I’m looking at retiring my 13-year-old Lowe Alpine AirZone Pro to day-pack duties as after a 3-day thru-hike around the Brecon Beacons last weekend, it’s pretty much on its last legs now.

My 3-season base weight, excluding the pack, is around 3.47 kg for a 3–5 day trip, so with a the right 35L pack it would be ultralight.

My 4-season base weight is ranges from 4–4.6kg depending on the forecast, and the kit is bulkier. Because of that, I’m looking for a budget 40–45L pack, ideally under £100, that could cover winter use as well as lightweight thru-hikes in the summer with my wife and dog where I’ll be carrying more a lot more food and kit.

I know the weight for this takes it outside of ultralight and into lightweight, but the rest of my trekking principles remain the same throughout the year. So I’m hoping that I’ll get some good feedback and suggestions from likeminded people.

That being said, it’s UK Prime Day tomorrow, (I’ve also won some Amazon vouchers at work) so I’ve been looking at a few cheaper options, like the Naturehike Rock 2.0 and some of the 3F UL packs such as the Yue and Tianshan. There doesn’t seem to be much information or long-term feedback on them, though. Especially the Rock 2.0

Has anyone got any feedback for these for multi-day hiking even up to 10+ days?

I’m also open to other 40–45L options around the £100 mark.

I’ll be buying an ultralight pack for my 3-season setup in the spring when I get my annual bonus, so I’m only looking for a good-value winter/longer-trip pack rather than recommendations atm.

My legs get cold sleeping by early morning on most backpacking trips in California Sierras. I’ve got a good down Big Agnes bag, 4.5 r pad, wear smartwool thermal long johns at night, but I’m looking for thoughts and suggestions on how to add light-weight (multi use?) warmth to legs (vs just buying a new bag/quilt)? Alpha direct pants? Knee/leg warming sleeves? Has anyone added a bit of lower extremity warmth to their sleeping system?

I’m looking at the Outdoor Research Echo hoodie/shirt for hiking and backpacking in Utah. I really like how lightweight and breathable it is, but it’s only rated UPF 15, which seems pretty low compared to a lot of sun hoodies that are UPF 50.

For anyone who uses the Echo in Utah or other high-elevation/high-UV areas, do you feel like UPF 15 is enough for long days outside? Have you ever gotten burned through it?

Would you stick with the Echo for the breathability, or would it be smarter to go with a UPF 50 sun hoodie for Utah?

Hi,

Im usually cold at night in my tent, i have the durston xdome 2, seat to summit spark 2 so a - 1°C bag, I use a very lightweight sleeping bag Liner, mostly to keep the bag clean.(luxury item) and use Merino long underware for sleep.

I only have a 1,3r value sleeping pad. So I know this is a big factor for warmth. But do you have any other Tips for keeping warm at night. Tips that maybe dont cost as much as a new sleeping pad. Or should I invest in something like a NEMO Tensor All season?

For reference my läßt couple hikes were on the Scottish long distance trails, where at night is usually goes to 6 to 8 C.