[wolffie]

A friend has to get her pack weight down. 5'2" 120#. General backpacking pack, an ultralight might be too fragile. She shouldn't be carrying more than 25-30 lbs. total. Suggestions?

[Chief Joseph]

I had a Granite Gear pack that I would say was a good compromise between too heavy and "too fragile"....it was an older Vapor Trail, it carried extremely well at 25 lbs, maybe up to 30. 5' 2" and 120? If she is cute I would carry her gear for her.

[wolffie]

yeah, thsat's why I want a McHale pack for myself.

[Backpacker Joe]

You can NEVER go wrong with Dan McHale. http://www.mchalepacks.com/

[AlpineRose]

Wolffie, I can recommend the 2lb Gossamer Gear Mariposa for your friend. Recent changes in the shoulder straps and waist belt designs have improved its comfort and fit for women. As well, I've heard anecdotally that this is the case. I have the older model. It carries pretty well, but the design was definitely male-oriented, so it doesn't carry as well as it could. The hip belts are interchangeable, so I recently purchased a hip belt with the new design (and a size larger), and it did help to improve the pack's comfort. Unfortunately can't do the same with the shoulder straps. Your friend will need to measure her torso (with your help?) and hips to get the right size pack and hip belt. Refer to the GG website for instructions. If her measurements are such that she could go with either of two sizes, ime, when in doubt go with the smaller pack size and the larger hip belt size.

[pcg]

My advice is to forget about the weight and go to REI and other stores and walk around the store for ten minutes with each pack you want to try loaded with 25 to 30#. You will know right away which pack you want and it might not be the lightest. IMO it is crazy to buy a pack online without being able to try it out first. I've tried packs that were supposed to be the last thing in lightweight/strength/comfort, etc. - have been through three CiloGear packs and many others and the one I have now is the heaviest of them all, but it's hands down the most comfortable. I'm not saying the brand because it's pointless. Everyone is different and walking around with them for awhile while the pack is loaded is the only way to know what will work best.

[Chief Joseph]

I have heard that a lot, buying a pack online is pretty much as risky as buying footwear online. I got lucky with my Gregory z-55 and my Asolo boots. With the Asolos I obtained info from members here as to how their sizes run and saved $60+ over REI's price. Not so lucky with my GGear pack (too small) and some $125 trail runners that were much too wide, and I think contributed to my plantar Faciitis...not again will I go that route.

[jared_j]

This Granite Gear pack offers nearly the capacity and features of packs a pound heavier. I think they're good for people seeking something lighter than a Gregory but more substantial (in terms of materials and suspension) than the popular cottage industry packs. This one The one knock is that carrying a full length foam pad isn't as handy as when you have those bottom straps like many do.

[Pyrites]

[Malachai Constant]

You might try the ULA packs which are semi custom. You measure your self and they make a pack appropriate to your measurements. The Conduit might be appropriate but they have other models. I have one that I use a lot. Nice but not as nice as Lynda's McHale.

[InFlight]

Most people aren't comfortable carrying more than 15-20% of their body weight. At 120 lbs, 24 lbs would be a fairly heavy load. So a very reasonable 14 lbs dry pack weight would be a good target. For off the shelve backpacks I would suggest trying a Osprey Exos. Trying on some packs with some expert advice would best. At 5'2" it might be that a kids pack might fit better. This is somewhat backwards however. It would be better to pickup a small down sleeping bag, and light weight pad and shelter first. Then you would know how big a pack is needed. I'm at the far other end of the hiker height range and get by with a 48 liter pack with ease.

[Chief Joseph]

True^....my experience (pretty limited) is that a pack can comfortably carry 10 times it's base weight very comfortably. I tried my friends ULA pack for a bit and really liked it, much cheaper than a McHale but more than say a Gregory or an Osprey. I have a hiking partner who went to REI to try on packs, she was considering an Osprey and tried those first but ended up with an REI pack as it seemed to fit her the best. Ymmv.

[HitTheTrail]

Actually, you can't beat the comfort and features and price (on sale on line) of an Osprey Exos 48. They are a full framed pack that carry a lot, have loads of features, are so, so, so comfortable, have an iron clad guarantee, and are just over 2 pounds. I am always thrashing around trying to find the perfect lite weight pack but always seem to get an Osprey Exos every year as they add features. I love them.

[InFlight]

Check out http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Ultralight-Backpack-Reviews/ratings I've done two 50+ mile PCT segments the past two years. With the though hikers, the EXOS (58 & 48), ULA, and Gossamer Gear was a good 90% of that packs the I saw. I personally have used an Exos 48 for my three season pack as well. It is the only full featured Backpack which is very light weight.

[Randito]

IDK about women's specific packs, but getting the contents of the pack as light as possible is the biggest key to comfort. In 2001 I adopted the "ultralight" approach and while I didn't get my pack weight down as far as some -- I did get my "dry" pack weight down to 18lbs -- I used a Golite Gust as the pack -- which is basically a large bag with a couple of padded shoulder straps and webbing waist band. I place a folded thermarest pad on the inside of the bag between contents and my back. That setup worked pretty well -- my first usage was Section J of the PCT -- I packed enough food for eight days (it had been more than a decade since my last multi-night backpack, so I planned on taking it at a modest pace) With the lightness of the pack I was able to hike basically from sunrise to sunset without discomfort and ended up taking only four and a half days. So anyway -- my only advise is really work hard on making the contents of the pack as light as possible and do choose a pack that is more the low capacity end -- extra space in the pack makes it too easy to bring excessive "just in case" items.