Posted: 5/21/2024 4:48:33 PM EDT
[Last Edit: centrarchidae][Edited]
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First, I'd like to thank everybody who helped me in the "how to carry water" thread. And now, I need a larger pack. In the past I've deliberately not gotten big packs because I'm prone to overloading them to use all the space. But my go-to is a Kelty Redwing 50L, and that's not a huge pack. Great for a weekend in okay weather, but it really starts showing its limitations when I need to pack winter clothes or a third night's worth of stuff. Application: large-framed male user, up to 5 nights, three-ish seasons with very occasional use on snowshoes or as checked luggage. I've been looking very hard at the Gregory Baltoro and the Osprey Atmos, L/XL sizes and 65-75L capacities in both. Has anybody compared them side by side or have any other ideas I should be looking at? ETA: I don't need truly ultralight. Budget is the low $300's, hopefully less. |
"Before I do anything, I ask myself 'Would an idiot do this thing?' And if the answer is 'yes,' then I do not do that thing." -Dwight Schrute
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I’ve never used Gregory but I do have an Atmos 50 AG I really like. It’s about 7 years old so it doesn’t have some features that a new model will have. But my biggest problem with Osprey is that they don’t seem to carry what their capacity says they should. I can pack my Granite Gear Nimbus Trace Access 70 nice and full with gear for temps down to around 0F, and that same gear won’t fit in my Osprey Aether 70 AG. In the last few years I’ve really become a fan of Granite Gear packs. They’re pretty minimalist, they don’t really have any design elements or features that don’t help get you down the trail. One of my favorite features is how long the compression straps are - my 10x36 snowshoes easily fit under the side straps. This pic is my Nimbus Trace Access 70 with a pair of 8x28s for firm, crusty snow.   The problem is these packs have been out of production for a while so finding one used is your only option. They are kind of a pain to adjust torso length on as well, with a laminated wood frame sheet that’s really tight in its pocket. You have to partially remove it to move the shoulder strap attachments up or down, they screw into holes in the frame sheet. But I find it very comfortable with almost 50lb in it. I do have 2 packs I no longer use that I’ll sell, the Osprey Aether 70 AG I mentioned and an Osprey Argon 85. PM if you might be interested, prices are well under your budget. |
| There are so many options out there, Osprey, Gregory I have many of and used the heck out of back when I carried heavy packs. My first pack was a monster 75L gregory. I have about 15 packs from Gregory, Osprey Gossamer Gear, Granit Gear, Zpacks, mt. hardware, black diamond, outdoor research. I've gotten progressively smaller over my 20 years backpacking. They all were fine and served me well, I just kept wanting lighter and smaller. I guess what I'm saying is if you stick to those popular brands you'll be fine. |
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I've looked at both the Atmos and Baltoro packs. Had to change out a (new) Med Baltoro 85 to a Sm Baltoro 95 while out on the road a few years ago, and even then, well after that trip, modify the pack straps smaller to get higher point of carriage on the waist belt. The comparably sized Atmos didn't really seem like it would carry any better, so I stayed with the Baltoro 95, even though I had a chance to exchange it out for the Atmos while on the road in Denver. It's not that there was anything memorably wrong with the Osprey, just that it didn't seem to do anything better. We really frankensteined some packs at the store, and nothing we could come up with was noticeably better than how I thought I could mod the Baltoro 95 that I had already been wearing. I think the Atmos and Baltoro are fairly comparable packs. In writing this up, I think the Atmos is a bit narrower/taller, maybe? The Atmos might have more height adjustment variations than the Baltoro, if I recall - but still nothing quite small enough for me. |
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After much lost time, I went to REI to test-drive the packs before I ordered one from some place that didn't kick Vista Outdoors out of the store to signal their antigun virtue. I think it's going to be the Baltoro. Actually, I'm sure it's going to be the Baltoro Who sells them and isn't a gun-grabbar? I think I vaguely remember that Dick's bought Backcountry? (Or am I wrong? If like to be, because their price certainly works for me.) Originally Posted By L_JE: even though I had a chance to exchange it out for the Atmos while on the road in Denver. Where in Denver? Always looking for a not-REI place to reduce weight in my wallet. |
"Before I do anything, I ask myself 'Would an idiot do this thing?' And if the answer is 'yes,' then I do not do that thing." -Dwight Schrute
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Originally Posted By centrarchidae: Where in Denver? Always looking for a not-REI place to reduce weight in my wallet. Well, it was the Denver REI. I had ordered an 85L(medium) and had it shipped to me in Alabama; and at Gannett (WY) I figured out the frame was too large for me; called REI in while in Jackson just prior to heading up the Grand, asking if there was anything that could be done; they General Delivery'd a new 95L(small) to the post office in Pinedale, which was on our way to the Big Sandy opening in the Winds. They told me to just bring my 85L(med) to some store, any store between California and Maine to formally complete the exchange, and whenever; or that I could also mail it, but that would cost me money; whatever was easiest for me. After heavy loads in the Winds, and RMNP, my Baltoro 95 suspension stretched out just a bit. When I went into the Denver store, they did everything they could to find a comparably sized pack that fit better, and even tried swapping out parts from other Gregory packs to create a frankenpack for me, but nothing really resolved the fit issue - I was about 15 pounds lighter at the time,, so that was problematic. Not for lack of trying, I left the store with the same 95L(sm) that I used in the Winds and RMNP. Oh, and dropped off the 85L(med). Back home, in Alabama, I mod'd the suspension with the aid of a sewing machine and velcro, and now have a much better carry with that pack with heavy loads. There's an independent gear shop caddycorner to the REI in Denver that carries Western Mountaineering sleeping bags. That's about all I can remember of them. Cool shop, but I think odd hours or something, because seem to remember stopping by once and they weren't open. Oh, Neptune up in Boulder. They have lots of stuff. |
Joined:
Nov 2024
Posts:
4
EE: 100% (6)
KY, USA
Joined:
Nov 2024
Posts:
7
EE: 100% (6)
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By G34R: I got her the Kyte 36. She's small so it fits her well. I think the model is discontinued now though. It's quite spiffy. IIRC that’s the female version of the Kestrel. Yeah, very nice pack. I had a 38l and the only things I didn’t like were the non-mesh front pocket and the non-detachable lid. 25lb carried like a dream. |