Backpack

[JW1069]

After Giant, I knew I needed a new pack and in particular one capable of holding a hydration bladder. After trying on a few of the packs at EMS, the Talon 33 stood out for being light weight, but the rep cautioning me not to over-stuff the pack sent up a flag. My goal was to find a suitable day pack and not a 2-3 nighter. After checking the Osprey site later, I decided to go with their Kestrel 32 (not stocked at EMS for some reason).

After yesterday's long hot hike of Colvin & Blake, I'm very happy with this pack! It holds the Osprey 3L bladder well, carries the weight on the hip belts and probably would have provided great ventilation for my back if there had been any breeze at all. The zipper loop pulls are nice and the whole layout works well for my needs. The outer mesh pockets (one main on the back panel and two side bottle pockets) easily held the items I wanted to access the fastest. As a day pack, this one seems ideal to me.

Also, I used the $50 off $200 coupon in the Entertainment book to combine the Osprey pack and 3L bladder plus a Platypus 2L bag for my hybrid water filter. Gear can get expensive so I'm trying to add high priority items when there is a good discount off the retail pricing.

[alistair]

Just bought this and used it for the first time on Saturday.
http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11766666

Holds 3l bladder, and converts down to smaller pack for running or when you only need water.

[abovethesink]

You people are picky! I have three packs. My REI Flash 18 is what I wear on day hikes. I have some 26L pack that I don't even know of the brand on. I should look at that. A former hiking partner gave it to use in lieu of a few trips worth of gas money. I also have a 65L Coleman pack from Wal-Mart that I take when I am staying overnight. In summer I think I could probably do an overnight in the 26L, but I haven't tried.

The Flash 18 is amazing. I don't notice it is there. It is frameless and supportless so I often have water bottles jamming into my back, but you don't notice that after a couple minutes. If it persists I just reposition the contents. It has a hydration bladder sleeve, but I am going to cut that out whenever I stop being lazy. What is also cool is that you can turn it inside out and it becomes a stuff sack. Before I got my compression sack I used it for my sleeping bag inside my backpacking pack. At camp it would revert to my day pack for the remained of the trip. Now I use it for food when I don't have to carry the canister. The best part though? It weighs 11 oz while retaining the only two features I really care about in the stomach and chest straps. I might have lied, actually. The best part is that it costs $35.

The 26L is uncomfortable. It runs really, really hot on the back. It gets the job done though. The only notable thing about it is that it has a nice camera pocket on the right hip.

The Coleman 65L is absolute garbage. I wish I knew what I was doing when I decided to buy a big pack. It is nightmarishly hot on the back and the ability to adjust it is an illusion. It won't hold a position. Any adjustments are undone by gravity and poor design. Consequently it pulls terribly on my neck and I end up with the worst neck ache after only a couple miles. It is also heavier than everything else in the world combined. Once we have stabilized here financially it is going to be amongst the first things to go. Again, though, it gets stuff I want to bring from point A to point B. Can't carry a bear canister in anything else I have. One thing I do take from it, however, is how much I like the bottom access zipper. It can be a compartment of its own as it has an inside zipper to close it off from the rest of the pack, but I leave it open and shove my compression sack with my bag on the bottom. I often just want to crash upon arriving at camp. That way I can access what I have on bottom and do just that.

As for the weight of a day pack, god, mine is sometimes non-existent. I drink very little water while moving. Sometimes I torment myself by refusing to let myself drink until I've reached a particular milestone in the hike. There is a speed motivator if I've found one yet. I carry two Nalgene bottles and a generic 16 oz water bottles for long hikes, but you'll find them in varying degrees of filled even at the very beginning of a hike. For example, when I hiked the Blue trail to the Santanoni lean-to the day after that bad power storm, I didn't carry a drop. I knew there would be a well endowed brook running next to me and I could drink from if it I pleased. I carry chemical filtration at all times, but I don't use it in fast clear water. I'd estimate I use it maybe 30% of the time. Now if that storm hadn't hit and I was hiking a dry 10+ miles then I'd fill it all. The 16 oz water bottle is for various drink mixes along the way to break up the water.

I never carry a full meal for a day hike. Not even a sandwich. A smattering of snacks will do. It usually looks like a small pouch of trail mix and maybe three or four granola bars. I eat right before I go and eat right when I get back. I lightly snack on summits or when I feel my energy sag. In the beginning I carried sandwiches always, but I had to force myself to eat them as I never feel hungry when exercising.

I also carry Ibuprofen and a couple other things in terms of first aid. I carry basically no emergency gear and I honestly am not prepared for an non-forecasted weather change. The rain coat stays at home if there is no rain in the forecast. Sadly speaking to my addiction, I actually did carry an aircast on a few hikes post-the ankle disaster near the Lake Road. I was not sure if the ankle could possibly hold up, but it did. I rolled it something awful coming down Algonquin last time and it wasn't the end of the world, more like a normal ankle roll, so I think it is finally healed.

What is strange about me, however, is the polar opposite I am in trips that involve night(s) in the woods. I cut weight in a way that people would call dangerous, I am sure, for day hikes, but for overnights I pack ridiculous luxuries and carry very heavy loads. I like to relax and take some leisure time at the site, what can I say?

[c.j.scarborough83]

I just bought a Eureka Panther Peak 30L for day hikes. So far I'm pleased. Has a rain cover, holds a bladder and carries everything I need with room to spare. Just my 2C.

[Fintft]

Gregory advent, no frame( which is not manufactured anymore) is a very comfortable day pack (water and gear for 2 people); much better then the brand new Ospray EXO that now just sits in my basement (the weight was moving funny on that one).

For camping I use a faboulous Gregory Baltoro 70L with Response™ AFS (Backpackers' pack of the year in 2008)...

[DackerDan]

Originally Posted by Fintft

For camping I use a faboulous Gregory Baltoro 70L with Response™ AFS (Backpackers' pack of the year in 2008)...

I too can't say enough good things about the Gregory Baltoro line, they may be heavy but they carry a load so nicely you don't care.

[woodsrat]

For winter use I have a 10 year old Mountainsmith Shovel,about 38L or so, holds enough for winter summits including ice axe and crampons. For warm weather, I have an REI Flash 30, very light. With two water bottles outside, another inside, lunch, camera, snacks, basic emergency package, fleece and goretex, I hardly know its on my back. I've found that the more flexible packs like these two, with only an internal plastic sheet for a frame and light hipbelts are more comfortable for daypack size loads and easier to deal with when bushwhacking due to the 'hugging' nature of their ride. I save the 'heavy duty' packs with better suspensions and more features for overnights, when the load warrants it.
Of course, as mentioned in several other posts in this thread, fit and comfort on your back are the most important considerations.

[halocline]

I use an old dana designs summit pack (about 2000 cubic inches) for long day hikes where I need to carry alot of stuff, and a much smaller black diamond (900 c.i.) for most summer day hikes. For overnights and longer trips I use a mystery ranch trance X. There are sooooo many pack options out there, I think the best strategy is to first figure out exactly what you want this pack to carry, then bring that stuff to the store to try several. One thing I've found, with any significant weight, like 15 lbs or more, is that the suspension really makes a difference and it's worth adding a pound or two to get a better suspension. There are a lot of ultralight packs these days that sound like a great idea when you're counting ounces, but at the end of a long day 30 comfortable pounds is a lot better than 28 uncomfortable lbs.