Here is the situation. I have two wonderful backpacks I use for all my backpacking/camping needs that I am quite happy with, a custom Zpacks Zero (small, hybrid Cuben) and a MLD Exodus–though I much prefer the Zero. They both have their respective jobs. But as of late my wife has been itching to go backpacking with me more as our kids get older and easier to have someone babysit. I also would not mind having one of the new Zpacks bags to replace my Exodus, which would then go to my wife. The Zero (roughly 33 liters total volume) can handle 5 day trips fine, but I want the luxury of more space to make packing faster/easier, and not have to strap food/clothing on the top for the first day or two–not to mention the nice options both the Blast and Arc have that my Zero doesn't, like base and side straps.
But looking over the details of the new Blast and Arc packs, I am a bit conflicted. I should add, btw, that I emailed Joe with a bunch of nit-picky questions, and he took the time to answer them all in detail and very politely, plus replied in less than 24 hours.
Anyhow, maybe you peeps can help me decide. You can check out my base gear on my profile to get an idea of what I generally take on trips. My base weight usually hovers between 2.8kg-3.4kg (about 6-7.5lbs) for about half of the year (April-October), and in the rest of the year when it is colder (I nearly always take trips every month of the year) I add 1-2kg of weight with warmer sleeping bag and clothing. I never take a base weight of over 5.5kg/12lbs, and have not for several years now.
I am a section hiker of max 5 days, and do frequent overnighters. I plan and hope to do thru-hikes in the future, but it is going to be a while (12 years at least) until kids are older and can take care of themselves. I am 6ft tall and about 185lbs, somewhat athletic, and typically hike between 20-30km a day when I am out on section hikes. Here in Scandinavia water is abundant, and I now only carry a max of 1.5 liters of water on hikes. Seriously, there is water virtually everywhere here.
On 5 day section hikes last August and May my total pack weight (BW+water+food+fuel) in the past has never been more than 9.5kg/21pounds, and I have since cut down a bit on my BW and water weight, so in the future I think for longer trips it will be more like 8-9kg/17-20lbs max total pack weight. But this is for warmer weather. If I would do a longer trip in colder months (which I want to do if I can), total max pack weight I would estimate would be around 10kg/22lbs. The Zpacks site recommends max 20lbs for a Blast, but then again, I won't hit the 20-22lbs mark often–and when I do after a day or two I have eaten enough food to get the weight back down (especially because I eat up all my heavier luxury food on my first night out). Then again, I have read that the Arc carries weight really well, and could also give me the option to throw (gasp!) some other luxuries like a box of wine, for example ;).
I am set on either the new default Blast or Arc (the 52 liters ones, and I plan on having Joe do some minor mods on whatever I decide on). For the past week I go back and fourth debating myself and can't make up my mind. Sorry for such a long OP, but wanted to get as much relevant info out there as I could.
Any help or insight would be most appreciated! :)
