That聮s pretty darned good; you聮ve cut your load basically in half. You could come out here and give me some pointers. But then, it聮s probably too obvious what my problem is, when I insist on packing a coffee press and a half pound of Starbucks聮 finest.
Gregory Z55 Backpack
Z55 BackpackFor the load you聮re looking at, there are all sorts of good packs out there. One of the best is the Osprey Aether 60 ($219; ospreypacks.com). The Aether has 3,700 cubic inches of capacity (in the medium), which should be just about right, and is light itself at just under four pounds. Yet it has a suspension that works great up to around 40 pounds or so, with a moldable hip belt and sophisticated design that puts the load where you want it, on hips or shoulders.
If you聮re REALLY cutting the load, then Gregory聮s Z55 ($189; gregorypacks.com) might work well. Capacity is a bit less than the Aether聴about 3,350 cubic inches (in the medium), enough for a multi-day trip, but perhaps on the tight side. It also has an excellent suspension and a design that combines top-load and side-access features. And its hip belt has little pockets for lip balm and the like, which is handy.
REI聮s Cruise UL 60 (rei.com), meanwhile, is about the same size and weight as the Aether 60, has a suspension that works perfectly fine for those lighter loads, yet costs just $130聴a real bargain.
Have a great summer!
The Gear Guy reports from , the bi-annual gearapalooza in Salt Lake City. Check out his top picks for gear to watch in 2007.