Looking for a pack under $130 Terra vs TFX Hrizon 65

My first reaction is that 60-65 liters is a lot for a 2-3 trip. Am I misunderstanding?

I agree with Jed, maybe you should reconsider and look at some smaller packs.

Lay all your gear on the floor in as much rectangular shape as possible, then use a tape measure and measure H, W and L, then multiply them on a calculator. that is your basic cu. inches need. Then convert from cu. in. to Liters :

http://www.digitaldutch.com/unitconverter/volume.htm

Add about 3-5 Liters for food and water, (more if going on a long trip)

And that's how many liters you need from a pack!

-Evan

An excellent bit of mathematics, Evan! I'm at the tail end of a year of whittling down, and at this point, I'm not sure what volume I need for my new baseweight! Your info will be really helpful.

I disagree with the others.

What matters is the total weight, not the volume. It might be that you could pack your sleeping bag very loosely, or you could cinch the pack down to have the volume you need at the time.

My wife carries a large pack in Europe: the top half holds several loaves of French bread. Light, but a big volume.

Cheers

Too bad an REI UL Cruise 60 isn't on your list. You could buy mine!

Thanks, Jed. I got the idea when I first converted to lightweight and I needed to know what to buy.

Roger, that is indeed correct, and when selecting a pack you should consider what you said as well. However, I do not see how my form of pack sizing could be incorrect. You see, what I meant is your BASIC volume need, and from that point on I believe you would take into account compression, load support, comfort, extra big items (even light ones), etc.

-Evan

I'm currently selling two packs. Either might suit your needs, though one is over your $130 price limit.

Osprey Atmos 35:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=17350&skip_to_post=133556#133556

Granite Gear Nimbus Meridian:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=17351&skip_to_post=133554#133554

The Atmos would be better suited for lower volume loads, the Nimbus Meridian for larger loads.

If you're interested let me know.

Dave

Joe, send me an email, I may be interested in your cruise.

What size pack do you guys think is good for 2-4 day trips. Im pretty new so im open to any suggestions as far as packs. thanks

If I could figure out these dang interwebs, I'd post links to good packs. But as I can't, take a look at the following, which would be good 2-4 day packs, and in your budget. I'll list smaller packs with a steeper learning curve first for each company:

the Murmur and the G4 at gossamergear.com
the Amp and the Conduit at ula-equipment.com
the packs at zpacks, smaller being harder to transition to. I don't think you'll find lighter though. They're made of Cuben Fiber!
The Jam 2 from golite.com

I hope that helps.

It's difficult to recommend packs or even categories of packs if we don't know your gear list, base weight, etc. Any info on what gear you carry would be helpful. If you are looking at a 65 L pack it seems that you do not exactly have a UL base weight (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Clay, before you make an informed descision on what pack to buy, you must collect some data:

1.How much weight you will be carrying
2.How much capacity all your gear will use up
3.What pack will fit your back and body best
4.What terrain you will be in
5.How much you want to spend
6.How much comfort and additional features you want

Once you figure these out, you can narrow it down to just a few and then would it be a good idea to ask others what expierience they have with those packs.

Just wait, Roger wil have some excellent input for you.

Clay, you're not set up for PMs or email.

Also, never discount the benefit of a good, well organized and easy to read book to help you figure this all out. This website sells a few. Check out "Lightweight Backpacking & Camping: A Field Guide to Wilderness Hiking Equipment, Technique, and Style", which is the one that really helped me and no doubt many others here to bring their pack weight down through knowledge of different systems, techniques, fabrics, theory (which is really exciting; my favorite part of the book!) etc, become better backpackers, and most importantly, enjoy the whole experience more! I've dropped 6 or 7 pounds from my pack weight thanks to what I learned from that book and reading the discussion here, and I learned to backpack at a lightweight backpacking course with Outward Bound!

That said, at the beginning it can sometimes feel like you're building from the bottom up. In some ways, that's what it can be, and that can be super daunting. However, what I like about this community is that everyone is learning to some degree, no matter how expert. Regardless of whether you're a beginner or a NOLS instructor of 40 years (I'm looking at you, Mike Clelland!), people are always in dialogue.

Anyway, good luck!