three days, two nights w/ a 24 liter pack?

I will post a pic when I get home.

But I poured boiling water into a large plastic container. It will float so stir it often.
My guess is the olive brown will give it a lighter brown color.

Really, anything to take the edge off that bright orange! However could see the bright orange being useful as a winter climbing pack.

Check out Ken's instructions here, I originally used them for my Ohm.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=30922

No acid/vinegar added? How long do you rinse and does the dye fade if you don't use the acid "fixer".

There are a few places I day hike around here where I am in serious danger of getting run over by mountain bikers, but I would just as soon loose the bright orange.

John Abela wrote, ". I have a few hundred nights with a 1000 cubic inch (16 liter) backpack that can handle three days and two nights of food."

It all hinges on the conditions and compromises made. For and apples and apples comparison, what is your "16 liter" gear list?

wondering minds would like to know :)

Mark, it usually only takes 10 minutes of rinsing in the shower to get all of the excess out. I haven't had a problem with it bleeding through into clothing.
I've had my ula ohm 2.0 dyed for maybe 1.5 years and it hasn't faded at all.
It really works amazing.

Excellent. I give it a try – I try to tweak it down a bit from orange. The dye I have, if you over do it can be dark brown, but maybe not on orange. Thanks for the advice.

So just hot water, no vinegar in there?

The Dye didn't soak into the bottom fabric very well, so it has more of a faded look. Idk if this was my fault or it's because the bottom fabric uses a different fabric, but I personally like the faded look at the bottom.

The key thing is to use boiling water and to put a lid over the container to hold in heat.

edit: nope, i didnt use vinegar. havent heard of that before, is it supposed to help the dying process?

Looks nice!

The acid is more or less recommended on wool and the like, or the colors will fade. Perhaps it doesn't matter on nylon, or perhaps it doesn't matter on something that isn't going to get washed much. I'm a total noob at this since I dyed my first thing 2 weeks ago. I'm sure many people on here know but the may not be looking in this thread.

And sorry guys for the hijack. We'll stop now.

del

deleted

The dye does not effect the PU coating.. Don't know about DWR. I don't look at a pack to be waterproof, so I hadn't noticed. I did my Ohm years ago. Still looking good. Would do it again, oh wait, I did.

I don't see why not Mike. People were pulling weekend trips with their Ions.

Ken- yeah I was one of them :), just appears that the different shape might influence how much gear can be stowed (the bladder is going to occupy some of the room too)- might just have to bite the bullet and see

Mike

I had a chance to handle a Rev 24 at Prolitegear in Bozeman, I think it would do the trick. They also mentioned a new pack from Montane- the Dragon 20l. I like the looks of this pack, very Ion like- only w/ a running style harness. Also two 20 oz bottles up front that would eliminate the need for a bladder. They said they would be getting more in soon so I can look at one in person.

what is your “16 liter” gear list?

@Mike & @Dale,

My apologies for not responding sooner… BPL email notifications are not what they use to be.

http://yogiing.com/8886 presents the core pack system that I tend to use during the summer months here in NorCal.

As was said, comparing apples to oranges is important. Temps range from 65°(f) in the day to 55°(f) at night. Very stable weather conditions where I live, which is why I have stayed living/hiking here.

Obviously, a few things added/removed here-or-there depending upon the hike but that gearlist gives the core of gear I use. Sometimes more, sometimes less. You know how it goes.

At the volume of the pack (,000ci/16l) the limiting factor for me is how much food can be stuffed into it. Typically three days, four if I feel like skimping.

I should note that I got the Sorensen CQ (Cup Quilt) about mid-way through this years hiking season. Before that I used another custom made quilt, which I swapped out for the CQ because its just so dang neat.

I threw together a video earlier this year that shows a much larger gear setup, but it might give an insight into things. In it I actually use a hip belt system to gain another 240 or so cubic inches, which was necessary for that trip. Nothing special about the video, and its not all that good of quality, but its out there to view if you want too.

Again, sorry for the slow response. I did not get emails about new comments and I only noticed the new comments by happenchance.

Thanks guys.

I picked up a Montane Dragon 20l the other day and am happy to report that I can fit a 2-3 day kit in it w/o too much problem. I haven't picked up a waterproof bivy yet, but loaded the pack w/ my Cricket tarp and superlight bivy- once I get the bivy (having a hard time shelling 400 bones for a bivy!) it'll save a little more room and 5-6 oz.

The Dragon is laid out nicely, the front harness carries the two water bottles (which are Steripen friendly), has a zipped pouch that will be just right for a map & compass, steripen and my camera, two additional stretch pockets that I can load up w/ blocks, bars and electrolytes. Also has a pretty slick setup for carry trekking poles. The rear of the pack has a nice bungee cord setup for rain jacket and windshirt. Beneath it is a pretty large zippered pouch- it's not waterproof, so I have small cuben dry bag that will hold my first aid kit, headlamp, toiletries, tp and various other little sundries

the main compartment is just one large one w/ a nice rolltop- if the material isn't waterproof, it appears very (very) water resistant

It sounds like a nice pack. Definitely thinking about one.
I was wondering about a couple of things before I end up with another pack I don't really use..

It seems like it had small load lifters, is that so? I know a lot of people say they don't make sense without a frame, but for me it seems to make a difference anyway as you can limit sag when there are some weight dense items in your pack.

Also, may I ask how tall the pack is? Bottom to attachment of shoulder straps or back panel if there is one. Or in other words, is it like a light 20L pack, or like a race pack, with the velcro not around your hip but around your midsection?

How is the ride, stable when bouncing down the trail?
Many thanks in advance.

del

Rick, agree about Berghaus and OMM doing interesting things. Must have been nice to check out more of their kit.
Would be nice to see OMM start to introduce some new packs as well. I know Berghaus has some nice racing packs but they don't fit me well.

I'm in Kansai so Tokyo is a bit of a trip but I will see if I can find some Montane next time I'm in Europe, or just order online again and hope for the best…

Ito- the back panel is ~ 17-18" long, the elastic belt hits me right above the belly button- it's definitely not made to ride on the hips. It has a lot of adjustment in the belt and the elastic has a lot of give to it as well, so it's pretty comfy. I've only got a few short runs w/ it, but it carries very nicely thus far. The real test will be a 2-3 day outing :)

The load lifters (not sure you can really call them that on this pack) appear to be simply to pull the load into your back.

Mike

Mike – really good to hear.
I've got a technical 56K race with lots of ups and downs on largely rocky terrain coming up. I don't know the route well and there is very little aid on the way (which I like).

Would love to take this pack for that but not sure I can use it a lot before that time. Will have to see if it makes sense.
Otherwise I have to take normal day pack – a pretty heavy but well riding Kestrel 32.

Curious to see what weight you think is ideal, or where the pack as a system starts to fall apart so to speak?

Anyway thanks a lot for the feedback.

Because the volume is so small and the vast amount of room is consumed by lighter items- quilt, shelter, clothing-I think you'd be hard pressed to over do it. Now hauling a lot of water (or bricks :) ) would be a different matter. My pack weight for a 2-3 day outing (including food/water) is ~ 13 lbs and it seems to support that well enough. The vest design definitely helps distribute the weight pretty nicely; but my guess is that 15-ish lbs (maybe a wee bit more) is as much as you'd want to pack w/ the Dragon-that's just a guess though.

Thanks! Gonna give it a try.

edit – i.e. I ordered one :)

I have one of these on the way as well. I can't wait to try it and hoping it will work for 1-3 night trips. Its good to hear the bottles are steripen friendly, although I guessed that by the pictures.

"the main compartment is just one large one w/ a nice rolltop- if the material isn't waterproof, it appears very (very) water resistant"

In a product demo video by a Montane rep, he did use the words water proof when describing the pack material. Elsewhere I have also read the term weather resistant. Is it sort of like a silnylon material? The seems are taped right? I'm hoping it will be water proof enough that some cuban stuff sacks will make up the difference.

yup- seams are sealed, on their site they say the material Raptor Zero is 1000+mm hydrostatic head- I guess that meets the definition of "waterproof" if I'm read it correctly, not sure why they didn't put in a specific number vs the + sign??????

Might be different but before I had confirmation through user experience I would trust it to be very water resistant and hold up well in short or mild rain, but would go with a little plastic bag or waterproof sack for insulation items. Rain gear and windshirt etc. wouldn't have to be extra protected for me.

I guess I will find out in two weeks when I'm in Europe (where I had the pack send) but anybody know what this clasp is for?

And from looking at the roll top clasps, it seems like they are male/female, so you could also close the roll top on the top, not the sides is this correct?