REI UL 45L Pack

“I was wondering if anyone had use this pack and could tell me how it compares to the Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone or the Gregory Z-Pack. I'm looking for a pack that can carry about 40lbs. for the long trips but will do 25 aswell. I haven't seen the rei pack untill a few days ago and was wondering if anyone knew anything about it.”

“here is a link http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47856709&parent_category_rn=4500572&vcat=REI_HP_PP”

“Carry 40 lbs? I wouldn't wanna carry 20 in that thing. If you're gonna be carrying loads up to 40 lbs, I don't think you'll want an ultralight pack. At least I wouldn't. I'd rather carry 40 lbs using a 7 lb pack with a beefy suspension system than carrying 20 lbs in an ultralight 2 lb pack. But that's just me. A lighter pack translates into making loads feel heavier because of wimpy suspension systems.”

“The REI page says it'll carry 36-40 lbs Buck. Is your employer LYING?

lol.....”

“why would i want to cary a 7lb pack that 40lb load just went to 45, the only reason i want to carry around 40 is sometimes i take youth groups, aka i need to care more food and shelter. Normally i carry aroud 30 for trips. I have a large pack and its too big and heavy.”

“What I think Buck is getting at is that ultralight packs become very uncomfortable when carrying heavier loads. I've never used this particular pack so I don't know how it would handle with a 40lb load, but I know my Golite Race pack is uncomfortable with more than 25lbs in it.

If you have an REI near you I would suggest trying the pack on and walking through the store with 40lbs in it to see how it feels.”

“I've got an Osprey Aether 60. It will cary 40 pounds pretty comfortably, and it can be converted to be smaller and carry less. It weighs about 3 and a half pounds. More than the REI UL, but half what your current pack weighs.”

“i've gone to the store and tried on the z-pack with out wieght and i like it. The guy at ems said that 35 is good top end. I guess i thought this packs were the step up for the super ultralight. Does any one now anything about the other packs. Is the 40 rateing to high.”

“I would think you need some pretty dense items to get 40lbs of gear in a 3000ci pack. Although it is $100 more, a pack in that weight range that can handle the weight and volume of 40lbs is the ULA P-2.”

“i guess that i don;t carry 40 that often and 30 is more about my average carry weight.”

“lumberzac hit it, above. I have the Golite Team, and it just isn't comfortable with a load above 25 lbs. If you want a lightweight pack you must carry a lightweight load. My loads weigh between 22 and 25 lbs. depending if its 95 or 25 degrees outside.

Don't try to carry 40 lbs. with a lightweight pack.”

“Ha! The marketing people at REI and ALL wilderness gear places lie lie lie. Everyone wants the lightest specs. Go weigh a tent and see if it actually weighs what they say. See if you consider a three-man tent truly a three-man tent, or even a two-man tent as they suggest. They use Oompa Loompas to determine sleeping space. Check boil times on stoves, or filter speeds for filtering water. Heck, you can load 80 lbs in that pack if you want, if you can fit it in there, you might hafta use lead balls. The suspension system on all ultralight packs are mush. Total mush I tell ya. They'll sag like a paper bag and make you nag like a hag and you'll lag as you drag and zig-zag like a rag, pag, kag, dag, tag, flag, yag, okay stop it with the rhymes but I hope you get my point, joint, zoint, foint. Be leary of spics, oops, I mean specs. The marketing people lie. It's their job. They just wanna move product out the door.”

“I would never try to carry that much in rucksack, but at least from what they tell me, they can go close to 40lbs”

“As for me and my household, I would rather carry 50 lbs in my heavy Gregory Whitney than 10 lbs in a daypack. A heavy pack with a good suspension system makes loads feel like you're carrying Nerf® balls. Again, this is just for me and my household. Your mileage may differ. I never fully understood this lightweight craze that has come upon us. Give me a strong, supportive hip belt and beefy shoulder straps with load lifters and lots of adjustments and I can carry 20 lbs or 80 lbs comfortably in the same pack. But that begs the question of why do I own 17 backpacks? I can't answer that.”

“I have the Z pack and have carried close to 40 in it (maybe over - I forgot to weigh it), and it was still very comfortable. I had that much in it because I was with BowlderSon, so carried more than my own share of the weight. And it's not too hard to reach that weight in areas where you have to use a food canister.

I have also used the pack as a summit/day pack - the compression straps, etc. can really shrink that sucker down if you don't have too much in it.”

“yea i understand that they lie, but its only like 1/2 on a tent, a min or two on a boil time. But what you are telling me is that they say you can carry up to 40 pounds in comfort but i should really not expect to put more then 25. I was looking at this packs due to there specs, orginaly i wanted there smaller versions, the g-pack, vapor trail and the UL 30L. So what is the difference between these packs. I want to go ultralight but i want to sometimes go a little heavy. I guess that may not be possilbe from one pack.”

“You could always see if you can rent it and try it out with a 40lb load.”

“If you want a light pack that can carry a heavier load, the Starlite may be the way to go. Backpackinglight really likes it.”

“I guess i'll go try all 3 on at rei and see what they feel. If anyone gets this pack let me know.”

“I saw the UL 30 at the Oakbrook Terrace REI near Chicago this past weekend. Its a good looking pack, but the pack's weight seemed high for the size and suspension (sorry, Buck).”

“I recommend the Gregory Denali Pro.”

“Photguy I have the Gregory z-pack and I love it in the -30lb load range. I don't think that I could fit much more weight in there, my gear isn't that heavy for its bulk. My larger pack is a Gregory forester and it is great in the +-40lb load. I am currently looking for a larger pack for 50+, like the Gregory denali pro to go backpacking with my 3yo son.
All of the gear out there is getting so specialized that you really need to have a variety of packs for different loads.”

“I use the 45l Osprey Aether 45... and I can't imagin even fitting 40lbs in a 45l pack unless I put lead weights in it. If you're going to be carrying 40lbs... you're goig to need a physically larger pack unless you strap a WHOLE lotta stuff on the outside. Anything above 20-25 and you will want a frame.”

“Food for groups is what will add the weight on. I've noticed a lot of people that actually own a z-pack say 40lbs is ok. Anyone own one of these packs that would say that 40 is to much.”

“I wouldn't want to care 40lbs in my z-pack.”

“so what do you think the max of the z-pack is, 35, 30. And why wouldn't you care 40lb.”

“I think I have had around 35lbs in mine and it was alright. The shoulder straps and hip belt are thin and start to dig as the weight goes up. For me it is just more of a feeling of when a pack is in its "zone" you can just tell when it is getting pushed past its comfor level.”

“I saw the REI pack in the catalog and thought it looks like a good pack. My problem with lower capacity sized packs is they don't fit me freakishly long torso and I either end up with the hipbelt hitting me in the middle of my stomach or I end up with the shoulder straps played out so far they hurt. They say the large size of this pack will fit a 21" torso so I may have to stop in at REI this weekend and try one on.”

“well when i get home on spring break i will have to head to rei and try on a lot of packs and ask lots of ? I get this one figured out”

“I just noticed that the specs near the bottom say there is one stay. Since it has a frame (if you can call one stay a frame), I can see it holding more than 25 pounds. My comments previously were for the true frameless lightweight packs - those can only hold up to 25.”