Vapor Trail

I usually carry no more than 18 lbs with food and water for several days in that pack. I have gone in the winter and had it at 25(ish).

Could be:
1) too heavy
2) too long a size for you and the belt is too low on your hips. I normally wear a pack where the top of my hip bone (dig your thumb into your side and find the top of your hip bone) is at the center point of my waist belt.
3) not trying to be funny here but if you're thin and have no hips or butt it could cause a bit of that as well (I have what my wife calls my "shelf" that my pack sits on).

I suspect it is a fit thing – might want to check their site and see if the pack size is right for your measurements….

Refer to the "Fitting" tab here if you're not sure if you have the right size…

http://www.granitegear.com/products/backpacks/ultralight/vaportrail.html

Yup. Much of what Erik said. Probably fit, or placement. If it's slipping down, it's probably not seated properly on your iliac crest. Put your hands on your hips, roll them up a little and push in. You're on top of the bone when your hands can't go anywhere when you push down. If you center your hipbelt on this highest point of your iliac crest, the pack can't slip because it's essentially locked onto your skeletal structure. If you're wearing it there, the shoulder straps should wrap from the top of your shoulders down about an inch or two. If the straps go straight back from your shoulders or angle up a bit, the pack is too large. An overloaded frameless pack will also not keep its shape as well, added weird forces, which could contribute though less significantly to slippage. I top out around 20-25 pounds for a frameless…

Other users will doubtless add their views, but my Vapor Trail is comfortable up to the 24-26 pound range, less so above that. I've not attempted weights at or above 30 lbs with it (yet). Mine is property fitted and adjusted to my torso, a "baseline" condition that should be checked before anything.

Other BPL users have reported deteriorating comfort at or near 30 lbs with the Vapor suspension.

FWIW, a similar bag design from Granite Gear but on a more robust framesheet is the Nimbus Ozone. It adds 8 oz or so of pack weight in the form of a stiffer framesheet to accommodate a bigger/heavier load. For loads under 25 lbs, I find the Vapor suspension feels better than the Nimbus.

>>Anyone who uses the Vapor Trail…How much total weight do you carry with this pack?

Normally, I don't go over 25 lbs. and I find it very comfortable at that weight. On a few occasions where I had to carry water for desert trips I was pushing 30 lbs. and above. The comfort did suffer on those trips.

My heaviest load in my VT is 25 lbs in dead of winter.

I normally use a GoLite Ion for my weekend trips but if it is 3-season and I'm gone for more than 2 nights I normally bring the VT and seldom, if ever, go over 16 with food/water.

My use of this pack for years would prompt me to say that anything over 25lbs your pushing it's ability. Anything over 30 and you're going to have comfort and/or performance problems….

Sorry to say, I am not too thin… :)

Also – I think the pack is fitted correctly. I actually had the guy at REI measure me for the pack and the hip belts do sit right centered on the hip bones.

I probably need to make sure it is 25lbs or less and adjust the load straps to contour the load.

Thanks for the feedback.

You were carrying too much. I pushed 30+ lbs last winter in my VT, and my hips were sore from the hipbelt clenching on my iliac crests. The backpanel just gave out after 28-30.

Use a cut thermarest ridgerest (or similar) with the VT. Unroll it to create a and additional frame – it will carry close to 40 pounds in comfort, at least for me.

Matt,

That is a perfect description of the symptoms I was feeling. My hips hurt.

David – I am using a thermarest so I'll try your suggestion plus I'll keep the weight down to 25 lbs.

This past weekend I went on a 2 night trip out of Big Pine, CA up to Brainerd Lake. About 4-5 miles with a 3000 ft climb. I was carrying 24lbs total and the GG Vapor Trail handled fabulously!

Check it out.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=23074

Hopefully this poll will help both of us as well as many others.

P.S. I have a Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone and so far it is the best pack I've tried on thus far. However, I still have a month to experiment with it until I make my final decision.

I am doing a 5 day trip in Kings Canyon (California) later this month. I'll try this out. For that trip my GG VT should come in under 25 lbs which is a perfect weight for the pack.

The trail is the Rae Lakes Loop. It's about 40 miles with an overall gain and loss of almost 7000 ft.