UL Packs Vs Not-so UL Packs?

[H DOUGLAS C]

I have tried a few packs that are close to UL but I don’t like the way the ride on my back.  It seems they want to involve my entire back so the shoulders and hips seem to be working about as hard.

I have an old Alpine-Lowe Countour IV pack that weighs 6 lbs 0 oz.  This pack can carry everything inside, and pretty much sits on my hips and hardly works the shoulders.  I used this pack in the La Garita Wilderness, S Colo, this past summer and loved it, again.  On one trip I packed it with 15 days of supplies on the CDT and it carried it well.  With water, food, and supplies I was about 50lbs.

I just turned 69, recovering from hip surgery and thinking I need to cut weight, but for all around comfort, I love my old Contour IV, its just I keep thinking I am suppose to be using something lighter now that I am almost old, and I don’t see anyone else out on the trail with a pack my size.

What do I do?  Stay with the tried and true Contour IV or keep pushing to find that perfect UL pack?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jason McSpadden]

This may not be all too kind…but at 69 why are you concerned about what other hikers might think of your pack? If it works for you it works for you. If it’s not working then keep experimenting. As is frequently said here “hike your own hike.”

With that said, you may get some additional ideas to try from many on this site.  But if you love your pack–then love your pack by keep taking it out and letting it help you see the beauty of this grand world.

[Jeffs Eleven]

Sir, in my opinion, at your age, keep the pack that fits perfectly and fill it with beautiful UL bounty.

Yes, you can save 4lbs in the blink of an eye, but boots and packs… when they fit, they fit. And unless you want to/ can try out (presumably) a number of packs… it might not be worth it. Maybe you will get lucky and find one that fits quickly, but prolly you’ll buy/ try a few before you ever settle on one, if you do at all.

Idk. My dad (got hiking again in his 60’s) had good luck with his choices, i dont think he had to buy a bunch. But he didnt hike for a while and didnt have a go-to pack.

4lbs is a lot though…  ugh.

If you go hiking alot and have the bread to buy them maybe itd be fun thing to get into, until one of em snaps yer back on a hike.

If you dont go often I’d say stick to the one ya got. I have a crappy back and some packs have hurt me. (Looking at you z55)

[Erica R]

Well, so you tried a few other packs and don’t like them. Need I say more?

But, they say get the pack last, after you have figured out your other equipment. If you lighten up your entire load, maybe dropping the pack weight will make more sense. BTW, I am 66, and now can start a 5 night trip with a 17 lb pack (not counting much water). Makes it possible to stroll rather than push hard. i like that. I have the lightest pack I could find, the Z Packs Arc Blast, I think it is about 25 oz. It fits me. It comes with a 30 day $ back if you get to the point you want to try it.

[Steofan M]

Keep the Contour IV while you cut back on what you carry. If your old pack can carry 12 to 20 pounds with the same comfort level as before, it would seem that you don’t need “that perfect UL pack” after all.

There are quite a few good recommendations here on how to lighten your pack weight without spending your way into bankruptcy from Ryan Jordan and Paul Magnanti to name just two.

See you outside!                                                                                                                                 Steofan M.

 

[H DOUGLAS C]

I did a section of the CDT in NM with a guy my age a few years ago.  Doing an 8 day section of trail.  He had a UL pack that was rated to 30lbs that weighed in at less than 2lbs.  With water, food, supplies  he was at the max and his weight was crushing his shoulders all the time.  He was constantly walking with his hands behind him trying to support his pack.

 

Then his waist buckle broke.  3rd day into the hike he was exhausted and bailed out.  OK- somehow he needed to drop a few lbs from his pack.  I think this summer in the San Juans for 8 days- my pack was between 30- 35 lbs.  Usually carried a 1.5 qts of water.  And the Contour IV carried well.

 

Base weight with pack at 22 lbs…..   10 days of food- that would be at least 15 lbs…..  plus water.  I live in southern AZ.  usually carry a couple of qts of water.  I need to weigh everything again.  I seldom go our for less than 5- 6 days at a time.  Usually 8- 10 days.  Usually hiking longer sections of trail.

-Trew

 

[H DOUGLAS C]

I’ll leaning the way you suggest.  I paid $300 to join this service and, by George!  I should be able to get the base weight down to about 20 lbs with the old pack.

 

 

 

[Graham F]

If you have some money lying around why not have a crack at something lighter. What ever moves you forward in some ease for you particularly, is what matters most doesn’t it? I keep thinking of late, now in my sixth decade, ” just keep running”. If it gets you out and moving under the sky and clouds -do it. If your old pack provides that comfort that keeps you “running” in the rain-go with it. I am sure if you wanted some advice on lighter rucksacks that would still carry a load that you like, you could ask and find them here. Just think of all that load bearing on your skeleton, (providing it’s not too much) you are likely maintaining good bone health. All the best, cheers.

[Monte Masterson]

Make your way over to the Summit Hut in Tucson and try on every pack in the store. Or if you”re in metro Phoenix stop by the REI in Paradise Valley (the REI in Tempe doesn’t have as much selection). With today’s modern materials you can surely do a heck of a lot better than 6.5 lbs.

Better yet, if you’re not afraid to gamble a little money on possible return shipping, get the Six Moon Designs Fusion 65. Weighs 3 lbs 4 oz. $225. As the pack description says “with an easy adjust torso length along with multiple sizes of belts and shoulder yokes, you can easily configure the Fusion for a perfect fit.”  For heavier loads I personally wouldn’t have anything but an SMD pack.

 

[James Marco]

I would say you need to search around for a lighter pack. But, before that, you need to lighten your load and get a decent UL kit in your pack. Not counting food, fuel and water, your pack and gear needs to weigh in at around 10 pounds. For a two week trip, I carry around 23-27 pounds, depending on the time of year and the weather. Typically, a UL set-up will be good to 32F but can go a bit lower in an emergency or with the addition of a good wool sweater.

A good pack will weigh less than 16oz and carry about 3000ci. Most manufacturers no longer make good UL packs, though. But generally you can find one for less than 20oz. Stays, external pad keepers let the weight be transferred to the hips.

A small stove, light pot and lid, spoon and light cup usually means a 10oz cook kit will handle anything out camping. A tarp rather than a full tent will save weight and volume.  A quilt and CCF will save weight and volume, too. Small volume water treatment is needed, along with various bug sprays, bear lines, etc. I normally do  the Northville/Placid Trail with similar gear and  very light pack. Do not forget that at our age, food needs go down. Nothing worse than carrying an extra 2 pounds of food for150 miles and never using it.

[JCH]

Agree with others…first work to lighten the contents of your pack. You can stop right there and just continue to enjoy your current pack, or… pack all that gear in your current pack (including a representative load of consumables) and take it over to any (every) nearby retailer and test out the packs in stock with YOUR load.

re: extra food.  It took me forever to quit packing my fears by bringing extra food.  Turns out, being a little hungry isn’t such bad thing, and certainly nothing to be afraid of :)

[H DOUGLAS C]

JUH- the extra food issue is worth looking at.  I might be obsessed with calories.  And I do have a Deuter pack that carries just over 3000 ci and weighs half that of the Contour IV- I guess I just need to keep working on the  adjustments.

I am picking up some good points here.

Basic equipment I carry:

Sleeping bag

stove/gas canister/pot

cup and spoon

First aide kit

headlamp

tent with plastic ground sheet and stakes

Rain gear.

2 down sweaters and one long sleeve shirt

one clean long sleeve pull over and long johns to sleep in.

Just doing this from memory.  I need to take a more careful look at what I am packing.

I need to go a search for any gear lists that are posted and see how I measure up.

 

 

 

[Paul Wagner]

If you did fifteen days, and were carrying only fifty pounds, you still have a bit of weight to lose in that pack. If you figure more than a pound of food a day, plus a couple of liters of water for a southern Colorado dry hike, that comes to at most twenty pounds. Add in the six pounds for your backpack, and that means you are carrying another 25 pounds of stuff. What is it? A sleeping is two pounds, a tent maybe three, and a sleeping pad another pound. That has you carrying nineteen pounds of other stuff.

Take a look at that nineteen pounds. That’s a lot for a cook kit and a first aid kit.

[Ken Thompson]

Here is a link to the Gear List forum

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/forum/gear/gear-lists/

[Monte Masterson]

NM

[Link .]

H Douglas, Welcome to BPL, HERE is a link that provides many more links that I put together for new people with tons of info on getting your pack weight down, including gear lists free videos and articles and several on how to do it cheaply.

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