Posted: 9/26/2008 2:08:45 AM EDT
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after many good responses in my which pack thread, I've decided to go with the osprey aether 70 for a pack. My question is this. for you guys that run an internal framed pack, what do you do with your tent? and your sleep pad? on my old external pack i would have to strap the tent down on the top and strap the sleeping bag on the bottom, and the pad on the side. so i'm not really used to the internal mindset. Now that i've picked the pack, my next gear purchase will be my tent. I'm going to go with a 2 man 3 season tent, but haven't picked out which one yet. been doing a lot of reading on the reviews sites, but haven't made a decision. no, i'm not giving up the tent. please don't revoke my man card, but i'm not keep on sleeping under a tarp and having stuff crawl on me all night long. and after sleeping in the back yard in the family tent without a pad, with my kids, i'm not giving that up either. a pad is a necessity. |
| One trick I learned from a friend of mine in STA Platoon is if you have a roll up foam type pad is to line the inside of your pack with it. Basically you roll it up loose, stick it in your pack and then "unroll" it so that it is tight against the inside of your pack. This pads things a little and also holds your pack open for you when you pack/ unpack. Not sure about the rest of your questions though. Hope this helps. |
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Most internal packs of your size come with a bottom pocket that is intended for a sleeping bag. If you have a down bag or a really compressible manmade insulator in your bag you can get a compression sack for your sleeping bag and really save some room down there. The tent and pad on my pack go on the side of the pack where there are compression straps. I use a full length Therm-a-Rest and it fits fine. I also have a REI Half-Dome 4 man that fits fine on the other side of the pack. A SafePacker keeps a firearm at close reach and quick deployment for bear country and looks like a map or essential pouch on your pack belt. Anything else that you want to strap to the outside can be done with existing compression straps or by adding straps where needed. I have carried 70+ lb. loads in my Gregory Palisade with everything internal except for the tent, pad, safepacker and fishing gear. The CamelBak provides some more padding between your back and the contents of the pack. Internals are great and you will probably love yours once you are used to it. Enjoy! |
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I generally strap my sleeping pad to one side (or both if I feel like I want comfort and carry 2) and strap the tent to the bottom. In this picture the pad is strapped to the right side behind the fishing pole and the tent is strapped to the bottom.   And this is how to NOT carry your gear...  And this is how I carry it on my BOB, sleeping pad with a tarp wrapped around it: 
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