After years of day hiking with a REI Flash 19 (flimsy shoulder straps and very short torso length), I’m looking for a light moderate sized pack for two main uses: 1) day hikes and, 2) short backpacks under 15 lbs total weight. Already have a GG Gorilla for longer heavier trips. The Gorilla feels overkill for short UL trips, but the Flash 19 is just a few liters too small for anything other than my base gear (no room for food or water). After looking at Zpacks, GG, Zimmerbuilt and KS Packs offerings, the MLD Core 28 and the Burn are at the top of my list. Seems like both could hold a Bear Boxer 101 canister (25 oz, 7 x 8 inches) for short trips in the Olympics, where canisters are required in some areas. FYI, base wt is 7 – 10 lbs (without canister) depending on season (WA state and the Mountain West).
After adding shoulder bottle pouches, sternum strap, bungee cord and the standard 10mm belt to the Core, the weight is pushing 11 ounces, just 2.5 ounces shy of the Burn with sternum strap. The Burn has a richer feature set than the Core, but even with added options the Core is much less costly than the Burn. I prefer side pockets for water bottles, but some rigged shoulder pouches worked OK recently on the Flash 19 too. So I’m unsure which way to go.
There are some good posts in BPL about the Core, the Core vs Zero, and the Burn in general. But I’ve only seen a few comments specifically about the Core 28 versus the Burn by folks who have used both packs. Would appreciate some input if you have both packs or something similar, especially for day use and sub-15 lb backpacks (and Bear Boxer 101 canister fit).
