GoLite Jam2 or ULA Equivalant Advice

I’ve never used any GoLite packs, though I’m currently waiting for UPS to drop off the Ion I ordered last week. I’m awfully curious if I’m going to be able to squeeze a (comfortable) overnight out of (into?) it. So I understand being a little smitten with a GoLite pack.

I own a ULA Conduit, which is an excellent, excellent pack. I can’t recommend it highly enough, if it fits your needs, but you can find glowing reviews all over this forum (and others) and already know they make awesome packs.

Since you say you’re interested in getting a little more educated about ULA I’d recommend listening to The Practical Backpacking Podcast featuring an interview with Brian Frankle (of ULA).

You can find all the podcasts here, or through iTunes.

The Brian Frankle interview is the very first one, and goes into a lot of detail about their packs and the philosophy behind them.

When I went looking for the link, I noticed that Episode 24 (PBP Gear Mix) includes another interview with Brian about the newest ULA pack, the Amp, and Episode 16 (Demetri Coupounas-GoLite Now) is all about GoLite. I haven’t listened to either of those, but they’re probably informative as well.

Hope that’s of some help, I know I learned plenty from the one I’ve listened to.

Hey Joe,
in the past I used a Golite Jam2 and my girlfreind used a Conduit. It seemed to me I was always jealous of the extra features and cushy padding of her conduit. All of this at not much of a weight penalty. Just be sure to use an unrolled sleeping pad as frame support if you are going over 20 lbs. She tends to use a Prolite3 short and then inflates it when her pack is full. It is a good system and if you pack correctly it is a solid winter pack as well.

I've owned both the Jam and two ULA (Catalyst and Circuit).

All three are made well and serve their purpose just fine. The Jam, however, like most GoLite products, simply wasn't long enough for my torso. I'm a big guy though (6'6" and 265), so it may work just fine for you. I ended up looking at ULA because the Jam didn't fit right and found ULA's to be made extremely well and are made of very tough fabrics.

In the end, at least to me, buying a pack is a fairly big deal because I'd rather get it right then be miserable on the trail. Personally, I'd buy both, eat the shipping, try them on, decide what you like, and return the one which you liked the least. If you want to get a ULA, get your order in quick though as Brian is taking a break at the end of the month.

My first GoLite pack was the Jam2. My wife now uses the Pinnacle, I purchased the Pinnacle for longer/bulkier trips, and bought the Ion and took it out for the first time two weekends ago. Amazing! I love their packs.

However, since packs are such a personal preference, I would do as the previous poster said, order both packs and try them out.

I switched from an external to internal in the mid 90's. One thing I have hated since then is the lake of sweat my back turns into. This went away when I bought my Osprey.

What can I expect in this area with regards to the ULA or GoLite?

–Joe
http://www.bozemanstoveworks.com

Golite Jam sits close to the back, so sweaty syndrome is awesome!

I've owned the original Jam for quite sometime, a decent pack , comfortable if the loads are kept relatively light (<20lbs). Also large enough to carry 5-6 days of supplies!

Despite it's lightness, surprisingly, the Jam is quite tough, the material used is fantastic! For a pack so light it's hard to believe the amount of abuse it can take (bush-whacking, granite slides, glissading)

The only drawbacks I did not like, (though heard they improved upon on the Jam 2) is the lack of padding on the shoulder straps. Despite the lack of padding it actually carries quite well after some shoulder conditioning :-D (weight and load dependent it seemed the fuller the pack the better it carried), and it's actually nice to be able to run in it! The other factor too (also improved on the new Jam) is the lack of load control with smaller loads.

I actually ended up retiring the Jam for the Osprey Talon 33, (Jam 2 didn't fit me as well the old Jam) despite the fact the Talon 33 is close to being 8-10 ounces heavier (1.14 lbs for S/M), and has a little less space, it carries far more comfortably than the Jam (most of the weight sits on my hips with the Talon compared to the Jam), as well as having better load control. Prolly what sold me is the stuff it pocket in the front and lash points on the pack for a bungee system, increasing it's versatility.

Hope this helps

Joe,

I have the Jam2 and am very satisfied with it primarily because it fits my torso near perfect. However, like Jonathan above, am jealous over the features offered by the ULA and MLD packs. Do as suggested by James and order both the Jam2 and ULA pack. It most likely will save you money in the long run.

I love mine it's just been a bit of a battle to get the weight down to where I'm comfortable with it. But, now that I'm nearly there I'm extremely happy with it. Surprisingly the shoulder straps are quite comfortable, I find what makes them comfortable for me is the curviness that they have; it conforms to the outside of my chest muscles and keeps the straps from pinching the medial aspects of my clavicles. The waist belt is very minimal and I have to cinch it tight but that doesn't bother me much; it's tight enough to allow a good portion of the weight to transfer to the hips. I can't use a hydration bladder with it as it bulges out against my back and bothers me; the side pockets are actually useful for carrying water though (unlike a lot of packs today). One thing I did that makes it much more comfortable is took a z-light pad and cut it to the shape of the foam frame sheet and used that and the original foam as my framesheet. It helps add some rigidity, and the foldable sections conform to the curve of my back. Another member said they used a campaign sign to make a more rigid framesheet and it only weighed 2.5oz. And like others have said the fabric is actually quite durable. I'd say if you stay under 20 pounds you'll be happy; stay under 15 and you'll be very happy.