Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Backpacks--Six Moons Essence v ULA Conduit

I am planning to hike the JMT in July with my son. I have a ULA Catalyst and its a fantastic pack. I need another pack and, as great as the Catalyst is, I would like a lighter pack for my son.

The Essence and Conduit are roughly comparable in size (about 3200 cu in) and weight (17oz). I know ULA is a great company, and I hear good things about Six Moons. Some hikers have suggested the SMD's Traveler at 26 oz (31 with stays) and 3800 cu in.

Anyone have experience with these packs? I expect a base weight in the 10-12 pound range and will need to carry a bear canister. (My son is 6' 1")

Thanks!

These packs fall in to the Ultralight category, and you are far more likely to get a wide variety of responses from the PCT listserver, when a whole bunch of ultralight folks hang out and post daily.

http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l

Can't comment on the Essence, but used a Six Moons Starlite last year on a 16 day solo Sierra trek. Even loaded above the recommended 35 lbs - with a Bearikades Expidition canister it was amazingly comfortable. My previous pack was an early 1990's Dana Designs Terraplane which I thought was the ultimate in heavy load packs (I've been going on 2+ week solo treks for 201 years with 50+ lb initial loads). However, the Starlite proved even more comfortable. Great utility and quality.