Saturday, August 22, 2009

Hut-to-hut gear reviews: pack

I took an Osprey Stratos 24 (24 liters) which has a 1800 cubic inch capacity. I tried to keep the weight at 15 lbs max but did not succeed. With 70 ounces of fluid, snacks for 3 days, and 3 ounces of GU, it was closer to 18+ lbs. But my pack was far lighter than everyone else's that was doing a multi-day hut-to-hut hike. The other packs ranged from 30 - 50 lbs.

1800 cubic inches is supposed to be a day hiking size. 2500 - 3500 was recommended. If I had more room I would have packed more so this size was perfect for me. Also, the Stratos is just about a perfect pack for 20 lbs and under. The mesh suspension back and soft hip belt is comfortable and cool. I was able to load my water bladder on the outside zip compartment (under the mesh back). This saved all the internal space for other stuff.

Although not a woman's specific pack it fits me well. I am 5'3". I almost had the waist cinched as tight as it would go, but had an inch to spare.

What I packed:
70 ounce insulated Camelbak bladder in outer sleeve
Rain gear (jacket, pants and pack cover) in the outside shovel pocket
Sleeping bag liner for in the hut bunks
Emergency shelter (closed reflective blanket type)
2 changes of underwear and socks
2 short-sleeved shirts
1 long-sleeved shirt
1 light-weight Primaloft jacket
1 pair of long-john top and bottoms
1 one pair of heavy socks
Travel slipper shoes
all clothes were stuffed in 1 quart zip-lock storage bags
Toiletries and bug and sun stuff
Notebook and pen
Small first aid kit (pain-killers, ointments, moleskin)
Emergency gear (matches, candle, headlamp, knife, extra batteries for headlamp and Blackberry, compass, maps, duct tape, bug head net)
20 ounces of electrolyte water (on side bottle carrier)
5 ounces of GU (on other side bottle carrier)
GPS (attached to shoulder strap)
Camera (attached to other shoulder strap)
Blackberry (attached to hip using extra pouch)
SPOT (attached to the top of my pack with cord)
Home-made GORP, energy bars, and electrolyte packets (on hip pockets and in pack double-bagged)

In retrospect I would exchange the slipper shoes (which only weighed a couple of ounces) with Crocs, Tevas, or even Keen sandals. The weight savings wasn't worth it and it would be nice to have had a little heavier duty shoes to put on after hiking all day in boots. At the last minute I left my book which was a mistake and would only have added another 4 ounces or so. The Blackberry was useless from Mt Guyot to almost all the way back to Crawford Notch (a day and a half of no reception). But it was nice when I had reception because I could send pictures and text to my blog or people. A few ounces of wine or whiskey would have been nice too - although Benedryl works pretty well for helping to fall asleep. I little more GORP and an extra bar would have been good too - I ate all I had but didn't have any left for emergencies. Also, my ankle support sock would have come in handy. I left it out at the last minute as well and it literally weighs maybe an ounce.

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