Weight limit on a Gossamer Gear G5

[Graeme Finley]

I’m about to head out on a weeklong backcoutry trip in the Sierras with my girlfriend, and I’m estimating my trailhead packweight to be about 27lbs. I’ve had a Gossamer Gear G5 for about 4 months, really like it, and would prefer to bring it with me instead of my Golite Jam. I’ve never had more than about 15lbs in the G5, and the GG web site claims the max weight as 25lbs.

Has anyone tried carrying these types of weights in the G5 for an extended period, and am I risking tearing the fabric or stitching if I overload the G5? I’ll probably be down to 24lbs by the 3rd day out but want to avoid a miserable first two days.

On a related note I’m considering using a rolled up Thermarest Prolite inside the pack in addition to a torso pad in the extenal pad pocket to see if it adds stiffness to the frame or improves the carrying qualities. Has anyone tried this?

[paul johnson]

Based upon 1st-hand experience, I don’t think that you will damage the pack. I didn’t find it that comfortable at 25lbs – but then, perhaps i’m just a wimp. 20lbs was fine for me though.

for more info, see my comments in the LIGHTTITUDE awards thread on the G5.

[Ryan Jordan]

More power to you, but I couldn’t do it. That’s a lot of weight for little structural support. If you were canning all that weight early in the trip, and only had to carry more than 20 for a day or 2, I might reconsider.

[paul johnson]

Dr. J, not sure if who you were replying to. If to me, then you’re right. I did it (24lbs ONCE!!!), but would never do it again (see my comments in the Lightitude Awards on G5). Starting w/20lbs & losing ~1.5lbs a day (food) is a better way to go. The 20lbs is typically at least 7.5lbs of food, so gettin’ rather light by the end of the 5day trek. Also I typically carry 2L of water & the full amt is counted in the starting pack wt. A more normal starting wt for me is 12-15lb – shorter treks or just load up with extra water when day hiking to maintain some conditioning.

[Graeme Finley]

My base weight will be about 13 pounds. The rest of the weight will be 2 pounds of water (max) and food. Rethinking our food usage, we’re going to be getting through about 3+ pounds of food a day so I should be down to about 20 pounds by the third day. I may load up the pack this weekend to see how it feels.

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