pack size

[Nick]

No kidding! You'll carry the cooler, right?

 

[Zac001]

Lol no problem you carry extra water for me I'll carry ur gear. My best friend calls me a mule. I get a destination and I just head down charge up the mountain to it. I'd rather relax at my destination than take all day to see the sights. There's plenty to see at the top

 

[fiber]

So if I lose 5 lbs, will that feel the same as dropping 5 lbs in my pack? I thought about this a lot when I spent like $500 upgrading my tent to drop about 2.5 lbs in my pack.

I used to wear hiking boots all the time, then I switched to light weight day hikers. If you haven't already done so, loose the heavy shoes and go low weight. Even in rocky uneven terrain a light weight shoe can allow you to better place your foot and thereby avoid twisting an ankle.

 

[Zac001]

Fiber is right I dropped my boots and I now I use Salomon speedcross 3 trail running shoes and foot fatigue is not an issue and the grip is amazing.. Waterproof and flexible I even wear them as my primary shoe when not hiking

 

[xjblue]

Last night I did some test fitting then pulled the trigger on a new 50L, thanks to everyone for all the good info!

 

[Yvonne]

Fiber is right I dropped my boots and I now I use Salomon speedcross 3 trail running shoes and foot fatigue is not an issue and the grip is amazing.. Waterproof and flexible I even wear them as my primary shoe when not hiking

+1

I love my Speedcross 3 trail runners. Since I switched to them my knee issues are tolerable and I have less swelling due to chronic arthritis.
I always had a super hard time in boots and found them extremely uncomfortable. But after the switch I feel like myself again.

 

[Nick]

Re: shoes vs. boots. There was recently a good thread on that subject.

http://backcountrypost.com/threads/running-shoes-vs-boots.4263/

 

[The Splitter]

I currently use an Arc Teryx Khyber 50 pack. It's the first "big" pack I bought and I did a lot of research and deliberating before purchasing. A lot of people told me to buy a 75 or 90 liter pack, after looking at some 50's I went that route and can't really imagine going bigger. With my 50 I have ample space for everything on trips up to five days and I could carry a little more.

I wouldn't say my pack is ultralight but I'm definitely minimalist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob]

Osprey Volt 60....light/torso adjustable/versatile/and relatively inexpensive. Here's one with 20% off

http://www.backcountry.com/osprey-packs-volt-60-backpack-3661cu-in

 

[JoshuaDyal]

A little late to the party, but I'm going to recommend the Wenzel Escape 50L pack. I've used it for a few years now, and I recently bought a second one for my 13 year old son. It weighs less than 2.5 lbs, and is super comfortable. Best part? You can get one on Amazon--new--for less than $50.

You've gotta do your research, of course, but in my experience all the "famous" packs like Osprey, Gregory, Kelty, etc. benefit from the "Patagucci syndrome"--you're paying extra--a lot extra--for the brand name. I'm also not much of an ultralighter, but I'm an ultra-cheaper. I keep it pretty light (base pack weight below 20 lbs.) but I'm more concerned with how to spend less money than on how to shave off an extra couple of pounds from my gear. Those extra couple of pounds usually cost hundreds of dollars each. And with a 50L internal frame pack that has stood up well to years of use and which weighs less than 2.5 lbs anyway, you can still get pretty darn light without spending hundreds of bucks to get those last few ounces out.

 

[steve]

You can still get pretty darn light without spending hundreds of bucks to get those last few ounces out.

100% agree, well said.