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Question: Backpack choice

newboots

Angel Diva
Awww, thanks! He is happy and fast going back down, but he often balks going up. It’s either carry him or drag him! Plus it’s a great way to meet people on the trail. He’s kind of irresistible.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
GRRRRRRR!!!!

I bought the perfect pack. All the right pockets. All the right features. It even had a trekking pole carry system and a zip-out rain cover.

Somehow forgot about all the reviews commenting about the HORRIBLE squeaking.

Fortunately, I decided to do a trial run (just walk around with a bunch of water bladders and bottles for weight) before taking the tags off or stuffing it with anything that might make it dirty or scuff it up. But I had every plan to use it on Sunday for a hike with the dogs.

It is SO loud. Squeaks almost constantly. It seems to be something about the suspension design that makes this thing super comfortable.

I tried to tell myself I could somehow ignore it or maybe I could address the issue, but it's not just one spot rubbing against another. But for once, I'm going to be realistic. I HATE random noises. Faucet dripping. Squeaky bed. Something clinking in the car. And yeah, a squeaking sound in my ear as I solo hike and want to enjoy the sounds (or lack thereof) of nature all around me.

So fine. My perfect pack. Going back ASAP. Grrrrrr.
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Weird, Ospreys are usually pretty well designed so I'm surprised this is an issue!
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Weird, Ospreys are usually pretty well designed so I'm surprised this is an issue!

Yeah. At least half the reviews on rei.com for this product complain about it.
 

Soujan

Angel Diva
I'm 5'2" and I'm a bog Gregory fan because they make XSmall packs. I have an older Gregory Jade 28 pack that I use for day hikes. I've always loved the Gregory fit. Recently got the Amber 44 for something a little bigger that I can overnight with. I also have a first generation Diva. Not a fan of the new Diva packs. I think because I'm so short, I can't tilt my head back because it has a weird suspension that curves over the shoulders. I've tried Osprey and North Face packs in the store and they never fit me right due to my lack of height. Besides STP, I recommend geartrade.com. Backcountry sells their returned items on there and I've gotten some good stuff.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Wondering if I can add my own question for choosing a pack here? I'm looking for some help on purchasing a backpack as a beginner. I was in REI yesterday and they were doing a sizing event thing, so I tried some stuff on. I'm a bit unsure of what volume pack I need for longer day hikes. The two packs I ended up in between were the Gregory Jade 28L and the Osprey Kyte 36L. I felt like the salesperson seemed more into going with the larger, but I wonder if it's too much? To make matters more complicated, the larger volume pack did feel more comfortable fit wise because it adjusts for torso length and mine is ridiculously short apparently. Any thoughts? What do you all use volume wise for day hikes? Thanks!
 

Soujan

Angel Diva
A 36L is too big for a day hike. You can overnight with that pack. The 28L will fit everything you need for a day hike. I fit a 3L bladder, food, med kit and extra clothes. I've hiked all over the country with that pack. I'm only 5'2" and I wear a Gregory small. I have the older version of the Jade. I never found Osprey packs to fit me well. If you like the fit of Osprey, get a smaller volume one. Always go with what's most comfortable for you. When you try it on, make sure to weight the pack and walk around the store. I actually jog around the aisles and jump around to see if I like the fit.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've also had problems with Osprey packs not fitting well; I returned a multi-day pack a couple of years back because despite being sized correctly ( I assume) in the store, it kept pulling the top weight away from my upper back; no amount of fiddling with the load-bearing straps or re-distributing contents helped. Just my experience, obviously; they are well-made packs.

I have a Gregory Jade daypack and love it. I don't recall the size and am out of town so can't check. But it fits and distributes weight really well.

What size you need really depends on where and when you'll be hiking and if you'll be carrying stuff for other people (kids, etc.). If you come up with a list of things you want to carry, you could get an idea of what size you'd need. And you could weigh it and have the shop Hiking in the White Mountains in NH? Or northern New England in the Fall? would bring extra layers and a tarp just in case anyone was injured and immobile and the temperature dropped.

Also, smaller people can use smaller-volume packs because all of their clothing is: small, and that's something to keep in mind. At 5'8" and 170#, my clothing just takes up a lot of space.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I think the reason the Osprey fits me better than the Gregory in this particular case is that my torso is almost off the charts short, but then I also have wide shoulders, so having the adjustable torso thing on the Osprey is what really helps whereas the 28L Jade in the Gregory doesn't have any real adjustments in that area. I am wondering if smaller Ospreys would have the same adjustments as the Kyte? The Gregory either comes off my hips when I tighten the shoulders or flops off my shoulders if the hip belt is adjusted appropriately. The Osprey hugged me like a glove and was really comfortable in both places due to the torso length adjustability. I also walked around with weights in the pack and the Osprey felt much better I think because of the hip belt sitting appropriately. I've had this issue with other packs I've used for skiing where as long as I don't put much weight in it it's fine, but I've hiked with my skis on my back and not having the adjustability in the torso just makes the belt useless and puts a ton of strain on my shoulders and back. I think no matter what I need something with more adjustability than I saw in most of the smaller day packs, I'm just not sure how small I can go and still get that feature in a pack?

Does it matter if it's a little bigger? I mean I don't need to fill it with stuff just because the space is there. As a beginner I'm not overall sure what I need so that makes it tough to picture how much room is adequate. I'd assume in the winter I might need more room for extras. Also I found out that the Kyte 36 xs/s that I had on is actually only 34L in volume so a little bit less of a difference I suppose.
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
Wondering if I can add my own question for choosing a pack here? I'm looking for some help on purchasing a backpack as a beginner. I was in REI yesterday and they were doing a sizing event thing, so I tried some stuff on. I'm a bit unsure of what volume pack I need for longer day hikes. The two packs I ended up in between were the Gregory Jade 28L and the Osprey Kyte 36L. I felt like the salesperson seemed more into going with the larger, but I wonder if it's too much? To make matters more complicated, the larger volume pack did feel more comfortable fit wise because it adjusts for torso length and mine is ridiculously short apparently. Any thoughts? What do you all use volume wise for day hikes? Thanks!

I have two packs I use for hiking, one's a 30L Osprey I use longer hikes or if I'm hiking with skis. Then I have a small, lightweight 12L Salomon pack (it's more of a large trail running pack), that's perfect for short hikes in the summer. I can carry 2L of water, a light layer, first aid items, and some snacks pretty comfortably in it. If you go with the larger size, I'd recommend making sure the bag has some type of cinch straps to make it more compact. The weight will shift around a lot if you only have a couple items in a large pack.

As for size: I would guess 10-20L for 1 hr to 1/2 day hikes; 20-30L for 1/2 day to full day hikes and 30-40L for full day hikes with large chance for large changes in weather.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I have two packs I use for hiking, one's a 30L Osprey I use longer hikes or if I'm hiking with skis. Then I have a small, lightweight 12L Salomon pack (it's more of a large trail running pack), that's perfect for short hikes in the summer. I can carry 2L of water, a light layer, first aid items, and some snacks pretty comfortably in it. If you go with the larger size, I'd recommend making sure the bag has some type of cinch straps to make it more compact. The weight will shift around a lot if you only have a couple items in a large pack.

As for size: I would guess 10-20L for 1 hr to 1/2 day hikes; 20-30L for 1/2 day to full day hikes and 30-40L for full day hikes with large chance for large changes in weather.

I guess that is a good distinction. I am shopping for what I'd consider more half day plus trips whereas if I was just going on a local couple of hours type of thing I'd likely use my Dakine pack I use for skiing when out West which I think is around 18L, I'd have to check. I used this pack for a winter 4000 footer in NH as well and it worked fine, but I really was woefully unprepared for what I was getting myself into in every way shape and form on that hike and would like to carry more appropriate items in the future.
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have on occasion used my 50L (Gregory Jade, LOVE IT) pack for a long day hike. Its not as ideal as a 30L but its what I have (I need a big pack for climbing to fit rope, gear etc in). I used it when I hiked Longs Peak which is about 14 miles and with the possibility of some severe weather, so I wanted to have plenty of food/water and layers. I may have also used it when I hiked Pikes but thats a long ass hike and I needed a ton of food and even then I probably would have been fine with my 15L daypack. There was a bunch of extra room in the 50L when I did Longs but thats what all the compression straps are for and it didn't feel too bulky. If I didn't climb, I probably would see a 30L pack as being the biggest I would want for just daypack usage. You can always lash stuff on the outside of the pack if you run out of room.
 

Soujan

Angel Diva
I've used my Gregory J28 on 2 winter attempts up Mount Washington, so it definitely has enough space in it for extra clothes, crampons and my water bottles. Only thing I don't like is how the ice axe is secured. It kept coming loose. I've even carried a climbing rope in it by just draping it under the lid. Not the most comfortable, but it worked. Like I said before, go with what's most comfortable. Being in pain makes for a long, miserable day. If you like the Osprey, just get it. If you're buying it from REI, you can always return it if it doesn't work out.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
And you could weigh it and have the shop

I'm not sure what happened to that sentence, by the way. I suspect I was typing after a full day of skiing and plumb feel asleep at the keyboard.
Anyway, I meant that stores should have weight bags for use when trying on packs. You can have them put in the exact weight that you'd be carrying and see how it feels.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I guess that is a good distinction. I am shopping for what I'd consider more half day plus trips whereas if I was just going on a local couple of hours type of thing I'd likely use my Dakine pack I use for skiing when out West which I think is around 18L, I'd have to check. I used this pack for a winter 4000 footer in NH as well and it worked fine, but I really was woefully unprepared for what I was getting myself into in every way shape and form on that hike and would like to carry more appropriate items in the future.

You might want to jump on a winter hiking forum, specifically New England-oriented, and get some feedback there. 28L seems small to me for winter activity in the Whites. I do a lot of wilderness first responder training and I tend to err on the side of carrying things I would need in the event of an accident or injury and most of that is stuff for hypothermia prevention that takes up a lot of space.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
You might want to jump on a winter hiking forum, specifically New England-oriented, and get some feedback there. 28L seems small to me for winter activity in the Whites. I do a lot of wilderness first responder training and I tend to err on the side of carrying things I would need in the event of an accident or injury and most of that is stuff for hypothermia prevention that takes up a lot of space.

Thanks for the suggestion, I actually did cross post on a Facebook forum for women hikers in New England and got a lot of feedback there. The consensus seemed to lean towards the larger pack in my case due to it being the best fit wise and that I don't need to fill it always but that having the extra space might come in handy for more emergency gear if hiking solo and for winter etc. Many people tended to carry ~30 something liters year round and some much larger in the winter and much smaller in the summer as well so it varied based on preference and hike length and overnighting etc. At this point I also lean towards the larger pack because of the fit unless I get the opportunity to try more options before I buy. Since I'll be starting in the summer I can probably get away with my ski backpack for now especially with local hikes and build up my stock of other supplies in the meantime. I'm happy to have a bag in mind though so I can easily and quickly pull the trigger if needed. REI also has a 20% off coupon for members right now so that's a motivator, but not a make or break for anything.
 

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