3 ms·

Yes, please! Also curious about preferences for other related equipment - backpacks etc.

by radus 5y ago

ghaff 5y ago
It really depends on your requirements. Mostly don't get a bigger/heavier one than you (actually) need and get one that feels comfortable/fits you. I have an Osprey Atmos if I need more space and I have an older and smaller Gregory something if I'm looking to do short lightweight summer backpacks and maybe use the same thing for dayhikes.
pacman2 5y ago
There is no best car, hence there is no best backpack. As a rule of thumb: It is easy to buy a backpack that is too big. It is nearly impossible to buy one that is too small. The experience of a traveler is in an anti-proportional relationship with the size of his or her backpack. This being said, the best back pack I ever had was from Burton. I and I am still heart-broken that it got stolen. It is not produced anymore.
- strken 5y ago
  Out of curiosity, do you mean too big as in capacity, or too big as in fit? I'm very tall and I've struggled with packs that don't rest properly on my hips, but I don't know if this was inexperience, or if there's some secret hack to adjust them.
  - pacman2 5y ago
    Too big in capacity. My favorite backpack hat around 24l. I guess I could travel with this pack for 10 years. This gives you an Idea. (no tent of cause) There was a EU based, tiny equipment manufacturer that actually produced backpacks for very tall people. I had some contacts in travel related business that could have brought it back on track. I asked if the owner is willing to let me buy into the business (I was interested in other niche products in his business) but he preferred to close it down.
- alpinemeadow 5y ago
  Hej... no offense taken but generalizations don’t help. My 95L Dana designs terraplane LTW has been to the patagonia Icefield with enough food and climbing gear to make it above 35 kg. In that case you want a big, supportive backpack.
jointpdf 5y ago
Some of the most loved small manufacturers for UL backpacking gear to look into: Mountain Laurel Designs, Gossamer Gear, Tarptent, Western Mountaineering, Enlightened Equipment, ULA, Hyperlite Mountain Gear, ZPacks, McHale Packs (all custom). There are a lot more that I missed, but that should set you in the right direction. Here are some of the most essential items for my setup (tested for ~2000 miles in various conditions, like the PCT/AT): - HMG Windrider 3400 backpack (“just works” better than any other UL pack I have used) - ZPacks 20F sleeping bag (hoodless is great!) - Patagonia Houdini wind jacket (extremely versatile layer) - Patagonia sun hoody (essential for skin protection, in my opinion) - Uniqlo Heattech extra warm leggings (the greatest clothing item of all time) + Uniqlo down hoody jacket - Fleece pullover hoody (almost any will do—comfort/extra warm item). - Thermarest Neoair - Gossamer Gear 1/8” EVA foam sleeping pad for protecting the Neoair and a zillion other uses (e.g. yoga/picnic/door mat, makeshift rain skirt) - Tyvek groundsheet (cheap, indestructible, waterproof, becomes buttery soft over time) - Carbon fiber trekking poles (the ones from Costco are cheap/good) - AquaMira water treatment drops (the Sawyer squeeze filters deliver fresh filtered water, but they break/leak constantly) - 2x 1L Smartwater bottles + a 2L Platypus bag - MLD Patrol tarp with an inner tent or bivy (like this: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=522791 http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=522791). That’s about 16.0 oz (incl. good stakes) for a versatile and storm-worthy(ish) double wall setup.
- jkubicek 5y ago
  A friend gifted me his Uniqlo down jacket (I guess he bought the wrong size and they're cheap enough he didn't bother to return it). It was wonderful and I swore that I'd replace it with a proper down jacket as soon as it wore out. It never freakin wore out. I wore that jacket on all my trips for years and it stood up to everything just fine. Also, my Patagonia sun hoodie is my favorite clothing item I own. I wore it for a week in the Mojave earlier this spring. I was cool and comfortable the entire week and didn't even get a tan on my arms, let alone a burn.

Yes, please! Also curious about preferences for other related equipment - backpacks etc.

by radus 5y ago

Yes, please! Also curious about preferences for other related equipment - backpacks etc.

It really depends on your requirements. Mostly don't get a bigger/heavier one than you (actually) need and get one that feels comfortable/fits you. I have an Osprey Atmos if I need more space and I have an older and smaller Gregory something if I'm looking to do short lightweight summer backpacks and maybe use the same thing for dayhikes.

pacman2 5y ago

There is no best car, hence there is no best backpack. As a rule of thumb: It is easy to buy a backpack that is too big. It is nearly impossible to buy one that is too small. The experience of a traveler is in an anti-proportional relationship with the size of his or her backpack. This being said, the best back pack I ever had was from Burton. I and I am still heart-broken that it got stolen. It is not produced anymore.

strken 5y ago
Out of curiosity, do you mean too big as in capacity, or too big as in fit? I'm very tall and I've struggled with packs that don't rest properly on my hips, but I don't know if this was inexperience, or if there's some secret hack to adjust them.
- pacman2 5y ago
  Too big in capacity. My favorite backpack hat around 24l. I guess I could travel with this pack for 10 years. This gives you an Idea. (no tent of cause) There was a EU based, tiny equipment manufacturer that actually produced backpacks for very tall people. I had some contacts in travel related business that could have brought it back on track. I asked if the owner is willing to let me buy into the business (I was interested in other niche products in his business) but he preferred to close it down.
alpinemeadow 5y ago
Hej... no offense taken but generalizations don’t help. My 95L Dana designs terraplane LTW has been to the patagonia Icefield with enough food and climbing gear to make it above 35 kg. In that case you want a big, supportive backpack.

jointpdf 5y ago

Some of the most loved small manufacturers for UL backpacking gear to look into: Mountain Laurel Designs, Gossamer Gear, Tarptent, Western Mountaineering, Enlightened Equipment, ULA, Hyperlite Mountain Gear, ZPacks, McHale Packs (all custom). There are a lot more that I missed, but that should set you in the right direction. Here are some of the most essential items for my setup (tested for ~2000 miles in various conditions, like the PCT/AT): - HMG Windrider 3400 backpack (“just works” better than any other UL pack I have used) - ZPacks 20F sleeping bag (hoodless is great!) - Patagonia Houdini wind jacket (extremely versatile layer) - Patagonia sun hoody (essential for skin protection, in my opinion) - Uniqlo Heattech extra warm leggings (the greatest clothing item of all time) + Uniqlo down hoody jacket - Fleece pullover hoody (almost any will do—comfort/extra warm item). - Thermarest Neoair - Gossamer Gear 1/8” EVA foam sleeping pad for protecting the Neoair and a zillion other uses (e.g. yoga/picnic/door mat, makeshift rain skirt) - Tyvek groundsheet (cheap, indestructible, waterproof, becomes buttery soft over time) - Carbon fiber trekking poles (the ones from Costco are cheap/good) - AquaMira water treatment drops (the Sawyer squeeze filters deliver fresh filtered water, but they break/leak constantly) - 2x 1L Smartwater bottles + a 2L Platypus bag - MLD Patrol tarp with an inner tent or bivy (like this: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=522791 http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=522791). That’s about 16.0 oz (incl. good stakes) for a versatile and storm-worthy(ish) double wall setup.

jkubicek 5y ago
A friend gifted me his Uniqlo down jacket (I guess he bought the wrong size and they're cheap enough he didn't bother to return it). It was wonderful and I swore that I'd replace it with a proper down jacket as soon as it wore out. It never freakin wore out. I wore that jacket on all my trips for years and it stood up to everything just fine. Also, my Patagonia sun hoodie is my favorite clothing item I own. I wore it for a week in the Mojave earlier this spring. I was cool and comfortable the entire week and didn't even get a tan on my arms, let alone a burn.