Your fav. UL backpack?

ULA Conduit

Depends on the definition of "UL." My favorite backpack is the SMD Starlite. At ~2 pounds, it's not really UL, but it's comfortable to about 35 pounds. Good for those big resupply loads out of town.

ULA Ohm

Gossamer Gear Gorilla.

I can speak to Gossamer Gear’s quality as well. I have the Gorilla, which is a bit under your desired capacity at 2800ci. However, they also make the Mariposa Plus which is the same design but bigger 3600ci (counting all pockets)and made out of lighter material.

what james said

MLD Exodus

Of course it depends on how much weight you're carrying and such.

ULA Amp – took me a while but I'm enjoying this pack more every time I use it.

MLD Super Zip (now the Exodus): Great for 1-4 nights out. Makes a 6-7lbs base pretty easy.

ULA Circuit: For trips when higher water or food quantities are needed. This may not be considered a UL pack but I can still easily use this pack as part of an 8lbs base weight.

For winter or bulky loads – Mountainsmith ML5200 with carbon fiber stays and with out the lid. Around 4,000 ci and 2 lbs all trimmed up and without the lid.

All other times I use a GG Mariposa plus

I prefer my packs to have hip belts and stays/suspension of some kind, even with light loads. (10 lb base weight)

I really like the Osprey Exos.

I used the MLD zip for two years with great success loved the rig, however I just traded up/down to the z/pack Blast 32 at under 6oz. I'm not getting any lighter. Regulary carry up to 20 lbs with no proplem.. love it.. love it… love it ;0)

For warmer weather the Mariposa.
For cooler weather, when I use a heavier bag and a few extra clothes, the Mariposa plus.
I also use an old stripped down Mountainsmith Muse that hauls 25 pounds pretty nicely.
For Light and fast weekends the Ula AMP.
This weekend it will be a mountainsmith external frame pack; it is beer camp weekend and my pack will be around 25+ pounds. Only hiking 2 to 3 miles over pretty easy terrain.
Probably any of these packs, except maybe the Amp could be used for long distance hiking, especially the Mariposa plus or the Mountainsmith; now a discontinued pack :(

Short trips 2-3 days:
GG Gorilla
ULA Ohm

Longer trips 4-7 days:
ULA Ohm
ULA Circuit

I love my ULA Conduit.

But,

I recently purchased an Osprey Talon 11.

I can fit what I need in it to do an overnighter and I absolutly love running in it.

ULA Ohm

ULA Conduit for the summer trips.
ULA Circuit for winter trips.

My home made pack,a Ray-way kit.Weighs in at 8.5 oz.

For general light weight hiking with maxium load under 35 lbs, my favorite is SMD comet. For short trips I usually use it to carry all the gears, food, and fuel for two persons.
But someting different from the original comet pack, I added a upper pad sleeve to hold folded pad with the same length as the pack body. I found it better to keep the pack shape. Combining the pad and thin al stays, it holds exellent. The large mesh pockets is convenient and quite strong. It is also great to be able to adjust the torso length to find the best fit. The compression system also works quite well, but it lacks the ability to compress the upper part of the pack.

MLD Revelation… for hikes of four days or less.
ULA Ohm… for hikes of more than 4 days.

"ULA Ohm… for hikes of more than 4 days."

+1

MLD Prophet

ULA Conduit.

Adam

I like any and all cottage industry stuff…..

….but, best UL backpack for me has been my GoLite Ion.