Advice on backcountry rucks.

[oldranger]

Without knowing anything about either of the packs why do you say they would not be suitable for a 9 day trip? With the ability to strap your sleeping pad and bag on externally it would seem to me to be more than enough volume.

Mike

[AlmostThere]

I found a Kelty Trekker 3900 and also a Kelty Super Tioga 4900. I do not believe this would be good for up to 9 days.

Seriously? The Tioga is an 80 liter pack! I could be out for a month with that thing - you could haul two bear cans with it, plus tools!

It's also 99 bucks at Sierra Trading Post, I see.

[ApocalypseMan]

I just checked and the Super Tioga is sold out on the Sierra trading post site.

[Carne_DelMuerto]

This thread leads into a general question I have about packs.

What, if any, brands have reputations or things they are know for? eg. X brand tend to have weak buckles, Y brand fit shorter torsos better, Z brand was good until it's manufacturing was moved...etc.

I know the reputation may be generalized and finding the pack that fits you, no matter the brand, is the most important thing. However, info like this may help someone better focus on what packs to investigate.

[maverick]

Carne_DelMuerto wrote "What, if any, brands have reputations or things they are
know for? eg. X brand tend to have weak buckles, Y brand fit shorter torsos
better, Z brand was good until it's manufacturing was moved...etc."
The problem with a thread like that is a lot of folks may write up things from
second, and even third had chatter, and not from personal experience which is
pretty much worthless.

[DoyleWDonehoo]

For the most part Jennie Lakes Wilderness is fairly gentle while Monarch is steep!

Like he said, these areas are opposites. You can day-hike all of Jennie Lakes area in a day, and Monarch is primarily vertical, and a real test for backpack weight and comfort. On the Kennedy Pass and Copper Creek trails you will begrudge every ounce and feel every friction point. Choose well.

Anything you can do to improve the viability of the trail around Dead Pine Ridge would be a real benefit.

Further Notes:
Old Ranger tells me that the person that started this thread is Forrest Service, but most of the same comments apply. I have done the Deer Cove trail many times, a real early season favorite of mine. Many old map trails in that area are gone or nearly so. There is no trail, but at Deer Cove if you go back a ways there is an excellent camp there. The next camp place is at Wildman Meadow, but a camp on the ridge above the meadow may be better. I have been to the passes above Grizzly Lakes, but always when I went everything was covered with snow. But my point here is that except for a flat section at Wildman, everything steep up an down, potentially hot, exposed, and a real test of pack weight and comfort. You really need a good pack for that trail.

[ApocalypseMan]

I ended up getting a Kelty Trekker external 3950 for 130 something, it was the last one. I found out that I'll only need my pack for about 3 days but ill need a day pack for day hikes. We will be using one of the Ranger cabins that was mentioned earlier in this thread.