Looking for Info from Users of Paradox Packs

[fairhill hiker]

I am looking at getting back into Backpacking. I used an old external frame Jansport D5, which I gave away. I am looking to approach ultralight and started looking at internal frames particularly Deuter and Granite Gear. The Paradox packs look like a great way to have an external frame and still get a lightweight pack. I am interested in Pros and Cons of the Paradox from people who are carrying and maybe comparisons to what you used before. I have read information about the Paradox on some hunting blogs and Backpacking Light. From descriptions, it looks like one of the few options for an ultralight/lightweight external frame pack.

[mankind117]

I have used 4 packs since getting into backpacking about 4 years ago. I hike about 1200 miles with 4 different packs before I discovered the paradox unaweep. My baseweight is 12/13 pounds in summer and 20+ in winter. I used a couple osprey aether packs. They were moderately comfortable but entirely overbuilt and heavy. I used a ULA catalyst which was the most uncomfortable of all the packs I used. The hipbelt/lumbar area was really uncomfortable and I quite frankly hated the pack. I also used a granite gear crown vc 60. It was comfortable at light loads (probably the most comfortable of all the packs at light load) but severely limited. It has a flexible framesheet which requires packing is well so the framesheet doesn't bend. It you didn't the framesheet would bow in the middle and you had to be careful everytime you took something out. Above 25 pounds the comfort dropped considerably. If the pack is not mostly filled it just doesn't work well. Overall I found I just don't like packs where the structural elements for support terminate in the lumbar region. I have a sensitive back.
When I saw the unaweep I decided to take the plunge and try it. It has been quite the revelation. After using the internal frames I described above it is an order of magnitude more comfortable. The frame just hangs from the hipbelt at 2 widely spaced attachment points. THere is no pressure in the lumbar region and the weight gets very nicely distributed throughout the belt instead of concentrated on the small of your back. I have over 100 miles on the unaweep now including a 70 mile trip in Glacier National Park. It is the first pack I have used that doesn't irritate my hips or back. I have even used it as a daypack when basecamping during a recent backpack. It really is comfortable with summer loads but will perform just as well with heavy weights. The compression system with the talon is nice, making it very easy to strap things on in many ways. It is also the first pack that uses the xpac material. I've been impressed with it. It is very waterproof but doesn't absorb much water. I bought a 2nd unaweep and am trying to sell all my other backpacking packs, that is how much I like it.

[mankind117]

I would also point out that hte unaweep is lighter than either of the aethers by 2 pounds, maybe an ounce or two heavyier than the catalyst and about a pound more than the granite gear but with a vastly more capable suspension.