Looking for an ultralight pack

Some more info would be helpful to best answer your question. What kind of hiking do you do (on trail, bushwhacking), what environment (slot canyons in Utah, AT, Pacific Northwest) and what weather and season (summer, shoulder, etc.). Are you gentle with your gear or not? What traits are you looking for from your experiences with other packs? How many day’s food will you carry typically (total pack weight) and do you carry a bear canister often?

<p style=”text-align: center;”>I’ll be using this for 3 season use. Mostly on trial for This pack. I have my bushcrsfting pack at home. Most of my trips are done down south in the smokies and on the east coast in the white mountains. I’ll probably want 3-4 days of food in there.</p>

I was about to recommend Lester’s Talaria. I use some rigid foam in various sizes to compliment my underquilt or sleeping pad, and his external pad attachment and pack look great to me. I don’t own one, so no direct personal feedback.

I’ve had a GG Murmur since they first came out and am thinking about replacing it with one of the Little River Packs.  They look really well made and the 30L Peak looks about perfect for my use.  I’ve not used one, but I think one is definitely in my future…

You have several options for a frameless pack for your intended use. The Tarlaria was designed for this same kind of use and can be made with several options to fit your needs. Another similar option that I have used and like is the MLD Burn. If you use a sit pad or under-mat for an inflatable, then something like the GG Kumo has nice pad pockets on the back panel, but they add an ounce or so to the weight. Be sure to consider torso length – I found that I needed 2 inches more length in a frameless pack than a framed pack.

It might be heavier than you want but what about the Superior Wilderness Designs 30 or 35?

I have to say Lester, after viewing your rucksack it looks really excellent and I like the mix of options you offer. Had I known of your stuff (just recently made a purchase) I might have had you send something to Oz. Will certainly keep you in mind.

Can I ask the wait time?

Also agree on the frameless sack extra length. It just works better to give a nice close fitting contoured shape.

Thanks Graham for your comments. Right now there is only a 1 week wait time for the Talaria backpack in black and coyote brown, fabric colors that are on-hand. Last week I made and sold a pack with these colors and it’s an attractive combination. Other colors would add 4 or 5 days to order fabric.

Thanks Lester I hope it goes well for you.

Robert, I have used a Murmur for a long time. There are a lot of add things I really like about the pack.
1) Over all light weight at around 13oz
2) Pad Keeper pockets fit 2-1/2″ to 3″ folded pads. That is roughly up to ~5′ of Nigthlite/Luna pad when cut and fan folded. (Use care to nest the bumps.) It will support up to 43pounds (tested for a week) but 30pounds is the practical limit.
3) The 35L volume is plenty. I about split my trips between 1week and two week trips, the murmur can handle a UL base load of 8-9pounds and a live load of 16-18 pounds (food, fuel, water) easily. I do mostly tarp camping, but I always cinch the tip down within an inch of maximally closed. The Zpacks tent fits well enough, but is about 4oz heavier than the MYOG tarp.
4) The shoulder straps have little padding. Same for the hip belt. Wear it for a week or two to get used to it before taking off. (Morning exercise/conditioning routine.)
5) Removing everything from the pack means you can roll it up for use as a pillow.
For mods, you can remove the plastic “Siamese” on the hip belt and simply stitch the pieces together. The torso strap can be replaced with 1/2″ ribbon/elastic. Most of the external plastic can be removed (pole keepers, D-rings.) The new version already removes the side reinforcements on the front pouch.

Lester, Nice looking pack with decent weight. The bag top closure would benefit from a male/female clip arrangement much like a dry-bag.

Thanks James – I’ve made a few packs with the male/female clip closure and it works well, especially when combined with a Y-strap over the top to keep the resulting loop from sticking up in the air – it likes to grab branches when climbing over/through fallen trees.

Love my Murmur so very much. And I have tried sooo many different packs over the years, but the murmur is my 3 season keeper!!

Had some questions for Lester on the Talaria but didn’t want to derail this thread.

More here

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/olympic-ultralite-talaria-backpack/#post-3580891

Lester, Yeah, I well understand about snags going through the ADK’s. Mesh side pockets, too. (You use solid fabric.) Side compression cords and anything that dangles seems like a magnet for pines & scrub.

Robert,

I have the MLD Burn.  Assuming I leave my camera gear at home, my base weight is about 8lbs.

I previously owned the MLD Prophet and found that it was larger than what I needed, and I never used the belt.

I ordered the Burn without a belt and it has been a great fit for me.

The one thing to consider is not just base-weight, but bulk.  Depending on what you carry and how you carry it, you may find that the pack carries the intended weight just fine but getting everything to fit is the challenge.

“The one thing to consider is not just base-weight, but bulk. Depending on what you carry and how you carry it, you may find that the pack carries the intended weight just fine but getting everything to fit is the challenge.”

Good point, Ian. I usually use a StS eVent compression bag at around 4.5oz. This actually saves weight when you consider volume. I would need a larger 50L/19oz instead of the 36L/13ozMurmur pack for the same items if I didn’t use one. (I usually fit my bag/quilt, jacket, long-johns, hat and sleeping socks in a size small, and, cinching it down to about 10″ long by 6″ dia., it just fits in the bottom of the pack.) Besides being waterproof (being able to drop ~1oz in a liner bag,) it is dense enough at around 3.5pounds to supply good balance. It saves about a half ounce or so.

All equipment is chosen for minimum weight/minimum volume/maximum utility. When volume and utility are better, I will sacrifice an ounce or two in weight, usually hitting 8-9 pounds base. My food is about .9-1.1pounds per day. I use a single 13L dry bag (usually a cheap one for the number I go through…it is a rare year I don’t have one start leaking.) Each bag will hold about a weeks worth of food with two bags being the maximum volume in the Murmur. I bring a Steripen Opti, two 1/2L water bottles, with a 2.5L Platty for camp. The tarp rolls into my pot. The lid is flat and drops against my back, along with 7 shepherds hook stakes and my spoon. The ditty bag carries a bunch of small items and my stove with my fleece on top. My cup sits in the pouch with one of the water bottles in it. The rain-gear is in my front pouch along with my map(s) and ground cloth. The other side pouch has fuel, windscreen, and, my luxury sleeping pad. There is actually more room in the pack, but I never use it (except in town on a thru hike.) I just roll it up and cinch it down about as far as it will go. There is another 500+ci I could use.