GG Vapor Trail 1st impressions

if you need a quick and cheap frame … just stuff a light piece of wood siding in between the foam pads you use as a frame …

add ~4 oz and you can dispose of it anytime … or use it for yr caldera cone as you hike ..

ive found it allows me to carry up to 30-40lbs in comfort

Now THAT'S a frame! Tough to fold that one in thirds.

Oh BPL. Any thread quickly goes south…

I just got this pack. I like it I think. What do you think about it?

It has a frame.
No it doesn't.
Yes, it does.
No it doesn't. I can bend it.
That doesn't mean it doesn't have a frame.
It has no frame. Not a real frame at least.
I didn't say it was a real frame. Just a frame.
Well, if you call that a frame, I had some swampland near Frameville I'd like to sell you.
I don't want that swampland, it's not wet enough.
Yes it is, it's totally flooded.
It's not totally flooded – I just saw a tiny sand bar sticking up I'm sure.
That doesn't count, that sand bar is damp just sub-surface.
If that's what you call flooded, than you don't know flooded.
Listen, I know flooded, I worked in flooded areas, flooded areas are a friend of mine… and that area, sir, is flooded.

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Anyway, I still think the Vapor Trail is a great pack. Cheap, pretty rugged, light enough, great comfy suspension, good capacity for a long hike. Put your sleeping pad in it, and pack inside that to make a better frame (lower case f), and get out and hike. I use mine a lot. I cut the lower side straps off so they don't interfere with the side pockets. I always have a sleeping bag in the bottom, so it takes up all the packs volume down there anyway, so I don't feel any need to cinch it from the bottom straps. You'll get better at retrieving/inserting bottles in the stretchy panels with practice – a 1L soda bottle with curved bottom is best. The extension collar is crazy long, and someday I'd like to cut out the middle 8" and resew it together, but haven't gotten around to it. A great pack for heavier loads and longer trips; too much volume for other trips.

david … no need … lol

i cut it so that it folds up right into the bivy pad and that goes into my osprey mutant

i actually saved weight as it is a tad lighter than the plastic framesheet it came with …

i actually find wood siding to be superior to aluminum for those loads from 20-40 lbs as its actually stiffer than thin aluminum stays, but flexes enough to comform to yr back when loaded … more comfortable than aluminum tubes

not to mention it works as kindling … and you can dump it anytime … and it costs like 2-3$

convert any frameless pack to framed in an instant

Perfect summary Dave.

If you think this thread went south, have a gander over at Whiteblaze.net.

Eric, I am not a DIY type of guy, but I think I can actually do this suspension fix.

I spent 14 days hiking the JMT with a frameless pack. By the end of the hike I was wishing for a frame pack that would lift weight off my shoulders. Inoticed others using the VT, so when I found one for sale at this site I went for it.

I used it for 10 days in Yosemite and carried the Expedition size Bearikade on the inside for part of the trip when my daughter was with me then the small canister after she left. I did carry my sleeping pad (double foam) rolled up on the outside. I crried a DriDucks rain jacket in one outside pocket and a windshirt in the other. In the bag that held my pad I had the steri pen and a liter cooking pot so I would have easy access to getting water during the day.

On the hip belt I attached a Granite Gear "belt Pocket" to both sides. (NB There is a right and a left) One held my camera, the other held a max of four health bars for snacks during the hike.
http://www.granitegearstore.com/Belt-Pocket-P47C5.aspx

I recently got back from 100 miles on the AT in VA and used the pack again.
Obviously I really like it.

"By the end of the hike I was wishing for a frame pack that would lift weight off my shoulders."

This is exactly how I feel with the VT – but as a frameless pack it is to be expected. You should try Eric's board trick.

Dave…because I have to :) but Frank's comment was about the pack he owned prior to his VT. I think you've taken it out of context. Wanting a framed pack, he ended up buying a VT. He seems happy with the performance of the VT based on the rest of his post

"By the end of the hike I was wishing for a frame pack that would lift weight off my shoulders. Inoticed others using the VT, so when I found one for sale at this site I went for it."

oh noeesssss!!! that's another vote for team "framed VT"

…i'm just messing with you ;)

While I think Eric's trick will work, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. It would seem overly stiff (as in non-back conforming) for its application. Eric, does it really flex that much? I can't imagine it being both stiff and flexible.

What's worked really well for me is a single aluminum stay. ULA sells em (or they used to). I duct taped it down to the foam pad of my Jam2. Weighs around 2 ounces I think, and is bendable to fit your back. It prevents the backpanel from collapsing, and I perceive it to be more comfy (placebo effect? who knows)

I tried the VT one hike. With 20 lbs in it and along rugged trails, the 2 lb VT was almost as comfortable as my 7.5 lb Lowe Alpine. I had zero weight on the shoulder straps, but compressed the load with the side straps vigourously. When I put weight on the shoulder straps (just to test my tolerance for "no hipbelt"), I wished they were wider. The hipbelt was super comfortable and load bearing.

I carried a Ridgerest pad rolled into a solid tube and on the outside of the pack, under the straps along the front. (maybe that's why the pack didn't sag).

I could barely reach the top of the side pockets to pull things out when the pack was on. Putting things back was possible, but irritatingly difficult. I used a 3L bladder filled to 2L, but it didn't fit in the slot between the foam and pack bag without causing an uncomfortable lump.

The load lifters didn't seem to do anything except close up the gap between the foam backpanel and packbag. This may have been because the torso was about 1" too long for me and the load lifters were approximately even with the top of the shoulder straps.

I thought the extension collar was way, way, way too long, and a cinch-cord top covered by a flap with a zippered patch pocket would be much better. I also thought it needed a big mesh pocket on the rear for my wet tarp, ground sheet, and rain gear.

I didn't find putting the pack under my legs when sleeping to be as comfortable as a pad, or convenient (then I had no place to put my other stuff to keep the creepy crawlys out of it).

I found the materials to be plenty durable and hold up to vigorous stuffing of gear, going through off-trail tree-type brush, and non-carefully setting the pack down or pulling it toward me to get something out while taking a break on rocky overlooks.

Overall, it was a great pack. Not perfect, but close.

it does work for me … ive tested it against packs with flat aluminum stays and tubes

it has less flex than ones with flat stays, more than one with tubes

it all depends on the material you pick … you want something which is stiff, light, but flexes a bit

there's a lot of thin wood siding or plastic around HD … just walk around and see what works for you … if you use stiff plastic you can mould it with a heat gun

if you prefer aluminum you can take a 5$ aluminum ruler, cut it in half, tape each side to you pad so that theyll end up on either side of yr spine, and bend em … even better if yr pack comes with a removable plastic framesheet

as an example … i didnt duct tape/clue the alum to the sheet yet

at worst yr out less than 10$ total

put it this way … i carry a double rack, 3L of water, spare clothes, food, 60m rope …etc .. basically up to 40+ lbs with no frame collapse issue and can still climb up to 5.9 (moderate rock) in it