Date: 2008-11-22
To: Pack deliberations
Miles today: 0.0

      There are two camps of people when it comes to picking a backpack. One believes in the lightness of the pack above all else: the lighter the weight of the actual pack, the lighter the total weight of your load, the more enjoyable your hike. The other side believes that the more support and the better suspension system your pack has, the more comfortable your load will feel on your body, regardless of the weight. Each is equally vehement about its position.        Not wanting to juggle more than two choices, I deliberated between buying the Catalyst- an extremely popular model of backpack on the Appalachian Trail, weighing 44 ounces, with a built in frame and suspension system, but only available in green- and the Starlight- a lighter pack at 30 ounces, not very popular on the trail, but well-liked by those that have used it, one that uses a rigid sleeping pad as part of its frame, and boasting a beautiful color combination of Persian indigo and black. Both have roomy hip belt pockets and both have been proven to endure the entirety of the AT.         I had a tough time making up my mind. I knew it was smarter to buy a pack with a better suspension system, but I really preferred the color and look of the Starlight. I also didn¢t want to look like everyone else on the trail, and I really could not get over the 14 ounce difference in weight. I decided that it made the most sense, weight-wise, to use the Starlight if you going to be tenting, thus making dual use of the closed cell sleeping pad, and take the Catalyst if you were sleeping in a hammock or using an inflatable sleeping pad. I had just begun to entertain the idea of buying a hammock, but decided the expense would be too great, and that I already had a perfectly fine tent. Plenty of people have completed the AT with a tent, right? So, I ordered the Starlight.                I thought that my September trip to the White Mountains would be my last chance to hike before March. But since I was flying to North Carolina for Thanksgiving, I thought we could fit in another trip in the south. I mailed a 27 pound box of my gear to Erik¢s apartment, and as soon as I got off the plane, we headed to REI for what I thought would be my last three pieces of gear. While waiting for help at the knife counter, I decided to take a look at the inflatable sleeping pads to see how much more comfortable they felt than mine. I got sidetracked by the backpacks on the way. Just for fun, I tried on the Osprey Aura. It was tiny! A customer walked by as I was looking at it in the mirror, and said, ¢Looks good!¢   I then noticed that help was waiting for us at the counter, so I went over with the pack still on my back.    ¢That¢s a great pack,¢ Paul, the salesman, commented.    ¢Oh, really?¢    ¢Yeah, it has great support and it looks like it fits you really well.¢ He proceeded to go on and on about how important the support/suspension system of a pack was, and that the better it is, the less you feel the weight of the contents of your pack. This was exactly what I did not want to hear after just purchasing my second frameless pack! He hadn¢t heard of either the Catalyst or the Starlight, so I brought mine in and tried it on for him. He adjusted it to fit me better, but said he was still worried- especially given the extra curvature in my spine. I had to at least give it a try.        We went home and started organizing and packing. I tried stuffing my Z-lite sleeping pad into its appropriated pocket in the pack. I could not believe that it would not fit! After several failed attempts, I tried to find an answer online, and read that others managed to fit only 6 panels of their sleeping pad into the pocket! I would have to cut my sleeping pad in half! I hate destroying things, and really did not want a two-piece sleeping pad, but I had no choice. I cut the pad, fit 6 panels into the pocket, and tried to stuff the other eight panels into the largest outside pocket. It was quite the battle. Once fully loaded, I tried on the pack, and right away, I could feel the bottom of it pressing painfully into my hips. It was adjusted to the shortest possible torso length, but we could not get it to ride high enough on my back. Maybe this pack wasn¢t going to work after all!