Winter hiking with the Jam2

[Ryan Gardner]

Has anyone been able to sucessfully do winter backpacking with the Jam2? If so, how many days were you able to get out of it?

On a side note: Ryan Jordan mentioned that something like 6 out of 10 of the people on the Wilderness Trekking School were using Pinnacles (just a bigger version of the Jam2).

[jim bailey]

Hi Ryan,
Depends on what you are carrying for a winter kit, found that insulation takes up the most room (sleeping/clothing system).
Have used original Jam on a few trips that were on the verge of winter up here with temps being in upper teens/20's at night and with a down bag & Cocoon layers, items fit fine for short excursions.

Was one of the Pinnacle users on Wilderness Trekking Course 3 and this pack worked out great, one of the reasons for choosing this was a synthetic sleep system was required for the course which took up a fair amount of space. We were also carrying 4 days worth of food along with shared group gear so a higher pack volume was needed.

Hope this helps
Jim

[Frank Perkins]

I believe the Wilderness Trekking School partnered with BPL and GoLite so no surprise there:

NOLS link

[jim bailey]

Hi Frank,
We actually had to purchase our own packs beforehand, Golite did provide prototype shelters to use as well as a few other small companies, believe the Tri-Ti stoves were also in a prototype status from Trail Designs at the time of WT3.

Wilderness Trekking School was taught through BPL, Ryan Jordan was our main course instructor

[Frank Perkins]

I wasn't implying anything negative or that the packs were free [although that would have been a bonus I bet].

I'm a big fan of GoLite :-)

[jim bailey]

I'm a big fan of GoLite :-)

You would have fit in very nicely with all of us.

[bobby c]

Ryan, I've gone 5 days in the winter (down to 9 degrees in snow) with alot of extra clothes, food and luxury items in my Pinnacle with a bit of room to spare. For the extra 2 or 3 oz. it's definetly worth it to get the extra 1,000+ cu in. If you're thinking about the Jam, think hard too about the Pinnacle. Same pack but a bit more room.

[Monty Montana]

Hi Ryan! I have used the original Jam for winter camping, mostly 2 or 3 days. If I recall correctly, I could have crammed in another day's worth of food. However, the only way that I am able to do this is part and parcel of the rest of the gear. Only because I rely so much on Montbell products, which pack down amazingly small, can I use the not so large Jam. The sleeping bag is smaller than a loaf of bread, the jacket about the size of a can of soup, the tent about the size of a loaf of bread. That leaves room for plenty of food and other gear. Also, I check ahead to ensure that no storms are approaching, as the monoframe tent works well in the winter but probably wouldn't hold up to heavy snowfall.

[Michael Skwarczek]

I used my Jam2 on our Dewey Point trip two weeks ago, where we got stranded at Badger Pass. If you check the Trip Report you'll find my link to the Flickr photo set and see the Jam2 in action. Well, it doesn't say much but it's visual proof.

I had no problem with space but went fairly UL. While it was a single night (intended to be a single night) there was plenty of room for more food.

My only caution is that if your gear and food bring the pack weight above 20lbs, I'd reconsider your choice in pack. I know some or many here find loads up to 30lbs do-able with these frameless UL packs, but I think it's uncomfortable to the point of self-defeating and would rather graduate to a slightly heavier pack with a more accommodating frame.

cheers,
-Michael "Sawchuck"

[Ryan Gardner]

Thanks for the info. I have the Jam2 and am very happy with it. I'm in the "learning-before-buying" phase right now when it comes to winter hiking. I'm trying to plan out what gear I need and I think the Pinnacle will be on my list.

I also have quite compressible gear, I just got the Golite Ultra 20, and I use Montbell Down jackets. I don't have a shelter in mind yet, but the Black Diamond Mega Light is on my radar.

I wonder if I need to switch some of my down gear to synthetic? Utah claims to have the driest (and the best!) snow on earth due to the mountain ranges the storms cross over before getting here. Maybe I'm fine with down.

[Michael Crosby]

See this for 10 winter days in a golite ion

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/9009/index.html?skip_to_post=64910#64910

[John S.]

Dang, that's nothing…; )

[Ryan Gardner]

We are off on a tangent now, but I recently modded my Jam2 down to 15.1 oz. If my calculations are correct, I can get it down to 10oz by cutting off the hip belt completely, cutting off ice axe loops, and cutting the entire front zip pocket out. (It doesn't do that much when the main compartment is stuffed full anyways.)

So… now you have a 10oz pack with side pockets, more volume, the ability to compress that volume, loops to run cordage through, etc. (See the thread "Golite Jam2 modifications for pics and details of what I did to get it to 15.1oz). The choice seems clear for me now. Buy another Jam2 and strip it to the bones.

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