Took the plunge… Whisper Uberlight Pack

[James Pitts]

Well, I finally took the plunge. I have been a faithful Mariposa user for I don't know how long, and will remain so for certain hikes. That said, I have a base pack weight that easily works with this pack.

The Mariposa looks so deflated on weekend trips. It's nice in a way because I don't have to really compress my sleeping bag, etc. I really felt it was time I "graduated" to a new bag of tricks.

Anyway, I took the big leap and dropped $60 on the Whisper Uberlight Pack (sans waist belt). I know for a lot of you this isn't much of a leap but it's a big thing for me. The weight savings vs the Mariposa were significant. I'll probably try it out this next weekend and see how it sits with me.

Depending on how well it works I may be able to push this further than a weekend. My base weight (+ pack) will be 5.12 lbs with this pack and the web site says up to 15 lbs. So assuming I can fit everything in the pack I am thinking I can fit more than a weekends worth of food in there. We'll see. I am not sure about 15 lbs but 8-10?

I am sure others use this backpack. I would love to hear of the experiences other have with it and how they get the most out of it.

[EndoftheTrail]

Hey James,

I've only played with the Whisper — and it was comfy at around 15 lbs. For 8-10lbs, you should have no problems. Have fun!

[Doug Johnson]

Great pack! Just wait- someday even this pack may be too big! (mine often is :-)

Don't you just love taking a $60 plunge instead of buying a $400 megapack?!?

[kevin davidson]

And we all know what the next step is….
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=45&osCsid=dd9cf58b6cfba289d35f7f55c3369555

which is but a transitory stage until we achieve sub-gram skin-out weights…
http://library.thinkquest.org/28855/pictures/bushmen.jpg

….and welcome to SUL-dom

[Doug Johnson]

Heh, heh. Yep- I love my Revelation. PERFECT size for an insane gear addict like me.

Hee hee.

[James Pitts]

As a follow-up to my own post, I spent the weekend hiking with this pack and I can say I was very pleased. The pack was very comfortable. It rained all weekend so most things got pretty wet but all things considered I was very comfortable indeed. I did not miss the sternum strap or the waist belt at all. It looks like a winner to me. I would say the one thing that I will note is that I had to be a lot more careful with this pack, but I am pretty careful to start with.

[Justin Ling]

I'm in a similar boat James. I just took my Whisper out this past weekend for the first time for an overnighter (of 40 miles), and I was very pleased. Personally, I think there is ample space in the pack for a trip of at least 4 or 5 days. Even with my ridgerest pad rolled up inside and a bit of extra gear, I returned to the car with a lot of extra space.

I did, however, have a bit of an issue with the shoulder straps. For the first day (25 miles), I left the straps empty, and it didn't bother me at all. But the next morning, the straps became very uncomfortable under my arms. Solution: Insert stinky socks. Problems solved. I wouldn't hike rigorously for more than a day without some kind of insert for the straps, even with a 6 lb. load.

I might add some kind of basic sternum strap, but like James, I also found myself not missing the waist belt. Another addition I'd like to make is some drain holes in the pouch.

The roll-top was a bit tricky to close, due to the nature of the fabric. I tried adding a minimal draw cord, but didn't end up using it. Does anyone have any method for closing the pack? I didn't get rained on enough to gauge the effectiveness of my closure.

[James Pitts]

I just rolled it up "dry bag style" and closed it with the hook-and-loop fastener. I found this worked very well, actually. I had a silnylon pack cover that I used to keep it dry, but it turned out to be too large and I'll need to improvise a replacement that is smaller.

I used socks in the straps which worked very well for me EXCEPT that when I rotated socks the wet ones never got a chance to get dry. I don't mind damp socks so this was more a change of process than anything else. That said, I got spoiled by the mesh pockets on my Mariposa.

[Author]

Posts