January 22 Packs

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Today was another wet, wet day!  We hiked by a pond which last week was very low, but today, after a week of rain, is now filled to overflowing.  It was a good day for further experimenting with rain protection.  I am still trying to finesse my “rig” for a hands-free way to carry an umbrella.    I’m sort of torn, because I love the protection of the umbrella, especially for my glasses (it’s no fun trying to see out through rain-bedewed lenses)  but the downside is that I cannot see the scenery as well, because the umbrella partly blocks my view.   And the scenery is worth looking at!  We are so blessed to be able to live in Sonoma County, right on the edge of open space and farms.

What I’m aiming for is a way to rig the umbrella that is very SIMPLE and quick to set up/undo on the trail.  When I finally get it nailed down, I will try to describe it for y’all.

What I’d like to mention today is our conclusions about PACKS.   The last time we did the PCT in 2005, we researched packs.  We went to REI and tried on packs.  We got packs from companies online and tried them.  But no matter where we looked or what we tried, nothing seemed to really feel right.  I studied Ray Jardine’s pack design (it’s basically a bag with net pockets on the outside, plus shoulder straps).  I really liked Ray’s design, but discovered that the lack of a hip belt was a major problem.  If I have very much weight hanging off my shoulders, I am in pain.   When I tried adding a hip belt to Ray’s pack, it only partly solved the problem. 

In the end, I made myself what I jokingly call “the Ray Way Hybrid”.  I took a small old external frame pack we had, kept the hip belt, but removed the old pack (it was heavy, and had lots of zippers–yikes!), made a Ray Jardine pack, and attached it to the small frame.  Voila! All the benefits of Ray Jardine’s design, and all the weight transferred to my hips by the frame!    Yahoo!  I was very happy with my hybrid pack.  Maybe I shouldn’t have been so gleeful, because Bill then decided he wanted one and I had a last-minute dash to make him one too!

My hybrid pack weighs 2 and a half pounds (it would be lighter if the frame were titanium or plastic pipe, but I stuck with the tough old aluminum), and the “bag part” has no zippers  (I would never take a pack with zippers on the PCT–what if a zipper gives out?) .  It has a little short pocket to tuck my umbrella into when it’s not raining (the rest of the umbrella is lashed on with lightweight cords ) .It has net pockets on the sides and a big net pocket on the back.  It is made out of cordura on the bottom and the back where it touches the frame.  The rest is silnylon.   Since silnylon and cordura are not totally waterproof, and of course there are seams, I always line the inside of the bag with a trash compactor bag.  This keeps everything inside totally dry.  In the outside net pockets I carry all the stuff that can get wet.  That way there is no need for a pack cover in the rain.

The pack is JUST big enough to fit my gear and it has an “extension collar” on top which is normally just folded under, but comes into play when we have to carry say 10 days of food through the High Sierras.  My High Sierra bear can fits into the pack, too.   I carry my RidgeRest sleeping pad rolled up, and lying across the top of the pack, held down by a “Y-strap” that anchors at the top corners of the pack frame, and the bottom of the “Y” clips to the bottom of the pack, creating a very secure compression for holding things down.   There is also a bit of lacing to compress the contents of the big net pocket on the back of the pack.

Bill’s pack is the same as mine, only bigger.   The only modification I would do if I had a different frame to work with is I would consider adding “loadlifter” straps.   They really help!   But since my old aluminum frame isn’t made for that, I’ll stick with what I have.  The only thing I have to do to the pack for 2010 is replace the elastic at the top of the net pockets–it’s pretty worn out!

My advice to anyone who is trying to pick a pack is to REALLY give each “candidate” a good trial run.  The online pack companies are really nice about letting you get a pack and try it for awhile.  Be sure you pick a LIGHT weight pack–not one of those awful 6 or 7 pound mooses. And remember that whatever pack you pick–be sure you can fit a bear can into it!   Those Yosemite rangers are dead serious about checking for bear cans.  We were warned by other thruhikers that “somewhere in Yosemite, you WILL meet a ranger on the trail, and that ranger WILL check to be sure you have a bear can!”   They were right!   So be sure your pack can comfortably accommodate your bear can!

2 Responses to “January 22 Packs”

  1. Marlo says:

    How big do you need the bear can to be?

  2. admin says:

    Our bear cans are just the standard ones that they rent to people in the national parks. The cans are 12″ high and about 9″ in diameter, and they are slightly tapered at the ends so they won’t roll away, but instead roll in a circle. They are black and opaque. You have to open them with a coin (we carry a nickel for this purpose) and they are totally bearproof. We each carry one.

    The only downside is they weigh 3 lb. each. Groan. We use them to carry the food we know bears like the best (like candy, cheese, jerky, and granola).

    There are other types of bear cans (carbon fiber being one) that you can see into. Problem: the bears have figured out how to open them. Another idea we looked at is the UrSack, which is pretty much bearproof as far as the bear ripping it open, but the problem is, by the time the bear gives up on it, all your food is reduced to crumbs, all mixed together. Not very appetizing!

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