How to choose pack and sleeping bag

[thesam]

So I've just about run my 70L backpack and old 40F bag into the ground. They're old and lasted me many good years. I'm new to the PNW and mountaineering altogether and have mostly done 5-7 day trips at lower elevations out east.

 

I'd like to get a new pack and a new bag to replace my old ones, but also to offer me the chance to get into mountaineering this year. I'd like to be able to take this stuff on a summer overnighter with my wife and, if possible, up one of the volcanoes some day.

 

What should I be looking for in both a backpack and a sleeping bag? Any crowd favorites here at CC? I'm not on a budget as long as it's multi-purpose, quality stuff that I'll have for years.

 

To throw a few names out there. In bags I was looking at the Osprey Aether and the Gregory Makalu Pro. For bags, nothing specific but I prefer down and am a relatively cold sleeper. How low of a temperature rating is good for the Cascades, keeping in mind I'm all about winter camping at low elevations.

Edited June 23, 2008 by thesam

[counterfeitfake]

70 L is too big for an overnighter. Get something smaller, 50 L or less, and lighter. Carry less gear. Be lighter and faster.

 

I would not try to get one sleeping bag for all seasons. Summertime here, 30 degrees, wintertime, probably fifteen-zero degrees.

 

I love my Serratus Icefall but that company doesn't exist anymore. I've seen a lot of Cold Cold World packs on the backs of friends and other climbers I respect. A guy here named crackers runs Cilogear and a lot of people here like his stuff.

[AR_Guy]

As far as the pack, it somewhat depends on all of the other gear you have. The pack merely allows you to carry the stuff you really need.

 

So - are you 'traditional' in your gear (everything bombproof, white gas stove, synthetic bag, double wall tent, filter, etc, and equally heavy?) or more lightwieght or ultra-light (single wall tent or tarp, down bag, alcohol stove with Ti pot, chemical water treatment)? What's your style? That'll directly influence your pack choice.

 

If you're toward the light end of the scale, check out Granite Gear packs. They're very popular with the long distance hiking crowd. I was very pleased with the Vapor Trail on my PCT thru hike in 2006. It's an excellent combination of durability, volume, light weight and comfortable load carrying ability. There were LOTS of GG packs on the trail.

 

Also check out Gossamar Gear packs if you're toward the light end of the pack weight.

 

Another quite popular pack company in the hiker community is ULA (www.ula-equipment.com) Quality stuff.....

 

There were also quite a few Osprey packs out on the trail. The provided excellent customer service to one of my fellow hikers in Mammoth. One of her pack stays /frame rods broke and they authorized a replacement out of one of the shops there in Mammoth over the phone.

 

For the sleeping bag, I'll second CCF's comment about not trying to get one bag to do everything. A 30 degree bag is a good all around choice for summer time Cascades. If you need additional warmth on a given trip, sleep in your down parka / vest and pull on some long johns. That allows you to adjust the warmth of the sleep system to the conditions you're in.

 

Get a 800 or 800+ fill down bag for maximum warmth for minimum weight and pack volume. Respected brands in the long distance hiker community (I saw lots of these on the trail): Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends, Marmot.

 

Look for continious baffles so you can move the down around from top to bottom in the bag. On the colder nights, you shake the down around so it'll be on top, on the warmer nights, do the opposite.

 

A quality bag will cost you, but it's worth it.

[thesam]

Thanks for the comments so far. I would definitely say I'm not ultralight. I'd not purely traditional either, but probably lean more that way.

 

I'd also add that if a solid choices exist, I'd love a pack that can haul skis without much trouble. Although I'm a newb to climbing, hiking for tracks is something I love to do. If I can kill two birds with one stone then all the better.

 

I've some friends that have told me the same story about the Osprey stays and their great support for a handful of PCT hikers.