Vapor Trail belt: weight? go without?

Joe, I just weighed mine, which is size S, but was surprised to see it come out at 7.5 ounces. I would guess if you had a light enough load in that pack, you could possibly go without the hip belt. I'd never thought of that for some reason.

Along the lines of using v. not using the VT hip belt, has anyone tried using a lighter substitute? If so, what have you used? I'm just wondering if you can use something that shaves weight, but you don't have to give up the benefits of belt completely.

The big selling point of the Vapor Trail is its hefty but comfortable hip belt. If you are carrying a load light enough that a hip belt is not needed you might want to try out some lighter packs.

I routinely use its big brother the Nimbus Ozone without a belt. I have an extra frame that I've modified to just take the shoulder straps. Ozone w/o full frame and belt is right around 2lbs. and is the most comfortable frameless I've ever used by far. Great shoulder straps make a big difference in my opinion. When I need more support I pop in the other frame and add the belt if needed. Now I'm up to almost 3 pounds, but it'll haul more than I'd ever carry. I've gone through a few frameless 1 to 1.5 pound packs and they are nowhere near as comfortable for a long day of hiking as this setup.

I imagine the VT without a belt would come in around 1.5 pounds and be similarly comfortable if the shoulder straps work for you. If I had an old one I'd pull the belt and cut out the plastic frame and have a nice, cushy frameless that would be just a little over a pound and probably carry much better than the Virga. Might be worth a try!

Ryan, re: weight – Thank you! That is a surprising number.

Michael, re: substitutes – what are the advantages, in your view, of having a belt? I've never gone without one, so I don't know what I'm not missing.

Kristen, re: using a lighter pack – I've eyed a lot of lighter packs, but I've sworn off pack buying for an undetermined period of time. I'm focusing on making due with what I have. And I'm not sure whether my base weight qualifies me for the next level of pack. Base appx. 9-12 lbs. (depending on weather and company).

Curt, re: mods and straps – That's the general idea of what I'm shooting for, too. I dig the shoulder straps, because they don't dig me. I may look for a salvage VT and try a modified frame, too. Good call.

Peace to all,
Joe

If you are dropping the belt from the VT, which is one of its strong points, then just get the Virga and save a bunch of weight.

Hip belt from my Vapor Trail, Medium, weighs 6 1/2 oz.

Joe,

I’m no expert, but I believe the hip belt plays a role in the overall weight support for the VT pack. The belt would, ideally, help with supporting the weight you’re carrying by keeping some of the weight focused on the hips and to prevent the pack from sagging.

However, if you’re carrying a light enough load, perhaps the benefit is not as significant as when you’re carrying a heavier load. Thus, you could remove the belt, save weight, and not feel much on an impact on weight distribution/management. There is, after all, a reason Granite Gear makes the belt removable—to give you just such an option.

Then there is the overall comfort to be considered. If the pack is fastened to your hips with a belt it shouldn’t slide around while hiking. And, the VT belt is very comfy (I’ve tried a VT and I currently use an Alpine Trail pack, which is the same bag, just a heavier material than the VT).

My suggestion of an alternative, lighter belt was to see if you could drop weight with an alternative method: A lighter belt that would be (a) just as comfortable (or close to it) and (b) still help with keeping the load from sagging or shifting around as you hike.

In other words, if you’re using a lighter load, but still want a hip belt for comfort and weight purposes, is there a lighter belt you could use? It was sort of a compromise between keeping the belt and ditching it completely. Just a thought.

Removing the hip belt on a Vapor Trail makes about as much sense as removing the hood on a 1965 Jaguar. Good God man, you are removing the best part! Seriously, the Vapor Trail has its strengths and weaknesses, but its hip belt is generally considered its biggest strength. Its biggest weakness is probably its load lifters.

Besides, once you remove the hip belt, you have fundamentally altered the pack. The hip belt (on any pack) allows you to carry some (or all) of the weight on your hips. Without it, you will carry the weight just on your shoulders. If you remove the hip belt, then there is no point in having a frame. So, as others have pointed out, if you remove the hip belt, you might as well save yourself a lot of weight and just get a frameless pack.

I love my VT hip belt, for all the obvious reasons. Not to mention clipping a camera/snack holster to it for quick-draw.

And the first weight I ought to be trimming is the OTHER weight around my middle. :-)

Just tryin' to think of ways to shave some weight w/o dropping another few hundred clams on another pack.

I haven't tried it, but you could try cutting the elastic parts on the edges, replacing buckles and straps on the back with cord, removing the ice axe (or whatever) straps on the back and maybe even removing the blue section on the back as shown here: http://www.rei.com/product/699831/granite-gear-vapor-trail-3600-pack
I don't have the pack in front of me, so I forget if the blue section is actually part of the pack bag or just lays over the top of it. You would have to make sure the cord could compress the pack (which is what a lot of the back does) but I could see making some changes like that. Removing the elastic piece seems like the easiest and safest thing to do, but you lose a lot of functionality along with a few grams. If you do this, please report back how much you saved.