Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

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oldranger
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by oldranger »

kpeter wrote:
Wandering Daisy wrote: is the Odyssey the largest GoLite pack?
Yes. And I can't get it to fit my bear can horizontally either.
Just bought Aether pro for my son with the expectation that he will start out with about 55 lbs on our late summer trip so I can start with 35 lbs. I have for years lashed my tent to the top of my pack. Carries well and is cinched down tightly so no shifting of weight. A light, closed cell foam pad can be tightly secured to the bottom of the pack without impacting the dynamics of the load. We both will be carrying pack rafts and fishing gear in addition to 11 or more days of food. He will be carrying tent plus closed cell foam that we place under our inflatable pads.

One problem with most of the large volume packs I have tried is that it is difficult to wear a large brim hat and look up.
Mike

Who can't do everything he used to and what he can do takes a hell of a lot longer!
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kpeter
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by kpeter »

oldranger wrote: Just bought Aether pro for my son with the expectation that he will start out with about 55 lbs on our late summer trip so I can start with 35 lbs.
Let me know how he/you like(s) it. For the moment, I am using ripstop nylon tape and fabric glue to hold my Odyssey together. I think it probably would not be a good pack for my planned 11 day trip, though, even if I could repair it satisfactorily, since the hipbelt is not sturdy enough for the weight of all that food. The Aether pro looks like it can handle the weight if it needs to. I looks like it has the standard Osprey customized hipbelt that they use on their heavier packs but then cuts a couple of pounds by using lighter fabrics and subtracting zippers straps and and pockets. Is that about it?
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

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kpeter wrote:
oldranger wrote: Just bought Aether pro for my son with the expectation that he will start out with about 55 lbs on our late summer trip so I can start with 35 lbs.
Let me know how he/you like(s) it. For the moment, I am using ripstop nylon tape and fabric glue to hold my Odyssey together. I think it probably would not be a good pack for my planned 11 day trip, though, even if I could repair it satisfactorily, since the hipbelt is not sturdy enough for the weight of all that food. The Aether pro looks like it can handle the weight if it needs to. I looks like it has the standard Osprey customized hipbelt that they use on their heavier packs but then cuts a couple of pounds by using lighter fabrics and subtracting zippers straps and and pockets. Is that about it?
Yes it is very basic. A big sack attached to a substantial internal frame. He may get to try it on a day hike in June but otherwise the trip won't be until late
August.
Mike

Who can't do everything he used to and what he can do takes a hell of a lot longer!
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gary c.
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by gary c. »

I believe that "My Trail" is the GoLite company reborn. Right down to their pyramid tents and umbrellas. There largest pack appears to be a 2lb 70ltr pack. Check out their site here. https://mytrailco.com/collections/packs
"On this proud and beautiful mountain we have lived hours of fraternal, warm and exalting nobility. Here for a few days we have ceased to be slaves and have really been men. It is hard to return to servitude."
-- Lionel Terray
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I am not sure this is the same as the Odyssey. The suspension system of the Odyssey is what distinguished it from other packs. The "My Trail" large pack does not seem to have this, plus it does not have a lid. I guess you could contact the company and ask that question. The Odyssey was designed for serious expeditioning, carrying some significant weights. However if it is just the volume you are looking for, it might work. Anyway, thanks for the link to this new company. I had not heard of it.
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kpeter
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by kpeter »

I thought I would circle back and let you all know what I decided, more than 2 years after you all offered useful advice.

I struggled with this decision. The truth is that there is currently no pack that fills the niche previously filled by my Golite Odyssey, which was 3.5 lbs, carried 90 liters, was good for 40 lbs or so, and had a wonderful, easily accessible and roomy back pocket the size of a daypack. There has been no equivalent for quite a while now, and I found myself putting off the decision hoping someone would come out with a new pack.
https://www.rei.com/product/781547/golite-odyssey-pack
I discovered that in order to achieve all that volume at such a light weight the Odyssey sacrificed on durability, and after 11 seasons and approximately 30 trips it was barely held together with ripstop tape and safety pins. I don't mind that, really--I would gladly just have bought a new Odyssey having worn out the old one. But Golite is no more and no one else makes anything like the old Odyssey. And so, after this season when the Odyssey split a second seam, I decided not to try to doctor it again, and this forced a decision.

When I first contemplated replacing the Odyssey, I came close to buying the Osprey Aether Pro, which is somewhat heavier, has less-convenient pockets, but sports a better suspension so it could comfortably carry more weight.
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/ ... her-pro-70
But the more I thought about it the less I thought it was wise for my aging body to carry more weight. I ought to be going in the opposite direction and so such a great suspension would be wasted if I kept my full weight to the mid 30 lb range, something I have been edging toward. But it also seems that Osprey has discontinued this pack, so the choice became moot.

The largest pack with the most convenient pockets I could find--which weighs less (rather than more) than my old Odyssey-- is the ULA Catalyst.
https://www.ula-equipment.com/product/catalyst/
It comes in at 3 pounds and carries 75 liters, is rated for 40 lbs. Critically important, it can take a Bearvault 500 horizontally--a key requirement for me. Both packs have two aluminum stays and a plastic stiffener in the back. The Catalyst's suspension may actually be superior to the Odyssey in which I sometimes carried as much as 45 pounds. I will see how the pockets do--it lacks that marvelously convenient back zipped pocket of the Odyssey, but it has a big mesh back pocket, huge side pockets, and usable belt pockets which get praised. The old Odyssey's flimsy side pockets rapidly stretched out and I never could use them, and its belt pockets were too small for much of anything more than a tube of sunblock. So perhaps the Catalyst pockets as a whole will work out just as well or better. The Catalyst's volume does not measure up to the cavernous 90 liters, but the very large side pockets can handle a tent and other long items strapped to the side, so I should be able to make things fit. I may have to make one or two other replacement purchases to get my volume further down. I'll see.

So I have order a Catalyst, which others on this forum highly recommend. I will report from time to time on how it works out for me, in case there are others struggling with my dilemma. What is my dilemma? Basically, I needed something in between a fully suspended heavy load hauler and a minimalist ultralight pack, and there is not a lot in that category. I hope this choice fills the bill, and will let you know.
Last edited by kpeter on Sat Sep 12, 2020 12:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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rlown
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by rlown »

I need to dump basic pack weight and that looks like a great choice. One question: How do you measure torso length? It isn't anywhere on their site.
I sent a message to them but maybe someone here knows. I'm 6"2'.
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by kpeter »

rlown wrote: Sat Sep 12, 2020 12:53 pm I need to dump basic pack weight and that looks like a great choice. One question: How do you measure torso length? It isn't anywhere on their site.
I sent a message to them but maybe someone here knows. I'm 6"2'.
It is not that hard. ULA and REI both have videos on how to do it. Click on "Sizing" at the bottom of the ULA display for an explanation and a video that is almost risque. Or at REI:
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice ... g-fit.html

Finding your C7 is pretty obvious--when you put your chin on your chest it is the big bone that sticks out where your neck meets your back. You measure from there to the top of your hip bones. Normally, the Catalyst Large sizes wind up fitting people from 5'10" to 6'4" (they are adjustable) so you probably will be a large.
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by rlown »

I found it.. thanks. And ordered.
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Re: Replacing my GoLite Odyssey

Post by kpeter »

I had a question about a customization request and emailed ULA. They answered my question, customized the pack, and got it out via UPS within 1/2 a day of receiving my order. Count me impressed.
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