Hi guys,
I am new to this forum and to backpacking in general. I am very interesting in going out to do lots of different things in the future including climbing, kayaking, hiking, etc. Before finding this forum I went to EMS and got a pack on the employee's recommendation. The pack is a Mountain Hardware Dihedral. I wanted a good overall pack that wasn't going to break the bank and didn't mind if it was a little on the heavier side because I like ruggedness. I was just curious of your opinions as you guys know better than me <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> . Thank you so much for your help and I'm sure you will find me here quite a bit.

I've never used that particular pack but it looks like a reasonable one to me. It's over 3 and 1/2 pounds and that seems pretty heavy to me but if you are concerned about ruggedness then you will have to pay a weight penalty. It seems to be quite rugged and the price isn't unreasonable.

When weight is the main concern you always end up getting something that is a little more fragile so lightweight backpackers know to treat their gear a little more gently then say a boy scout does. But the motivation for light weight is usually so you can go more miles with less fatigue and see and enjoy more. For reference an ultralight backpack usually weighs less than 2 pounds.

Some people are more into having an adventure and that means possibly scraping your pack on bushes and rocks as you go off trail. Then a truly ultralight pack wouldn't serve you well because you'd probably have to repair it in the field and that would distract from the main goal of the trip.

The mantra in backpacking is "hike your own hike". Find the style of hiking that gives you the most pleasure and tailor your gear to help you accomplish that.

Now if you were to tell us that you were going to spend all your time walking on well established trails and that your pack weighed six or seven pounds and cost $250 then most of us would go nuts and you'd get 100 posts begging you to take that pack back to the store!

Welcome to TLB! Hope to hear from you a lot. The people here are really helpful and quite polite. We express our opinions but this isn't really a flamewar place.

Have fun!

"Hip belt, frame sheet and lid are removable"

This could be a good feature. As your base weight shrinks so does the weight of the pack. It can adapt to different situations. 3lbs. 11ozs. isn't that huge for a pack. As long as it is comfortable on your back, you should be fine.

Welcome to the site. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I will quote myself from a similar post.

You will love it, and then you will find something better and more comfortable and lighter, and then put it in the closet. It will stay there alone until you find a 3rd that will be better than the 2nd. The 2nd will join the 1st in the closet. They will have parties all night when you are out with #3. 4 and 5 will eventually come, making that closet pretty full. Then off to the thrift store or garage sale, or maybe donated to a lucky scout without much cash.

It is great that you are wanting to get out. Don't let the gear scare you. Buy what you can, use it, and replace with better when you can. There is no "ultimate" pack that works for everyone, but there might be for you. You just have to spend the time and money finding it. That usually means using many packs to see what you like and don't like. Welcome to the forum. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks everyone for being so welcoming. I feel reassured in my purchase and feel good about it as my first real pack. I don't mind the extra pound and will use this pack for everything (at least for now). I just wanted a relatively cheap/big enough all purpose bag and I think I found it in this. With student discount, free gift card from a friend and a coupon I ending up getting the pack for a little over 100 incl tax. So I felt like it was a good value. The only way to really know is to try it out. I'll let you all know how I like it after its first real test. Thanks again.

David

A question that I have about this pack is if its too small. I plan on doing some week long trips maybe even longer (maybe) and now that I look at what people are packing I think it might be too small. Will I be able to do longer trips with this pack?

Don't pack what others are packing. Pack what you need and few things that you want.

David. What is the pack volume. I use a 3800 cubic inch, three pound pack for trips of up to ten days for three season, high western mountain BP'ing. A pack that weighs nearly four pounds should be well over 4000 cu. in. Granted, when you are just getting started your gear may be bulkier than that used by more experienced backpackers. But, a fair part of the bulk and weight carried by the more traditional BP'ers is stuff that could easily be left behind with some thought and planning. Go to the home page of this site and check out the gear list for the 18 lb three day pack for some ideas (on the left side of the page). Good luck with your hiking and welcome to the forum.

The pack is actually a 40L pack. I know its on the heavy side, but is it really that heavy?

No, it's not that heavy. No need to be ashamed of your pack. Someday you may want a lighter one like FinallyME said but I'm sure this one will give you good service.

Besides the pack isn't everything. There's also your sleeping bag and shelter to think about. We can help you there in choosing the lightest weight alternatives. These will also be less bulky to address your concern about the volume of the pack for long trips.

As long as you have been measured so you have the right size pack that fits, that's the important thing. As far as brands. I noticed at the local outfitter in my area, people like certain brands and only buy their products, which makes other brands, (still good just not popular in the area) cheaper hence a good deal for me.

Granite Gear and Dueter brands don't sell very well at this store I speak of. I got a Granite Gear Nimbus Access 3800 for $150.00 and a Dueter AC Lite day pack for $75.00.

Both good deals, both great packs.


Tom

That's a very subjective question because it depends on your gear, and how you like to pack. I saw further down that you said it was a 40L pack. That would be too small for me. I normally run in the 25 - 35 lb range (total weight with food and water on board), and I typically fill my pack up. It's somewhere between 4,200 and 4,400 cubic inches I think. The reason I fill mine up is that I like to pack everything inside the pack. Some people don't mind stuff hanging off the outside like sleeping pad, tent, water bottles, etc, but I personally try to pack everything I can inside the pack. Plus, my pack has no external pockets other than the two water bottle holders, so I pretty much have to put everything inside.

So, I guess you just need to pack your pack with all your gear and see if it's big enough for you.