabric, not mesh.
2) You should consider breaking your gear up into two categories: Can get wet & Never gets wet. (This means sleeping dry despite days of rain.)
3) A good hipbelt, not one that is just overly padded. Most of your weight will sit here. It should wrap around your lumbar and sides.
4) Good shoulder harness, not fancy with bells and whistles. Just simple and effective. It is nice to have one loop on one of the straps, though.
5) A good internal "water" sleeve. Nope, never use a water bottle there, I put flat items or sharp items there. Stakes, spoon, pot lid, aluminum foil, car keys, and so on.
6) Load transfer at 25 pounds should be good to excellent. After a day or two, you can accommodate to most packs with 20# or less. But you need at least a good transfer for 20-30 pounds.

I agree with above. Have a look at the Gorilla. I love mine. Works great for 25 pound loads and you can strip the hip belt and stay for really light loads. Works wonderfully.

Has quite a bit more space than the specs lead you to believe. I can fit a TON of gear and food. Butt usually stay under 20 pounds. I like how shallow it is. Keeps the weight right to your back even with the sit light pad in the keeper.

@Sven
Ah, Sven, posted something about this already on Hiking Advisor ? :-)

@Everybody else
If I'm correct, Sven is from Europe which makes buying from North America, trying and shipping back more complicated. Trial and error is certainly the case then here. And if you get the wrong size or even pack, it can be costly.

Woubeir, I think you can get the GG packs out of England.
Yes, Gossamer Gear.

GG = Granite Gear (and not Gossamer Gear) ? Yes, I know. We bought a Vapor Trail from a shop in the UK.

EDIT: I see Gossamer Gear is now also available in the UK.

[Jimmer, please rewrite your post in a more respectful manner. -Dave C]

For warm weather backpacking 20-35lbs, I think the oxprey exos is gods gift backpacking. At 2lbs 8 oz it has amazing back ventiliation, full feature set, and tons of space.

The osprety talon is 3 oz lighter, but a lot less back ventilation. I'd pick the talon if I wanted the weight closer to my body for more agility, but on nontechnical hikes like the AT, PCT I prefer the Exos.

Get the ULA OHM 2.0 …. and never look back.

Somebodies panties are in a wad.

And you got some of his wanted specs wrong.

I have no relation to GG, I just know there products are available in the UK and I like my Gorilla and recommend it for these types of spec guidelines.

On the bushwhacking side:

Gorilla has solid fabric side pockets, but a mesh back pocket so it should fare well for bushwhacking.
The OHM may fare just as well, but I would pay to get the silnylon sides modded to the Robic fabric the rest of the pack uses. Both the Gorilla and the OHM use Robic, just the Gorilla uses it everywhere.
Just a quick and dirty comparison of these two packs.

You really can't go wrong with any of the packs recommended so far granting they fit you properly. A little extra weight to increase carry comfort is very much worth it I believe.

Edit: just get a ZPacks arc blast 45 in hybrid Cuben or dyneema. Get whatever options you want. All solid fabric pockets or whatever. Or a HMG WindRider Southwest.

"Somebodies panties are in a wad.

I have no relation to GG, I just know there products are available in the UK and I like my Gorilla and recommend it for these types of spec guidelines."

Don't worry Sam – this same person exploded at me when I recommended a certain brand once,too. And no, I am far from being a gear ambassador.

Something like a GG Gorilla really does fit the OP requirements. My brother had one and liked it quite a bit (dyneema version). Personally, if I were looking for a ~50L pack it'd be a zpacks arc blast or maybe a HMG Porter 2400, but my criteria are different.

Ha I just edited my post while you were posting and recommended basically the same things at the bottom as you did.

All three do seem to fit the criteria. I think the Gorilla is an awesome pack though

I dont wear panties…:)

Having said that-

1) I was not talking about EITHER of you. Period.

Are either of you compensated GG gear ambassadors? Go back and READ my post carefully .

2) Also, If you go back and read Sven's list of preferred specs, EVERYTHING I stated is spot on.

Except the 45 L (2800 cu inch) he asks should be internal volume, which is probably in the main body only. Then neither of the suggested packs fit.

W,

The MLD Prophet and Exodus should be large enough to meet Sven's specs. Especially the Exodus,but it really depends on how bulky of a pad he will be using as a frame.

Well I for one DO wear panties and don't care who knows it!

I've no experience with GG's lineup but the ULA Ohm 2.0 was my first pack when I transitioned to UL. There are are a number of nice features, dealing with Chris is certainly one of them as he's quick to respond (even at weird hours) and if memory serves, both packs I've purchased from him shipped within a day.

Pros~
Side pockets are wonderful! Easy enough to stow a shelter in them or whathaveyou. I wish every pack I owned had those pockets.

Great weight transfer to the hips. Previously mentioned here so enough said.

Great belt. Super comfortable

Not cons but mehs~

Not crazy about the compression system as it doesn't compress evenly from top to bottom and the cord slips through the cordlock (edit I tie a slipknot which is no imposition and fixes the issue). I'd prefer to have the CDT's compression system if given the choice. It works well enough so not a deal killer for me and I was happy enough with the pack to buy a second one for my daughter.

The Prophet is a no as the main pack body has only a volume of 2000 cu inch. Ihe Exodus has only an internal volume of 2400 cu inch. but that might be acceptable for Sven.
Internal volume is usually without back or side pockets.