[at-l] back pack

[kahley7@ptd.net (kahley)]

At 01:25 PM 8/14/01 -0400, atboi wrote:

>what would be a great choice for lightest weight backpack for the AT, thru
>hiking?

Hikers are ahead of the curve in wanting light weight packs.  The manufacturers
are tied to bombproof gear that lasts a 'lifetime' so if you are interested 
in a
pack that will last a couple years but is light enough to carry with a 
fairly minimal
load, ya have to go outside the main stream.

http://www.gvpgear.com/
The G-4 works on the system of using a sleep pad as the frame of the 
pack.  It's pretty popular among
the lightweight crowd and is individually made and therefore capable of 
being customized..  And it
has a hipbelt if you want it.  Greeeaaat price too!!!!!  Especially for the 
off the shelf model.  Gus of GVP
gear is doing what Kurt did with the Nomad tent.  Putting the screws to the 
big guys by proving it can be done!
If I wasn't a exframe geek, this would be the pack that I'd try first.
http://www.wanderlustgear.com/   .......BTW...great tent

http://www.wildthingsgear.com/packs.html
Wild Things makes some light weight packs.  I know they created quite a 
stir in the lightweight crowd
last year but I haven't heard much about how they have worked out.  This 
would be second on my list to try.

http://www.golite.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/scstore/product_categorie 
s/products/breeze_pack.html?L
+scstore+mvvq9476+997975327
Of course the Golite Breeze....but that is really on the extreme end and 
you really shouldn't put
30 lbs in this pack IMHO because all the weight rides on your 
shoulders....there is no hipbelt.

Kelty is leading the pack of the big Companies
http://www.kelty.com/products/Packs.cfm?pname=Cloud%204000&section=Packs&pty 
pe=INTERNAL%20FRAME
is the Cloud....pretty steep price and white (because it's made of a 
material that doesn't accept
dye).  The pack itself weighs a pound but if you want side pockets or other 
components, the weight goes up

http://www.kelty.com/products/Packs.cfm?pname=Flight%204500&section=Packs&pt 
ype=INTERNAL%20FRAME
is the Flight...cheaper because of the cheaper material but based on the 
same theory of
buying and using just as many components as you need.  Some people are 
using  a sleep
pad as the frame sheet, further reducing the weight and making gear do 
double duty.  A lot of people
like this system because it lets you add pockets to provide more room for 
winter gear at the
beginning of a thru, but then lets you remove the pockets as you shed gear 
for a really light summer
pack....cool idea. But the weight with all pockets really gets up there.......

http://www.mysteryranch.com/products/products.html
is a company started by the same guy that started Dana.  And he has an 
interesting idea, on adjustment
but, I don't know anyone who actually has this pack.  Their website really 
doesn't provide much info...


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