Well built packs in a long?

[Brett Peugh]

I am looking for a well designed pack that can hold 20-30#s pretty well in a long.  Something that might have a frame or stays.  Just basically packs that people have found that fit well and that while they may weigh a few pounds they make the load feel like it is much less than it is.  Thank you.

[Brad Rogers]

Seek Outside Unaweep. They have 2″ and 4″ extensions so it’s guaranteed to be long enough for you.   I’ve cut on my Unaweep 4800 to get it just under 3lb.

[Brett Peugh]

Thank you but that is well outside my price range.  It seems some people like the Granite Gear Drop X Crown 2 and others the REI Flash 55.

[Brad Rogers]

My wife has a Crown 60 and the framesheet is very minimal.  As long as you are OK with that, and the other minor pack quibbles with the pockets, etc, it should be fine.  TT price on the GG is obviously quite good.   I can’t comment on the REI.

[Dave Heiss]

REI has the Vapor Trail limited edition pack for sale at $90. Last I looked they had ’em in a tall.

[Todd T]

Not every pack with a tall label will actually fit a tall person, depending of course on how tall you are.  The ULA Circuit and Catalyst are excellent and fit up to a 24″ torso.  I’m 6’5″ and the XL is perfect.

[bradmacmt]

Not every pack with a tall label will actually fit a tall person, depending of course on how tall you are.  The ULA Circuit and Catalyst are excellent and fit up to a 24″ torso.  I’m 6’5″ and the XL is perfect.

I’m not sure about the Circuit, but I can testify firsthand the ULA Catalyst’s Medium Frame and Large Frame are the exact same length, the shoulder straps are just moved further up on the size Large Frame (lame).

I have a 21.5″ – 22″ torso (depends who’s measuring) so had ULA build me a custom that is in between the “Large” and Extra Large (which is too tall for me)… my custom fits to perfection.

[bradmacmt]

My wife has a Crown 60 and the framesheet is very minimal. As long as you are OK with that, and the other minor pack quibbles with the pockets, etc, it should be fine.

Is this the 2019 iteration?

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the frame and pocket quibbles… I’m thinking of picking up one on sale to try (in Tall).

 

[Brad Rogers]

No, it’s an older version, probably 2014 or 2015. The plastic and foam framesheet just doesn’t have a lot of structure, it’s not like having an aluminum stay.   The pockets are stretchy mesh and you can’t put stuff into the pockets with the pack on and loaded.  It also has a compression strap that runs where the pocket is, but I think it can run under the pocket in the Crown (opposed to the Vapor Trail).  Her version at least doesn’t have hipbelt pockets either, if that’s an issue.

Don’t get me wrong, GG has done some things right (GG hipbelts are really nice)  and at the Massdrop price – or the insane $60 REI price for the Vapor Trail, it’s a decent pack especially for the money, you just have to know it’s limitations – it’s as much a frameless pack as it is a framed pack.

[William Chilton]

If the Crown 60 doesn’t have pockets on the hip belts, then it’s the first iteration. The Crown 60 2 has a firmer (and heavier) framesheet so carries better. It also has the adjustable hip belt. There is also an updated version of the Crown 60 2 for 2019, which has supposedly better side pockets (Sectionhiker review here).

[Dena Kelley]

I have the Granite Gear Vapor Trail (the original, not the reboot currently for sale at REI) and it is a true long. I have a 21″ torso and the pack fits great. If they build the current VT to the same spec, a long should be a true long.

[Brett Peugh]

I actually went to a local camping store to try an Osprey Exos 48 with 15#s to get a better idea and that thing felt horrible, like all the weight was shifted to my back hip area.  I am just surprised my old Klymit Motion 35 fits and takes the weight better.

[Rex Sanders]

HMG packs come in a tall size, built tough, double removable stays. A Windrider 2400 Tall fits my XL torso well, carries 30-35 pounds comfortably. Expensive new, maybe look for used. Mine’s not for sale!

https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/collections/packs

A ~2003 Vapor Trail with a plastic framesheet fit me well but collapsed under 30 pound loads. Found out the hard way.

Suggest trying packs fully loaded with the weight distributed as you would pack. Steel weights or water bottles in the bottom of an empty pack are not a good test.

— Rex

[Dave Heiss]

I ended up returning the Vapor Trail Limited Edition pack back to REI. It fit well but 3 things turned me off. One, the extension collar is ridiculously long and managed to consistently get in the way when packing and upacking. Two, man is it strappy. I’d forgotten how strap-happy some packs are after using a simpler MLD Ark for the last 10 years. Three, the black color (along with the oversized extension collar) made it really hard to peer in and see what I was loading or unloading. Had to do it primarily by feel.

But it fit well, it was definitely a tall, and the price made it a killer deal. Wish it had worked out for me.

[Dena Kelley]

The Vapor Trail does indeed have a ridiculously long extension collar, although I have found that to come in handy when I need to carry a bear canister. But it’s kind of tight and yeah, getting in and out of the bag is a pain.

[Author]

Posts