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May 04, 2009
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Jam 2 (Courtesy of GoLite)
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I am 5 ft, 95 pounds, and have bad knees. I need a weekend backpack that's light but fits. What do you recommend?
— Donna
Enumclaw, Washington
 If the pack fits, wear it, especially since the Vapor KI ($170, granitegear.com) comes in "short" and "regular" sizes, can carry 30-pound loads, has 3,600 cubic inches of space, and is decked out with pretty purple detailing. The one downside of the Ki, however, is that it offers top-access only and has no lid. If you're a hyper-organized minimalist and don't need to burrow through your pack for that lost tube of sunscreen, this might be just fine. But if you like multiple entries, this limited access may start to make you crazy.
GoLite makes a featherweight 1 lb, 7 oz, 2,600 cubic-inch pack that can still hold up to 30 pounds of gear. For such a lightweight, the double-ripstop nylon Jam 2 ($125, golite.com) has plenty of fun features, like a front pocket with a watertight zipper, mesh shoulder straps, hydration tubes, and…the comPACKtor, a compression system that'll cinch everything down.
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Do you have a question of your
own?
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Osprey's Kestrel 48 ($159, ospreypacks.com) is a do-anything, multi-use, multi-day pack that comes in two torso sizes and has an adjustable harness for a custom fit. With a raincover, straps to store a sleeping bag, ice ax loops, and pockets everywhere, this pack has its share of bells and whistles. It weighs in at 3 lbs, 14 ozs, with 2,800 cubic inches of roomy space.
Stephanie Pearson: The Gear Girl
When it comes to gear, contributing editor Stephanie Pearson lives by one rule: What you own, owns you. That's why the skier, hiker, biker, runner, canoe paddler, and sometimes yogini is on an eternal quest to find gear and clothing that will enhance her life rather than make her a slave to dysfunctional stuff. During her seven-year stint as a travel editor at Outside, Pearson received three honorable mentions in The Best American Travel Writing series for stories on Guatemala, New Zealand, and Bhutan. Now that she's no longer in the office at Outside HQ in Santa Fe, Pearson hopes to be on the road more and is always in search of functional and aesthetically pleasing gear that's easy to use or clothing that's elegant to wear. Pearson is based in northern Minnesota and Santa Fe. Her latest adventure was on the fringe of the Amazon Basin in Brazil.
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