Need a new winter pack

You are really cutting out some excellent options by that sleeping bag compartment. Do you really need it?

Hanging on to the old ways with your love of top lids and sleeping bag compartment. My bag compartment is a plastic bag.

75 liters seems large, but your down bag must fill a large part of the volume. Where are you camping that you need a -20 degree F bag? For two, three or four night trips, all my winter gear fits just fine into a 60 liter Osprey Aether.

I use a trash bag liner for my whole pack bag and have no need for a sleeping bag compartment. If I expect really wet snow, I sometimes stuff my sleeping bag into a stuff stack lined with a turkey basting bag.

I have thought about going to a lighter pack, but the Osprey carries all the external gear well: snow shoes, snow shovel, wag bag, avalanche probe, etc.

Also my winter pack takes a lot of abuse and Osprey is great about shipping me replacement buckles and other small items.

Eric—my old Terraplane LTW used to be my go-to winter load hauler—I guess it’s around 5,000–6,000 cubic inches.  Seriously big.

The Osprey Volt looks good—see–

https://sectionhiker.com/osprey-packs-volt-75-backpack-review/

He has some things to say about the lightweight hipbelt—and the pack maxing out at 40 lbs.

You don’t mention how long you want to be out—3 days?  10 days?  20 days?

Personally I’d stick with the Terraplane at 7.5 lbs empty.  It can be nearly empty for a 3 day winter trip and still carry beautifully—or be loaded up with everything for a 15 day trip and haul some weight.

Carlos,

Yeah, I realize my obsession with that sleeping bag compartment is limiting me a lot. I just like getting it out of the pack and lofting as soon as the tent is up without unloading the whole pack.

Bruce,

My 3 season bag is an overstuffed WM Megalite which, with puffy jacket and pants and polyester long johns has comfortably taken me to 15 F. But I camp at 9,000 ft. and it gets to zero or below on many nights. That LL Bean 750 fill down bag was only $260. on a double sale so I could not resist. Now I have a new REI FLASH All Season Insulated mattress so I’ll be good to -10 F. And with a 1/8″ closed cell pad of floor underlayment (yep!) I think it will be good to -20 F.

Walter,

Thanks for that link. Makes me want to look closely at that VOLT hip belt when I test it at REI. Hopefully I won’t be much over 40 lbs. for a 4 day trip. Maybe 42 lbs. at very most. Last trip was 38 lbs. includiing that heavy 7.5 lb. Terraplane. (Bought it in the Dark Ages, before I understood UL backpacking.) And that was also with a liter of white gas.

But a trip of 4 days means also taking my VBL sleep suit which is still a bit more weight. However it’s less sleeping bag weight on the trip back to the car B/C hardly any sweat will get into the bag and making it heavier and colder.  Always trade-offs.

I just got a Seek Outside Unaweep for my winter kit in the ADKs. While none of their packs have a dedicated sleeping bag compartment they do have a pack with a full side zipper which would allow you to easily get to the bottom of the pack without having to take everything else out as well. Might be a consideration. Would probably knock off 3.5lbs off your pack weight but still be able to handle any total weight you throw at it.

I have a SO Brooks pack and the side zipper running the length of the pack is super nice for quick unloading in camp.

Eric I have an older Osprey Aether 70 and it works for most of my winter trips and longer mountain fishing trips in the summer. If it is not big enough I have a Osprey Argon that I think is 85 liters I use the shoulder harness and belt off the Argon on the Aether for the extra padding. Both of these packs have the zippered compartment on the bottom, I like them for the same reason you do. The 70 runs about 5 pounds and the 85 is around 6 1/2 pounds.

Here some pictures of the Aether and the gear from a trip a few years ago. Carried a shovel, snowshoes, crampons, and an older -20 Marmot bag.

Snowshoe attempt at Crater Lake Dec 2016

Both the Gregory Zulu and Paragon line have sleeping bag compartments and have packs in your capacity range. I haven’t tried a Zulu but I have tried the Pargon 58 (they make a 68L version as well) and I was surprised at how comfortable it was as well as now dialed in a fit you could get it. The only reason I didn’t snag the Paragon 58 was because I didn’t really have an excuse to buy one. :)