Marmotman wrote:I'm still waiting for the antigravity models to come out. Mine is always too heavy.
And that is why on I am working on Jen to sherpa some of mine (well at least the pizza and keg of beer).
As for Mystery Ranch, Dana has done some great things in the backpack industry over the decades and continues to put out a great quality pack. In no way was I at all putting down what a great backpack he makes.
I started with an external in high school (which would still work just fine for the trails in Glacier) and when it finally died I moved on to internals. Went through a few, but then decided that I would get something for what I exactly wanted. I decided on a McHale and part of the blame for that can be attributed to Glacier. In 2004 we were near Hole in the Wall and we met a couple with McHale packs. I already knew about McHale, but hadn't seen one in real life. Over the winter I thought about it further and ended up buying one. I like how it is flexible enough for taking as a carry-on on an airplane or for an overnight climb, but then expanded with the upper bayonets to pack what I need for being out a week. Though it is not ultralight, it does feel better with weight than anything else I have had and it has proved durable as well.