Gear

Imperial Dave wrote (see)

I didnt get on with the Peak but I love the Jam and its big enough to use in winter for me. I had the pinnacle but that was overkill for me

I have the Quest and it's a nice sac. However, the Pinnacle is nearly half a kilo lighter, and having read BPL.com's study of frameless packs and seen how well the Pinnacle (and Jam) do under heavy loads, I'm wishing I'd gone for the Pinnacle instead.

Nigel, the MLD Packlid fits the Jam nicely and should work for the Peak too.If you got the Peak in black/grease,the material is also a perfect match.

rob dixon 3 wrote (see)

Nigel - keep it! Nice sacs and great for winter, but for the sake of a small strip of nylon, I think GoLite messed up here.  The weight saving from the reduced collar/throat is minimal.  I am pleased with my modification, just wish it hadn't been necessary.  I now have a good, comfortable, lightweight sac which will carry more than the original.  A further advantage of the mod is that, should it ever be necessary, I can get more of my feet/legs into the sac in an emergency - a sort of bivi extension.

I'm more amazed by Golite's photos of the stuffed packs, how on earth they make the tops shaped that way..... I'll make some photos up later to explain my wonderment. This is my first lid-less pack,so part of my issues were just shock of the new.

So, its not a deal-breaker, the material isn't waterproof anyway so I'm either adding an external or an internal cover/dry-bag and the hole is small enough to do the job of keeping stuff inside. I bought a dry-bag already. Sorted.

I played backpacking last evening with the Peak. I've decided to keep the Peak, on a weight/strength/comfort/size/cost overall reason, but re-scope its role in my overall requirements, and it will stay in UK with my camping kit, I remember I have a nasty but smaller Wynster 35L sack in UK I'll bring back to USA for a larger travelling bag, which was the other aspect of my overall need. Sorted.

William Chilton wrote (see)

Nigel, the MLD Packlid fits the Jam nicely and should work for the Peak too.If you got the Peak in black/grease,the material is also a perfect match.

So I'm united with the GoLite Peak, the Podsacs pack liner, my TN Laser Comp, the PHD Minim 300 in its Podsac, my Neoair All Seasons mat, my Trangia 25 and meths bottle. A 3L waterpouch mostly full.

The rucksack is almost full, just enough space for sandwiches.

The pack itself does not feel heavy, feels like I can do some long hikes comfortably, it would be slightly heavier with some dried food but lighten through the day as the water is consumed (which is more at the start as I climb from low altitude).

The issue is the VOLUME, and the packing. The down bag is not spreading out to fill cavities. The plastic of the PHD supplied bag is sticking to the plastic of the pack liner, making stuffing it in harder, and the tent is just an awkward shape which other items are not really flowing around. The Peak is not tall enough to rest the tent ontop of the down bag at the bottom for it to shape to the contents above.

3 test-packs in and I'm getting a little better but the drawstring at the stop is pretty must showing not much space.

I guess, that's what you want, a pack just big enough, but I'm none too happy its showing being full so easily.

I have the rear pocket not stuffed at all, and one side pocket, that can take my on-the-move clothing changes, plus the small hipbelt pockets for my GPS and any other small on-the-move things.

I'm wondering about not bringing some part of the waterproof liners, e.g. not use the down bag podsac to it can more flow around the tent, or some other ideas just let the contents "settle" better alongside each other.

I've shrunk from a 70L+ down to 40L, that's part of my current problem. I've also moved down in temperature rating by more down and a warmer mat.

 I'm thinking the Jam2 which is a bit taller would be better fit to my contents, but I was kind of thinking a smaller bag would keep me minimal with my gear so lighter, and the lightness was needed.

I might try placing the tent poles separate to the main tent and then the poles will sit to the side inside and the main tent then go in the bottom of the bag?

Any suggestions?

I usually carry poles seperately to the rest of the tent, vertically, either inside or outside, sitting them in a pocket.  Then move them in as space allows.  What's left of the tent I fold to a length that fits across the back of the sac.

Intrigued with 'plastic of the PHD supplied bag' - do you mean nylon?  My sleeping bags stay in their bags across the base of the sac, in a large drybag, other stuff packed in as appropriate.  The tent may go in the drybag when dry, but left outside this if wet.  Either way, folding it into a 'back-width' works well for me with all my tent/sac combinations.  I really don't like packing things which don't/can't do this, like some litre-sized flasks.  Just plain awkward.

Rob, the PHD comes with 2 bags, one an airy large thing for storing long-term and another is a waterproof-ish type bag. I was thinking of using the latter purely to protect the drybag I bought for it, but it sticks (think rubber on rubber) to the pack dry liner as you're' stuffing in, but an open drybag in a sealed drybag in a sealed drybag for a sleeping bag is probably overkill.

I'm thinking I'll remove the tent poles and have them external to the dry bag, possibly external to the backpack (but not sure, I don't like stuff external in case I fall) then place the Minim in drybag in the stuffsac at the bottom, then sackliner ontop with my bedding and clothing, then tent (minus poles) ontop outside the drybag. I'll experiment. Just don't want drybags worn and punctured by items like tentpoles.

My old (dead) 35L pack could take similar contents but it was taller and narrower, and I only had a 225g of 550fp down, it was smaller but heavier than the Minim 300. I was hoping it inside a well packed bag would shrink quite a bit.  I'm just figuring a shorter wider pack consequences. I'm sure it will fit, just how....

Looking longer-term, it looks no way a Peak can do winter camping, not without some expert packing, if I were to stuff another layer of cold clothing I'd need another 10L (think Primaloft all-over outfit), so likely a Pinnacle? Or, I use an external stuffsac ontop. The most common accident is landing on one's arse so I don't external strap below. I was drawn to Golite for the tough fabric, everything inside.

I'm wondering is the approach of things in bags in bags in bag in bag is very efficient? Each bag is making an hollow. Would ditching the tent bag and bunging it all in one pack liner just let the down bag take up any space going? There's the obvious issue of a wet tent and dry sleeping gear, so would the tent in a bag common with the loosely packed down bag in its drybag be at all wise?

The Trangia, I know is the dinosaur in the bag, but I was researching alternatives and never bought in time. I was leaning to the Caldera Cone but not sure which, and Trangia is bombproof. The Trangia is the big item in the pack calling for shrinkage, I just need to detach myself from 2-pans cooking habits.

Nigel, I doubt I'd be able to use the Peak for winter camping - I take too much warm stuff.  I use an old GoLite Gust for such things - much lighter than the later offerings. Puzzled re dry bag and PHD stuff sac - mine have no probs at all, the PHD bags are just nylon with a thin proofing, I think.  Not sticky in the slightest.

I don't reckon you'd have probs with poles puncturing drybags if you stuff them down the corner of the pack. Mine go against my back to one side, other items being positioned around them - unless they are outside.  If so, it's worth theading a strap thru the pole bag cord, just in case...  Obviously if the poles are vertical in the sac, they may, possibly, cause wear on the base of the sac but I've had no probs with this.

I'm sure you'll find it a good winter sac.  The vast pocket is very useful and will take a shovel blade if you wish, but I tend to carry mine on the back, using one of the axe loops.

rob dixon 3 wrote (see)

I don't reckon you'd have probs with poles puncturing drybags if you stuff them down the corner of the pack. Mine go against my back to one side, other items being positioned around them - unless they are outside.  If so, it's worth theading a strap thru the pole bag cord, just in case...  Obviously if the poles are vertical in the sac, they may, possibly, cause wear on the base of the sac but I've had no probs with this.

I'm sure you'll find it a good winter sac.  The vast pocket is very useful and will take a shovel blade if you wish, but I tend to carry mine on the back, using one of the axe loops.

I'm playing at packing and yes I think poles internal to the side will work, the Peak is wide at the base and poles not looking to wear anything.

The Pod dry bags are not smooth inside, it fights the PHD bags. Bad combo, one of them has to go, either external or not triple-bagging.

The use of a dry bag liner makes the rear pocket work good, the Peak's main compartment is not pushing so hard into the rear pocket.

Part of my issue is learning to pack for these wide back-hugging packs.

The comfort on the back is.... well.... amazing. So comfortable, the wide pack and the foam seems so good. Hip belt though , cough, much less so, the front there the bulkles inside the hip padded items seems to want to dig into me and the front belt is a narrow fabric. I'm thinking the total weight is not bad I might ditch hipbelt but then perhaps not.

Overall, Golite Peak is a mixture of clever and dumb (mine or Golite, undecided) but I'll know more as I learn how to use it.

Nigel

The Pod pack liner is your drybag so you don't really need more drybags inside. If you're worried about putting anything damp inside it use a WHITE bin bag.

I've just packed mine with a Cumulus 650 bag at the bottom in a Nike shoebag. Akto to one side. Poles in the corner (outside the drybag). Pot with stove inside. T/rest and a white bin bag containing a PHD Minimus jacket, pants, socks and T/shirt. In the large pocket, food, gloves, map. Outside, on one side ccf mat, on the other, w/proofs.

There's just room for odds n sods to be stuffed in.

I'll do it all again tomorrow

So this is what happened in mid-September.  I got together the GoLite Peak and the drybag and stuffed it with all the clothing and camping gear, filled the 3L water pouch and some food and it was just about fitting but I still don't like all the weight, and the Peak was very full.  I thought about what to do for a couple of days. The outstanding unseasonally warm weather forecast made me do a bike-tour of the Lakes, where the bike took the load, and the pannier space is larger than the Peak,  instead of a backpack tour of the Lakes. In hindsight I didn't need to carry the cold/wet weather clothing, it was warm+dry but better safe than sorry. Had a good trip but I do want to do a backpack camping tour at some point, get out into the hills, even wild camp which I've not done for many years.

 My last backpack tour was about 2004-ish with a 70L sack, I think the weight of the pack just took all the joy out of it for me so I've been shrinking my kit since. e.g. swapping Coleman Viper for Laser Competition, and I've been doing bike-camping or simply day-hiking to keep weight off my back.

I could sell the GoLite Peak, I paid new what others are selling for used so a no-cost lesson-learned. However, I'd still like to lighten and shrink my gear, and moving up a size, say to the Jam2 is adding weight.

So revisiting the issue of lightening and shrinking the load.

• move from my Trangia to a more minimalist stove, like Caldera Cone/Clone. There's plenty of stove threads, don't want to start another.
• Travel tap and not carry so much water, say 1L.
• Shrink my sleeping mat.  I did buy a Neoair All Seasons (R=4.9, medium, 20"x66", 510g, 2.3L, since sold, for what I paid for it). That mat rolled is quite large, comparable to the Prolite 4 I own. I was thinking of getting the Neoair Xlite (R=3.2, regular, 20"x72", 350g, 1.8L) and boosting its insulation via replacing the GoLite Peak's supplied foam mat with a 2 or 3 folded foam mat.

What foam mats are best for this purpose, tough enough to be against the back, amenable to be folded and warm (say R = 2 to 3) ? The Zlite (R=2.2, small, 20"x36", 290g) for example? Or, Zlite seat, two of them ( each is R=2.2, the larger size, 41"x13", sleep on them side-by-side to make a 41"x26", total weight = 120g) ? 

Or just yer basic cheap foam rollmat, cut to shape? I might try that first as its cheap to experiment with.

To make this worth bothering with, a single layer of foam is exactly what is supplied, so it needs to thinner and either folded or multiple there of.

I did also think of the smaller Prolite as they are fairly tough and helps with inserting into the Golite under-inflated, then inflate to make it stiff, e.g. the Prolite XS is R=2.2, 20"x36", 230g. Would such a Prolite be tough enough for the purpose?

To not make the packed volume any worse, don't want the replaced foam solution to be any thicker. Items like the Zlite are fairly thick.....

Nigel, amazed still using Trangia - hardly minimalist, unless the baby one? So slinging that will make a big difference. I use a little gas stove (Crux).

I use at times a Prolite mat, 25 mm, 3/4 length, and perhaps a bit of 3mm mat for my feet, on the outside of the pack if no room inside.  I've used this combination for quite a few years (just back from month in Patagonia, where this was used) - it's fine.

I have never carried any form of water treatment in the UK, either - do you really need it?

I wonder where you went - and hope it was enjoyable?  And where planning to go?

Hi Rob, odd OM isn't informing of thread postings....

Trangia, yes its just a dinosaur from my first camping gear and I used when car-camping and simply hadn't been arsed with getting a newer one. I know its massive but flexible and bombproof. I'm feeling a little jaded buying stuff from online reviews, made a few bad decisions so I'm trying to stick to what I've touched or seen in use in the field. The limitations of the Internet..... (and forums).

Water - I've had bad experiences using untreated water and I need plenty of water.

I went for a bike tour instead, around the Lakes. I'm not sure what I'm doing next but one idea was B&B bike touring and then hiking up hills from B&B so my kit is lighter and I can see more that way, I'd be carrying a daysack backpack on the bike but the Peak probably too large for a daysack, I have a Black Diamond 16L-20L sack I'd probably use.  I'm currently assembling a better bike for next spring, as my winter project, tougher faster version. I was also thinking of another LeJoG camping tour and as I live in USA I was also thinking of biking up Pacific coast, and was reading up on Tarptents as replacement/complement to my Laser Comp, plus I can get the newer Thermarests.

I put the Peak up for sale, simply looking at UK prices and offering a reasonable discount, I might repost at a lower price after whatever is the 45quid current bargain has purged through. 

OM triggered my email provider's SPAM filter for a few months and just now noticed.

So a Brompton for touring, I concluded that after going via a few different bikes over the last 30 years. Ultimately, its the ability to give up, retreat, retrench which gives one the the courage to at least try. So a folding bike, ironically, because it supports folding into a car-boot, on a train, on a bus, means it encourages to try to get into places. Usually nothing goes wrong but I've done more touring with a Brompton than my earlier Dawes Super Galaxy, because I didn't need a car or concern with backup. Worst-case is I sit it out. That provided me with the cowards' confidence to get out more.

So I've built one specifically for touring, all-steel and lots of gears, now on the 3rd generation. I've been testing over Christmas. Photo blow, left one is the touring one, middle one is for short local flat rides, and right one is for everything in between which is most situations.

Touring Brompton.

From the rear

• rack for more stuff, its bumpy/harsh so on the rack so that's for sleeping bags, insulating campwear, airbed, etc
• 12speed, Schlumpf Mountain Drive, is low enough so you're about to fall off the bike due to such low speed.
• Steel-everything - I've used Titanium and under camping loads its springy and wobbly and doesn't feel safe. 
• Front pannier for all heavy stuff, so that's tent, water, food.
• Total capacity is about 44L which isn't much, comparable to GoLite Peak but I think that should be the target volume anyway.

Its about 10%-20% slower than a drop-handlebar-racing bike but it will fit inside tents, inside trains, car-pool, thumb-a-lift, etc.

So next step is the planning of the trips. I'm thinking it will be in USA in 2012 and UK 2013. 

The GoLite Peak, its probably going to be a daysack, I think...