The best for short backpacking trips

I bought this pack in Altrincham, just outside Manchester, England. When the exchange rate is favourable most outdoor equipment is cheaper in the U.K. than the U.S.A. I paid the equivalent of about $75. I really like Lowe packs. They fit my back well and consequently I find them very comfortable. Although this is billed as a day pack, it has a well-padded hip belt and therefore I figured I could use this lightweight, 3 lb, pack for 2 or 3 day backpacks.

In addition to this pack I've also bought four smaller Lowe day packs. One was trashed beyond repair several years ago, one was repaired gratis by Lowe and the other two are still almost new. I really like Lowe packs.

A few weeks ago my wife and I went into Sequoia National Park via the Golden Trout Wilderness on a 3 day backpack. I used this pack and it worked out great. Naturally it was too small so my wife ended up carrying most of our gear :-) Hee hee, I'd only get away with that once! I'm joking. My pack weighed about 25 lbs and my wife's was just over 15 lbs. A couple of months ago we did a 3 day backpack from Cottonwood Lakes to Whitney Portal via Mt. Whitney and I used this same pack. I could probably stretch it to 4 days. The alternative is to carry my heavy Gregory pack. Hmm, maybe I could stretch it to 5 days.

The Walkabout 35 is named for its capacity in litres, which is equivalent to 2,100 cu.in. It's pretty small. In addition to the main compartment it has two side pockets and a top pocket with a "secret" inner zipped compartment good for storing your valuables. There is also an ice axe loop on the front and places to thread two more loops on top. On the back is Lowe's AirCooled mesh system. This may help, but my back still gets sweaty.

So how do I pack this thing?

I lay all my extra clothes, loose, on the bottom. For this past trip this included a down jacket, gloves, synthetic hat, thermal underwear and extra socks. Next I slide in the Garcia bear-proof cannister and the tent, a Sierra Designs Orion CD (also reviewed here by me). Now I sit on the pack and bounce up and down to compress the clothes under the bear cannister. I'm not joking; this gives an extra couple of inches of space. The food and a Penn 4200ss spinning reel (also reviewed here by me) went into the cannister. On top of the cannister I was able to squeeze a fly reel, an Olympus OM2 camera, two extra lenses and a synthetic jacket. My waterproof coat, water-carrying bag and wash towel went in the top compartment. My wallet and keys went into the secret compartment. One of the side pockets held my 1 litre water bottle, maps and utensils. The other side pocket held fishing gear, lures, flies, etc. I wrapped two fishing rods inside my sleeping pad and strapped this on top. Finally I strapped my mug and coffee filter to the outside.

My wife carried her clothes, our sleeping bag (yes, we share it!), the stove, fuel, pan, water filter and more food. We always seem to take way too much food.

Sharing a sleeping bag is a critical space and weight saving item. A bottle of brandy, a positive mental attitude and shared bodily warmth is what James Bond prescribed. That works for me! We use a rectangular Marmot down bag with a bottom sheet that zips to the unfolded sleeping bag. The down on the bottom is always compressed anyway so it has almost no insulating value. We use the one sleeping bag like a comforter and rely on our sleeping pads for insulation from the ground. Carrying one sleeping bag for the two us of is really what allows us to carry small back packs. We try to carry High Country Washington Evazote closed cell foam pads (7 oz.) rather than our Thermarest pads (2 lb. 11 oz. - Ouch!). The Thermarests are more comfortable, however.

We hiked a total of about 35 miles, fished in 3 lakes, caught plenty of Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita) and had a blast. Carrying as light and as compact a pack as possible makes all the difference in the World.

I rate this pack "advanced" because inexperienced backpackers always carry way too much stuff and this pack would be too small for them. Before I bought this pack I used a Gregory 2 day pack for such trips, but that pack only has one compartment. It's much easier to organize things in the Lowe, which is also lighter and more comfortable.