Stimulus check ultralight upgrade – need advice

I have a bad neck, also. I have a Southwest 2400 that seems pretty good. I never load it with more than 25lbs. They are all pretty much the same within styles. For example the only difference between 2400 and 3400 is the height of the pack above the mount for the shoulder strap.

I never found the narrowness of the shoulder straps to be a big deal. It might if I ever carried more than 25pounds, but generally the waist belt is good enough to put 70% of the weight on your hips. So, even the rather meager strap width (2.25″,) it works fine. When I first got it this was a worry, because I expected to use this pack for heavier loads. This never materialized…at best I added 2-3 pounds (plus 1 more in the pack.) But this pack is nice in muddy, spring conditions even though it is not a true ultra-light pack for a week at a time. For heavily scrubbed in trails, it performed much better than my usual Murmur, and, it was great when I was with one of my partners. An extra can of gas, an extra cup & spoon, etc.

The Murmur is better at two week intervals on typical late spring, summer and early fall hike. The difference is an extra food bag

What is your base weight?  I would look for something that transfers as much weight to your hips as possible.  Just because it weighs less doesn’t mean it’s better..  Just sayin. But glad you are stimulating the economy!  I need to do the same!

@jamesdmarco thanks James, that is super helpful! I appreciate the feed back.

@drewdoty1444 and drew if i knew my exact base weight I would probably get kicked off this site LOL. But realistically it is over 20 pounds. Ive have the same pack, stove, tent, and sleeping pad for over 3 years. And all of those items are super heavy! I have gone light were i can, and I dont really bring any luxury items. I think it’s simply a matter of all my gear is extremely heavy. But i think my body is finally getting to the point where it wants me to bite the bullet and lighten the load.

Word….   Lighten everything else first… then the pack.  Don’t waste that stimulus dolla.  Look at all other items before  you replace you’re pack!  Over a 20lb base weight is a reasonable amount.  Keep your pack and replace other things.  rain gear, cookset, first aid kit, water system, base layers, camera gear, tent, stuff like that.  Anywho, im sure you will benefit somehow from a light load, but hold out on a pack till you get everything else dialed.   You may find you need a smaller pack than you think..

Start with the heavier items first. If you can take a pound or more off your tent; or for that matter, a pound or more off your pack through replacement, then go for that. A pound or slightly less off your sleeping bag is another option.

Saving ounces on cooksets and such is good. But the whole project of lightening up is long and expensive. Make your dollars count! Take the most weight off first.

@drewdoty1444 most of the weight os for sure from the pack/tent. pack is over 7 pounds and tent is about 4. Suprisingly a lot of my other gear is lightweight lol you wouldnt guess that though! lol

I like my Arc Haul/Blast lots. $50 cheaper. 10 oz lighter. Check it out for 30 days, returnable.

I really like the SWD Long Haul 50 – which is similar to the HMG but has a better hipbelt and shoulder straps (IMO) and transfers loads better.

If you really want to put the weight on your hips look at Seek Outside’s new pack – the Flight.  It’s a couple of ounces heavier, but an excellent pack – It’s certainly worth a look.

@erica_rcharter-net ive heard mixed reviews about zpacks, you like yours though?

@mocs123 Ive looked at their stuff a lot! Thats good to know as well. They seem to have really good design.

I have not had neck issues but I do know that if you overload UL packs they become real uncomfortable real quick.  I have a Mariposa and it is best for me at under 25lbs total with food and water.  I recently got a Gregory Paragon 58 (weighs 3lbs 3ozs)  and it handles those loads with ease.  Feels great to carry stuff in that pack.   Good luck!  Im not sure why im so invested in your journey but I have a bad low  back and I know sucky it is to have spinal drama.  Maybe get a few different packs and load them up with your stuff and see how it feels.

I have a zpacks arc zip.  I like that it is very light yet still has an adjustable frame .  It can be kept flat and tight to the bod or with some arc to help with ventilation.  The sewing is strong.  If I shoulda happen to break a frame component it’s not the end of the world.  I have no experience with true frameless packs.

@drewdoty1444 I appreciate the help truly! Neck/back pain is the worst (especially under a heavy load)

This is mostly echoing what others have said, but for neck issues the best thing you can do is lighten up as much as possible.

With that said, I used to use an REI Flash pack that when loaded up would give me horrible neck pain (as well as hurt me in the shoulders). I lightened up a lot of gear and switched to an HMG 3400 Southwest and though I keep weight to under 25lbs almost always, I have occasionally pushed it up to about 40 and it’s miles ahead of my old pack in the neck pain department.

To respond to your concern about shoulder straps, I love them and have never noticed any issues. The hip belt is amazing and I think the load transfer is about as good as it gets in that weigh class. Also, if the Junction had existed when I made my purchase, that’s what I would have gone with. The Southwest is great, but the Junction is the best of both worlds.

@ttbrady that’s great info, thanks so much. Ive tried them on before and they seemed really nice, granted it had no weight in in. Seems like a lot of folks prefer the HMG packs over the ULA

I guess I should qualify what I like about the Arc Blast/Haul. It really excels walking out and back to the car with my 12 lb base weight. The hip belt (well it’s really a waist belt) is great.

I cannot imagine a backpack without a belt would work for me at all.

When I am walking in, uphill, I’m usually carrying less than 20 lbs.

So, 12-20 lbs, great pack. Over 25 lbs, I dunno if the pack would like it… (that’d be too heavy for me!)

I’ve tried packs from both Zpacks (Arc Blast) and HMG (Porter, Southwest) among others.

I normally go out for 5-9 day trips in the Sierra and food weight is the main factor in the initial days. I base my comments below on that specific use case. YMMV.

Zpacks packs seem to be best suited for carrying under 25 lbs total – the pack also doesn’t hold a bear canister (BV500) well. Over 25 lbs in it was torture. The DCF material on the Arc Blast seemed fragile – I wouldn’t be comfortable taking it off trail where it might contact rock. Many of my trips are off trail and involve some amount of scrambling.

HMG lacks (lacked?) any load lifters making adjustment and fit pretty awful. I had the 4400 so it held the bear canister well. But beyond 25 lbs I found it quite painful though not as bad as the Zpacks Arc Blast.

I settled on Seekoutside packs as my go to packs for my typical multi-day trips: adjustable, pretty ruggged, and well made.

I did try both the ULA Catalyst and the Circuit. Both excellent packs – very well made, good material, adjustable and carry well. The Catalyst is what I would get for myself given my need to carry a full sized bear canister. I found the Circuit to be an excellent pack except for the fact that with a bear canister in it, it’s a very tight fit. Both the ULA packs fit and carry like a dream with up to 35 lbs total weight.

@erica_rcharter-net Those do seem nice, I carry camera gear so i may need something with a bit of a heavier load carrying capacity. Not to mention Im a meathead and am rough on my gear lol.

@pedestrian That’s really good info. I like the fact that you can do them with the S straps as well. I got a square upper body and those seem like they would be the right kind of straps for me

Can confirm Seek Outside’s new Flight One pack carries really well. At 37 ounces it’s not the lightest option, but it can easily handle over 30 lbs., which is generally the cut-off for comfort with other “UL” packs.

I have had 2 REI FLASH backpacks and both were “decently comfortable” at 30 lbs., a usual weight at the start of a 6 day trip.

But my current Osprey EXOS 58 is “very comfortable” at 30 lbs. and carries that weight easily with its tubular frame and trampoline back mesh. I’ve had to use a size Large (61 liters) to be sure the shoulder straps did not put any weight on my shoulders due to L4 & L5 herniated discs. So far very good.

Yeah, there are definitely lighter packs but for my body and injuries the EXOS 58 seems to work best. I have cut off the “trekking pole loops” and the extra lid flap but added side pockets.

@danepacker Man ospreys are so comfortable, I can’t get over how the pack comes so close to the back of my head though. It’s such a shame because they do fit so well. But that small thing is enough to bother the hell out of me haha

Shae, Do you have a “big head”. ;o)

Yeah, there is no such thing as a perfect pack.

My motto:”There are no comfortable packs – some are just less uncomfortable than others.”

@danepacker Hahahahaha! I have a normal head and the neck of the Michael Keaton Batman (aka no mobility) lol. I’m inclined to agree with you. Just a matter of finding the “relative comfort” I think

Finally pulled the trigger on a pack, Got a HMG junction 3400. My local outdoor retailed (neptune mountaineering) has some hyperlite products but not the junction. I talked to a guy who worked there and he was cool as could be and ordered me one as they didn’t have any in stone. Obviously this would have been easier if I had just ordered direct from Hyperlite, however supporting local business right now is of paramount importance. Thank you so much to everyone for the help and advice, it was truly valued and appreciated!