Finalamente!
Well I finally did it. I bought a backpack. Now I know all of my readers are scratching their heads and thinking wow, he is always talking about trips and gear and all that, but he has never had a backpack? Well so far I haven’t. I have used my dad’s backpack for all the trips I have taken up till now, and i have been focusing more on buying gear a little bit at a time instead.
Basically the idea is buy your gear first, and then you will have a better idea of how big a backpack you need and what kind of support it needs to provide, etc. I have been trying to focus on getting lightweight gear that packs small so that I dont have to buy an enormous pack. I also wanted to keep one big weight catagory down, which is the pack itself. However I didn’t want to take hit when it comes to quality and durability as I think would happen i think with a lot of UL packs. So that is one reason i have been waiting.
Another reason i have been waiting is because I have been very particular about what I want in a pack. I want something with a top and bottom compartment and some not too bulky sidepockets. I also wanted something that was around 4000 cubic inches and that wasn’t too expensive. Now you would think this isnt that picky and you can probably find a lot of packs that meet the discription, but that isnt really true. I have been looking at packs for the past two years and this is really the first one that I think actually meets all my requirements. In addition this pack is really snazzy looking.
So what is this wonderful pack of which I speek? Drum roll please… it is an Osprey Aether 70. The 70 is for how many liters it is, which comes out to about 4200 Cubic inches, exactly what i was looking for. It has top and bottom main compartments, two slim side pockets, and a back pocket. It weighs in at just 4 pounds 9 ounces. It has a durable construction and very comfortable harness and frame. Overall it is my dream pack.
So I am sure that your next question is when will you be taking it out. Well hopefully my next trip will be back out to Western NC from August 9th to the 12th. We are thinking about doing the black mountain ridge trail, starting at the top of Mount Mitchell and hitting the peaks of 5 or 6 over 6000 peaks. It is supposed to be one of the most spectacular trails in NC and its something I have been looking forward to for a while. We are not locked into doing that trail however. We are thinking about doing Shining Rock Wilderness or Linville Gorge, depending on who else is interested in joining us. Regardless, I anticipate putting this pack to use very soon, and will be sure and give a full report on how it faired in the backcountry.