Just wondering if anyone has used the Mountainsmith Ghost pack before? If so, can you write a small review, thoughts, likes/dislikes, etc. on this pack? Also looking at a Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack, some thoughts on that would be nice as well. Thanks.
guru
Hey Guru,
I used a Ghost on about half of my thru-hike. Its a good pack, but not a great pack. I still use it and have been mostly happy with it overall, but to be perfectly honest, I’d buy a Vapor Trail instead. In fact in thinking of getting one for the PCT.
The Ghost is different from most packs. Its not a top loading pack, more of a turtle shell, like an enlarged school pack. I believe this puts a little more strain on the shoulders as the weight and gear is not distributed properly. This puts great importance on packing things right (you’ll get the hang of it). The frame popped out after about 1000 miles of use. I called the company and they said it was easily fixable if sent back to them. I never did that, now I use it without the frame. Almost everyone else I’ve talked to has had the same problem. Maybe its from weighing it down too much, maybe wear and tear, I don’t know.
The pack is best with weight under 30 lbs. When I first got it and was coming out of town i was around 33 lbs which SUCKED for the first day or so, some good strain on the shoulders. The hip belt is a bit flimsy compared to say a gregory pack, but this is a lightweight pack. I actually like the hip belt, it hugs pretty well. The lashing straps on the outside are helpful for carrying a matress but also make it tough to use a raincover since the pack is such a funny shape. Especially without the frame, there is little for the pack cover to catch onto. Might want to look into garbage bag lining the pack and/or using waterproof stuff sacks. The final thought is that it is hard to compact the back when you have less weight and cu inch mass. There are straps to compress on the side, but they dont work from the top down like the Granite Gear packs. I think GG has a great feature with that roll down lid, which can make the bag real small when your food and water has dwindled. Good for slackpacking too! Anyway, feel free to email me if you have further questions.
A-Train