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Gust Backpack: Owner Review
Name: Darrin
McDougald
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11"
(1.8 m)
Weight: 150 lbs (68
kg)
Email
address:
darrin@jdehaul.com
City,
State, Country: Valdosta, Georgia, United States
Date: 06JUN04
Backpacking
Background: My first hike was the Swamp Fox trail [Francis Marion
Trail] (42 mi / 68 km) in South Carolina. This was through the Boy
Scouts of America when I was 13 years old or so. I am an ultra-light
hiker with a base weight between 7.5 lbs (3.40 kg) and 9 lbs (4.08
kg) (seasonally dependant) I have hiked the lower half of the AT.
Most of the Grand Canyon trails, several of the Yellowstone trails,
and various day-hikes in the southeastern US. I plan on thru hiking
the AT in early 2005, the PCT sometime before 2010 and the 95 mile
(153 km) West Highland Way in Scotland in late 2005 / early 2006.
Product
information
Manufacturer: GoLite
Year
of manufacture: 2004
URL
of manufacturer: http://golite.com
Listed
weight: 1 lb 4 oz (560 g)
Weight
as delivered: 1 lb 4 oz (560 g)
Product description: [From GoLite] "A
favorite of many well-known alpinists and mountaineers, the
ultra-lite, super-durable Gust pack is generously sized so that you
can fit all of your gear inside the pack, even on light winter trips.
When your load is less bulky, you can trim the capacity by rolling
the top extension collar and cinching the retention strap down."
From the moment I first removed this
pack from the box it was shipped to me in, I knew that things were
changing for me. As the first big step into the "lighten your
load" mentality, I knew I was holding the future. The Gust is
equipped with a compression strap on the front side of the pack that
I do not understand as being an ultra-light pack the load shouldn’t
need compressing. There is a pocket running top to bottom along the
inner surface to which the shoulder straps are attached. Initially,
this pocket had a .25" (0.64 cm) closed foam pad shaped
like a sitar in it. I removed this 2 oz (57 g) addition, as I would
be using my rolled up sleeping pad as both padding and support. There
are two gear loops on the front bottom, which I will soon be removing
as they serve no purpose to a low land three season hiker (no ice-axe
to carry). There are eight additional loops positioned along the
front and rear corners used in conjunction with
shock/bungee cords to hold additional gear and offer additional
compression. The model I use is
green in color, and since I have a 16" (40.64 cm) span from
hipbone to 7th clavicle I use the small. The shoulder straps have
just the right amount of padding to be comfortable with a 20 to 25 lb
(9.07 to 11.34 kg) load yet they don't add too much weight to the
system. There is an unpadded waist belt that hangs loose when I wear
it, and shall be removed before my next trip as the weight and
function will only improve without it. On the front of the pack,
there is a solid fabric pocket perfect in size for my First Aid Kit,
a bottle of alcohol (fuel) and my umbrella. I will be removing this
pocket and replacing it with a mesh pocket also before my next
outing, as the weight and functionality again will improve with the
change.
Field
information
AT
Section Hike from Rock Gap to Dicks Creek Gap (21, 22, 23 May 2004)
Description
of location
Gradual
Elevation Changes (except for south face of Fat Albert), rolling
hills, mild terrain with few loose rocks, clean and well maintained
trail
Weather
conditions
Day
1: Mild day, 68 to 75 F (20 to 24 C) light wind
Day
2: Heavy wind/rain/thunderstorms
Day
3: Mild Heat 75 to 85 F (24 to 30 C)
Description
of trip
The pack performed quite well with no
major mishaps. Base weight was 7.5 lbs (3.36 kg) with a start weight
of 18 lbs (8.064 kg) (the extra weight coming from three days worth
of fresh fruit and dried beans). The waist belt was unnecessary due
to the load weight and the shoulder strap padding proved adequate.
The ice axe loops were used to help hold down the hiking poles I
ended up lashing to the pack. The eight small loops, four on each
side of the pack, that are used in conjunction with bungee or shock
cords to add extra compression and gear storage, were used with a
mesh lingerie bag and four safety pins to make a mesh drying pocket.
At night, emptied of all supplies, the Gust lay under the foot end of
my sleeping bag, reducing the size of the sleeping pad I needed to
carry. Through rainy afternoons in the rhododendrons, hot days in the
pines, and chilly mornings summiting the mounds of the southern AT
the Gust held my stuff and rode well on my back. I barely noticed it
there.
The Gust is a ready made, light, large
capacity pack that has easily satisfied my light weight needs without
breaking my budget, or making me run take a sewing class. With a
large external pocket to hold 10 essentials, fuel & Umbrella, it
hugged the small of my back when climbing (literally in a few places)
down Albert Mountain's southern face with only the shoulder straps
fastened, and the waist belt hanging loose.
The weight has been reduced further by
removing unnecessary accoutrements (like gear loops, compression
strap, long webbing on ALL straps, closed foam padding in internal
pocket, fabric of internal pocket). The pack is oddly shaped,
narrowing as it reaches the bottom, making it odd to use a rolled up
sleeping pad as the frame (my pad ends up more of a cone than a
cylinder). There are no external side, or mesh (for drying) pockets
like the breeze and the seams are not waterproof.
Summary
All in all this pack is a keeper.
Based on my trail experience so far, and even with the extra loops
and webbing, this is a light pack, holding up well to the abuse I
give it scrambling over rocks, and strolling down the trail. I have
been using the drawstring closure to lash an open umbrella to the top
(post inside pack) keeping the rain off in a hands free manner which
was not possible to do with my other packs having "lids" closing
off the main compartment.
With a pair of scissors, a little
silicone caulk, and some patience I trimmed, streamline, and really
enjoy this pack. In comparison to the average internal frame packs I
have been using, that are designed to be adjustable and fit anyone
from Grandma to Junior, the GoLite line is a refreshing change.
Read more reviews of GoLite gear
Read more gear reviews by J. Darrin McDougald
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