Posted: 6/12/2026 11:54:39 AM EDT
[Last Edit: NoImpactNoIdea][Edited]
| My 17 year old son and I pretty regularly go on 6-8 day camping trips in the Enchantments or around Mt. Rainier. We have been using MR packs on NICE frames but would like to get something more hiking focused as opposed to hunting as the MR packs tend to be a little heavier. Dont need ultralite dyneema but I know there are better options for what we are doing. I am familiar with Osprey but are there any other brands I should be looking at? |
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Sounds like you’ll be needing something in the 70+ liter range unless you have the lightest, highest quality gear. There aren’t too many companies that make off-the-shelf packs in that size. Osprey, Gregory, HMG, and Z-packs are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. I’ve used an Osprey Aether 70 AG a few times but wasn’t very impressed with the comfort, and I have an Osprey Argon 85 that I’ve also used a few times (for bulky stuff, not heavy gear) and found it very comfortable. My biggest problem with Osprey is the crazy number of pockets they have. I’ve gotten used to just putting stuff I need easy access to either in the front pocket or at the very top of the main compartment. Unbuckle the lid, undo the drawstring or roll top, and there you are. My favorite larger packs are the Granite Gear Nimbus Trace Access 70 & 85, no longer made but 70l do show up on eBay now & then. These are basically a single large compartment and a lid, with stretch mesh pockets on the sides and front. Again, I use them more for bulky than heavy gear, I’ve had my NTA70 at almost 50lb but that was way heavier than usual. Generally I max out just under 40lb for 2 nights for temps down to around 0F to -,10F. Maybe a few pounds lighter with my X-Dome 1+ instead of Arc Dome 2 and Cumulus Teneqa 850 instead of WM Bristlecone. I’ve tried on HMG packs a few times but didn’t find them comfortable. The Z-packs Arc Haul 70 has a lot of good stuff said about it but I’m not spending that kind of money just to go from 38lb to 36lb. |
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I am here in the Rockies and I also run a Mystery Ranch Terraframe. Everyone else I see is either an ultralight guy or running an Osprey Aether or Atmos. I bought my son an Atmos, and it has served him well for the last five years. It is very easy to adjust and it has grown with him. I think it is 65l, but he's never had a capacity problem at his max pack weight of 40 pounds. We are scout campers, which is almost the exact opposite of ultralighters, but I still try to keep my pack at 50 pounds max with food and water for a seven day trip. The Terraframe is a much heavier pack than the Ospreys, but it handles higher weights very well. My gripe with it is the hip belt geometry. I don't have enough ass to keep it locked in place. It tends to slide down in the back and sit lower even when I have the hip belt torqued down to torniquet levels of tightness on my hips. But it can easily swallow my bear canister and tent so I don't have to strap a bunch of stuff outside it. If I ever get frustrated enough to replace it, I will probably go with the Aether. I have the Airframe suspension on other packs, and it's hard to beat for ventilation and comfort on the hips. |
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Something like a Gregory Baltoro 65 or the Osprey Aether would be fine. I recently did 8 days / 7 nights out of a 40L pack. The volume wasn't the issue, but rather, the suspension. The hike out on day 8 was pretty rough, the thin shoulder straps really wearing me down, but that pack was loaded down with technical rock and ice gear. The real limiting factor is going to be the level of bear/rodent protection for food storage. We were fortunate enough to have access to metal bear boxes down at the basecamp, and would be up on glaciated terrain within a day from that camp - so we were really light on food protection. Hard-sided canisters kill you on volume. I'm fortunate that most park regs allow me to use a soft-sided kevlar bag for food storage, the Parks' theory being that I'm going to be overnighting higher than normal bear territory. If it's just backpacking, and short of true winter conditions, I'd have no qualms about heading out with my Gregory Zulu 55 for 5-8 days. If I'm adding real camera gear, climbing gear, etc, then I'm resigned to bump up to my Baltoro 95, an older model that I've never been terribly happy with; the newer Baltoro 100 seems to rectify my gripe about suspension adjustability. |