Question for people with ultralight packs

No worse than anything else. Does you Jaand have a pad in a pocket? If you could just cut the top of the pocket and take the existing padding out, you could cut your pad to fit back in that pocket.

I use a GG Whisper with a pad rolled up to give structural support to the pack. I also carry a small Lowe Alpine waist pack which contains all of my water. This leaves the heaviest thing that I carry right at my hips and creates a little distance between my pack and my back. Very breathable. Very comfortable.

The waist pack should be as plain as possible so that it doesn't abrade the more delicate Whisper.

The pad is in between two layers of rip-stop and sewn on to one of the layers. It's an odd shape. My z-rest would not fit inside in any usable size.

I figure if I remove the existing pad and just attach mine between my back and the pack I can use the "pocket" created inside for something else. I suppose I should try it before I take the pad out.

I'd like to make my pack into something a little lighter to use for lightweight backpacking on the overgrown trails in my backcountry. No way would a nice ultralight pack survive. The z-rest wouldn't survive, either, unless put inside.

I bet the Dyneema packs made by MLD, ULA, and SMD would stand up pretty well to overgrown trails.

"I bet the Dyneema packs made by MLD, ULA, and SMD would stand up pretty well to overgrown trails."
The Dyneema body of my ULA Circuit has held up very well in bushwhacking situations, but the hip pockets have gotten chewed up a bit-no big deal, but the material is definitely not Dyneema tough.