Gear Spec Comparison
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Gear Spec Comparison
The Backpacker magazine Gear Guide Issue used to have a chart in each category (Packs, tents, bags, shoes, etc) listing most brands with a quick spec list showing weight, price, features, size, etc. Now it just does a handful of reviews and picks for each category. Does anyone have a website to recommend that shows the expansive chart like the old Backpacker Gear Guide. I may in the market for a new pack soon and would like a list like that for comparison rather than going back and forth between each company's website.
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CreekRunner
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Re: Gear Spec Comparison
Outdoor Gear Lab has pretty good comparisons. Other than that, I'd recommend evaluating gear the fun way: Color coated spreadsheets. 
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Chase_Rowdy
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Re: Gear Spec Comparison
CreekRunner wrote:Outdoor Gear Lab has pretty good comparisons.
+1
Once you find a few you're interested in, read customer reviews on backcountry, etc.
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spiderman
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Re: Gear Spec Comparison
Take all of the reviews with a fair bit of skepticism since they generally are all positive and focus on features instead of weight. My son has loved his barebones Z-Pack, weighing less than 8 ounces and capable of carrying supplies for a week-long excursion. I cringe when I read reviews of 6 lb packs (for non-Alaskan trips).
http://www.zpacks.com/
We notice lots of people carrying massive loads on overnight trips. We will be effortlessly strolling past them with less than 15 total pounds. Many trip reports for Mt. Olympus in Washington talk about two day death march of 18 miles to get to base camp from the TH. With relatively light gear the approach wasn't bad at all in a single day. We were in Glacier NP last week and passed many people who were huffing and puffing to maintain a 1 mph pace. With less weight it wasn't too hard to knock off the same section at a 2 mph pace. The Z-Pack was excellent for Snowmass, turning a 20 mile brutal day into a more manageable 15 mile summit day plus a relaxing 5 mile approach the night before. Other people on the trip were hauling far more weight and were beat by the time they just completed the approach. Go light and enjoy a new mindset when climbing.
1/2 lb backpack (+1 on Z-Packs)
1.5 lb sleeping bag (hard to beat Western Mountaineering)
0.5 lb ground pad (cheap, thin foam ones work)
<3 lb tent (had good luck with Big Agnes)
1 lb cook system (compact cannister system with titanium pot)
2 lbs of miscellaneous stuff (go light and retreat down the mountain if the weather turns nasty)
Total weight without food and water: ~8 lbs!
http://www.zpacks.com/
We notice lots of people carrying massive loads on overnight trips. We will be effortlessly strolling past them with less than 15 total pounds. Many trip reports for Mt. Olympus in Washington talk about two day death march of 18 miles to get to base camp from the TH. With relatively light gear the approach wasn't bad at all in a single day. We were in Glacier NP last week and passed many people who were huffing and puffing to maintain a 1 mph pace. With less weight it wasn't too hard to knock off the same section at a 2 mph pace. The Z-Pack was excellent for Snowmass, turning a 20 mile brutal day into a more manageable 15 mile summit day plus a relaxing 5 mile approach the night before. Other people on the trip were hauling far more weight and were beat by the time they just completed the approach. Go light and enjoy a new mindset when climbing.
1/2 lb backpack (+1 on Z-Packs)
1.5 lb sleeping bag (hard to beat Western Mountaineering)
0.5 lb ground pad (cheap, thin foam ones work)
<3 lb tent (had good luck with Big Agnes)
1 lb cook system (compact cannister system with titanium pot)
2 lbs of miscellaneous stuff (go light and retreat down the mountain if the weather turns nasty)
Total weight without food and water: ~8 lbs!
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kaiman
- Posts: 1367
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Re: Gear Spec Comparison
I agree with CreekRunner, I've had pretty good luck with purchasing gear after reading comparisons and reviews from Gear Lab. After narrowing the list down to a couple of choices, reading user reviews usually helps me make up my mind.CreekRunner wrote:Outdoor Gear Lab
Kai
"I want to keep the mountains clean of racism, religion and politics. In the mountains this should play no role."
- Joe Stettner
"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."
- Andy Kirkpatrick
- Joe Stettner
"I haven't climbed Everest, skied to the poles, or sailed single-handed around the world. The goals I set out to accomplish aren't easily measured or quantified by world records or "firsts." The reasons I climb, and the climbs I do, are about more than distance or altitude, they are about breaking barriers within myself."
- Andy Kirkpatrick
