Re: Re: My back is shot from too large a pack. I want to go lite,

Very good, Ralph! I hope they listen...


Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org

From: Ralph Oborn 
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2012 10:10 AM
To: [email protected] 
Subject: Re: [BackpackingLight] Re: My back is shot from too large a pack. I want to go lite,

  
Just a philosophical thought. 

All lightweight backpacking is a compromise.
We trade off the comfort of carrying the pack with the comfort of sleeping.
We trade off the additional weight of gadgets with their convenience.
We trade off that we might need something with the risk that we will need something.

One way to keep score is total pack weight, and that is an interesting game to play, but remember there are many many location specific issues to be considered. And your fitness, skill and willingness to accept risk should be calculated.

So while you can learn a lot from others experiences, remember your situation will be different from everyone else here.  

The best advice is to look at what you have, weigh it, look for something more comfortable to carry while not sacrificing to much the comfort of use. 

And practice, practice, practice. Test yourself and your equipment on short local outings (if possible) where it's OK if you have a problem or failure.

I'm amazed at folks that do a "trip of a lifetime" with untested or unfamiliar equipment.

Just my opinion, 
Your mileage may vary
Hike your own hike

Ralph







On Mon, Nov 26, 2012 at 10:45 AM, Eric Green <[email protected]> wrote:



  --- In [email protected], Dennis Phelan <dennis.phelan@...> wrote:
  >  If
  > you can keep you total pack weight to 30 lbs; look at the Gossamer Gear
  > Mairposa pack with the double pocket hip belt..


  I have the Mariposa (old style, without the aluminum stays, though I made some of my own out of old sections of aluminum tent pole) and like it. It's just the right size to carry my usual gear. It is by no means the lightest possible pack, but for me it's a nice compromise -- mine comes out around 23 ounces including my home-made aluminum stays and the Z-rest backplate, which also serves when deployed to insulate my lower body from the ground while my upper body is cushioned by a shortie air pad (or if I need more insulation between me and the ground I can put it under my air pad and have my feet sit on my pack with a little gear in it as less than satisfactory insulation, less comfortable that way but doable). I find the Mariposa to be a bit large for summer camping where a minimalist quilt is all you need to stay warm, and a bit small for winter camping where you need a righteous sleeping bag that simply is too big to fit in the Mariposa and still leave room for your gear, but it's easy enough to have other bags for those conditions if it's a problem.



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