The great gear refresh of 2010 is now complete. With this final (for now) purchase I think I have a really solid 3 season setup that should, with some luck, last me a few years.
I actually hesitated on this one because I could have gotten by with my old Kelty Coyote 4750 on the next trip. However, the Aether 85 gives me 650 cubic inches more room with only a slight increase in weight (3 ounces), a well thought out compression system, lots of options for attaching tools/gear, a better suspension, and other conveniences. It’s a tried and tested mountaineering pack that should last me a few years.
I’ve wanted one of these packs since my first Belford attempt. My friend Alan Arnette had his that day (read his review) the contrast between his Osprey and much lighter gear vs. my unwieldy overstuffed Kelty was pretty striking. I don’t think better gear would have made the difference that day but it would have certainly made the attempt less miserable. Memories of that difficult attempt are still pretty fresh and make pulling out the credit card to buy better gear less painful than it probably should be.
I will say the Kelty served me well on long training hikes and on Guadalupe Peak. It’s bombproof, cheap, not unreasonably heavy for activity closer to sea level – a decent option for casual hikers but I wasn’t looking forward to packing it into Chicago Basin. I’m going to hold on to it though. I’ll load it up with about 50 pounds of something and use it as a dedicated training pack.
