ULA Ohm

I'm pretty sure Brian will replace the hipbelt with a smaller one if asked. I bet he would do it before shipping it to you.

I'd have no doubt that he would if that were possible, but the hipbelt on the Ohm is not removeable.

Sure it is. Just cut it off and sew a new one on. I inquired about changing out the hip belt on my Relay with a Conduit hip belt and was told "no problem". I was told it would cost me about $25. I wish I would have thought about it before ordering, it would save me some shipping.

John,

Thanks for posting the pic's, I should have my large Ohm by late next week?
I bought a MLD Arc last year, but have yet to use it. Then when I saw the Ohm, with its hooped frame, hip-belt, and shoulder strap load lifter straps, I knew it would carry very well in comparison to it relatively light weight.
I''m guessing it will probably carry a load better than most packs of comparable weight.
I have a 36" waist, so I should be good with the fit of the hip-belt.
I bought the large, because I have a large Circuit, which fits me well, so I figured the large Ohm would be a good fit too.
Casey at ULA, mentioned that the hip-belt is padded at 31". It would add extra weight, but……a hip-belt could be designed with a 2nd set of slider/adjuster buckles, back from the front buckles to accommodate smaller hips, and for dealing with long distance hikes and weight loss.

I wonder how many OHM's they've sold so far? I'm really looking foward to useing mine. I'm supposed to go on an overnight trip to the Smokies tomorrow. It's supposed to be pretty cold. I don't think I'll get all my cold weather gear in the OHM or not.

MEDIUM OHM: the hipbelt has ~8" of padded surface per side.
(~30" min waist/hip size)

LARGE OHM: the hipbelt has ~10" of padded surface per side.
(~32" min waist/hip size)

The backpanel is 12" wide. So if you care to measure at home to get a sense of where a hipbelt might fit for you, measure from the center of your back (spine) around either side ~14" or ~16" respectively. That spot on your hip/waist is where the end of the padded surface of the belt will be.

The buckle assembly is ~3", and the webbing straps for adjustment are ~20" long.

Although the hipbelts are sewn to the Ohm, if you give me a heads up, and give me a decent window of time to do it for you, I am more than happy to sew a MD belt to a LG Torso, or a LG belt to a MD torso….just email, call, or mention it in the "comments" section of the order form.

Enjoy your weekend.

Brian

@ Robert: Ahhh….taking a sharp edge to this lovely pack never crossed my mind. I thought you were suggesting switching out the hipbelt for a different size like could be done with a Catalyst. Now I see.

@ Brian: Thanks for the info. I didn't realize the hipbelts were different sizes too. I may think about a medium or a custom as you suggested.

Looking at the pictures on the ULA site between the Conduit and the Ohm and it appears that the hipbelt is the same. Is this the case?

I am trying to get my head around why one would choose the Ohm over the Conduit. Both are rated to the same load carrying. Although the Ohm has the Delron Hoop, in the Circuit with the wide, firm belt, one can see why that pack would have higher load carrying. If the Ohm has the same belt as the Conduit (i.e. not nearly as wide and stiff as the Circuit), why not save a few ounces and go with the Conduit?

David-

All good thoughts…three reasons I'd choose an Ohm over a Conduit:

1)Pack Stability/Load Control
2)Pack Compression
3)Load Transfer

Of course this is all dependent on intended use. The Ohm (and its features) allow me to go for a week comfortably in a 21 oz pack. I have hard time doing that in a Conduit, and the Circuit is too much pack for me once I am down to a 4 day load. The Conduit for me is the perfect pack for a sub-5 day load in well-watered environs.

Brian

Brian

Thanks Brian – you don't take Saturdays off?

I e-mailed you direct as well.

John (Quoddy)

I know you use and ID Cape for rain protection – how well do you think it will work going over the delrin loop of the OHM? Specifically the area right behind your neck.

Ray

Here is another question for a few of the original Ohm owners (or Brian):

How does the main packbag on the Ohm compare to a Circuit? I could fit a Bearikade Scout vertically into the Circuit packbag. I know that there is a slight volume difference (2100 vs 2400), but there seemed to be room leftover in the Circuit after placing the Bearikade inside. Could this be done with the Ohm?

Thanks!

Ryan,
I don't know about the Bearikade for sure, but I can slip my Ursack(with aluminum insert) into the Ohm with plenty of room to spare. The Ursack is 8" in diameter and the Weekender is 9" for a difference of ~3" in circumference so it should fit, but I don't think there'll be a LOT of room to spare.

I've got a weekender. It fits vertically in the Ohm with some room all around. It would not fit horizontally.

BTW the weekender will also fit (barely) in the amp.

Have any other thoughts developed on these packs after field use? I've looked at the pictures and the backpadding doesn't look very comfortable. How about those hipbelts? They don't look like much support to me.

I've got to find another pack.

Still waiting on mine, so I can't fully comment yet, although, I'm fairly confident that this pack will comfortably carry loads up to 25lbs with ease.
For loads greater than this I'd switch over to my Circuit, GG Nimbus Ozone or Gregory Z-65.
A sleeping pad, like a Z-rest, inserted in the pad holder will aid greatly with back comfort and load support, and the hooped frame, along with the shoulder strap and hip-belt load lifter straps, will make this one of the best light-weight load haulers in its weight class, IMHO anyway.

I've loaded mine up with all my gear, a week's food, and a couple of liters of water. Although it was barely into the low 20 pound range it was totally comfortable and supportive when I went out with it. I continue to use the burrito packing method and with the Montbell UL90 it is super comfortable against my back. This pack is in a different realm for carrying weights of more than 20 pounds than my previous go-to pack… the Conduit.

I'll second John's take on the Ohm. I've loaded mine up with 23# and carried it 13+ miles with 3600' feet of up and down and it performed superbly. I will notch it up another 3-4 # soon to match my maximum expected load, which is 23# for 10 days plus 2 liters of H2O for an initial dry section on the Shepherd Pass trail in the Sierra. The only minor irritation I have experienced so far is that your back can get a bit warm from lack of ventilation; but I figure that goes with the territory and the Ohm is such a great pack otherwise that it doesn't even phase me. IMO, the Ohm is by far the best pack Brian has come up with so far.
Edited by Tom: 3/8/09
Just got back from a carry up and down a local mountain we use for training, 8 miles RT with 3300' of elevation gain. I had 31# in my Ohm and it carried very comfortably once I got the hip belt wings properly situated. My intuitive sense is that I am approaching the limits of a comfortable load, because those wings had to be aligned just right to be comfortable. Still, I am ecstatic about the performance of this little gem. That a 21 oz pack can carry this kind of weight comfortably is a tribute to Brian's design skills. It will be my go to pack for any trip up to 10-11 days from now on.

I love this pack. One problem that I'm having is some discomfort with the waist belt. The adjustment buckles sit right on my hip bones and the padding wants to slip from under the buckle. Same thing happened when my wife tried it out. Hmmm, anyone else experiencing this? Besides this issue, it fits my needs perfectly and the attention to detail and quality is amazing. I may add extra padding to the belt and see if this solves the problem.

Just wanted to update everyone on the hip belt situation.
Brian emailed me shortly after seeing my post and thinks that the large hip belt will solve the problem.
Hip belt issue aside; The fact that Brian responded so quickly impresses the hell out me. I should have called him first before posting my problem.
I'll keep everyone posted once I try out the large hip belt.

FYI, my waist size is 34"

A lot of carrying ability has to do with the person carrying the pack. I used a Golite Pinnacle this past weekend with 31 pounds at the start and 23 pounds at the end of my 3 day trek and to be frank, it felt fine at 31 pounds. Of course it felt better at 23 pounds but all packs will – this is a function of the overall load, not just the pack. The Pinnacle was as comfortable for me as the Circuit. Go figure (love both packs, however).

"The only minor irritation I have experienced so far is that your back can get a bit warm from lack of ventilation;"

> That's really the only thing that has me second guessing a decision to go with the Ohm. The Osprey Exos 46 has that ventilated back panel, and the other pack I just started looking at, the GG Mariposa Plus egg-crate design with the sitpad or sleeping pad as a back panel, would provide some ventilation.

The shoulder straps on the Exos being stitched directly to the mesh back panel worries me, as does the fragility of the lightweight fabric on the Mariposa. I don't want to carelessly pick up the Exos by the shoulders straps once and have one tear away, or drop the Mariposa on some (or brush against) granite and find a tear.

In the end, it'll probably be the Ohm. I'll back sweat regardless, it's just a matter of degree.

James,

Have you considered the GG Gorilla vice the Mariposa? The Gorilla is the same size as the Miniposa only using 210D Nylon making it much more durable; it also uses the same curved aluminum frame as the 09 Mariposa.
Additionally, in my opinion I believe the Gorilla (2400 internal compartment volume – 2800 total volume) to be more similar in size to the Ohm (2100 internal compartment volume – 2600 w/ extension collar; the Ohm has more external pocket space than the Gorilla creating a total of 3500 total volume) than the Mariposa.

Cheers,
Christopher

Christopher,

Do you have any experience with the Gorilla. You're right, it probably is a more apt comparison. I was just looking at the overal ci, not the breakdown.

Right now, I can fit (barely) gear (including Bearvault350) for a two day trip in my 30L REI Jet UL, which is 1830 ci (probably just the main body) the lid (~200) and the side pockets (maybe 125 each). Granted it's a tight squeeze, but that well under the volume of the Gorilla. As I'm still new to lightweight backpacking, I still worry about not having enough space 'just in case.' I can't visualize space/volume very well.There's no point in having extra room in the backcountry though.

In the end, I'll likely have to pick one of the GG packs and order that and the Ohm and try them on at home.

James,

I have a 17.5" torso and initially ordered the Gorilla in a medium which turned out to be too big; small arrived today. It transfers weight very well and is very comfortable as the aluminum stays are bent perfectly w/ the curvature of my back. The fabric appears very durable and like the narrow profile and neat in appearance design. The front pocket stretches nicely and is big enough for a GG Squall Classic TarpTent or MLD Patrol Shelter and Titanium Goat Ptarmigan Bivy. I do believe you'll have more than enough space in the Gorilla.

I also have the Osprey Exos 34 which I wanted for a single UL overnight hike. It's too busy; too many straps; seems flimsy and doesn't transfer weight nearly as well as the Gorilla; and has a springy feel. The Exos will be returned…

I wanted to order the Ohm but was/am concerned it will be too large (torso and hipbelt – I use a 26" – 30" hip belt on the Gorilla and the Ohm has a hip belt suggested for use by those with a minimum of a 30" waist) although probably will order anyways as a direct comparison.