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Backpacks "For every man shall bear his own burden." Gal 6:5 There are two major types of backpacks, internal and external frames. For the most part the only consideration for lightweight packs are internal frames or rucksacks (no frame). Although there are some fairly lightweight externals that would work fine for lightweight hiking if that is your preference. I had one external and hated that thing. Now I just use light internals and day packs for hiking. it used to be hard to find good lightweight packs but now the manufacturers are catching onto what the public really wants. The backpack is one of the best three places we talked about cutting weight. Can you believe they actually make packs that weigh 8 lb. empty? I don't care how comfortable they can carry 60 lb. it can't be as comfortable as carrying 15 lb in the first place. The target weight for a good lightweight pack is 3 lb. It's hard but not unattainable. here are some of the packs I've used:
I bought this pack before I ever got into hiking. I was going to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for the first time and needed a pack. Money was tight then so I bought this pack. It is a hybrid pack so the frames not really on the inside or the outside. This pack was a great disappointment to me. It hurt so much, nothing fit right and it was cheaply made. It had all the pockets all over it everyone loves so much but I found them useless. I still have this pack though. It just sits there looking all cheep and pitiful. I wonder if old Dirtbag would like to have it? "NOT!" "Why not? It's still a good pack? I'll give you a good deal on it. How about $50?" "I'm a dirtbag not a dummy!" "Are you sure?" "Yes I'm sure. I don't want your old crappy pack." "No, I meant, are you sure your not a dummy too! Haha!"
This is the pack I said hated so much. it was a panel loader and I couldn't fit jack crap in this pack very well. It was cheap and it didn't fit well. I don't like the feeling that if I bend over to far any certain way that I will fall over. Above all this pack hurt me a great deal in the shoulders, back and hips. So much so that I'd barely be able to sleep at night. I sold it off. Good rid dens!
I bought this pack used from my father. It was about 4,000 c.i. and I paid I think $50 for it. It was fairly light but it was also very cheaply made. The foam in the shoulders and hip belt turned so hard they hurt. The materials and zippers were so cheap they didn't work well at all. This pack, like the Camp Trails external, hurt my a lot on the trail. When I had this pack is when I began lightweight hiking and I cut everything off this pack that wasn't being used. It still hurt. I ended up taking the whole thing apart and stripping all the hard wear off it and throwing the rest away. I don't miss it one bit.
through comparison I found about the lightest least expensive packs to be made by Jansport. After my two failures with the Camp Trails packs I was skeptical of Jansport and their low prices and my past experience with their packs. I bought this pack anyhow because it was on special, $39. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the pack. It is 2,900 c.i. and just right for lightweight hiking because it weighs only 2 lb, 2 oz. After cutting all the useless stuff off it got down to 2lb. it has a minimal hip belt on it that I ended up cutting off anyhow. At the time I first got this pack my other gear wasn't as light as my pack and I carried about 25-30 lb. in the Tahoma. As you can guess I got sore shoulders. the shoulder straps on this pack are minimal. Not too bad when we're talking about 10-20 lb. but above that it'll hurt you. There is a long mesh pocket on the back of the pack that fits a long slender Platypuss perfect. I would highly recommend this pack to anyone just getting into lightweight hiking and don't want to spend a lot of money.
I was looking for a pack with just a bit more room than the Tahoma but yet still weigh about the same. I found the Kelty Gale for $50. Again, I was skeptical of the price and the fact that Kelty wasn't considered one the top gear makers. Boy was I ever wrong! this is, far and away, my favorite pack I've ever owned. It is very simple, long in the torso, and very light. It weighed 2 lb, 15 oz. when I got it. After trimming off the extras it weighs about 2 lb., 10oz. and without the top pocket it weighs 2 lb, 5 oz. yet it is 3,500 c.i. The padding on this pack is more than enough to keep me from hurting. the quality is very good too for such an inexpensive pack. It did take some damage from the airlines when I took a trip to California. The right shoulder strap began tearing away from the pack bag and the center yolk was shot. I'm having them re-sown by a shoe repairman and will have no more problems I hope. the one thing that EVERYONE who sees this pack says is, "It's so small!" "huh huh..." "We aren't even going there Dirtbag! Shut up! "You ain't right boy. Ya know that?" Anyhow, I would pay full price for this pack ($98) any day of the week. I have my eye on a new pack for the fall and plan on revamping my Gale into a 1 1/2 pound pack for three season use.
I bought this pack on special for $68. I bought it for summer when I go ultra light and don't need much more than 2,000 c.i. It weighs 2 lb. and is 2,200 c.i. The padding on this pack is even better than my Gale. Although it only has a small non-weight-baring hip belt I don't use a hip belt with light loads anyhow. My only complaint is that when you get it totally full it ends up feeling like a ball with straps on it. The back of it isn't very flat. But with only 10 lb. in it it doesn't make that much of a difference. When I'm not using this pack I let Dirtbag use it for his trips.
I recently bought this pack from someone on the internet for $9. It is 2,000 c.i. and only weighs 9 oz. I'm not expecting too much from this pack but if I can get my gear to act as a stiffening frame it may just work for ultra light summer trips. This would be a good pack for travelers because it packs down to a tight little zippered package that can be thrown into a suitcase for day hikes. The shoulder straps are simple straps with no padding at all. I plan on making some simple, light pads for it in the future. this pack has no hip belt at all. I'll report back on what I find after I try it out. Dirtbag may be able to use it too.
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