Age: 41
Gender: Male
Height/Weight/Torso: 5'10" (1.8 m) / 180 lb (82 kg) / 19.5" (50 cm)
Email:
Region: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Date: July 10, 2004
A Preliminary Owner Review
Name: Mark Verber
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Height/Weight/Torso: 5'10" (1.8 m) / 180 lb (82 kg) / 19.5" (50 cm)
Email:
Region: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Date: July 10, 2004
Review Item:
LuxuryLite Thru-Hiker Pack
Volume Listed:
Listed weight: Less than 2lbs
Weight as delivered: 30oz
MSRP: US$395
A telescoping external frame pack which a bottom shelf. Three cylinders are attached by velco loops.
Hiking around the bay area and sierras. Weather from 40s-80s. Carry weight from 18lb-34lb.
Wasn't as comfortable as vapor trail... having problems with hit belt. Version 1 wasn't good for me. Version 2 was better. Waiting on version 3 of the belt which is suppose to be better still. carry on just hips doesn't work for me. Had a hard time getting pack to sit well without cranking on the shoulder straps. Front bag good idea. Helped keep pack balanced but hard to get set properly.
Too wide for me... I like narrow packs, though switching to three medium size canisters (rather than large, medium and small) could help addressed this.
Innovative design. People who like external frame packs should like it... but I haven't found an external that works well for me (this is the closest). Only reason I am keeping it now is for testing, though the next gen hip belt might be enough to convince me to hold onto the pack.
I did a lot of backpacking from 1972 until the mid '80s. During this time I hiked sections of the AT (approximately 1/3 completed), spent a significant amount of time backpacking in the Rockies (Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Tetons, Glacier National Parks), and frequented Red River Gorge and various destinations in Canada. I recently started backpacking again... mostly in the Sierras. My base weight is now 11-18 lb (4-7 kg). Full carry weight including food and water is typically 20-35 lb (7-16 kg) depending on the length of the trip and what I have taken from other's packs to lighten their load.