"Dang... why does it have to be red?"

I know, Ben. Those long wavelengths really need to be trimmed. I hike exclusively in violet.

As a general message to the industry, I would love to see some lighter, mid-volume running packs. Good compression, plenty of easy stowage rather than just One Giant Bag, and some lighter materials choices. I think Aaron's dream of a 7-9 ouncer is doable.

-Mark

"Dang... why does it have to be red?"

haha, I kind of like the red SLAB pack.

I think the SLAB only comes in red, but you can get the Raid Revo 20 in either red or black. It is essentially the same backpack, just sans a couple of features, and I beleive a slighty more durable fabric. that is why the S-LAB pack comes out a half ounce lighter with more features

I think I read somewhere that the SLAB pack comes without salomons usual warranty, because it uses the lightest materials to achive a lower weight.

Good to know. I don't mind the red but if I don't use the extra features or it's not durable enough I'll probably sell the SLAB and get the regular Raid Revo. It does appear it's not all silnylon though and that they up the fabric in high wear areas. We'll see when it arrives. They're claiming 10oz sans bladder which is pretty intriging. My large size Golite Ion is just under 10oz anyway before trimming the straps and while it's fabric is tougher I found myself wishing I had easier access to things like my extra sunglass lenses, jacket, electrolytes and food without having to stop and take the pack off. Seems like you have to take it to one extreme sometimes before you settle back a little bit in the other direction.

Sorry for jacking the thread :) I am really intrieged by your JMT attempts and appreciate all your pack research since I'm still not satisfied either. While hiking is not my thing it does share a lot of similarities to what I do on a bike.

Edited by Pivvay on 07/19/2007 20:17:29 MDT.

Hey Christopher,
Yes, we have had a few discussions about this trip.

It's hard to believe that I will be spending my first night up there at 11,000' while acclimatizing in one week.
I have a hectic weekend as well, then 2 days of work and I'm off.
A few more reasons I went with the Nathan is with the new pack weight what it is, it will be a lot easier to do as much slow running as I wanted to do.
With all the bouncing around the Nathan just does great. After day 2 when the pack gets below 10 pounds it will really come through.
During my training runs with 9 or 10 pounds I can hardly tell it is on my back.
With the SLAB, it would have to be stuffed to the max and would still fell like a brick after 2 days.

On another note, I will be doing some recordings on my MP3 Player on the trail and will send it in after I'm done for a podcast.

I figured you would get a better perspective of the trail that way. I may not even remember some of the stuff I said when I hear it when I'm done.

Edited by awsorensen on 07/19/2007 21:29:35 MDT.

Extended sleep deprivation WILL permenantly alter your personality. This is a well-studied effect.

The U.S. Army Ranger motto is "Travel light, freeze at night."

At least take an Army poncho & a quilted poncho liner. (Found at Brigade Quartermasters) Some sleep is far better than none.

Eric (Former psychology teacher)

Edited by Danepacker on 07/19/2007 21:41:03 MDT.

Oh I'll sleep, just not at night.

I've already had some of that alter ego-personality dissorder from doing Primal Quest last year.
We got 17 hours of sleep over a 10 1/2 day period.

Edited by awsorensen on 07/20/2007 12:52:29 MDT.

Hey everyone,
I just got off of the phone with Jon Chiappa's girlfriend.
Jon is out there right now going for the unsupported attempt. He has a Sat Phone and will call every day.
I'll keep you posted on the attempt and progress for the next few days until I take off.
You'll have to find out from him how he finished when he gets back, (don't want to spoil his story).

As of now after 24 hours he is only one hour behind.
That is actually pretty amazing, (about 38 miles?), considering that that does not include the 10.6 miles to the top of Whitney, (now comes to about 48+ miles).

It was much colder than he thought it would be and he ended up hiking strait through the night.
He also didn't start on time due to the 3 friends and family that went up with him had a really hard time with the elevation, (not Jon though)

More to come + pics of my gear.

Go Jon! Best of luck and I'll be sending good vibes. I've got another couple buddies out on the Colorado Trail right now too.

O.K.
Here are a few pictures.

This is all the kits. You have-
(lueko tape, asst pills, gum, water treatment, sun block, neosporin, deet, the maps, fire & sewing kit, tp, and batteries).


Here is the Nathan Pack completely striped down.


Last but not least are the insulated pants and jacket.

Edited by awsorensen on 07/21/2007 22:45:27 MDT.

I hear Brian Robinson will be going for a JMT record in August. From the gear list it appears supported.

His gear list

http://www.golite.com/PDF/athletes/gearlists/brian_jmtspeedrecord.pdf

Edited by jshann on 07/22/2007 10:52:06 MDT.

John,
Thank you, I've been searching for something on that.
Yes, he is going for the supported 3 day 17 hour record.

O.K., I guess I know how to take care of buisness.
I just got hold of Brian and he is not going for the record.
He has way too many 100's he's been running this year.

The article was put out early this year when he had it on the schedule.
It's still on his mind and may happen in the next few years.

Edited by awsorensen on 07/22/2007 21:50:26 MDT.

Aaron, good luck on your unsupported attempt. I can't wait to see how well you did. Lots of luck, Jay.

What's the weight of the Nathan before stripping down and what did you remove? The claimed weight I found was 21oz and you have it listed as 22oz stripped.

Batteries are good stuff. I've been using them on all the big rides. Saved over a pound in batteries alone on a 3 day trip although it was pricey. One of the downsides to night mountain biking, you need some decent light. I can get by with 120 lumens or so most of the time.

If Aaron got off on schedule and stayed on his schedule he should have finished today. Has anybody heard from Aaron?

He's probably sleeping! I know I'd sleep for a few days before I thought about posting my experience on BPL after something like that.
Hopeful all went well for him. I'm really anxious to hear the outcome, especially how all of his gear worked and such. That Nathan pack is pretty interesting...

Adam

Well I'm back.
I'm writing up a trip report that will be in the trip reports in just a bit.