Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Arcteryx Altra 65- Anyone have one?

Looking for pros and cons before I pull the trigger. The U zipper appeals to me, and the hip belt system sounds interesting. I own a fair amount of their clothing, and have never been disappointed. I know Backpacker rated it high, but would trust people here before all the reviews I read online. Thank you in advance.

Looks like a nice pack.

...Wow, it's a Cadillac pack! Lots of nice features. Just watched their little videos (bottom of the linked-to web page.) First pack I've seen that needs a lube job.

     

Pricey at $330, though. And heavy at 5 lbs empty. But with those features, I guess that's par.

...of course this is coming from someone who likes the 8 oz. Zpacks.com Blast. Not as durable as yours, but I love its light weight. Others here have called it a glorified plastic grocery sack.

Just bought the Altra 75 a couple of weeks ago. I've had an Osprey, Gregory Palisade (heavy!), and most recently, Deuter ACT Lite 65+10. My main problem with packs is that my hips are so narrow, I have trouble finding a pack that won't keep from riding down and/or dragging at the small of my back. Did a conditioning hike a couple weeks ago with the Deuter and came home frustrated again, so I went pack shopping again and looked most closely at the Altra and Gregory Baltoro. REI near me only stocked the Altra in the 75 size. Wore both packs around the store and wanted to like the Gregory more, but the Altra was just more comfortable. Two of the REI guys in the department said they also had the Altra and were very happy with it. Bought it (didn't really need the 75 capacity, but more space is better than less) and took it up the local "mountain" next day with 30-35 lbs in it. Very comfortable. Usual high quality Arc'teryx construction without a lot of bells and whistles. There are lighter packs out there, but comfort is more importatnt to me than weight. Going to take it out again today and hopefully will have a long and happy relationship with this pack.

Thanks for the feedback. Anyone else?

I've got a good friend that has one, but he doesn't use it much. Most of our hikes and outdoor adventures are weekends or day hikes, so there really isn't a need for him to carry a pack quite that big. But from what I've gathered from him, he seems to like it quite a bit. Calls it his "Cadillac Pack", which is kinda funny since that's what Steve just referred to it as.

Boy, did that reasoning get me in trouble for decades!

One of the trends I've notices the last 10 years, is the presence of granite gear packs. People really seem to like them, and they seem to be a nice compromise of features:

http://www.granitegearstore.com/Multi-Day-Packs-C7.aspx

I picked up a Granite Gear Vapor Trail last year and although I haven't been able to take it out much as of yet, I'm really impressed with the suspension. I've been reluctantly down-scaling my pack size and weight over the past few years going from a Dana Designs Astralplane to a Gregory Palisades and lastly the Vapor trail. The obvious upside is decreased weight on my back but I also was forced to pack smarter and lighter which has really been an enlightening experience. My goal is to be as comfortable as is practical in the wilderness with the absolute least amount of weight.