Owner Review by Christine Korhonen

Granite Gear Vapor Trail 3600 Backpack Owner’s Review

Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 30
Gender: female
Height: 5’4” (1.6 m)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Torso Length: 17.5” (44 cm)
Waist Size: 39.5” (100 cm)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana
Date: March 9, 2004

Backpacking Background:
I recently moved to Montana where I’m becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I’m back above the snow line, I’m attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing. I’m a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. I’ve gotten my summer multi-day pack weight down to 13 lb (6 kg), but winter backpacking is still new to me, and my winter pack weight hovers around 35 lb (16 kg).

Other Backpacks Used:
This is the second backpacking pack I’ve owned. My first was a monster weighing 6 lbs (2.7 kg) with 6500 cu in (107 L).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Granite Gear
URL: www.granitegear.com
Model: Vapor Trail 3600
Size: Small
Date purchased: March 2003
MSRP: $145 US
Listed capacity: 3600 cu in (59 L)
Listed weight: 1 lb 14 oz (0.85 kg)
Measured weight: 2 lb 2 oz (0.96 kg)

Vapor Trail Description and Features:
The Vapor Trail is a lightweight backpack with an interior frame. It has one large main compartment, two side pockets, and a cinch-then-roll closure on top that also serves as an overfill sleeve. The pack is made out of black silicon-coated rip stop nylon and green cordura.

Back frame: The back frame is flexible plastic covered with ½” (1.3cm) thick foam padding. The frame is attached to the pack at its bottom and sides, forming a sleeve where I put my hydration bladder. Using this sleeve, I can take out the water pouch and fill it up without having to go into the main compartment. I can usually squeeze in a full 2 L (68 oz) water bladder after the Vapor Trail has been packed since the back frame bows out from the pack. The only time I haven’t been able to wedge a hydration bladder in has been when the pack is stuffed beyond capacity, with gear filling the extension sleeve. This only happens on winter trips when I bring a lot of bulky gear. With the hydration bladder in the sleeve, the bulge formed isn’t uncomfortable but molds to my back nicely.

I’ve found that this pack cushions well but ventilates very little. There is a seam down the back padding which allows some air circulation on my back, but not much. I make sure to wear shirts that wick well in the summer because my back tends to sweat with this pack on. Even on hot days when I’m sweating, the back padding is very comfortable. However, the padding absorbs sweat. After hiking a week in August, the pack and I smelled pretty bad. I cleaned up pretty quick, but it took several weeks of airing before I’d let the pack in the same room with me again.

Shoulder straps: The shoulder straps are in the shape of an “S” and are sewn to the top of the back frame sheet. The straps are 2 ½” (6 cm) wide and made out of ½” (1.3 cm) thick padding with nylon webbing running down the center. There are two D rings placed 6” (15 cm) from the top of each strap. I like to hook my thumbs in these rings when I walk. There’s an adjustable sternum strap attached to the shoulder strap webbing. The shoulder straps are fixed to the pack a little too close together for my preference. This is true on most packs I’ve tried. I like to have the shoulder straps on the outer part of my shoulders, especially when I’m carrying a heavy load. The shoulder straps are sewn to the pack, so their attachment is not adjustable.

Waist belt: The Vapor Trail’s waist belt is removable but not adjustable. The waist belt is amply padded and very comfortable. This is one of the few packs I’ve tried where the waist belt is the proper distance away from the shoulder straps for me. My torso length (17.5” [44 cm]) is between sizes on most packs, so a medium is usually too big while a small is to small. This pack fits my torso just right.

Side pockets: There are two pockets made out of Durastretch, an elastic material, on each side of the pack. One liter (34 oz), wide-mouth bottles can fit in these pockets, along with other miscellany. When I can’t get my hydration bladder in the back sleeve because the pack is too full, I can still fit a 1 L (34 oz) Nalgene in one side pocket and a 22 oz (0.65 L) MSR fuel bottle in the other. In the summer, when the pack isn’t stuffed to capacity, I prefer to place skinny things in the pockets. I usually have maps, trail guides, tissue, and snacks in one, and my 16 oz (0.47 L) alcohol fuel bottle in the other.

I have a minor problem with the finishing of the pocket seams. The top seam is folded under, but not stitched. This fold tends to unroll and gape open. From an aesthetic standpoint, I’d like the top of the pocket to be sewn all the way across so the seam doesn’t gape.

Top closure & overfill sleeve: An 18” (46 cm) cylinder of black rip stop is sewn to the top edge of the pack, forming the overflow sleeve. To close the pack, the top of the sleeve is cinched with a drawstring, then the sleeve is rolled. The whole thing is secured like a dry bag by the top crossed compression straps. This overfill space is not included in the listed capacity of the pack, so in theory using the overfill space can double the capacity of the pack. However, the top compression straps limit how much can actually be carried in this space, since these straps must be buckled to stabilize the overfill. Using the overfill space makes the pack top-heavy. I also tend to hit the back of my head on the overflow. However, it’s nice to have the option to carry too much when I need it.

Compression straps: The pack has eight compression straps: two on each side, two on the front, and two across the top. When I first saw the pack, I was disappointed it didn’t have a front pocket. Since then, I’ve used the front straps to carry my jacket, snowshoes, and hiking poles, at different times, and don’t miss that pocket at all. The pack’s side compression straps cross over the side pockets. This can be good, as the tight straps keep the items in the pockets from falling out, but the straps can also make it harder to get at stuff in the pockets. I’d prefer the compression straps to go under the pockets. That way the pack could be compressed, but I could still get at my stuff. The top compression straps are very useful to get air out of the pack and nudge everything that much closer. At first I didn’t like the three-step process to close the pack (cinch the drawstring, roll the top, buckle the two straps), but now that I’m used to it, it feels like a ritual.

Material: I had a water bladder break on me when the bladder was upside down in the hydration sleeve. When I realized I wasn’t sweating that much, I immediately thought of my down sleeping bag. The bottom of the back padding was soaked, but the interior of the pack was still dry. I’ve worn this pack in rain and snow. Though I try to cover it as much as possible with my poncho, the pack has gotten soaked. I haven’t had any problems with things inside the pack getting wet or with water coming in through the top roll closure.

After a year of abuse, the bottom of the pack is showing some wear. Most of the bottom cordura is scuffed, and there are a few fray marks. There are no holes or rips yet, and the bottom still seems solid enough. The seams have held up really well and show no wear at all.

Overall impression:
I love this pack. It takes me everywhere I want to go, from a seven-day trek on the Appalachian Trail, to a three-day trip through a blizzard in Yosemite. I’ve loaded it up to 35 lb (16 kg), but I’m most comfortable when it weighs in under 20 lb (9 kg). For me, it’s the perfect size. A rental bear canister from Yosemite just barely fit in the bottom of this pack, and I was able to fit the rest of my winter gear in there, too. A pack any bigger would encourage me to carry too much. The Vapor Trail is very comfortable, and the back padding is the best I’ve found. I wanted a pack with more compartments and pockets, but I bought the Vapor Trail because it fit my torso. Now that I’m used to it, I like the one compartment of the Vapor Trail. It’s forced me to become organized.

Plusses:
Best fitting pack for my torso size.
Comfy back panel.
I like the hydration pocket.
Fits enough inside without being too big.

Suggestions:
Side compression straps could go under side pockets instead of over.
For me, the shoulder straps could be separated by about a ½” (cm) each.
Side pocket top seams could be finished.

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