Complete beginner – like Osprey Exos 46, would like something a little cheaper

I have an Osprey Stratos 40 I'd be willing to sell you. Like new condition…has the "AirCore" back which breathes very well. I love the pack and actually have two of them…..Otherwise, you could try to find an old GoLite Jam. They usually go for 75 if you can find them on sale. (Try sunnysports.com or Alltrec.com)

The Exos is pretty huge for a day pack. I'm afraid if you try to get a pack that will work as a day pack, and backpacking pack, you'll end up with a pack that does neither well.

Toby,

Welcome to the Forums…think that you will people here will be very generous with helping ask any question that you can think of.

They were with me.

This does not directly relate to your questions, but it a bit of advice.

You might want to buy all of your other gear first and then buy the backpack last.

If your pack is only half full, then it might ride wrong on your back and same thing if it is too small and bursting at the seams with gear.

I literally took all of my gear down to REI and loaded into the pack that I was interested in buying and walked around the store for 30 minutes with the load on my back to see how it felt.

In my case, I ended up buying a Gregory Z55, which also has a mesh back panel to eliminate or greatly reduce the sweat on your back.

Great pack, but "heavy" at 3 lbs 3 oz and 3300 CU IN.

I have since moved to a 2008 GoLite Jam2, which I bought at REI for $80 with my 20% coupon….$100 regular price.

It fits your price point, but does not have the ventilation that you might want.

Bear in mind that a frameless pack like the Jam2 is really only useful with loads of 25 lbs or less.

What you might find is that some of the lightweight gear is cheaper because they are simple in their design and do not have the expense of a built in frame.

Something else for you….replace your camelback hydration with a Platypus Hoser Hydration System, which does the same thing but is half the weight. Just transfer the bite valve from the Camelback to the Platypus because the one on the Platypus is not as good.

Hope that this helps you out and welcome to the world of light weight backpacking!

-Tony

There are several golite packs on ebay right now for very cheap. Something to look into if you're up for a frameless pack.

Vaude makes a nice line of mesh-backed day packs that are easier on the pocket book. I use the Jura 24L for day trips, but they make bigger size too.

http://www.vaude.com/en_IN/backpacks.html

Look for packs with the "aeroflex" suspension.

My partner uses the Ultra Hiker 20L

http://www.vaude.com/epages/Vaude-de.sf/secl4DqG5G_eOI/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Vaude/Products/15094/SubProducts/150946962

But they also use the same suspension in some of the larger sizes.

"Bear in mind that a frameless pack like the Jam2 is really only useful with loads of 25 lbs or less."

That is a bit debatable. Fitness and physiology play a big part in comfort at that weight or above it.

Thanks for all these helpful comments – I'll try to check these options out at REI/online this weekend.

okay, I'm a different newbie, but have hte same question.

what about Jans Sport? they seem to make inexpensive packs, but are they cheap or inexpensive?

are there any brands to deffiently stay away from?

Just starting to look through some of the suggestions here, and have one general question. When we were trying on packs in the store, I definitely needed a L, M was way too short for my torso.

I notice that the Vaude Gallery Air 30, for example, says that it is a one-size adjustable fit. How adjustable is that? If it really will be possible to adjust it so the hip straps are properly low enough, that would be great, but as I can't imagine how that would work, I have no idea if that is accurate.

Thanks again for all your help, it's very nice to find such a friendly and welcoming forum.

At one time Jansport made great packs, but now they mostly make bookbags for schoolkids. I think they're owned by the same company as North Face (Vanity Fair – explains a lot, doesn't it?)

I think anyone buying a pack should read this article:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/orsm08_lw_packs.html

Toby, in my personal experience Vaude's adjustable fit will allow at maximum a 19-20inch torso. I found for me that even fully extended my Vaude still felt too short on my 19.5 – 20inch torso.

Thanks Jonathan, that's exactly the kind of information I haven't been able to find by searching. I'll do an exact measurement tonight but suspect that I need something about 20, which will probably rule this one out.