The $200 'ultralight' pack I sent back after one night in the Smokies

Last fall I got talked into a frameless ultralight pack by a guy at the trailhead, said it weighed nothing and I'd never feel it. I dropped $200 on it, which hurt, but I figured it was an investment. First night on the AT near Clingmans Dome, I had about 22 pounds of gear in it and my shoulders were screaming by mile 4. The hip belt was basically a strap, no real padding, and everything shifted sideways on the climbs. I slept on it, woke up sore, and took it back to the shop the next morning. Their 'no questions' return policy saved me, but I lost about $40 in gas and a day of hiking. Has anyone else gone back to a traditional frame after trying one of those featherweight bags, or is it just me being too old for that trend?

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the_kim1mo ago

Man, this hits home. I did the same thing two summers ago on a trip in the Shenandoahs, bought a frameless pack because some guy on YouTube swore by it, and by the first climb I was ready to throw it off a cliff. The thing is, those packs only work if your base weight is like 10 pounds, which means no stove, no real food, and a sleeping bag made of tissue paper. Most of us carry more than that, and once you go past 20 pounds that so called hip belt turns into a piece of rope digging into your gut. The whole ultralight thing got twisted into a contest instead of a tool, and people forget that a frame and real padding actually save your body over miles. I went back to my old 4 pound pack and my shoulders have never been happier.

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