Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

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WanderingJim
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by WanderingJim »

Most of the time, I just use my big backpack (Osprey Exos 58 Pack) as my day pack on my backpacking trips.

It's not that much heavier than my day packs and the thought of carrying the weight of another pack on top of the 40-45 pounds of other gear just isn't really attractive to me. :)

On the occasions when I need something a bit less bulky, lighter, and need to avoid it catching on branches, rocks, etc. I have a lightweight packable daypack that I often use to organize my gear inside my big backpack that can be used for a small daypack as needed. It's an older version of this https://seatosummitusa.com/collections/ ... 0270659687

Although I did have to modify it with a little horizontal clip that holds the two shoulder straps together over my chest. Otherwise the pack would sometimes slip off.
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oldschool
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by oldschool »

I have an Exos 48 and 58. Light weight, two sizes to choose from, and a very good pack. No need for another pack (day pack) to be carried.

I'm a fan of keeping it simple. Do the math....I want to add additional weight to my pack by packing another pack in my pack so I have a smaller pack to wear once I get to camp. Personally I don't get it.
"There's a feeling I get when I look to the West and my spirit is crying for leaving" Led Zeppelin
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mtree
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by mtree »

oldschool wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:00 pm I have an Exos 48 and 58. Light weight, two sizes to choose from, and a very good pack. No need for another pack (day pack) to be carried.

I'm a fan of keeping it simple. Do the math....I want to add additional weight to my pack by packing another pack in my pack so I have a smaller pack to wear once I get to camp. Personally I don't get it.
Carrying a summit pack has multiple advantages. 1) Its REALLY small and lightweight. Way lighter than your Exos 48 or 58. 2) My summit pack has a tiny footprint. A nice benefit when scooting around narrow ledges. 3) I've lost a certain amount of energy hiking in the previous day with a 33lb backpack. The easier my summit attempt the better. That means traveling ultra light the next morning. 4) My summit pack is already packed so I don't have to mess with unpacking or repacking. Easy peezy. Especially in the dark of night.

Now for the math. I'm guessing your Exos 48 or 58 weighs somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 lbs. Your pack weight (without water or beer) coming in is probably between 25-40lbs. My summit pack weighs about 8oz. At a maximum that's roughly only 2% more added weight to my pack. Insignificant. I can handle that.

The next morning I'm carrying about 5lbs to the summit strapped tight and neat to my back. Assuming we're carrying identical gear, you're adding the extra weight of your Exos 48 and now you're carrying at least 7lbs plus the bulk. That's a 40% increase in weight. Maybe that matters to you or maybe it doesn't. Maybe you don't know. I'd rather err on the side of ultra light for the summit attempt. That could matter on an extended jaunt like the Crestones, Capitol, or Snowmass. Energy is a precious commodity.

That's my accurate manipulation of the math and I'm sticking by it.
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mtnkub
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by mtnkub »

^ Yup, that math is about right!
With 2lb 10z, the Exos 48 is actually a nice light weight pack. If i was using one of those, i might skip the summit pack too.
But with my heavier Aether, it's no contest for me.
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oldschool
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by oldschool »

mtree wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:47 pm
oldschool wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:00 pm I have an Exos 48 and 58. Light weight, two sizes to choose from, and a very good pack. No need for another pack (day pack) to be carried.

I'm a fan of keeping it simple. Do the math....I want to add additional weight to my pack by packing another pack in my pack so I have a smaller pack to wear once I get to camp. Personally I don't get it.
Carrying a summit pack has multiple advantages. 1) Its REALLY small and lightweight. Way lighter than your Exos 48 or 58. 2) My summit pack has a tiny footprint. A nice benefit when scooting around narrow ledges. 3) I've lost a certain amount of energy hiking in the previous day with a 33lb backpack. The easier my summit attempt the better. That means traveling ultra light the next morning. 4) My summit pack is already packed so I don't have to mess with unpacking or repacking. Easy peezy. Especially in the dark of night.

Now for the math. I'm guessing your Exos 48 or 58 weighs somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 lbs. Your pack weight (without water or beer) coming in is probably between 25-40lbs. My summit pack weighs about 8oz. At a maximum that's roughly only 2% more added weight to my pack. Insignificant. I can handle that.

The next morning I'm carrying about 5lbs to the summit strapped tight and neat to my back. Assuming we're carrying identical gear, you're adding the extra weight of your Exos 48 and now you're carrying at least 7lbs plus the bulk. That's a 40% increase in weight. Maybe that matters to you or maybe it doesn't. Maybe you don't know. I'd rather err on the side of ultra light for the summit attempt. That could matter on an extended jaunt like the Crestones, Capitol, or Snowmass. Energy is a precious commodity.

That's my accurate manipulation of the math and I'm sticking by it.
Yup, your math is correct. Your assumption of the weight of my summit supplies vs your summit supplies is where the math doesn't make sense. Let's say my summit supplies weigh less than what you chose to haul. Let's say I can do an overnight with a baseweight of 12 lbs, you have a baseweight of 20....math is starting to wander.

I always know exactly what my pack and supplies weigh. I did an 18 day, 300 mile hike in 2018 with a baseweight of 12.5 lbs.

I agree that we are all allowed to haul what we want.
"There's a feeling I get when I look to the West and my spirit is crying for leaving" Led Zeppelin
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SkaredShtles
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by SkaredShtles »

I have a sub-3 lb 60l pack and I just use that. To be honest, it's more comfortable than most of the day packs we own - the only more comfy one being a backcountry-ski specific pack that is pretty heavy.

The big pack has nice compression features, so it is pretty compact as a day pack.
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by TomPierce »

I don't always carry a summit pack, depends on the circumstances. But it makes sense when I do: I'm typically carrying a 50L overnight pack (a Mystery Ranch, suspension is better than some 70L's) that weighs 4.5 lbs. I like it because it's incredibly durable for off trail stuff, which is most of what I do (fwiw, I destroyed 3 packs in one 18 month period a few years back...decided cuben fiber and other UL fabrics are mostly junk for off trail work). I like the suspension because I'm almost always toting at least one rope, harness, helmet, gear, etc. Lugging that pack up 5th class terrain is silly, and my idea of what you carry in a summit pack is I guess lean compared to what other folks carry: A quart of fluid maybe a bit more if it's hot, a couple of energy bars, rain shell, headlamp, some basic first aid/emergency stuff. All fits very easily in a stuff sack/pack, no need for a suspension, just a couple of pounds. I'm wearing everything else: rope draped over shoulder, gear clipped on the harness. A 2oz sleeping bag stuff sack/summit pack makes sense, just me.

-Tom
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by JChitwood »

I always stuff a daypack into my backpack. I have an REI Flash 18 for summer walk ups and an Osprey Talon 22 for when I need to carry more gear like crampons and an axe and heavier layers. Both are bright green so they can be spotted easier by SAR. Yes it adds some weight but if I was so concerned about weight I would lose a few of the 215 or so pounds I carry everywhere.
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by pvnisher »

Whatever happened to all the "detachable lid converts into fanny pack" packs?
Is it just that no one wants a fanny pack for summit shots?
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by Alpine Guy »

That was one of those brilliant concepts that just didn't measure up in actual use, for me anyway. My usual daypack only weighs a pound, there's always a place to stuff it in or clip it on, and infinitely more useful than those lid/packs.
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by rgsaxman »

pvnisher wrote: Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:05 am Whatever happened to all the "detachable lid converts into fanny pack" packs?
Is it just that no one wants a fanny pack for summit shots?
If on a trip longer than 3-5 days, I bring my larger Osprey (70L) with detachable lid and use that as a fanny pack for the summit push....actually pretty comfortable and leaves the upper body completely free. For overnights or shorter trips, my 40L can handle the camp load and then I just compress it down for the summit.
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Re: Backpack, Daypack, or Both?

Post by mtree »

oldschool wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:50 pm
mtree wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:47 pm
oldschool wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 3:00 pm I have an Exos 48 and 58. Light weight, two sizes to choose from, and a very good pack. No need for another pack (day pack) to be carried.

I'm a fan of keeping it simple. Do the math....I want to add additional weight to my pack by packing another pack in my pack so I have a smaller pack to wear once I get to camp. Personally I don't get it.
Carrying a summit pack has multiple advantages. 1) Its REALLY small and lightweight. Way lighter than your Exos 48 or 58. 2) My summit pack has a tiny footprint. A nice benefit when scooting around narrow ledges. 3) I've lost a certain amount of energy hiking in the previous day with a 33lb backpack. The easier my summit attempt the better. That means traveling ultra light the next morning. 4) My summit pack is already packed so I don't have to mess with unpacking or repacking. Easy peezy. Especially in the dark of night.

Now for the math. I'm guessing your Exos 48 or 58 weighs somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 lbs. Your pack weight (without water or beer) coming in is probably between 25-40lbs. My summit pack weighs about 8oz. At a maximum that's roughly only 2% more added weight to my pack. Insignificant. I can handle that.

The next morning I'm carrying about 5lbs to the summit strapped tight and neat to my back. Assuming we're carrying identical gear, you're adding the extra weight of your Exos 48 and now you're carrying at least 7lbs plus the bulk. That's a 40% increase in weight. Maybe that matters to you or maybe it doesn't. Maybe you don't know. I'd rather err on the side of ultra light for the summit attempt. That could matter on an extended jaunt like the Crestones, Capitol, or Snowmass. Energy is a precious commodity.

That's my accurate manipulation of the math and I'm sticking by it.
Yup, your math is correct. Your assumption of the weight of my summit supplies vs your summit supplies is where the math doesn't make sense. Let's say my summit supplies weigh less than what you chose to haul. Let's say I can do an overnight with a baseweight of 12 lbs, you have a baseweight of 20....math is starting to wander.

I always know exactly what my pack and supplies weigh. I did an 18 day, 300 mile hike in 2018 with a baseweight of 12.5 lbs.

I agree that we are all allowed to haul what we want.
The math only makes sense if we're carrying exactly the same gear. The only difference is I carry a summit pack in mine. If the baseweight of your pack weighs in at 12.5 lbs, I'd be carrying an extra 6% in weight. But if I'm only carrying 10lbs of gear I'd just wear my usual daypack and skip the summit pack. What's the point of a 50L pack for such little gear? I haven't weighed my daypack, but I'm guessing its around 1.5lbs.

But, the OP already stated he's not an ultra-light backpacker so just keeping it real for his goals.
- I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was blaming you.
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