For a number of years, I had been using a big, old, heavy backpack from Vancouver’s Taiga Works, which I had purchased in the mid 1990s. It was about 75l, and weighed pretty close to a tonne – at least, it seemed that way… I’ve used it in Utah, backpacking the Paria Canyon, and Grand Gulch. I’ve used it on a bunch of trips around Southwest BC, and I’ve used it on the West Coast Trail. In fact, if I need to take everything including the kitchen sink, I still carry it. If I need big capacity, no matter the weight (i.e. no long, high days) it is a great workhorse.
A few years ago, I bought an Arc’teryx Bora 50 (discontinued, discounted, from MEC) and it is a really nice pack when you don’t need to carry as much. It is a few pounds less than my Taiga, is very comfortable, and has some great features – but it’s still no lightweight.
At about the time I was starting to get into the idea of hiking the John Muir Trail, I decided to upgrade to a nice new pack. However, I had not yet converted to the “less is more” school of thought. I wanted a modern, large, not necessarily light pack. I went to MEC and picked up a Forge 65l pack. Before I even used it, I started learning about the truly “ultralight” options out there…
I did a little research, and settled on the Zpacks Arc Haul, a backpack with a carrying capacity of about 40 pounds, holding about 60l (including all external pockets), and weighing in at only 680g (24 ounces)! Granted, it was a lot more expensive than the MEC pack, but I was sold. I returned the Forge 65 to MEC.
I have now carried the Arc Haul on a few overnight trips (up to five nights in length) as well as some day trips (at that weight, it is perfectly reasonable as a day pack, and incredibly comfortable!) and I just love the thing. The suspension and hip belt fit like a glove, and it carries everything I need for a solo, multi-day trip (if I am careful about what I’m taking).
I also purchased a hip belt pouch for the pack, from Zpacks. I then bought some material from Ripstop By The Roll and made a matching one for the other side, for less than half the price. I have also made a pouch for one of the shoulder straps, as well.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of me wearing it, other than the straps visible on my shoulders! Here is a link to a good shot of the pack from the Zpacks website. And here is a photo of it atop Mount Harvey, with Howe Sound below. Hey, it’s all I’ve got!
