Mt Whitney Zone Forums Gear Heads Moving on from "The Beast"

So, in reviewing gear for this summer's adventures, I think I may try to sell my old Osprey Crescent 85 and opt for the Aether 85.

20% off, small but useful dividend, and two pounds less base weight. Bonus: it comes in "magma", hastening my switch to oompa loompa.

It will be a difficult transition: my beast and I have been on some memorable trips together.

So what are some of your favorite old pieces of gear? Something you would hate to give up, but the newer technology might make it obsolete, too heavy, or otherwise?

-L

I had a 1958 Kelty Mountaineer full length external frame pack which I bought new from Dick Kelty in Glendale. Paid $30 but I thought about the smaller Kelty that was only $25. The only thing I added to the Pack was an extra zip pocket on the back and eventually I switched the canvas waist belt for a padded one. I even won 3rd place ($10 prize) at the local Mountain Chalet Shop when they had a contest for unique packs. I gave the pack away to the Kelty family a year ago as I no longer backpack with that huge a monster. They appreciated getting the pack as most of them had never seen that particular model. I owned it 53 yrs!

Man, that is way older than Laura is.

Here's a tip for that new Osprey Aether 85: Special order some shoulder straps for it from an Argon 85. They are interchangeable, the difference in weight is negligible, and the ones for the Argon are super comfy. You'll never want to take your backpack off!

Favorite piece of old gear? For me it has to be my gray plastic measuring cup (8 oz.) from an old mess kit. It's been with me every time I've gone to the hills since, probably, 1968. And the thing about it is, new technology won't ever make it obsolete.

Congrats on the new pack. Once you find one you like, it's hard to move on. For me, anyway.

My favorite old piece of gear is my one BD aluminum trekking pole. I lost its partner years ago on Half Dome, and have lost several others that I bought to replace it, but somehow this one keeps avoiding getting lost. That's gotta be lucky, right?

The Crescent was my first big pack, and I learned how to fill every square inch of it! Fits me like a glove, handles (obviously) big loads well. My two week trip that got me to move to Bishop; resupplying friends on the JMT and bringing champagne to the summit of Mt. Bago; carrying all of my Pop's stuff up the main trail; snow camping from Gorgonio to North Lake.

I have a feeling the new Aether will be my long-term hauler. I should start collecting patches to sew on it.

Sheesh, I'm such a girl, getting all emotional about a pack...

Here are two of my favs. Holdovers from my 79 AT thru hike. Still take them out time to time.

Cool site here.
http://www.pbase.com/mad_monte1/image/89046942

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPMCUDUfueo

My friend that did Denali last year said he wished he had gone with the Argon instead of the Aether. Didn't handle 60# well. How many bottles of Scotch = 60# ?

John

As for big loads (60+ lbs.), what I found with the Aether 85 is that the shoulder padding would deform and twist slightly around the main load-bearing part of the strap, leading to, um... let's say, a certain amount of discomfort. It seemed to me that was the only limiting factor in the Aether's ability to handle the weight. So I called Osprey and learned the straps are interchangeable with the Argon's. Since changing the straps I haven't had the pleasure of carrying quite that much weight, but under more reasonable loads I can already tell it's a whole lot better, and very comfortable.

I'll give up my 1972 Kelty Serac when they pry it off my old, arthritic hips. :cool:

Well, I tried the new pack on a simple overnight a few weekends ago. Loaded it up, nice and heavy since we were heading only a few miles up an easy trail, and it seemed to ride well on both hips and shoulders. No issues with the straps, so I don't think I need to replace them/swap them out. Heading on a 5-day trip over July 4th weekend, so we'll try it out again as a final prep for August.

Wonder if it is Orange?