Short torso pack help

Zpacks Arc Blast all the way. Lots of great reviews. As for my own experience, I do not have the pack, but I do have experience with short torso lengths and Zpacks. I needed just one-inch off of Zpacks' regular sized torso length (I think from 19-18 inches) and Joe customized the pack at no extra charge, and it fits great. I think if you read Sticks Blog and Hike Lighter (John Abela's blog) you'll find many more reasons to try the Arc. It's under $300 and it fits your volume requirement well.

Hey Brian,

Thanks for the rec. It looks like the arcblast uses the packs geometry to create an air pocket in the back for air flow, which scares me a little bit. In all the photos they show the pack contacting at two points at most (hips and top of back), but in many cases just at the hips. It looks like the rest of the contact is done via a trampoline back, which I'm not a fan of :(

You should look at the reviews. The user controls the amount of arch. I have the no-frame zero and can say it's quite comfy. I don't think you'd have any problem allocating the majority of the weight to your shoulders or hips as you see fit (no pun intended). I'd look into it, as you could likely do anything from all hips to all shoulders to a happy medium. The materials, workmanship, etc. offer a hard to beat custom fit price point.

Zimmerbuilt can make any torso length your hear desires. I believe I heard once that ULA made a customized Circuit for a kid so they might do it. The Exped Lighting 60 might be a good option because the frame is adjustable. The frame is about 24 inches tall so the pack will stick over your shoulders a bit, not sure if that will bug you or not.

Edit – Just check HMG's website. Their short pack size might fit you. It says 15-17. They have several pack designs to choose from.

granite gear womens Ki models

Thanks for suggestions everyone!

@brian: I just found out that a buddy of a buddy has a zpacks bag, so I'm gonna check it out this week.

@luke: I've known about zimmerbuilt for a while, but I've never really browsed his site. He has some super cool stuff on there, and getting exactly what I want is pretty neat as well. Definitely an option.

@mb: someone on gear swap had a crown vc ki for a pretty decent price, but it looks like most reviews mention the frame as a weakness if you load it with bulky items (like a bear can). Do you have any experience with this? I'd like to use it as a year round pack, but the framesheet frame kind of worries me.

I've also been scoping out cilogear packs. They seem sturdy as hell, and the ability to custom bend the frame sheet and stay so that it follows the contours of your back are pretty nifty

ULA packs have adjustable torso. My Circuit is the first pack that actually fits. Talk with Chris there because he offered me an XS size and that isn't even shown on the website.

Here is a link to a Granite Gear Vapor Trail (Short Torso) for sale.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=85086