[pct-l] Pct-L Digest, Vol 61, Issue 1

[Stephen M Crane]

Randy / Walljito,

I carried an Osprey 50 with the BV500 bear vault through the Sierras on my hike this year without any problems.

In fact, I left Kennedy Meadows with 11 days of food loaded in the BV500 and an Ursa Minor bag.  Total weight, including water, was 38# according to the scale at Tom's Kennedy Meadows cyber cafe.

I loaded my sleeping bag and some clothes on the bottom, stood the bear vault vertically, and then put other items I needed around it.  I laid the Ursa Minor bag flat on top, under the lid (which was raised a bit at first), and ate out of that first to minimize the time I might be bending the bear canister regulations.

I could get into the canister without taking it out of my pack.  I didn't spin it all the way closed except at night.

For the record, I ultimately saw the error of the 11 day plan to hike straight through to VVR that I had reluctantly agreed to.  I hiked out to Bishop at Kearsarge Pass to hang with a different group of hikers and would take that route again next time.  Bullfrog lakes and Kearsarge Pass are beautiful, Bishop is a blast, and carrying 11 days of food is just heavy, slow, and hard.

With that said, the Osprey 50 worked just fine for me, bear vault and all.

Steve "That Guy" Crane

> Message: 8
> Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2013 09:36:15 -0800 (PST)
> From: Randy Godfrey <randy3833 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] backpacks
> To: Wally Neal <wallyneal at gmail.com>, "dm at quixnet.net"
>    <dm at quixnet.net>,    "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Message-ID:
> 
> 
> Thanks Walljito,
> 
> I hadn't considered the Bear Vault with the 50 liter volume size packs. That's a good point. I've been going to lighter packs, with less volume over the years and can fit all I need for 9 day trips in the North Cascades in a 50 liter pack now, but the Bear Vault would be another matter.
> 
> When testing out the Atmos 50, I did my best in the store to keep those sandbag weights close to my back with the compression straps but I'll admit, it's not the kind of weight you carry on the trail. With the same weight, the GG Blaze AC 60 felt very stable to me, like it was a part of my body.
> 
> When I tested the Exos 58, I thought that it felt much more stable and comfortable than the Atmos 50, but the suspension felt a bit overloaded with the 30# I put in it. something about the Atmos 50 just felt unwieldy, but maybe I should give it a second chance.
> 
> Randy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Wally Neal <wallyneal at gmail.com>
> To: 'Randy Godfrey' <randy3833 at yahoo.com>; dm at quixnet.net; pct-l at backcountry.net 
> Sent: Tuesday, January 1, 2013 5:46 AM
> Subject: RE: [pct-l] backpacks
> 
> I have an Osprey Atmos 65 that feels like I'm wearing it like clothing,
> rather than carrying a backpack. The mesh? panel provides a VERY small
> space, seems like none when wearing it, for ventilation. The displacement of
> the load CG due to this is quite insignificant. With any of the popular
> internal frame packs, Randy, if the load is pulling you backwards, it's
> because of where you have the CG of the load, not the design of the pack.
> 
> The Atmos packs are the lightest rated by the manufacturers to carry the
> loads needed for some Sierra sections of the PCT. I, too, looked at an Atmos
> 50, but there is just no way to get a Bear Vault plus the other stuff that's
> needed for the Sierra sections in a pack that size.
> 
> Walljito
>