Granite gear nimbus meridian Vs. nimbus trace 62

The newer models aren't always the better choice (for going UL). I don't know about the newer model you are looking at but many of the newer gear has "feature creep" which adds to the weight and may not be any more useful to you if you don't need/want those extra features.

I agree. About the UL part. I orginally had the Nimbus Ozone and always said the one thing I wish it had was a top lid pocket because every other pack I owned had one.

When the Nimbus Merridian came out I bought that and sold the Ozone and while the top pocket is nice when you max out the size of the pack for extra space, on most of my trips I leave it behind because I can't justify the extra 9 oz it weighs and i got use to not having it. As I have progressed with my grear i am on the verge of getting rid of the nimbus merridian and getting a vapor trail to cut weight and forgo the features.

So if you have never had a GG pack you might like the features of the trace, but do you need them? It game of UL that is a pretty big question.

The Nimbus Meridian isn't going away for 2011. The Trace is a separate model. BTW, the Ozone is discontinued.

I think the Nimbus Trace 62 will be a more versatile pack due to the strech mesh pocket on the back of the pack. The weight is just under 3lbs. Top lid can be added later if so desired.

When it comes to UL the vapor trail is the way to go? What features do you speak about on the trace that arent necessary? The lid is removable right? Is there anything else that is excessive? Thank you for your insight and experience :)

Charlie, whether its necessary or not depends on how much you value convenience. I know people on these forums that carry a 10oz golite ion as their main pack, and that pack closely resembles a stuff sack with shoulder straps. Some people would argue that the plastic frame in the nimbus series is unnecessary unless you are hauling heavier load. I agree with this statement and have limited my nimbus meridian to winter use when I expect my pack weight to be greater than 30lbs. For weights under 30lbs, I can get away with a frameless pack, or one with a minimal frame. Arguably, some may say that all those stretch mesh pockets on the new Trace series are not necessary since there is a huge floating lid that you can use to store all your accessories. However, to be honest, I actually think I like the fact that there are now stretch pockets everywhere. Here's my reasoning. All the packs I own, including the frameless ones, all had some accessory pocket (other than the 2 water bottle pockets on the sides) where I would stash stuff like headlamps, tent stakes, car keys, etc…so in short, I need at least 1 enclosed/semi-enclosed pocket for my junk. I just like the organization aspect of it. On my nimbus meridian, more often than not, I left the lid on, because it provided me with that 1 accessory pocket that I needed, albeit it provided it in a very heavy manner. Now with the new nimbus trace, you get the same suspension, a lighter drawcord compression system, and many many zippered accessory pockets to stash you stuff, which gives you even greater reasoning to leave the much heavier lid at home. I could see myself carrying the nimbus trace without the lid more often than I could carry the nimbus meridian with the lid. And if i recall correctly, a nimbus trace without the lid is lighter than a nimbus meridian with the lid.

That being said, some people are more minimalist than me, and do fine sticking all their accessories in a stuffsack, and keeping it at the top of their pack ontop of all their other stuff, making any external stretch pockets unnecessary. I can't imagine stretch mesh + zippers being more than 2-3 oz more than the weight of a stuff sack to store your stuff, but for some it's worth the weight savings and having a more streamlined pack. The stuff sack approach will definitely save you weight compared to a floating lid though. I think you said that you're transitioning to lighter stuff? If that's the case, I think the nimbus trace will be excellent if you carry it without the lid. You'll be able to comfortable carry anything from 15-35 lbs, which is a great starter pack since it has the potential to cover 4 seasons.

BUT my biggest advice…and most will agree, buy the pack LAST. You need to figure out what your base weight is before you buy a pack. It will also determine what volume pack you need. My base weight for 3 season use is a bit under 10lbs, and a nimbus meridian is way too large in volume, and too beefy in suspension for those 3 seasons. Hence, i've limited it's use to winter. Maybe you will never hike in the winter, and maybe after buying all your gear you'll find that you have a baseweight of around 15lbs and only require a 40liter pack etc etc. Then you'll see that the nimbus line of packs is unnecessary/excessive and that you'll be better off with a ULA ohm, or vapor trail, or osprey exos etc etc

EDIT. So I actually went to check out the weights between the nimbus meridian and the nimbus trace. The nimbus trace is 4 lbs with the lid, and 3 lbs 7ounces without the lid. The nimbus meridian is 3lbs 9oz with everything on it. Having seen that I would say to go with the nimbus trace only if you plan to always leave the lid at home. But here's the other thing you need to think about. The nimbus meridian has been out for like 4 years, and you can always find them on sale ( i bought mine brand new for $100 from reioutlet at the time). You're going to pay full price on the nimbus trace since it's so new…and its a fairly hefty chunk of change. Honestly, after seeing the weight, I would go with the nimbus meridian, even after talking about all the benefits of those new zippered pockets. A stripped nimbus meridian weights a lot less than a stripped nimbus trace, and you get the benefit of a floating lid (which converts to a lumbar pack) for a 2 oz penalty over a stripped nimbus trace.

FWIW, I have found the suspension and custom options on the Nimbus line to be the most comfortable and robust of any mass produced pack. I also found the Vapor Trail to be the most uncomfortable pack I have ever tried over 20lbs and 30 mile days.

IMHO, the Nimbus Meridian is the way to go.

I stopped by the Granite Gear warehouse/factory store yesterday, and got a chance to play with a handful of new packs- Nimbus Trace, Nimbus Core, and Blaze AC. I'd take the Nimbus Meridian, Nimbus Ozone, and Nimbus Latitude over the new packs. The new packs seem pretty fiddly, and there does seem to be a lot of feature creep. The frame and the components are all the same, so they're all still solid packs- but all of the line-loc adjustments, zippered pockets, etc seem like a step backwards. Unless of course, that's your thing. Nothing wrong with that.

I do like the small zippered pouch inside the bags, as well as the ventilated backpanel. My only real beef with the older Nimbus, Stratus, and Vapor packs is that the backpanel insulates so well and doesn't ventilate at all. I know ventilation is hyped up, but a small amount of ventilation does wonders. The simple mesh back of the current model Golite Jam or ULA Circuit are a lot more comfortable sweat- and heat-wise than the Nimbus Meridian, older Golite Jam, ULA CDT, etc.

The Vapor line and I have never really gotten along all that well. I have a Vapor Day and use it quite a bit for commuting and day hiking, but would rather take the ULA Circuit or Nimbus Latitude or Meridian, depending on weight.

Well I have had similar experiences like Konrad. For most of my trips the Merridian is just too big. I usually go for 4 days at about 25 lbs and there is just too much room in merridian, even when cinched down. Also the the framesheet seems overkill at that weight.

I am one of those people, who as Konrad mentioned, uses stuff sacks for everything. I had come from an old gregory z pack not the current line but the pre 2005 line and before that kelty internal frames, which were pocket machines. It took me about a year to get past having all sorts of pockets. Now they seem unnecessary. My merridian has been regulated to winter use. But thinking about it, I might actually like all of the trance's pockets for winter use since it would be quicker than stuff sacks and I wouldn't have to worry as much about setting things on the ground in snow.

I should note I have used the vapor suspension in the granite gear contrail and it seemed about the right amount of flexability for 20 lbs loads for me, but I have never used a vapor trail,(other than loaded up with weight at the store).

Thanks guys for all your input. You have changed my mind about what kind of pack I am going to need.
So far my weights are..

tent – 2.12 lbs
sleeping pad – 1lb
sleeping bag – 2.2lbs

I havent weighed clothes and everything else but those are the big 3, right?

Im going to start another thread about the Vapor flash and Meridian vapor, please join me there. I would appreciate your thoughts!