Hi everyone! I am currently using a 2003 Gregory Shasta for backpacking. It is heavy and super comfortable but I am in the market for a 3 pound and under pack. I carry a Rei quarterdome when I hike with my girlfriend and I am anticipating carrying ~35-40 pounds at most. Any suggestions? I have been checking out the GoLite Pinnacle and GoLite Quest. Any experiences?

35-40 lbs is a fair amount of weight, the Pinacle only has a ccf pad as a "frame"- not sure how it would fare w/ that much weight

the Quest does a have a more traditional hard frame sheet (w/ a couple of aluminum stays) so between the two, probably a better choice

I'd also look at the ULA Catalyst- good volume, full featured and should handle the loads your looking at

also peek at the Osprey Exos 56

there was a recent article that reviewed a large number (20+ iirc) of internal frame packs that would be worth perusing

Yes, 35-40 pounds is decent load. Also, see if you can get a guess on the volume of pack you need. Some hikers think in terms of cubic inches of volume, and some think in terms of liters of volume, but we can convert from one unit to another.

My old rule of thumb is that I need 1000 cubic inches for every ten pounds of load.

However, your load may be unusually dense, like if you are carrying lots of metal or liquid fuel.

--B.G.--

Also consider Granite Gear - Nimbus Ozone. 3 lbs and can carry heavier loads in true comfort. You can also swap out the hipbelt and shoulder harness for different sizes for a semi-custom fit.

There are really great UL options from a lot of cottage manufacturers like Six Moon Designs, Gossamer Gear, Mountain Laurel Designs, ULA, ZPacks, etc. I would, in the very least, spend some time browsing all the packs on these sites just to get an idea about size, weight, features etc.

However, if you are looking to start the gradual descent into UL madness, then a Osprey Exos 58 or 46 or an REI Flash 50 might be a good place to start. Both would give you the ability to try on the pack and return if needed (assuming you live near an REI).

I would look at a Osprey Exos or Aarn pack at that weight.

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions!!! I appreciate it. I was interested in trying out the REI flash. I am trying to get my load down to 25.

The QuarterDome is a great "semi-light" piece of gear. I have one that I use for family camping, and when backpacking with the family Daddy often carries 35-40 lbs. Daddy uses an Osprey Aether70 and is happy with it. Of course, solo Daddy goes ultralight with an MLD Exodus :)
Anyway, the Exos would be a good pack for you. My son has the Flash 50 and it also appears to be quality gear.

At 35-40#, I'd stay with the Shasta. If you can drop your weight some, a ULA Catalyst or Conduit would be the hot ticket, IMO. I've carried about 30# in my Pinnacle, and it was very uncomfortable. With no frame, it kind of collapses in the middle.

The flash is a great starter pack for people transitioning into UL packs. the ULA Circuit is also a great pack and lighter than the flash 65. I feel the flash rides better and the padding is more comfortable but the Circuit's hip belt pockets were much better than that little scrawny hip pocket the flash had.

Right now I got my pack weight and gear to a point where I transitioned to the ULA OHM pack.

Thanks everyone. I am going to look into all of the cottage manufacturers. From what I can tell I really like the exos 58. I normally strap the quarterdome to the outside of my pack, I think the exos can handle that? Thanks. - Ryan

While they rarely get any love, the Six Moon Designs packs should work well for you. Even without a frame, BPL found that the design made them comfortable all the way up to 35 lbs (This is the Starlite Model).

I would take a serious look at it. If you want something more traditional in pack, then the Osprey Exos 58 is rated to carry up to 40lbs or so. The Exos 46 is only recommended for 30lbs. Also, you may want to wait a while and look into the new Hornet series of packs that Osprey is coming out with. Sub 2lbs with a framesheet and stays.

for those weights id recommend going local and trying on everything you can with that much weight in it

bring all yr gear into REI and stuff the pack the way you would on the trail ... walk around for an hour or two up and down stairs

keep repeating until you find the pack thats perfect for you ... if it weights a few onces more ... so be it

you dont want to be halfway in the hike and find out yr pack is killing you at 40 lbs ...

a 40 lb load on a pack that doesnt work is a serious issue ...

if you go cottage ... either go Mchale with a custom fit ... or get it from somewhere with a very good return policy

remember that all the pack recommendations you hear here are useless unless the pack fits YOU

Personally, I'd recommend going something from ULA or Granite Gear. I've always been a Granite Gear guy, owing mostly to the fact that I'm in Northern Minnesota and gotta keep it real. I got a ULA Circuit this summer, and have been very happy with it. You'd want the larger Catalyst if you went the ULA route, for the additional space and carrying capacity.

Something you didn't mention is how much volume you need. If you're using the full 5000 in^3 of that Shasta, you're going to be hard pressed to find a pack with that volume, that comfortably carries that kind of weight *and* weighs 3 lbs. The GoLite Quest and Odyssey come pretty close, though.

Don't want to be a wet blanket, but it might make a lot more sense to put the money into bringing the weight down before investing in an ultralight pack. Yes, you'd drop 3 lbs switching from the 6 lb Shasta to a Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone, but you might accomplish the same by leaving the heavy soft shell or camp shoes at home and otherwise changing nothing. Better yet, do that *and* buy a new pack- suddenly, your load is 10 lbs lighter.

I wouldn't go with the GoLite Pinnacle- with no real frame, you're not going to be happy carrying 35-40 pounds after a few miles. I've never tried any of the framed GoLite packs, seem like they scratch an itch that I don't have.