S2S Ultra-Sil Daypack for Overnight Walk

[Explorer_Sam]

Hi all,
I've been wondering recently whether the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Daypack could be used as a pack for ultralight overnight walking. As the name states, it's a 'daypack', but I reckon you could just about use it as an overnight pack. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Strider]

It's hardly even a daypack. More so a packable-pack to use for sidetrips or the odd bit of grocery shopping.

Aside from the pack itself, the biggest issue you will have is capacity. See thread below:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8026&hilit=25L+challenge

[Kinsayder]

I'm not familiar with that pack but a quick google search says it's about 20 litres. So it depends on where you're going and how much you need to carry. I applaud the notion but if you need a sleeping bag, mat and tent then you might be stretched for cookware or clothes. I did Feathertop in December with a large daypack at 35 litres. It was fine but I went sans tent and stayed at Fed Hut. Where are you off to?

[wayno]

its designed a a minimal sack that can be packed into a tiny stuff bag that fits into your fist and pulled out when you need it say on a multi day trip or around town

[Kinsayder]

Oh. Not really overnight fare then, Wayno. Even for ultralighters, I wouldn't think.

[Dale]

Yeah it will work. Providing you have a hiking partner to carry mosy of your gear

[Bluegum Mic]

Im bored enough to give it a go. I've got one of those S2S bags so ill cram my light weight stuff in and see for you. Can't say it would carry that comfortably but my hammock stuff may come pretty darn close to fitting. This will be on the proviso of carrying only 1-2 l of water and plenty of water sources to stock from and that it wouldn't be too cold. Ill report back later.

[wayno]

zero padding on the bag or the shoulder straps, sometimes things are just toominimalist to try and use them on extended trips...

[Bluegum Mic]

Absolutely Wano. Personally I wouldn't bother. If you want to go light then the cuben packs would be the go.

Verdict!! Well for me is a NO. Its a very small pack. If I just took a tarp, quilt and Tyvek sleeping bag cover and perhaps did something funky with my head net then I could but again I just don't think its worth it.

What I did just discover is I can pack my 25l Macpac Amp race for an overnighter with ease. Ill update that thread but the nice thing is I actually didn't scounge on anything and packed what I would take hammocking (down to about -3). Happy days.

[wayno]

you have to be careful with pack volumes... one companies 20 litres is anothers 15, you can get a pack thats 20 but it can have extra pockets and sleeves that make it a lot more, day packs like this are great so you can stash your gear according to how you want to access it. this pack has nothing extra, no extra pockets or padding or straps, it was designed first and formemost to be compact light and strong which it does brilliantly for side day trips. but i prefer packs with far more design features for long day or overnight trips.....

[wayno]

see what you can do with a decently designed 20 or so litre pack.. well worth alittle bit of extra weight over minimalist bags...
can't fault the planning and organisation here..

http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8026&start=30

[Bluegum Mic]

Couldn't agree more wayno. The S2S bag is very basic and the macpac one Im referring to has great pockets. Apologies as it was more a side note as some time ago I started a thread on my 25L challenge. I was just excited to discover I now pass with flying colours

[wayno]

now i'm feeling embarassed about using a 60 litre pack for overnight tramps......

[Explorer_Sam]

Thanks for all the great responses everyone! Maybe it's a little too small for an overnighter. I first read about using it as an overnight pack here http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... d_id=33572

So there we have it, someone thinks he can do it. I'd be very interested to see how he went.

[wayno]

some people care only about saving grams and will go for the lightest possible product every time. and htey may also ending up singing it's praises as much because they are in love with the concept that they saved more weight, just like uncle scrooge maybe?
for a bit more weight you can get a pack with padding, a hip belt, a sternum strap. a lid with pocket, and other external pockets for easy access to various items
it's not like you're going to have to tote around kilo's more weight by changine up design. i have one of those sea to summit packs, all i use it for is side trips on multi day walks or when i'm in transit travelling other than tramping, i prefer other packs like my black diamond nitrate or infinity

[wayno]

see someones comment on your link

"figure it's slightly less than 20l - maybe 15-16l."

i'd agree, it doesnt look like 20 litres to me... some companies just round up sizes

[Explorer_Sam]

see someones comment on your link

"figure it's slightly less than 20l - maybe 15-16l."

i'd agree, it doesnt look like 20 litres to me... some companies just round up sizes

In that comment he also says, "However, I can fit everything I need into it. This includes all my day clothing (W/P jacket, pants, mitts and socks; insulated jacket; balaclava; fleece gloves), lunch, snacks, 1st aid kit, emergency kit, tarp (and pegs for it), water purification drops, sunscreen, and toilet kit. I carry a water bottle in my hand. Based on that, I think doing an overnighter with it should be do-able".

[wayno]

good on him, i hope if you choose that pack you can as well.
you read about ultralight hikers, i read about one who walked the te araroa trail in nz and i looked him up on the internet. he would try and spread the gospel of christianity and spoke how god saved him one day in a snow storm on the pacific crest trail, he didnt have enough gear and was suffering hypothermia. then the sun came out, he attributed that to god causing the sun to come out and save him. each to their own but I would argue he is a very very lucky man to be alive, i'm not going to argue the existence of god and religeous miracles but maybe he just wants to believe that and there was no miracle it was just the weather... and he is still out there with his ultralight gear pushing his luck, although maybe not as much as he used to.... unless he's convinced god will save him when he needs a miracle again.
are you a religeous man? you might need to be with a pack that size

[Explorer_Sam]

I certainly wouldn't choose this pack for an overnight walk, it's just a matter of interest to me and I believe it can be done.

As a matter of fact, I am religious

[ninjapuppet]

Topics like this make me think about our indigenous people who used to migrate all over the country going super-dooper-extreme-hyper ultralight.
They could have been given a 1L pack and did alright with it. I'm not even so sure they had any clothes on, let alone tarps, down jackets, etc...

Back to reality for the modern day bushwalker, that S2S pack would probally not be suitable 99% of people for overnighters. Even for the 1% that could get by with it, they wouldnt find it comfortable.
Its not just all about the gear but the knowledge that comes with it.

[wayno]

i'd give the indigenous people more credit than to chance themselves witha minimalist setup in adverse weather in the mountains. i think they'd know when to go and when not to go.
going ultralight sails close to the wind if the weather packs up, i think it's something that takes a lot more skill to employ correctly, you can fall in love with the concept easily, yeah go light. save weight, what a great achievement, ... oh hang on, uh oh, hell this wind and rain is strong, hmm now its snowing, now i'm freezing, i'll just put on my extra warm gear and heavy storm gear, ooops i couldnt fit it all in the pack, hmm i'm feeling rather cold and i'm miles from any shelter and all i have is a tarp with me that won't keep this storm out.... its too wild to even get the tarp up let alone keep it up......
or.... gosh i'm wet through now and dont have enough spare worm clothes to change into and only a paper thin sleeping bag...... but hey i love tramping ultralight.....
some people can get away with taking very little gear and survive adverse weather well. and some can't. some people will surive well in situations with gear that ould easily leave other people dead, i know people who never use waterproof raincoats. they seem to have enough insulation to get away with not having to wear them in a storm to stay warm... i couldnt cope in that situation, i need a raincoat. and i need a lot of warm gear when it's cold end of story, i'm not going to try and go ulralight twhen i know it wouldnt work for me unless the weather is guaranteed to be warm 24 hours a day....
ultralight walkers have less margin for error, if you get injured and cant move and your clothes are saturated, it's freezing windy and raining, do you have enough change of clothes and shelter to keep you alive realistically?
ultralight walkers often have a lot of experience, they are competent at moving fast over rough terrain and avoiding injury, theres still an element of risk that they are taken that they may or may not have weighed up....
when i was a kid i wanted to be like tarzan, how cool was he, all he needed was a loin cloth and a knife and brylcream in his hair.... i fell in love with the concept of tarzan, hey i still am in love with the concept of tarzan but i'd also like to come through my bushwalks more alive than dead every time..... so tarzan juste remains a concept unless the weather is always perfect and i can always find enough food to eat in the bush and only need a knife as a tool and become totally immune to sunburn sharp objects on the ground and plants that hurt your skin and hangups ovr my pirates dream (my sunken chest) being on display for everyone to see.....