It’s a strong Vaude (2 years old model) that weights almost 6 lbs, I did use it in Europe for 450 miles hike and now, after reading about all those light backpacks , I fear…with food for 4-6 days, water filter…
On the other hand it’s very strong , with a wonderful back support system ,a superb waist belt.
zammy
Do you want to carry a load over 30-35 lbs.? If so, you may want to keep your existing pack. You may have to have all light weight gear to go to a lighter pack. Are you going to thru hike or just section? I section hike a couple times a year and carry a heavy pack with lots of luxury items. As I get older, now 43, I am getting lighter gear. Getting smarter in my old age.
Hikerman
Hikerman
i went from a kelty redcloud which weighed 5#12oz to the GoLite Speed Pack which weighs 19 oz I think. I think because it is so light it is unimaginable that is feels weightless.
Hikerman makes some great points. I downsized because i was not using the full capacity of my kelty. I was carrying 36 or 37 pounds and could downsize gear to hit that magical 28-30# grey area. It seemed a waste of space and the bulk of the pack was too much for what I was actually hauling.
I agree, you gotta love the stability of a strong pack. I never worried once if i threw my kelty down, would i break something. I guess I am hard on gear, but that pack has no freys or anything. It could sale as new. I’ll keep it, I may want to use it on other trips.
burn
I used a Kelty West Coast external. It weighed 7 lbs. I thought about dropping it for another but it carried so well. My opinion is that if your going to carry regular hiking gear that will keep you comfortable during your hike. Then the suspension system of a heavier pack pays for itself in the long run. I mean ,if you do need to carry more weight at times during your hike,at least you will have a good system for that. Im basing this opinion on my size too. (6ft/185 lb male)
Virginian
I like the durability of a heavier pack, the way it carries, how stable it is, etc.
However having said all that, there is something to be said for keeping pack weight down. It may keep your arches from collapsing and keep you from having knee problems due to too much weight.
You can use a really light pack or bag and use your gear to give it some confort, stability and support. Use your sleeping bag and sleeping pad to give the pack support and cushioning for your back. In other words, line the bag with them and stuff everything else down inside them. After all, you only use them at night, so during the day they will be serving double duty and serving you well. In fact with a rope, you could just use a big sil nylon bag (waterprooof), load it all up and tie it off, etc.
Shoulder straps and waist belt are important. Don’t want rope cutting into your shoulders or waist. So I’d look for a pack that has good shoulder straps and waist belt as they are important.
You can have a good carrying heavy duty very stable pack and if you load it wrong, it will be awkward to carry, very hard on you physically and a pain in the butt. Ask Bushwhack about this. So the whole thing is to get the load balanced right and tied down nice and snug.
See you out there. :cheers
Maaintain
You see all kinds on the trail. “to each his own said the man who kissed the cow” I’m like Virginian, I used an external. Mine had about 1,000 miles on it before the hike and I’d striped it down to only about 3.5 lbs. My pack weight was around 35 to 40 in the winter and around 30 in the summer. But I was glad I had it. A couple of times I had as much as 50 lbs in it. Once probably 60 lbs. A couple of times I carried other hikers pack loads because of an injury until we could get them to a road or shelter. I very seldom use a hipbelt and carry my weight on my shoulders. So it is hard for me to think of suspension systems. I only used my belt to balance my pack when having to climb up, over or down rocks. I’m also basing this opinion on my size too. (6ft/230 lb 57yr old male thats been backpacking for 41 years)
Papa Smurf
I started with a 6lbs 11oz Lowe Alpine Contour IV 90+15 pack with a 42lbs load(3L water and 4 days food). I now have a 3lbs 7oz Mountainsmith Auspex with a 32lbs load (water + Food). As long as your pack is comfortable to you and you are utilizing all it’s space I dont think a pound or two will really matter that much.
Nooga
I too have an external backpack. You can really load them down and they will carry the load. They have tough alumimum frames and can really carry the weight. Mine has a waist belt too so you can sinch it down tight if you want.
External frame packs are the work horses of backpacks. They can really carry the weight whereas with an internal frame pack (all the rage these days), the pack itself is the frame or support for the pack. The great thing about it is that with internal frame packs being so popular, you can pick up an external frame very reasonably. I bought my Kelty sil-nylon external frame 4000 ci pack on ebay for about 30 bucks (it had been used once) and was in brand new like condition.
See you out there. :cheers
Maintain
It is kind of nice to hear all the external frame folks speaking a bit. I use an old Kelty (it is one of the orignal one he made from the late fifties)it is not that large of a capacity but it is more then enough for 5 days worth of gear. It is the size of the JR. Trekker a kids model that they sell now. The base weight of the pack is just 3 lbs. For anyone looking into getting a light external frame might think about getting a small one like that and seeing if the frame which adjusts will fit for you. For the gals it is a killer setup. It is also nice to be able to strap extra bags of food or gear you might need on the pack. Mine has got many miles on it and will not be replaced by a shinny new one…LAL
TUT
I guess it all comes down to my own weight and age and physicall shape : I’m 52, 3 years long distance walking experience, I weight 96 kilo which is in lbs…212 lbs.
I did carry my load throught he Pyreenes in Spain for 4 weeks, but no backpack or tent, about 35 lbs. If I intend to walk the trail then i guess no more then 40 lbs for me.
As Noogs said “another pound won’t make a different”.
I am used to carry about 3 quarts of water (As an Israeli I am used to some water shortage in certain areas) and I guess I’ll have to get used to the idaes that there is water everywhere, atleast through the first months of the trail, the same goes for food-they say 2 lbs per day- isn’t it too much?
zammy
“food—2 lbs per day- isn’t it too much?”
No, it is not too much, in fact it may not be enough based on your body weight, which you gave us above.
Try to get foods that have at least 100 calories per ounce. So 2 pounds of food will give you 3200 calories a day, if the food has 100 calories per ounce, which some of the foods you carry will not.
After you have been on the trail a while, your appetite will really pick up (because you will be expending tremendous energy carrying 40 or so pounds extra weight a day plus your own weight up and down mountains and 10 plus or more miles a day). So you will probably lose some weight and start eating a lot more as your appetite increases.
Knock it off of the water, a pint is a pound the world around-----so three quarts is six pounds of weight. Water will be plentiful early on and maybe thru out the entire summer (it was last year). You need to carry no more that 2 quarts. Take an extra emptry container with you, and if you feel you need to carry more or get some extra for cooking somewhere, you will have the container to get it in. But on the trail, I carry two liters most times and generally that is too much especially in the Winter and early Spring. In Summer, I find two liters to be about the right amount for me to carry based on body weight of about 200 pounds.
See you out there. :cheers
Maintain