Arc blast for carrying packraft?

Keith,

I actually have a near zero curvature with my arc blast if it is fully loaded up, especially if I place my gear vertically rather than horizontally, which is what I typically do in these larger backpacks.

Here is a photo of mine, fully loaded up (minus water) for a hike. It includes SMD SX, ZP 20f bag, clothing, 5 days worth of food, tar xtherm, ditty bag, and the other usual stuff. (note: the umbrella is doing nothing for structural support)

This is loaded up with 15.8 pounds of gear and food.

Thanks John! I'll give one a try. I read your review of the pack and it sounded pretty favorable.

Call me crazy, but putting a wet raft inside my pack with my clothing and sleep systems just doesn't sound like a good idea.

Joe makes great gear, but I don't think he had carrying 10 lbs of PR gear on top of a typical 10 lb base weight and consumables in mind when he designed any of his packs.

I'd suggest a different pack if you plan on much walking.

Chris,

Clothing and other gear would most likely be in a dry bag. Do you carry your boat on the outside of your pack? I'm using a windrider now and it works fine but it is hard to justify the weight.

Yes, outside the pack but I use an HMG Porter as do a lot of other packrafters much more prominent than myself (Forrest McCarthy, Roman Dial, Luc Mehl, Thomas Turiano). Skurka uses a ULA Epic. When you're talking a 30 lb (or more) load, a 2 lb pack that can carry real weight is more than worth it. As much as this site is about lightening your load, try not to get caught up in the numbers. The bottom line is really comfort.

Chris: When you're talking a 30 lb (or more) load, a 2 lb pack that can carry real weight is more than worth it.

Well said Chris.

I am not really sure I would want to use the ZPacks Arc Blast at a 30+ TPW… even though it is rated for that. Much over 20 and I would just rather just make the switch to a larger ULA where the extra support (internal frame, more padding) would make the haul a lot more comfortable.

I agree guys but the load would most likely never be over 20lbs all up. I'm never going to be doing any serious raftaneering or anything, just thought I might lighten up the only thing I really can when carrying all the other PR gear. Sounds like it is not the best idea, I'd love to experiment though.

How do you figure 20 lbs pack weight?

Boat, paddle, pfd, river safety gear, etc is going to be around 10 lbs. Regular backpacking gear is likely around 10 lbs. Thats 20 before consumables.

Unless you're not talking about rivers or multi-day trips, in which case you can totally ignore me. :-)

Yukon yak with spray deck – 87oz
Paddle – 29oz
Pfd – 17oz
Helmet – 8oz
Throw bag & river knife – 10oz
Repair kit & inflation bag – 6oz
= ~9lbs

+

summer gear < 5lbs + consumables

Am I missing something? I'm usually only out for 3 days at the most.

Edited weights

A heavier pack definitely doesn't mean more comfort. And a pack that weighs 2-3 pounds more than a lightweight pack could be more comfortable on the hips and shoulders, but the part that really matters is your knees. I don't have an Arc but it looks very nice.

Let me weigh my PFD, helmet, etc. and I'll get back to you. I'm pretty sure any real class 3 PFD is closer to 2 lbs. Throw bag and knife are probably heavier than you have listed as well.

Yak is essentially 5 lbs sans deck. Deck adds 1/2 – 1 lb depending on model.

That's 5.5-6. Paddlle is basically 2 so you're at 7.5 – 8 before other essential river gear.

I have 2 PFD/knife configs so I'll check both. One is one of the lightest available type 3 models and the other is a 3/5 for rescue.

Depending on what you plan to boat, your carried clothing may also change. I'm not terribly familiar with VA water. Having done some Class 4 here in NC, I'd definitely carry more clothing than on an off-river trip.

Astral V-Eight with NRS Co-Pilot – 2 lbs
Astral Sea Wolf with rescue belt and Spyderco Tasman Salt – 2lb 14 oz

NRS Pro (spectra/dyneema rope) Compact with locking biner – 1lb 4 oz

Kong Scarab helmet – 10 oz

The Sea Wolf is not what I'd wear on most trips, but the weight is good for comparative purposes. If I did bring it, I'd have even more weight in the way of prussiks, additional biners, and possibly a couple of pulleys (small pin kit).

The V-Eight was about the lightest Type 3 PFD available when it came out. The Kong was also one of the lightest helmets available.

There's no way I'd wear an 8 oz PFD (I'm assuming you're thinking of an inflatable?) on anything more than Class 2 water and if it's that tame, I probably would just go without. Please do not under estimate the power of fast moving water.

Chris,
I'm using a V-Eight too, not sure where I got 8 ounces for that. Thought I had checked that but mine weighs about 17 ounces. I'm also using the Petzl Meteor III which weighs about 8.2 oz. My river knife is a CRKT neckolas 2.5 oz.
I'm not running anything more than class 2 rarely 3 around here.

My Yukon Yak (2011) + cruiser spray deck (9oz) is 87.6oz – nearly a pound heavier than your listed weight.

While you may be able to take PR gear + regular gear + consumables and wind up with a ~20 lbs pack for a 2 day trip, this setup is aimed at a very specific type of trip (summer, reasonable weather forecast, 1-3 days). If you decide to go for a longer trip, or go for a trip in the shoulder seasons then you're going to wind up with a heavier load and likely wanting a larger volume and more robust pack.

If you can afford a quiver of packs then go for it, but for most people I'd suggest getting a pack that is suited for a wider range of uses. Also keep in mind that packrafting can get pretty cold, even in summer. Except for the heat of summer, I bring leg tights, extra insulating layer, hydroskin/neoprene socks and gloves.

Dan,
You are right on the weight of the raft/deck, my math was bad. I was only thinking of the arc blast for short summer trips with minimal gear but I'll just stick with my windrider.