[at-l] In need of Backpack advice....

[bennettk@xxxxxxx (ken bennett)]

I was set on the Gregory Whitney, but i
> thought that it may be too heavy, so i chaned my mind to the Osprey Aether 90
> back, because it is substantially lighter,



Pip--

I have a Gregory Shasta, 5700 cubic inches, and it is IMHO far too large for
a long distance hike with any reasonable amount of gear. I also have a
Gregory Chaos X, which at 3000 ci is a little small for me -- good for a
long weekend, but not really enough room unless I strap stuff to the
outside. I am now using a Gregory Reality, which at 4500 ci is plenty large
enough for long-distance hiking, without being too heavy for my taste. (I
did trim 4 ounces of extra strapping off, and I leave the 1/2 pound lid
pocket at home unless I really, really need it.) The Reality is just under 5
pounds stripped. For a similar but much lighter pack you might look at the
P-2

http://www.ula-equipment.com/packs/P-2/p-2.htm

It really doesn't look like much when you compare it to the big bulletproof
load monsters from Gregory and Dana, but several people on this list swear
by it. At 37 ounces and $150, it's a deal.

If you really need 5500 ci to hold all your stuff, you might want to think
about all that stuff. Post a complete gear list here and you'll get lots of
friendly suggestions <grin>.

If I had to buy a pack right now I'd look at the Mountainsmith Auspex, the
P-2, and the Osprey Aether 60. Just a suggestion.

Ken
Big Cranky