SMD Starlite or ULA Circuit for the PCT?

I was in the same boat as you a two months ago when I was looking for a pack for my CT/CDT hike this summer. I looked at the ULA circuit, SMD comet and starlite. Like you I have a base weight near ten pounds but will carry 25 to 30 pounds of food and water at some points. I went with the circuit because I felt that it would compress better when I have little food left. I really like the SMD packs but I felt that they would not compress well (or if I did compress them I would lose access to one of the outside pockets. Be aware that I formed my opinion of the SMD packs by looking at them on the internet I never saw one in person. Since you have a lot of time before your hike you might benefit from ordering both packs and trying them both out. Although given current shipping rates that is becoming a pricey option.

So far I have been happy with the circuit. I have had 30 pounds in it and it carried well. I really like the hipbelt design with the dual length adjustments. I can't wait until get on the trail this summer.

well I have an '06 starlite.
it's fairly comfortable, good transfer with the stays, i've carried 30 or so pounds before, felt okay, but i'm a pretty beefy guy so don't trust that. it's strong enough, i've taken it through some pretty bad brush and scraped it against plenty of rocks

um as far as little things go:
i find the small mesh pocket a little too high for easy access
the top compression strap sometimes seems too short to allow it to buckle over a full extension collar
the waist belt tends to loosen on me
and the compression rope thingy is short enough that on a full pack it can be a little tight over the opening to the front mesh pocket

that said those are fairly minor niggles and on a UL load the strap/rope length is pretty irrelevant. overall it's a good pack (although i'm slightly biased i got it for 80 bucks on clearance and for 80 it's an amazing pack)

Hi,
I went through a similar experience recently trying to choose which pack, and settled on the Circuit.
If you go to recent reader reviews you can see my initial review.
Since then, I've done a 18 km hike with about 8 kg in the pack, and it felt really comfortable. I can't speak for the SMD Starlite, but the Circuit is a fantastic pack, and I highly recommend it for this type of load carrying weight.

Good luck with your choice.

cheers,
fred

Another possibility to consider is SMD's new Traveler; based on the Starlite but panel-loading rather than top loading. We bought one for my wife – marvelous pack.

All three are virtually equal in features, size, quality, etc. You can't go wrong with any of them. Comparing the three:

Main packbag capacity (without extension collar):
2400 Circuit
3000 Starlite
3000 Traveler

Total capacity (cubic inches)
3750 (62 liters) Circuit
4200 (67 liters) Starlite
3800 (62 liters) Traveler

Weights with dual stays in place"
32 ounces Circuit
30 ounces Starlite
31 ounces Traveler

Cost with stays and hipbelt pockets:
$ 175 Circuit
$ 190 Starlite
$ 205 Traveler

All supposedly can hold a bear canister. Experience has taught me that such a statement means "horizontally oriented" and excludes the Bearikade Expedition model. Most packs can take any bear canister vertically, but there goes most of your pack bag volume.

Wandering Bob

Without taking a look at your full gear list I'm going out on a bit of a ledge but if you're going tarp/bivy, etc I think you can go smaller/lighter. My base pack weight is about 8.5 lbs with a 20 degree sleeping bag and I primarily use a Tarptent Contrail on solo hikes, so we're probably close in terms of gear volume. Before I bought my ULA pack, I was debating on whether to get the Conduit or the Circuit. I was concerned about carrying loads over 25 lbs. and also worried if my gear would fit in the smaller pack. I went for the Conduit and haven't regretted my decision. I have carried the Circuit (owned by a friend) and, when packed correctly, I find the Conduit to be just as comfortable up to 30 lbs. or so. I've certainly pushed the Conduit over 30 lbs. for short periods.

Things I've done with the Conduit-
1. I've carried a full gear load (about 14 lbs. at the time) with 2 full 2+L and 2 full 1L Platy water bottles, and an almost full 1L soda bottle…that's almost 8L of water.
2. I've carried a full Ursack S29 Hybrid which contained 5 days of food, along with 3L of water (and even lashed a full Bear Vault, the smaller model, on top…for a few miles).

In both of these instances, I had room for more gear or food. So I think I could handle any stretch of trail with regular water sources for up to 7 days without resupply, or 3-4 days food carrying 2 gallons of water. Just something to consider and make your decision even more complicated…