9.5 oz nixed from a GoLite pack!

[Mike Clelland]

I just chopped a bunch of stuff off my brand new GoLite PEAK (sized large). My new pack is now 18 oz, and that's 9.5 ounces less thant the out of the box weight of 27.5 ounces! Easy!

Peak
volume: 2200 in3 | 36 liters

From the factory:
27.5 oz
781 gm

After my scissor trimming:
18 oz
510 gm

Stuff I nixed in a pile:
9.5 oz
271 gm

I nixed:

---

– foam pad
– iterior pocet for the pad and water bladder
– ice axe loops
– side compression straps
– hip pads and pockets
– shortened all webbing
– the factory strin
– cord lock

I sewed on a lighter option:

---

– hip belt
– sternum strap
– lighter string

[Joe Cangelosi]

Awesome, mike!

I chopped 6 oz off of my jam.

I left the compression straps on, but realized on this last trip (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=35228&skip_to_post=299952#299952) that I hadn't used them. I bet they'll weigh another ounce :-)

Does anybody use those?

[Mike Clelland]

Actually – Andrew Skurka uses his compression straps on his JAM pack, but what does he know.

;^)

(and he really does, but I don't)

I did cut the compression straps leaving about a half an inch of webbing, trimmed rounded. I melted the edge with a lighter, leaving a tiny tab with a sealed edge.

I then poked a hole in the tiny tab using a long thin philip's head screw-driver that was heated up on my stove! This mde for a tiny hole with a melted platic sealed edge. If I need to, I can always tie string thru this little hole. So, in a way – I still have compression straps!

M!

[Nick Gatel]

Hmm….

Should have just bought a Murmur. Same volume counting the pockets. Weight savings of 10 oz over your modified pack.

:)

[Joe Cangelosi]

I need a big paddy hip belt. I carry as much weight as I can on my hips, in fact, I might learn to sew and turn two of the compression straps into load lifters.

As pack design has eliminated or reduced hip belts, the shoulder strap attachments have lowered to compensate, which makes sense – if you like to have the weight on your shoulders. I have a really bad shoulder and just generally find the weight more comfortable on my hips.

[Steven Paris]

Nice modifications.

How did you cut out the foam from the back? Just curious about how the foam is attached and what's left when you were through.

[Miguel Arboleda]

Mike, don't you find the extension collar on the Peak far too short? I find it difficult to get items up near the base of the extension collar and still be able to roll the top closed properly. Also the top side compression straps are located too near the top of the pack, a design change that didn't exist on the 2008 Jams.

[Andy F]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[Unknown abc]

Nice! Too bad one can't shave that much weight off a Golite Ion.

[Larry Dyer]

Cutting 9.5 ounces, or even just 9, from my Ion would be amazing! How would you go about that? :P

[Anonymous]

Hmmm the Murmur also has compression straps and a adjustable sternum strap at 7.9 oz. (224 g.)

[David Ure]

Shouldn't you have just bought a ULA Equipment Conduit that is bigger and only 17oz. Then you could have done your surgery and ended up with a 10oz Conduit……gotcha thinking now didn't I.

[Mike Clelland]

I also have Gossamer Gear G5 WHISPER, at 3.7 ounces. So I have a super duper SUL pack.

I wanted this pack because I can ride my bike to town with it – AND – I can do a buncha days in the backcountry and aggressively bushwhack.

–

To get the pad out, I just turned the backpack inside out and used a sharp pair of scissors. I left a few inches of fabric (a sort of pocket) across the very bottom, and across the very top, so I can still fit the pad in there.

And I never really use the hip belt. No need with such a light load. I do use it for holding bear spray. I sewed on a 1/2 inch webbing belt, and it's fine.

–

I like the conduit. I have carried a friends for a buncha miles.

[David Ure]

Mike – I was just teasing you. But it did get me thinking of what you COULD do to the Conduit, which is in many ways similar to the Peak.

[Kimberly Wersal]

Well, now I'm going to have to get off my butt, get a pair of scissors, and go get my Conduit out of the gear bin…. who knows what you guys may have started.

[Adam Kilpatrick]

Mike, I just bought your book and saw this great tip; I was contemplating cutting off my compression straps and sewing the ends to a loop for cord (just in case its ever needed). How do you find your melted hole method holds up? Have you ever had to use it yet?

My pack is much larger-its about 60 Litres (its an Australian made One Planet). I like it, super comfortable internal frame harness, and I want to keep using it as I could carry three weeks food in it no worries (that's the plan in the future). But given the extra volume I'll probably end up needing to compress it more than you do. I'm just worried about how the holes will hold up with strain?

Great stuff mate!

Adam

[Stephan Doyle]

Excuse my ignorance here, but why go with the Peak in the first place? An MLD Prophet still weighs less and is made of Dyneema X too.

[J. Lopes]

Golite almost always has a 40% off coupon…. makes for an absolute steal for their packs even if they do weigh more than the cottage competition. My Jam cut down with a diy carbon fiber frame is 1lb 14 ounces and can haul 30-35lb's and is bullet-proof.. Sure there are lighter options, but golite packs with a little diy knowledge are fairly light (certainly not SUL)and comparatively cheap.

edit: don't know the author's reasons for the purchase, just listing my reasons for purchasing a golite pack after yearning for a ULA pack… borderline drooling for a ULA pack to be honest.

[Kevin Harper]

Do you have to have a foam pad in this pack to use it comfortably? I use a Exep UL7. also, does anyone know of a current coupon code for Golite?

[M B]

it would be interesting to have a table with the popular lightweight/UL packs and what wt they can be reduced to by removing parts and trimming. A lot of people make their purchase decisions based on the mfgs stated weights too, which arent alway accurate. It might be for a small, a med, or it might be for a large size pack.

For instance a medium circuit with stays, foam back panel, compression cord removed weighs about 28.6 oz. Remove the foam in the hipbelt and its 28.2 oz. And there is a lot of strap that can be trimmed, about an ounce no problem, etc. the removeable hipbelt w/pockets is very heavy, I think about 8.5oz, but going on memory there.

Some people have the impression its a 38 oz pack. But by taking things off, it can be anywhere from 20-38oz depending on the load you wish to carry. Easy enough to put a simple hipbelt webbing strap with a patch of velcro on for UL weights.

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