light weight alpine pack

[chesterboo]

I have just ordered one of the Cilo gear packs and I will put it on the scale when it arrives and let you know the real numbers.

[Kraken]

can't go wrong with the new BD Predator Pack either. Check it out.

[crackers]

I am having a posting problem right now, but let me briefly say that I emailed the following to Chesterboo, and PM'd it to another person, and I guess I might as well post it here too. As always, I welcome questions.

 

 

As the pack designer, let me talk about the weight thing to you in tedious detail. The pack ships with ten straps. Total, these ten straps weigh, on average having weighed 300 sets of straps, between 8 and 10 ounces. You can put all ten straps onto the pack at the same time, but I can't really understand why in hell anybody would really want to do that. In fact, I almost never use more than 4 straps at the same time. I believe that the point of these bags is that they are modular: you can and should remove the parts you don't need or arent using. You should also modify the parts to fit your needs. Because I wanted to make it very cheap to buy these bags, I didn't spend money on cleaning up the threads left over during production or cutting the PE sheet into the most elegant and lightweight form. I encourage all the users of these packs to modify them to fit their needs. Personally, I cut about half of the PE sheet off, and I know that many of my customers have done similar things as recommended in the manual. I save about $10 off the retail cost by supplying what is basically a straight cut sheet of PE and leaving it to the end user to shape it. Eventually, I want to have the machinery to press out nice shapes without raising the cost of the bag, but right now, it's user custom.

 

average weights as shipped:

the pack bag weighs just under two pounds.*

the lid weighs about six ounces

the hipbelt weighs about 7 ounces

the framesheet and stay weigh 14 ounces unmodified. My framesheet & stay weigh 9 ounces, and i only use them with 50+ pound loads. (ie guiding)

 

If you do use everything the pack includes, yes, you can make it weigh a lot. If you use a reasonable (aka normal) set up, or spend a bit of time modifying your gear, you will have a remarkably versatile, durable pack that can be very light in the mountains and live to tell the story. Please remember what Ken said in his post (and in his emails to me) "it's too light for me to trust it."

 

As the product changes and develops, I plan to make 'updates' available to all of my original customers for cost + S&H. The first update will include the following options: new lighter lid, new lighter hipbelt, 1.5" webbing hipbelt, and red simple straps. The total cost of this update will likely be about $40 with priority mail shipping.

 

*The first twenty five weighed a lot less, but i used two lots of fabric in the construction, and guess what, the second lot of fabric was/is significantly heavier than the manufacturers' specifications.

[Aya]

The lid of the worksack turns into not only a waistpack but also a little backpack. It's awesome! All this stuff should be on your website, crackers!!!

[billcoe]

Billcoe and all, How did I get a 70 lb pack. yes I admit it must seem staggering and it felt staggering too. Probably the main reason was that I was going with my 69 year old father and I wanted him to have a relatively "easy" time on way up to Muir. So I, being the loving son that I am, carried a 3 person 4 season 12 pound tent, all the food, all the cooking gear, first aid etc....

rope, etc.... I told him to carryy his cloths and sleeping gear and harness and helmet. I should say that last year on the DC route I went with a friend and my pack leaving paradise was 40 with the rope and water. Friend had the pickets. I have a FF winter wren bag, zrest pad, and jetboil stove. I am really now trying to take less stuff. Oh by the way I now have BD first light tent. 2lbs 9 0z.

My thinking is that I can cut 4 lbs off pack weight and be around 35 pound mark. I can prob find a few other things I don't really need too.

 

Now you're talking! When I was a pup I use to take others gear just to get practice with excessive weight and see if I could still outclimb them. Great exercise when volentary. I'm sure your dad was appreciative, as I age I get a better understaning of this effect. Last time up Snake Dike, I let the pup I was with carry the rope and draws and he still outhiked me.

 

All this talk of packs is getting me excited for more gear. I'm a gear whore, I'll confess. I happen to have an awesome wife who understands that and is quite the enabler: having bought me my last 2 or 3 packs. To those who see me with that ratty ol F*ed up Millet pack, well, I wouldn't want my new North Face or Kelty ripped off which I'm up on a route, so I leave that piece of shit at the base while the new ones languish in the basement.

 

That Millets been up a lot of mountains with me, it would be lonely if I left it home alone.

[mike1]

Arcteryx Needle

[genepires]

no one mentioned wild things yet. i have a rock sack that has taken serious beatings and keeps going. very light and no BS features. I would bet that the ice sack would fit your requirements. they have been making them for decades and found a make that works, so they stick with it.

[Alpinfox]

 

Anyone ever use one of THESE?

2lbs, 14oz, 40L, removable bivy pad, 2 axe loops.

Looks like a "turgid sausage" model, but here is the kicker:

 

$52.50!!!

[tthirloway]

I've been looking into the Cilo packs but wasn't sure about the fit. Can anyone comment on how they fit narrow vs. wide shoulders?

Also, most of the people who had posted on this thread before had just received their Cilo packs and hadn't tried them out. Now that you've had some time to use them, what do you think?

 

Thanks.

[Lambone]

I really like my Granite Gear "Alpine Vapor" pack.

 

http://www.backcountry.com/store/GRG0037/c3/s8/Granite-Gear-Alpine-Vapor-Backpack-3600cu-in.html

[DPS]

 

Looks like a "turgid sausage"

 

$52.50!!!

I find it so flattering when people quote me.

[chesterboo]

I like my Cilo pack. It is lightweight, comfortable, compresable and seems durable. Takes some getting used to all the settings. I cannot compare to the others listed as I have not tried them.

[Delmarco]

I really like my Granite Gear "Alpine Vapor" pack.

 

http://www.backcountry.com/store/GRG0037/c3/s8/Granite-Gear-Alpine-Vapor-Backpack-3600cu-in.html

 

Awesome pack! And light as well.

I almost bought the same Vapor off the internet last month for ice climbing, but since the living rent-free at home days are behind me and I'm still paying off my grad school tuition I no longer care to spend more than $150 max on a 50L-60L size pack...

 

I like Lowe Alpine packs because they perform well over the years and are torso fit friendly for the 18 to 20 inch torsos.

 

I currently use a Lowe Alpine Ion HyperLite 60L pack that works as well in terms of being less than 4lbs when empty and hauling rugged & heavy gear securely as good as the more expensive packs-like the Vapor.

 

 

I totally recommend Lowe Alpine packs since they are cheap and proven long-lasting packs.

 

I can't tell you how many old schoolers I hike with that still use their 1994-1998 Contour 40 & 60 packs and on the same page how many noobs I hike with that bought newer $200+ super-wispy-light fabric packs with the fancy "air" suspension frames and copious strappings & clips (like the ones by North Face/Gregory) and only used them a few times before crampons or ice axes ripped thru the fabric or their packs just wore out after 1 or 2 heavy duty expeditions.

 

The pack below is a super light Snow Attack 50L I bought at a closeout sale over the holidays and you can see the versatlity of the pack. It carries anything you need and then some. I used it once to haul the gear in the pictures and it worked perfectly for my 20 inch torso.

 

 

 

[Aya]

I've been using Cilo packs for two years now and they've been great.

 

I recently tried on the "next generation" ones and the fit was even more comfortable. It's a rare pack that will fit my 19.5" torso and girly hips, but I loaded it up and it was great.