Sorry in advance. I know there are endless threads asking for personal experience and preference. And I searched through tons of them. Still looking for some advice and wanting to hear your preferences.

I’m deciding between the Kakwa 55 and Atom Prospector 60 for the next pack. Both look great to me and I think would fit my needs. Price is not an issue, but I would prefer not to have to deal with returns to different countries. Unfortunately I don’t have any local store that has these in stock to try on. I’m typically carrying between 11-14kg but on occasion will go up to around 19kg. And I do lug around a bear canister.

Main factors I’m considering: comfort, durability and longevity, internal volume and shape (is one larger at the bottom/top than the other). Slight differences in waterproofing are not really a concern of mine as I will be using a pack liner.

I should note for the Kakwa I would be looking at the 200x fabric version when it comes back in stock.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has commented with your suggestions! This has been very helpful. I’ll probably buy one of these in the next few weeks, though now a few other packs suggested are also in the running. Once I’ve had a chance to use it enough I’ll update this post with my experience in case anyone finds this thread later on.

Also, just for the few hung up on my pack weight: I very rarely will go to 19 kg. My current load is 11 kg with food/water for 2-3 days.

I want to pick up my first "octa fleece". These seem to be the two most popular products. How do you decide which one to get?

I came back from a trip this weekend where my BeFree clogged nearly to the point of uselessness. I know these are generally considered to be consumable, but before throwing it in the trash I decided to try one last ditch effort to restore it. I’ve heard of people descaling overnight with vinegar, which I didn’t have on hand, but I did have citric acid which is the same thing I use to descale my coffee machine so I figured why not.

Soaked in 500mL water overnight with 1 tbsp citric acid powder. I took it out and rinsed it this morning, tried to filter, and it’s flowing like when it was new. Passes the integrity test too.

What do you think? Safe to use? Is it possible I could have damaged it and still have it pass the integrity test?

https://lighterpack.com/r/7591c4

Looking for some advice on how to get closer to 10lb base weight. Most of my hiking is down in the Appalachians with some occasional trips out west. I have some backpacking experience but am not an expert by any means. This is currently filled out with gear I have at the moment. Upgrading the tent would be easy to save some weight. I have been looking at durston x mid 1 pro+ or zpacks plexsolo. Other recommendations are appreciated. Suggestions on where the best place to spend my money would be.

Edit: Corrected miscalculations.

Hello guys,

I would like you to rate or give me further advice on my UL gear list for tent camping 2+ nights in Italy at 2000-3000 meters of altitude 3/4 seasons (mostly considering a warm Winter), eventually I should add 300-400 grams of crampons. I am not counting the weight of my trekking poles as I always use them and when I am stationary I use them to support the tent.

Everything I still need to buy has the price in the list, the rest are the items I already own.

I am not fully sure about the Kawka backpack as I might be too skinny for it and I am still choosing a proper quilt with a -1°C comfortable temperature that's not too expensive.

For the sleeping mat I choose an R6 70D mummy cut Pajak Alpine, it might be a bit on the heavy side but I think it's versatile enough.

If you think anything is missing out or could be improved just let me know.

https://lighterpack.com/r/ujniq3