Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Ultra light weight packs?

I did a rim to rim to rim Grand Canyon hike over the weekend. I wanted to finish in under 24 hours, but didn't quite make it (24:17). It was tough!!

I noticed all the elite runners had extremely light packs. I don't want to use a ater bladder, prefer to carry water in my pack. Can anyone give me a recommendation of a really lightweight pack suitable for long hikes? I want enough space to carry 3-4 water bottles, a change of clothes and some food. I wanted to ask the elite runners, but they finished so far in front of me they were nowhere to be found when I staggered up the south rim. Thanks for any suggestions-- price is no problem, I will pay a lot for a light pack.

Have you seen <a href="http://www.golite.com/">GoLite</a> products? They may not be as durable as others, but they are certainly very light.

Check out the packs from <a href="http://www.golitestore.com/store/products.asp?dept=1003">GoLite</a>.

They specialize in lightweight stuff. I haven't used their packs but I've been happy with their clothing (well-made, well-designed, lightweight, and reasonably priced).

Their packs have a good reputation.

I have the go-lite gust but can not use it due to shoulder problems, it does not have a padded hip belt that you can use to distribute weight on your hips. It is designed to only carry up to 20 pounds. My daughter uses it and carries around 13 pounds, it works very well for her at a little over a pound, it's a great pack for those with strong shoulders.
The Go-lite Trek looks promising,for weights up to 30 pounds.Try www.backpackreviews.com for soem great advise.

oh yeah, forgot to mention another great website with seasoned well informed information on everything backpacking, check out the forums here: http://www.backpacking.net/bbs.html

Check out the Mountainsmith packs - they brag about how light they are. I have a Specter for week long hikes and it weighs only 3.5 pounds. They make a super ligt one called the ghost. Not sure how well it would work for running. I'm also partial to Lowe Alpine climbing packs because they are made to hug your body and probably would work well for what you are looking for.

Gregory G-Pack ...
Sturdy Frame and VERY light!
Also .. Osprey (Aether 60). Not as light as others, but VERY sturdy.
...tg...

Some of the golite packs are the choice and designed for the Eco-Challenge multiple winners.

As HighSierra mentioned, check out wealth of information on ultralight gear at http://www.backpacking.net/bbs.html. There are quite a few names listed there and you would do well to try as many of them on as possible. As you go to ultralight backpacks you'll find that you are giving up on features that you may feel are required. For example, many of the ultralight backpacks do not have hip belts, external pockets, frame stays, or padding along the back to insulate you from your gear. You may find that the weight savings is not justified by the lack of features.

I use an old book bag type backpack made by North Face about twenty years ago for ultralight loads. I added a waistbelt to prevent the pack from bouncing up when I run and it has held up well to quite a bit of abuse. This pack has no external pockets, no padding except on the shoulder straps, and about 1,500 cubic inch capacity. The total weight is less than a pound. If I'm going on a longer trip, my backpack of choice is the Osprey Aether 75. It weighs two to three pounds less than competing packs and is quite comfortable fully loaded.

I would also suggest that you consider a custom or semi-custom made pack. McHale packs are supposed to be very good, but I think they are likely to be overkill given your limited needs. Also, the Osprey Aether series is very good