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Just wondering what ultralight backpacks might be on the market these days, that can function as a stash bag. Specifically, I want to carry an OSP 265 plus helmet and big shin guards, and sometimes forearm guards depending on the jump. Was thinking in the 50-60L size, maybe. Anybody have reviews to offer? Thanks

(Searched the forums, but most info is old / obsolete by now)

I have a Klymit Motion that I hacked a bit (to remove padding) and it works pretty well.

I also have a Granite Gear pack (can't remember the model) that's pretty nice but it has more padding (because I haven't taken a knife to it) so it doesn't compress as well.

I’ve used one from sixmoon before. Pretty good and packs down well. Ive carried 75lbs 30+ miles into the backcountry to open WS jumps with it.. not as comfy as other but lightweight.

https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/

Do you have to track with it?

If you're going slider down or wing suit you can usually deal with a lot more bulk in the bag. Two piece tracking suits (and many 1 piece suits) give you a lot less room to play with, so you'll have to compromise more on the bulk of the bag.

I've found that 'diaper carry' of the bag works really well for most suits. Not sure that it would be great or slider down, though.

I've been using the Osprey Levity 60 for a while. It's light and packs fairly small (it fits in the back pocket in my Onesie Power as an example). It has a light metal fram that was easily removed without cutting it up or modifying it. It is plenty big enough for long hikes with rig, wingsuit, helmet, jacket, food and water, etc.

How's the hip belt on the Levity? The thickness of the hip belt has been the biggest issue to packability for the Klymit and Granite Gear backpacks.

I've been using a Gossamer Gear ultralight backpack for over ten years now and its been pretty awesome. Good for long hikes as it's super comfortable. A tad on the pricey side but it's been great. Added to which, I'f I'm tracking and I most always am, I wear the empty pack just as I normally would but underneath my tracking suit jacket. Barely know it's there.

It's quite slim and soft, but still supportive. The biggest issue is the shoulder straps. I would not use the levity in the "traditional" manner as a backpack underneath the container. Might be able to reverse it and wear it upside down though. I'll check it out later.

I usually wear my pack upside down (in 'diaper' configuration) if it's too large to fold all the way down. My (modified) climate can be collapsed completely (like a normal stash bag) but my Granite Gear pack has to be worn upside down.

Thanks everybody for the helpful tips!

Klymit Motion 60
Granite Gear (which one? -- Virga 2 looks pretty minimalist)
Osprey Levity 60
Gossamer Gear (which one- 55? 60?)
Six Moon (which one- one of the Fusions?)

Tom, to answer your question, it would generally be for tracking with a 2-piece (or less often, slider down), so ideally the pack would fold flat to fit in a rig stash pocket with minimal modification. Wearing the pack under clothing/backwards/upside down would be less desirable.

What is the "diaper" configuration?

Fasten the hip belt around your waist, but instead of the pack being on your shoulders, turn it upside down, so that the pack runs down toward your feet.

Then reach between your legs and grab the top of the pack. Pull it up between your legs and attach the top of the pack to the hip belt somehow (usually by passing the hip belt buckle through a grab handle or something similar).

You can wear most light packs this way under a tracking suit. I wear the Klymit this way under a PTS and it fits fine.

Skywalk makes some good backpacks for paragliding, they're light but I'm not sure if you can consider them stealth in your area.

https://shop.skywalk.info/3xios/index1.php?maibm=1&mapg=2&maid=1200&maaktion=open&parextid=1200

Has anyone tried the ULA CDT pack?

https://www.ula-equipment.com/product/cdt/

It looks like a real contender. It's available either with or without a hip belt (although I wish it were removable), and the back pad (as well as several other pieces are removable). The only thing that I wonder about is the total capacity. I'm not sure its large enough for all the pads I'd want for Moab, or for a wing suit. It should be great for tracking jumps though.

I think I'll order one and check it out.

I went shopping for my first backpacking bag today, pretty much set on an Osprey Archeon or Aether, without really considering use for BASE.

Local dealer is where Osprey was founded apparently, and I didn’t expect any resistance to being sold what I already had in mind. The owner really put the screws to me, asking me what types of trips I would be using it for, and BASE entered the conversation. After describing the logistics of hiking and flying, he immediately took the Osprey packs back and came back out with a ULA Catalyst. 3lb. 75L. Removable stays, backpads and hip belt. I love the simplicity of the design, and the quality of material and worksmanship is very high.

It went home with me, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here!

The stays and hip belt are removable? That's great. How small can you roll it up when it's stripped down? Will it fit into a pocket like a stash bag, or will you have to wear it somehow under your gear?

Sounds promising. I have the same questions as Tom, but also wondering: what is your build, and what size pack did you get? (Torso & hip belt)

The website also lists J-curve and S-curve shoulder strap options, but it is not clear what those styles are, exactly...

I’m 6’1” 160lb, lanky. I was sized for a medium bag and medium hip belt. I don’t know exactly how the J/S builds differ, but I could guess that it’s the shape of the shoulder strap when viewed from the front. My straps have about a 30 degree curve to the outside, top to bottom, about 1/3 the distance down the strap pad. I’ll get a few pics up later today when I’ve got my rig repacked to show capacity.

I told you I’d make you one you douche.

You very kindly did, but I can't do that thing you said I'd need to do to get one :)

Can't as in 'won't'? Or can't as in 'anatomical impossibility'?

Easily managed to load my beefy Gargoyle with Troll 245, my Colugo2, and a G3. I forgot to take the plugs out of the intakes on the WS before loading it, so it could get a bit smaller. Removing leading edge foam and loading them seperately down the sides could maybe net you some extra space as well, but as loaded, everything you might want to hide fits inside the bag. The pic showing the bag open was before loading the helmet.

All up weight is 27lb.

Once backpad inserts, stays and hip belt are removed, it quickly rolled and folded down to roughly the size of a loaf of bread. The foam backpad inserts are pretty stiff, and resist being rolled or folded, but I was able to get them into the sides of the leg wing area, and the rolled up bag and belt and stays went down the center. I’m not experienced in flying a WS with gear stowed in there, and I know my C2 isn’t optimized for this. May try a skydive with it loaded to see how it flies. The backpads could also be tucked away behind my back inside the suit, more securely if I had one of those fancy stashbag zipper pockets like my SausageToo.


I dunno how to post images directly so I just made an IMGUR gallery.

https://imgur.com/gallery/coQuV0z

awesome pictures! Thanks. Do you think you could strip the hip belt or other things, and get the back flat enough for a typical stash pocket on a rig?

Anything is anatomically possible if you're brave enough!

Probably maybe? The shoulder straps have padding sewn in, and all the buckles and cinches add bulk as well. It certainly won’t flatten out as well as a bare bones stash sack. I don’t have a pocket on my rig or else I’d try it out.

Depending on the hike intensity and duration, you may be able to get away without one or both of the backpads and stays, but they definitely help manage the load.

My one single gripe is that it doesn’t have a cinch cord in the top of the bag, so there has to be some amount of material left for you to roll for closure. Stuffing an open rig and canopy inside will take up a lot more space, potentially making stowing the WS and helmet a little more work after the jump, at a time/place you may be trying to GTFOQ. My dealer noted that if I needed more capacity, it would be simple to add material to the top of the bag. It definitely wasn’t built with BASE in mind, but it checks enough of the boxes for me, and functions better as a backpacking bag than a BASE specific stashbag might, so it saved me from buying two bags.

You can add that pretty easily. All you have to do is sew a piece of tape (or tubular webbing, if you want it more durable) around the top rim, and run a piece of cord inside it. You could do it on a home sewing machine.

I have a Granite Gear Virga 2 which has been great. It can get a little tight with a winguit and full weight rig though. I ended up cutting off some padding to lower the bulk. Only real downside is ots slow to stash with a small mouth at the top. An easy fix would be adding a zipper down the back.

I also had their Crown 60 which required cutting off the back foam and part of the waist belt foam but it held a little more. Same issue with the narrow mouth but same fix works.

I have a Simond Alpinism 55 Ultralight pack but it seems that is discontinued. That one I got used from another jumper and have been really happy with as they already sewed a zipper down the back and it has nice gear loops on the side for ice axes and ropes and shit. I've taken it on 10+ hour approaches and its comfy. You might be able to find one used.


https://www.granitegear.com/virga-2.html

https://www.granitegear.com/...n2-60-pack-2660.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/...cksack/dp/B008H2ENXS

Granite Gear seems to have a 30% off sale right now, too. Not bad.

Can you fold yours down to fit in a typical rig stash pocket?

Hmm I want to say yes with a tight fit. Let me look for the bag tomorrow and I can try. There's a chance my gf took it out of town this week so it may have to wait till Saturday.

Are you going to be in Twin Falls anytime soon? I have one that we built that I'd like to show you.

Unfortunately, not for a while... (I'm not keen on traveling nowadays even if I could get there)