@bounceswoosh Yikes! Nonstop noises would surely be a deal breaker for me, too. What brand/model?
I thought I was the only one who hates random noises.... beeping, buzzing - mysterious noises....I HATE random noises. Faucet dripping. Squeaky bed. Something clinking in the car.
Weird, Ospreys are usually pretty well designed so I'm surprised this is an issue!
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.
And you could weigh it and have the shop
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.