EDIT: I wanted to add these also, but was having some technical problems




I was very excited to recieve my jam2 today. I was very pleased with its size, weight, construction, and appearance. Though I obviously have not tested it yet, I hope that these pictures and comments help you. also, this is the palm color

scale reads 1 lb 5.6 oz, not bad for no modifications yet

I very pleased with its size. this it with the extension collar up. very large

top closure in more detail

fully closed

this is what you may not have seen, I hadn't. this is the inside, the part that would be against one's back. a rather useless keychain device, 3 Liter water bladder holder and the removeable foam panel

the foam being removed in more detail

I also really liked the pockets, which were roomy enough for my 2 lb digital slr

back side view

size when fully compressed

bottom view when compressed

Edited by stephenn6289 on 01/23/2007 12:33:09 MST.

Looks nice indeed! Thanks for posting the pics.

Yeah, why do gearmakers feel like they have to add a key fob in all their packs? Not only is it useless (IMO anyway), but the strip of material can get in the way. Not a fatal flaw obviously, but annoying.

Everything else looks great! Have fun with it!

Is that a key fob or a clip for a hydration bladder? I've seen mfrs put clips in that spot to prevent bladders from slouching into the pocket...but they usually look a bit different than that...

I think the key fob is actually used to clip to the top of your hydration bladder, keeping if from slipping to the bottom of the sleeve as its contents are emptied. Some packs use a small clip, others might use a sewn loop of cord or nylon webbing.

Cheers,
Sheldon

I probably wont use it, there isn't a clip on a platy, an extra .1 oz less when I remove it.

I believe it's just a key fob/key clip. Bladder clips or toggles would come in a pair, rather than singly and dangling at the end of a thin, long strip of material.

I think the bladder sleeve does the job of securing the bladder in this pack???

Edited by ben2world on 01/22/2007 21:14:53 MST.

Dude,
I agree, cut it off. 0.1 oz is 0.1 oz especially something that appears useless. Just do it.

Man! That's a good looking pack! Makes me almost wish I hadn't already got my Jam...almost :D

Tom

Anyone care to do a side-by-side comparison between Jam and Jam2?

How did you take a picture of your camera? Magic? Trickery?

I kid, of course. Thanks for the photos, it helps solidify my decision to purchase this pack as soon as I have the funds.

Stephen you could use a simple paper punch to put a hole in the bottom of the Platy for the clip to connect.

I highly doubt that someone with that quality of camera gear would carry it so exposed in the side pocket of a pack IMO.

I don't find the 'expanded volume' of the 'top sleeve' very useful in practice. From my experience with similiar type packs; the upper/expanded portion when filled is very unstable/unsupported and tends to throw the pack off balance IMO. Also, it prevents you from being able to look up, what with the pack hoverin' directly behind your head.

The foam back looks similiar to the one used by Mountain Hardware in their 'Scrambler' summit pack. It's a bear in that pack to take out and reinsert due to it's shape, and the coating on the pack's fabric. I just tried this in a store this past weekend, and it was more of a hassle than the pad would be worth using everyday to me. YMMV because this is a different pack, and I'm not sure of the foam's cut, nor the pack material.

Does anyone know how to put ice axe on to my Jam2?

Stephen:

Which size did you buy, and how tall are you? In the first photo the "hip belt" seems to be a "navel belt."

I like GoLite packs but, having a long torso, I find that most of the models have hip belts that, at best, are waist belts for me. I want a pack's weight to rest on my pelvis, not on my, um, surplusage.

I purchased a large, which is supposed to be for torsos seized 20-22. I am 6 ft. and have about a 20 in torso. it is resting on my pelvis in the picture, I just wear my clothes loosely. Thought it does seem to ride up a little while I tested it today, but I tested with my maximum weight for my next trip (24lbs) and it was fine for me. It rode very comfortably and didn't hurt my shoulders at all.

The most noteable difference is the zipper to the outside pocket. The Jam2 has a waterproof zipper whereas the Jam has a flap covering the a standard zipper, keeping it well covered with a double layer of fabric. The outside shockcord attachment gismo on the Jam2 is only a piece of vertical webbing making a two loop daisey chain on the Jam with a Golite velcro attachment piece, one on both sides. There are two ice axe loops on both packs and compression straps. The Jam does not have the clip and loop system next to the axe loops. That system must help keep the bottom of the pack from riding too low over one's butt when the pack is not full? The inner pocket for the bladder has no key hook. The outside side pockets are a larger holed mesh on the Jam, similar to the mesh on the Breeze. The large outside pocket on the back is not spectra cloth. The outside pocket is not pleated like its sister on the Gust, but there is room above the zipper line, so the pocket is quite spacious. It looks as though the Jam2 has more material on the hip-belt, but that is hard to tell. For me the Jam (size M) was jammed packed full with 5 days of gear food and water, but it worked. As with most packs it is a pain to refill the bladder mid-hike, so I started just laying the bladder on top, sideways in the pack. Works well, though leaning to one side to get water, becomes necessary as bladder gets low. Could only do this with the Jam after most of the food was gone. Having a second 1 liter platypus, kept empty in a side pocket is used when I stop for water mid-hike. Drink a liter and move on. The Jam has a nice daisey chain along the shoulder strap where I attach a small pocket for my digital camera. There is also a small elastic for a water hose to pass through and two label webbing going horizontal. Nothing jumps out from the photos of the Jam2 to make me wish I had one instead of a Jam, but maybe Jam2 has a bit more of a collar and, hence, more volume. The collar on the Jam adds 6" to the height. Thanks for the nice pictures! PS In the photo with the pack on the scale, I noticed what looks like a mesh shoulder strap, the Jam also has lightly padded shoulder straps with mesh.

Edited by rambler on 01/24/2007 07:43:41 MST.

The black plastic piece that the gray elastic cord runs through is actually a hook. Unhook the cord and lay the shaft of the ice axe between the hook and the elastic cord. Wrap the cord over the top of the ice axe shaft and reattach it to the hook. The hook is a very tight fit, so it takes a little force.

Thank you Ken!
At first I thought I must put shaft into the hoop. It was like a puzzle ring.
Now I've understood and can attach a ice axe onto Jam2. It works well.


IMHO,
I think golite tilted Jam2's hip belt more downward than Jam1. Or due to shape of the Jam2's flared bottom.
In consequence, I feel Jam2 take a more high-rise position than Jam1.

I have noticed that also as I have been hiking these last few days, it seems to ride a bit. I think that this is because the shoulder straps run through the hip belt, but I am not sure. I also don't know what effect this will have over a 20 mile day. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Stephen,

Did you do any research between the Jam2 and the Pinnacle? I'm from the Great Lakes State of MI and often catch the 3-4 season thing. Just wondering...

John

Hey guys!
Er, I'm chiming in a little late here... I just posted a review of my Jam2 w/ pics, only to see many similar pics here. Sorry!

I did take a look at the Pinnacle, but didn't meaningfully test it out or anything. Basically it appears identical to the Jam2 only w/ more volume, i.e. - I wouldn't expect drastically greater load-carrying capacity. Admittedly I'm picky about pack fit, but so far packweights under 24 lbs are the max I would consider comfortable for really long days. That might put a cramp on your winter kit (I'd be borderline on anything more than a weekender). Others will undoubtably disagree. BPL's Frameless Pack Analysis certainly does, suggesting a 28 lb failure weight for the OLD Jam! I'm sure Will's Rietveld's review of both packs will shed some light.
Jason

Edited by PA_Jay on 01/26/2007 14:14:04 MST.