Hi all,
So recently I acquired a ULA Ohm, and on the few day hikes I've been able to take it on, it has been awesome! Carries better than any other pack I've owned.
One thing that got me thinking though, is that I have some pretty long trips planned this summer, some being up to 8 days. I use a Ridgerest sleeping pad, which when strapped to the inside of the Ohm using the straps, is still pretty bulky. Its the S length, but when folded to fit the straps, it still takes up ~3 inches of width inside the pack. When considering the pad is 20" high and 12" wide when folded, that's over 700 cu, which when packing for these long trips is a lot. With the pad inside, I can fit my gear and enough food for 6 days. Close, and I think that if the pad was somewhere else, I could fit the rest of the food.
My idea is to have the pad strap on the outside of the pack up against my back. That way it still gives me the support that is needed from the pad, but it clears up the inside of the pack for that extra room. Any thoughts on this? I would essentially just sew on the same type of elastic that's on the inside to the outside. I just don't know if having that extra 3 inches of width on the outside of the back panel would cause any issues.
Thanks!
