My wife and I are leaving in a few weeks to through hike the A.T. I am struggling to get our weight down. I have a Gregory pack that I have had for 10 years that I so love but its a heavy beast, right over 7 pounds. I am looking at a Mountainsmith Auspex. It has
42 ci and weighs 3 lbs and 14 oz. Has anyone out there have experenced this pack or recommend anything equal to the weight.
Alec
I don’t know that pack. 42 ci?? Do you mean 4000? We used a Gregory Reality, which weighed 5 lbs, on the PCT and CDT. Good pack. Gregory makes an even lighter pack as well. So if you know you like the brand, check it out. REI carries them.
Ginny
The MS Auspex is very lightweight at 3 Lbs, 14 oz. However this pack is designed for around 25 Ibs and under. Once you get to 25 Lbs or more, it becomes much more uncomfortable to use. Go here for a few reviews of this pack:
It is 4200 Ci and has no outside Pockets except the 2 water bottle holders. It also comes in only ONE size which makes it hard for me to believe it will fit everyone.
For Up to a 35 Lb load, I use the Gregory Forester, which is like the Reality, however it holds 4900 Ci, weighs just over 5 Lbs, has a Seperate Sleeping Bag compartment, a Full Lid, 2 side pockets and a large access pocket on the back. The suspension is great and you cant wear this pack out if you tried. This pack carries as much as my sons Big Gregory Palisades which weighs 7 Lbs.
For under 30 Lb loads, I have will soon order the New GoLite Earth Pack. 4900 Ci, 2 side pouches and a LARGE Rear Pouch. Weighs 2.2 Lbs and yes it has a Hipbelt. I have used the GoLite Gust and this is the Big version of it, with the 3 pouches and a Full Lid as well.
I hope this helps,
Jim Deane, Rebel with a Cause !!
Jim Deane
For lite weight gear, there is also www.moonbowgear.com. They custom make lite weight packs.
Mr. Boo
I will be using the Auspex on my thru-hike this year. It is very adjustable and comfortable with 35 lbs. It comes with various belt sizes, the shoulder straps fit short torsos very well, not sure about long torsos. 4200 ci is a little small, so I’m using a couple of compression sacks that free up plenty of room. I save about 3 lbs compared to my Northface pack which I used two years ago (including the extra weight of the compression sacks).
It was rated by Backpacker Mag as an Editors’ choice, see:
Rayman
I am not familure with this pack either but I have been wondering why so many people use Gregory for thru-hiking when the packs weight so much.
Mountain Smith make a few light weight packs, as does Osprey and Marmot. These are all good brands and are adjustable and come in different sizes as well. Check out their web sites and good luck to you.
Elizabeth
My son and I both have Gregory Packs. He has the Palisades and I have the Forester. The reason alot of people choose Gregory is in one simple word: The FIT !! They are like puting on a good fitting set of clothes. Their suspension system is the best I have seen yet. Their are lots of good packs out there that are lighter, or cheaper, or have more feature, however when it come to fit, the Gregorys rule.
Be sure to have them fitted by an expert and you will not be disappointed. They are also bomb proof in that you cant tear them up at all. Definitely durable as they come.
Yesterday I ordered the GOlite Earth pack, a new one by GOLite that is 4900 CI, weighs 2.2 Lbs and has lots of external pockets and a hipbelt. Last night when I was trying them on, I kept thinking, It doesnt feel as good as my Gregory. However I am in the never ending pursuit to get under 25 Lbs with winter gear, food and water. We shall see if the 3 LB advantage is worth the comfort sacrifice. I’ll let you all know how the Golite Earth works out.
Good luck and get a pack that Fits !!
Jim Deane, Rebel with a Cause !!
Jim Deane
I am a bid Gregory fan. Good solid packs. The suspension is fabulous. Yes, it a heavy pack but you don’t feel it because the pack rides the way a good pack should and your hips & shoulders do not feel the weight. I used my G. Petit Dru on last years hike, 7lbs/5200 ci. It was an great pack. But as my hiking style and I found I was going lighter and lighter I did not need such a weight bearing pack. I also found myself begining to strip the pack down, sending home the hood, the extra buckles… I won’t be getting rid of that pack it served me well, but I have switched to a smaller 3200 cubic inch 3 lb pack from Ospresy called the Aerthra 60. It has a better suspension then the Gregory Reality (which I also own) and it is big enough for all my gear and small enough not to allow me to add extras. (IF you have the space you will will fill it!!) Just another opionion. Sue
hamockhngr
I am also using the aether 60. I am a big Osprey fan. I have one of their older packs and the new design on the aether is incredible! I think it carries very well and the lightweight design is good too. I have noticed that if you load the aether 60 over 40 pounds it does not carry as comfortably, but I do not plan on carrying that weight. For that reason I don’t think the aether 60 would be a good pack for anyone who carries around 40 poubds or more. I agree that Gregory makes a good pack and in comparision to the larger, better suspensioned packs that Osprey makes the weights and fit are pretty much the same. I think any pack system that lets you swap the hipbelt and harness for different sizes is good. Especially for when you lose weight on a hike, like a thru-hike, being able to just buy a new hipbelt is a lot cheaper and easier than buying and refitting another pack.
Elizabeth
FYI: The Gregory rep at Trail Days is fantastic. He will switch out your NOW to large hipbelt and give you a NEW one for FREE!! Also if you get to Damascus before trail days MRO has a number of used hipbelts that they will let you switch out for another for like a buck or two. HH
hamockhngr
Just a word of advice as I had to learn the hard way. My belt was exchanged by Dana Design at Trail Days. I was given a small for my medium and walked around with a half loaded pack for ten minutes and it felt fine.
But once I got back on the trail in Franklin it only took an hour to realize the belt was too small. I called Dana up once I reached the NOC. They Fed Ex’d my new medium belt to me at Fontana Dam. This is the best part, Fed EX came down to the Fontana Hilton and delivered my belt to me.
Long story short…make sure the belt is comfortable loaded with everything and wear it for an hour before making the decision.
Jason
Ganj
Hey all.
Just my $.02, but I used a Mountainsmith for the entire trail, 1 trail , 1 pack and I’ll tell you it’s a good pack. In the beginning with a tent and wintergear, food and water, my pack weighed 27lbs…towards the end with a tent and summer gear it weighed about 31lbs…lots more food! Ditch the stuff sacks and compression sacks, sure they compress everything, but they weigh more. If you’re worried about rain, line your pack with a garbage bag that you’re using instead of a stuff sacks…much better, weight wise and waterproof wise.
If you have limited space, leave your clothes free in your pack and sneak that extra pair of socks next to your bagels. Trick is to buy a small pack. You HAVE to bring less. The lighter you are, the happier you will be, especially in the beginning.
One last way to cut weight that I highly recommend, is ditching the sleeping pad. I know I know…the ground is hard, shelter floors are worse, but carry a small fleece blanket instead. it’s a seat, a blanket, a towel, a sleeping pad, double it over and sleep on top of it, it’s a little something, but lighter than a 2lb therma rest.
Hehehe…okay, off my soapbox I go. Any questions email me.
pheonix
I’m looking into buying the Osprey Ather 90. It is a 5500 c/in pack and it weighs only 4.14lbs. I tried a similar model on that also has the same supension system and it felt great. Has anyone used this or any other Osprey pack. If so I’m very interested in how it worked/works for you.
Thanks for your time,
~Seth
Seth