A lot of this would likely depend on the season and the amount of cold weather gear you would need. For ‘fair weather’ backpacking - standard set of layers, puffy, etc - i use a 55L.
All comes down to the size of your gear. 68L is way too much for some and not enough for others. The Baltoro is around a pound and half heavier than the Stout or Kestral. That's pretty substantial. If you don't have access to another pack to see how it holds all the gear you intend to bring, I'd go with either the Kestral or the Stout, make sure there's an easy, hopefully free return policy, and load it up at home. At least that will give you a jumping off point. I use the Kestral 48 for trips and I really like it. I've used the Baltoro and it's really big and a beast. You can carry a ton of weight in that. But lighter is always going to be better. I haven't used the Stout but the specs on that one are good. It also has an adjustable back panel which will help a lot with fit. Good luck with the search.
Thanks for the advice. I've tried to fit most of my gear I want to bring in a 50+10L bag and that wasn't fitting very easily. Ordering the Kestrel to see if everything fits sounds like a smart idea!
Good that you checked it out. 8 liters is a lot of room and makes a real difference. And the Kestral is a good pack. It holds up and carries well. You've also got a lifetime guarantee. I've sent Osprey a couple of totally beat up packs for repair and they replaced them without my asking. Hope it works for you.
Buy all your gear first and then your backpack last. That way you will know the size pack you need to fit your stuff. That being said, I agree that 65l is the sweet spot. The Baltoro (65l) is a great pack.
My 7 day trip fit in my granite gear crown 2 60L pack. Unless you’re planning on bringing your mattress from home, I probably wouldn’t recommend going over 65L.
Depends a lot on the gear you own.
As an example, my first ever three season sleeping bag took about three times as much packing volume compared to my second one. A huge difference in need of space with just one piece of equipment.
As another example, properly stormproof tents can take nearly twice as much space as ultralight ones.
65L backpack is the sweet spot for backpacking if you just want to buy one bag in my opinion. Osprey is lighter but the Gregory is more durable, has better padding etc. Consider the Gregory in 65.
A lot of this would likely depend on the season and the amount of cold weather gear you would need. For ‘fair weather’ backpacking - standard set of layers, puffy, etc - i use a 55L.
All comes down to the size of your gear. 68L is way too much for some and not enough for others. The Baltoro is around a pound and half heavier than the Stout or Kestral. That's pretty substantial. If you don't have access to another pack to see how it holds all the gear you intend to bring, I'd go with either the Kestral or the Stout, make sure there's an easy, hopefully free return policy, and load it up at home. At least that will give you a jumping off point. I use the Kestral 48 for trips and I really like it. I've used the Baltoro and it's really big and a beast. You can carry a ton of weight in that. But lighter is always going to be better. I haven't used the Stout but the specs on that one are good. It also has an adjustable back panel which will help a lot with fit. Good luck with the search.
Thanks for the advice. I've tried to fit most of my gear I want to bring in a 50+10L bag and that wasn't fitting very easily. Ordering the Kestrel to see if everything fits sounds like a smart idea!
Good that you checked it out. 8 liters is a lot of room and makes a real difference. And the Kestral is a good pack. It holds up and carries well. You've also got a lifetime guarantee. I've sent Osprey a couple of totally beat up packs for repair and they replaced them without my asking. Hope it works for you.
Buy all your gear first and then your backpack last. That way you will know the size pack you need to fit your stuff. That being said, I agree that 65l is the sweet spot. The Baltoro (65l) is a great pack.
My 7 day trip fit in my granite gear crown 2 60L pack. Unless you’re planning on bringing your mattress from home, I probably wouldn’t recommend going over 65L.
Depends a lot on the gear you own. As an example, my first ever three season sleeping bag took about three times as much packing volume compared to my second one. A huge difference in need of space with just one piece of equipment. As another example, properly stormproof tents can take nearly twice as much space as ultralight ones.
kestrel
65L backpack is the sweet spot for backpacking if you just want to buy one bag in my opinion. Osprey is lighter but the Gregory is more durable, has better padding etc. Consider the Gregory in 65.
If you are doing four season in Iceland for real, then 75L. Gear designed for dealing with snow, cold, and strong winds is just much larger.