Backpack Recommendation

[Erich1B]

My wife and I plan to return to Yosemite next year, and it is my intention to get a wilderness permit from Happy Isles trailhead to LYV. I'd like to hike to LYV via the John Muir trail and camp overnight then do Half Dome the next day.

I haven't carried a pack since I was in the Army in the early 80's.

Could someone make a backpack recommendation. I'm looking for a backpack that could accomodate at most, a two day trip.

Thanks in advance..........Erich

[AlmostThere]

What you need in a backpack depends entirely on what gear you have and what fits your backs. I can fit all my gear and food for five days in a 45 liter pack - but I backpack all the time and have very light, very compact sleeping gear. Getting the weight down and having a compressible sleeping bag does the trick. Most people I have backpacked with use a pack between 60-80 liters, with a few exceptions.

My recommendation is to head to a local sporting good place that sells most brands of backpacks, have them measure your torso (there are diagrams online that show you how this is done, it's the measurement from the top of the iliac crest (the flaring upward bits of your hip bone) and the third vertebrae (the knob on the back of your neck) and the measurement round your waist at the iliac crest), and try on some packs.

Some people find that Ospreys work for them, some don't. Some find that Gregory works, others don't. It's all very personal. Like clothing.

If you are going to make a habit of backpacking fit and so forth is very important. If this is a one time trip.... You can rent a backpack at REI or another outfitter. There is an REI in Fresno. You can also rent a tent, stove, pads to sleep on and trekking poles if you like.

If you are going to be also buying other gear and continuing to backpack, the lighter you go, the more comfortable you will be... you should plan on spending the majority of your dollars on tent, backpack, sleeping bag and shoes, as those are the most important to get right. Get the weight of your gear below 20 lbs (gear exclusive of consumables - food, fuel, water) and you will be quite comfortable.

Oh, and you will need a pack that will fit the bear canister you MUST have in Yosemite. Something with a pack bag big enough to carry all your gear and the canister as well. Hanging it outside the pack while loaded will throw you off balance and be dangerous, unless you have an external frame you can strap it firmly to.

[backpacker3]

You should also put some heavy things in the packs that you are trying on, so that you have a sense of how they will feel when you are using them.

[holz]

I personally recommend a backpack this is a backpacker magazine editor's choice. Check out their website and take a look at what they recommend. I am currently using an Arc'Teryx Naos 55 and absolutely love it. There is a cheaper Arc'Teryx model they recommended this year. Can't go wrong with them IMO.

Actually nearly everything I carry in my pack is a backpacker magazine editor's choice and they have yet to fail me.

All the other advice is spot on. Definitely put some weight in it and walk around the store for at least 15 min. Go up and down stairs if you can. Spend some time with it.

It is fun to go shopping for items such as that. Enjoy!

[AlmostThere]

Keep in mind that ordering only backpacking magazine editor's choices will result in a heavy pack.

I have purchased nothing from backpacker magazine reviews - more than half my gear is from cottage manufacturers and is equal or better quality than what one finds in your average REI/other sports store.

But, if durability is more your priority, or just having a box store to pick stuff up and handle it first, REI or other is fine. One of the finest gear stores I have ever been in is the Down Works in Santa Cruz. They have the entire line of Osprey and Granite Gear packs, lots of Western Mountaineering and Montbell down bags and clothing - excellent high quality merchandise you will never see in REI.

One of the reasons I mention this is not to diss anyone but to make you aware that alternatives to 5-6 lb packs, 3-4 lb sleeping bags, and 5-8 lb tents exist, are well made, and readily available to anyone who is tired of carrying 40-50 lbs of gear. Places like Gossamer Gear, ULA, Jacks R Better, Nunatak, and other cottage manufacturers receive consistent rave reviews and provide excellent customer service.

Choose your gear according to your priority - budget and durability? you'll have a heavy pack. I have a durable pack for rough off trail and very lightweight gear for leisure backpacking. I very much prefer the lightweight. I get more miles out of the day and less wear and tear on the joints that way.

[cjoz]

Definitely try on a bunch of different makes/models for fit/comfort and also for your gear. I really liked the Osprey packs (esp. Atmos 65) but they just didn't fit me very well. I kinda liked the REI Flash but it didn't work very well with my gear. I ultimately got a Gregory z65 and love it. Feels weightless to me and my gear has a place to go.

My recommendaiton is to take them home and load it with the gear you're planning on using and see how it fits/feels. REI will give you sandbags for weight, but there is no subsitute for seeing how your bag, pad, stove, bladder, bear can and clothes will sit in the bag.

[bill-e-g]

If you are only going to LYV... then you don't need a bear can.
There are bear lockers there.

You can buy something like an Osprey Talon 44 and use it
for dayhiking too. This pack is 2 1/2 pounds and I use it
for many backpacking trips up to about 4 days.
A regular size bear can won't fit nicely in it though.
But the Bear Boxer does.

That's my recommendation.

If your pack is > 5 lbs then IMO you bought too much pack.
My old Gregory Shasta (which is monstorously huge... and I love..
I only use for winter).

Good luck

[Erich1B]

Thanks for all the replies, gives me somewhere to start researching. Unfortunately, I don't live in an area where there is an outdoor outfitter that has a large selection of backpacks that I could try on which of course would be ideal.

Reading the replies, made me realize that one of the things that I was trying to ask was what volume of pack might I need for a one or two day camping trip?

If you are only going to LYV... then you don't need a bear can. There are bear lockers there.

Good to know this, so I won't need to purchase one. Thanks.

[bill-e-g]

The volume depends on how much gunk you bring.
If you bring a tent or tarp. How well your sleeping bag compresses,
if you bring a stuffed bird with you, yadda yadda yadda.

I wouldn't go smaller than what I mentioned above. Osprey Talon 44.

Other pack I have is Granite Gear Nimbus Meridian. That one is
good for weeklong trip including full bear can.

Good luck hunting

[AlmostThere]

If you have nowhere local to rent, and decide to do so... check out lowergear.com.

I do not know what service is like, as I have all gear and no need to rent. But they will send it to you.

I think if you think you want to backpack, and don't really know what you want or whether you'll still want to go after the first trip, rentals first. And if you decide you want to go more... start researching and buying. And if you decide (like me) to go a lot, like every month, spend the money to get what really works for you, in terms of pack, boots/shoes, sleeping gear and shelter - it will pay off. Those $500 sleeping bags that last for decades really are worth it if you use them a LOT. Not so much if you go twice in the next five years.

[bill-e-g]

Don't get hung up on any brand name.

Eureka makes some great tents...

Campmor makes (or has made for them) some great down sleeping bags...

One Eureka tent I bought 14 years ago still in great shape after 100's of
uses. Campmor sleeping bags are inexpensive and work great.

Many many manufacturers have lifetime guarantee so don't get caught
up with something looking or feeling cheap necessarily. (I originally
poo poo'd the Osprey Talon pack but eventually bought it.. .. and the
thing has been smacked around big time ... no problems at all)

All that being said... I'm in love with my Montbell sleeping bags.
(gave away the Campmor ones we used for about 10 yrs)


btw... if you're going to LYV in August... you can leave the tent
behind too. Bugs are gone... not gonna rain...
40 degree sleeping bag...

[Erich1B]

Don't get hung up on any brand name.

Eureka makes some great tents...

Campmor makes (or has made for them) some great down sleeping bags...

One Eureka tent I bought 14 years ago still in great shape after 100's of
uses. Campmor sleeping bags are inexpensive and work great.

Many many manufacturers have lifetime guarantee so don't get caught
up with something looking or feeling cheap necessarily. (I originally
poo poo'd the Osprey Talon pack but eventually bought it.. .. and the
thing has been smacked around big time ... no problems at all)

All that being said... I'm in love with my Montbell sleeping bags.
(gave away the Campmor ones we used for about 10 yrs)


btw... if you're going to LYV in August... you can leave the tent
behind too. Bugs are gone... not gonna rain...
40 degree sleeping bag...

Just sleep out in the open in a sleeping bag?

[AlmostThere]

I do that all the time, but in a hammock. One of the reasons I like it - throw the tarp back and sprawl out and watch the night go by. I've seen a lot of falling stars, counted bats flying by...

[bill-e-g]

Just sleep out in the open in a sleeping bag?

Heck ya. Once you do it... you won't want to go back in the tent.

Example:

http://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.ch ... 0135095666

(my bag is in an ultralight bivy sack there) (merely for the extra warmth)

[Erich1B]

Just sleep out in the open in a sleeping bag?

Heck ya. Once you do it... you won't want to go back in the tent.

Example:

http://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.ch ... 0135095666

(my bag is in an ultralight bivy sack there) (merely for the extra warmth)

I would have no problems with sleeping out in the open, I did all the time in the field in the Army.

However, there is no way in H E L L that my wife would do this - LOL.