For sale is a gently-used Granite Gear Aji 50 (size long torso) that only has about 40-50 trail miles on it, and no visible wear or damage. This is a “lightweight” rather than ultralight pack, just north of 3 lbs according to the marketing materials. I got this several years back because I got interested in using a panel-loader, but have gradually decided to move back to a traditional top-loader just for the sake of simplicity. For somebody who’s interested in the convenience and flexibility of a panel-loader, this could be a great pack, in great condition and at a great price. Or for somebody who’d like a “crossover” pack that can handle packing as well as general travel, read more below.

Meanwhile, for specs and a product tour of this pack, a bit of YouTube literature:

  1. Product tour from a Granite Gear booth (at some consumer show)
  2. Another tour from Enwild

So when it comes to using this pack for backpacking:

  1. I found the Vapor Current suspension is just great, up to somewhere between 20-30 lbs of gear. Your mileage will obviously vary. For e.g. hauling lots of water in Big Bend NP, this pack was tolerable for me but not superb. For truly ultralight loads, the suspension should be just fine.
  2. I generally like the interior / exterior organization options. A few pockets to choose from, all of which are pretty usable.
  3. I miss the integrated hipbelt pockets that are now standard on most packs (but were not yet, when I purchased this in the early 2010s).
  4. As noted above, I ended up not loving the panel-loading concept, although that is a matter of personal preference. It’s certainly versatile and gives easy access to literally anything inside the body of the pack. In some scenarios, that’s quite nice.

Meanwhile, suitability for general traveling:

  1. The full U-shaped zipper allows this pack to function capably as a suitcase.
  2. The tall / relatively narrow profile makes it easy to pack and easy to maneuver under seats, into overhead compartments, and so on.
  3. Granite Gear durability and warranty are legendary, so you don’t have to worry about damaging this pack when it gets stuffed among other luggage.
  4. Overall, in other words, this pack should work just fine for generic “travel” as well as backpacking.

 

Hopefully that piques the interest of some folks on here who are looking for something a little less ultralight-specialized. Let me know of your interest and/or feel free to ask any questions.