High Sierra Topix

gee. In my 35 years, tent and sleeping bag attached outside even bushwacking hasn't been a problem.

A friend fell down Pants Pass and her tent unhitched from her pack and she never found the tent. Luckily, in the Sierra, weather allowed for cowboy camping for the remainder of her trip. I have observed plenty of tent poles lying on the trail. I once put my Therma-rest in its bag on the outside of my pack and ended up sleeping on hard ground for 3 nights. Tennis shoes tied to my pack were ripped off bushwhacking up to Edith Lake. I have lowered my pack on alpine routes before rappelling. Have you ever fallen into a crevasse? Never had a strap clasp break?

Although tent on the outside may be "standard" nowadays, the risk of damage or loss is not zero. And we are all fallible and can at times do a poor job of attaching the tent. And believe me, if I paid $700 for one of those fancy UL tents, it would ALWAYS be inside my pack!

The times when I do carry my tent on the outside, I make sure the cinch top goes down inside the side pocket (so the cinch string does not snag on brush or tree limbs) and the compression straps are really tight, so if I end up-side-down the tent does not fall out.

You are just fooling yourself if you buy a smaller UL pack, tie on half your gear on the outside, and then think you are UL.

I bought the Catalyst to lose the frame on my Kelty Tioga. 3 lbs right there. everything fits but I have yet to test the thing. Other stuff in the pack doesn't change. Only thing I'll change is less food. I always come out with extra. Bearikade inside, Tent outside and I'm still pondering the sleeping bag, but I think it will be inside the Catalyst at the bottom.

rlown wrote: ↑Tue Nov 24, 2020 3:05 pm I bought the Catalyst to lose the frame on my Kelty Tioga. 3 lbs right there. everything fits but I have yet to test the thing. Other stuff in the pack doesn't change. Only thing I'll change is less food. I always come out with extra. Bearikade inside, Tent outside and I'm still pondering the sleeping bag, but I think it will be inside the Catalyst at the bottom.

You just described my plan almost exactly Only difference is I use a BV instead of the Bearikade, fits horizontally just fine. Sleeping bag definitely at the bottom, tent on the outside.

I've had my Catalyst out on a couple of day hikes now and it seems fine. I really like the hip belt. I still can't quite tell if I need to take the stays out and bend them into shape in some way. Anyone have advice on on how/whether to fit the stays to your back?

Play with the stays the first night out if you need to. I'm not to touching mine until then.

This is kind of a very real post for me ..regarding tent on the outside. I pretty much always carry my tent on the outside.
I just tighten it with straps.. ( sleeping bag inside). I have been doing this for years...no problema.

At the end of my last trip, after 50 days of backpacking last summer... I am walking along on a trail and I notice that... my tent isn't there.
Panic! I talked to my partner , who always walks ahead of me.. I said.. I am going to walk back the way we came for 1 hour max and turn around if I dont find it. He agreed to wait. I walked back..and the tent was in the middle of the trail, about 200 yards back. I returned in 10 minutes.
I will continue to pack my tent on the outside... but moral of the story.. perhaps check my straps and tighten, with just a little bit more diligence!

Sil-nylon is VERY slippery and offers little friction to grab the straps. Most tent bags nowadays are made of this material. I have put strips of seam-seal on the bottom of my Sil-nylon tent so my sleeping pad does not squirm around all night. I suppose you could do the same with the outside of your tent bag. Or use a tent bag made of material that has more friction.

When I occasionally put my tent on the outside, I put it in a deep side pocket and then tighten the horizontal strap.

I've now used my new Catalyst on two trips. It has performed well. It is tough, light, and I have figured out how to get it to hold everything I need it to hold. The two big side pockets are what make it workable for me--one carries my tent with the top of it cinched under the compression strap, the other carries my large first aid kit. While I don't like the back pocket as much as my old GoLite Odyssey zip pocket, it holds just as much if not more and is convenient.

The pack rides quite well when carrying under 40 pounds. The hip belt works well, the shoulder harness fits with no pain, the back is just solid enough to to allow objects to poke through into my back.

The one think I do not like about it is the top closure, which requires you to fold the fabric and buckle it dry-sack style. I find this time consuming and the fabric does not always fold well. This is a minor matter, and I believe I made the right choice, although I'd trade it it for a new version of my decrepit Odyssey in an instant.

I too have now tried out my ULA Catalyst - just once, but I figure I fiddled enough with it over 8 days that I can make a 90% confident statement.
I like it...And clearly so did a lot of the PCT'ers I saw going past me as I was southbound on the JMT/PCT last week. In addition the ULAs looked a lot less "destroyed" than many other brands since their journey from the Mexico border. *[Every PCT'er I talked to had come all the way so far = to Evolution Valley zone from Mexico start].

I agree with @kpeter about the roll top. I would trade it for a "top lid" or top "pocket lid" even more so. In previous packs I have always used that top 'container' as a super convenient storage place for my maps, sunblock, knick-knacks, camera, etc.

kpeter wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:58 pm The one thing I do not like about it is the top closure, which requires you to fold the fabric and buckle it dry-sack style. I find this time consuming and the fabric does not always fold well. This is a minor matter, and I believe I made the right choice, although I'd trade it it for...

However, one great feature of the ULA is that the hip belt pockets are large enough to actually fit my Sony camera, in the case too, without being too tight to make it a pain to pull out at will - even standing in the trail. This is a first, as before I had to stop, dump the pack and get my camera out of the top. In addition the hip-belt pockets don't seem to get in the way like a number of other packs I tried (and rejected).

The "single chamber compartment" of the pack is seemingly a common feature of most UL or semi-UL packs so I can't pick on ULA for having the same. It is definitely not as convenient for organizing as my old Lowe pack that had a sleeping bag compartment and top compartment. Hell, I could fit my bearcan and sleeping bag in the bottom of the thing! The top was then left for all my other gear and I did not have to pull nearly everything out each night when making a new camp. Ah...the pack weighed 6 1/2 pounds though!
I have solved that issue to some degree by primarily doing "base camping" trips now. Spending 3 days or so at one location so I don't have to mess with setting up and breaking down camp every day - which I find a bit of a hassle. Seems to take much longer than it should. So pack packing is thus not a daily occurrence.

The other thing I steadily learned about the single compartment over the week, was that my packing deteriorated - aka "progressed" - from organized to "just stuff it all in"...It did not really mess anything up as was taking it all out anyhow to get at my sleeping bag at the bottom at a camp spot. Sure was quicker!

As usual the &**!#@#'ing bearcan made packing life the most difficult.
It's ridiculous how the cans control so much of the way content has to be dealt with. One day packs and cans will be more compatible in size, but they are not there yet. *[Though both BearVault and maybe ULA are working on improving that, somewhat c/o my griping, so feel free to add voice to them to "do it"!]
I took a Weekender so it had to go vertically, and once I was emptying out food and replacing it in the can with misc. gear and clothes I started to run out of "cushioning material" around the can! If I had not had a pair of biggish camp shoes pushed down vertically either side the can would have been somewhat mobile sideways. Not the pack's fault = the bearcan run around!

Lastly, one thing I did not like about the ULA. It squeaked! Made noise on and off, though mostly on by the last part of the trip. It started to "squeak and creak" as I walked, mostly on trail when had some speed. I would adjust the straps a bit and it would go silent, then start again. @kpeter has this happened to you???
Anyway, I called ULA yesterday and talked to Peter (ultra super Chris has retired) and he was just as friendly. He said I was only the second person to mention this but they had heard of it before and the fix was Talcum Powder sprinkled in the frame padding and stays pockets. Apparently that cures it. The problem is Talcum Powder has been taken off the shelves (carcinogenic???) and Cornstarch is not going to be a suitable alternative for sure.
Thus we are looking for a "powder lubricant" (or getting Talc online at Amazon). I may have a lead on that c/o PTFE powder = better known as Teflon.
I will report back once find something and see if it fixes the issue.

To conclude (phew!), I still think the Catalyst is the best pack for me of all those I tried and am satisfied with my choice. Overall it is very comfortable and that is probably the biggest factor over and above my more finicky gripes. However, the perfect pack & bearcan combo is still not out there - for my taste anyhow. More can fitability. More organizing layout. A top pocket. And hiking silence! When such a pack appears at 3 pounds or under, I will be on it.

Best ~ Michaelzim

michaelzim wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:30 am

Thus we are looking for a "powder lubricant" (or getting Talc online at Amazon). I may have a lead on that c/o PTFE powder = better known as Teflon.
I will report back once find something and see if it fixes the issue.

Try corn starch. I used it in wet suits to make them slide on the skin easier. Completely safe for the environment and cheap.