RE-POST: Paradox Pack, High Uintas 2014

[hewhofightsfoo]

Paradox Evolution 4800CI roll-top with V21 Talon and frame extensions in place. The 4800 was HUGE; 8 days out and i only filled it about 2/3 of the way. Also, plenty of functionality to carry tent pole, axe, wyoming saw, fly rod, cook kit, etc. on the outside. It would be nice to see an axe loop/sleeve of some sort that could be added to the under-side of the of the Talon...like the Frost River Pack/bushcraft-style.

[swisski]

awesome pics! cool to see how you utilized the compression straps here. thanks for sharing

[hewhofightsfoo]

thanks man; yeah i just got sick of hitting branches and having my sleeping pad wobble with only the top strap pulled down over it; i had to improvise a bit since i already had a wool blanket on the bottom. it all worked out great in the end, and is more of a testament to the versatility of the pack.

[swisski]

Yeah it looks like by using the over the top strap along with the upper most side compression strap, it really secured it nicely.

Is that the z lite pad by thermarest? how do you like it? I'm looking for a closed cell foam pad for summer/early season, and then something to use in addition to my exped synmat ul 7 in the winter. Seems like a good pad, just a bit bulky which I guess is the only thing that concerns me

[hewhofightsfoo]

Yeah, for summer it works great, very lite, don't have to worry about rips and tears and blowing air into it. I mean, it does seem bulky at first, but I saw guys on the Appalachian trail just finding a way to secure it on the outside, and refusing to part with it, so I figured I'd give it a try. I wouldn't part with mine either now. For winter I have the big Agnes qcore. And take an Italian wool blanket to put over it....heavy, but I'll take heavy over cold. That xped has a slightly higher r-value than the qcore I think, and I was completely comfortable in the low 20s on that...oh, you can get the zlite in coyote brown color too if you order it off Amazon, it looks pretty sweet.

[swisski]

Right on. Yeah I saw that in coyote brown and thought it looked awesome! that would be my choice. Thanks for your feedback man

[swisski]