I know this is very unlikely, but does anyone know the weight of the Snugpak Rocket Pack? I have searched high and low on the internet for it, but it doesn't seem to be anywhere. If not, has anyone used it? what do you think of it?

Just for anyone whos interested, I found out the weight and its 2.2kg (4.85lb)

Hey, I've got one of those. and got it for a specific purpose. My normal daysack is a Berghaus Munro which is great and will just about do for an overnight trip with tarp instead of tent. I've got a much bigger Karrimor backpack for mutli day trips. The Rocket Pack, well I got it for my attemtps at widlife photography when I want to spend a few days in my local wilderness, ie large forestry plantations. At about 60 litres in total so it's plenty big enough. SInce it's a military inspired design then it's can be used whilst wearing "belt order", ie carrying stuff on a waist belt. So the substantial belt on the Rocket Pack actually goes round your waist rather than on your hips like a traditional trekking pack, I like to carry my camera gear in belt pouches which is just about imnpossible with a traditional trekking pack..

So... Pluses: It's robust, and roomy
The side pockets can be ziped off, and used as a day pack if you buy an additional yoke.
The olive green colour and camo rain cover are great when I'm out trying to photograph deer

The cons, it's military looking, especially if you use the rain cover!
The belt is quite high up, more waist belt than hip belt, which might not be so effective if carrying heavy loads for long distances/times, but I haven't tested it to that extent yet.
You have to buy an additional yoke to carry the pockets as a day sack.

Justin

I do carry a belt kit anyway and as you will probly agree, looking military is not a problem in the UK. Couldn't you do an pver night trip using it if you traveled light? I could probly do an over night trip with just my belt kit: Poncho, mess tins, hexy burner, water bottle, rations, waterproofs, and a sleeping back in the daysack made from one bergan side pouch. I havn't yet found a suitable way of sucuring the pouch to the webbing yoke. Can you help me with this?
thanks

Personally I do worry about looking military, or to be precise I worry about looking like a forty year old who's playing at soldiers. My neighbours once teased me about "going on manouvers" when I was going out badger watching one night, I was wearing DPM jacket and trousers. <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> That made me think a lot about how others might see me. I'm lucky that I can walk out of my front foor and be in the countryside within ten minutes, but that ten minutes means walking through the village. So normally the only stuff that gets carried on the belt are my camera bags, and a small pouch with survival type gear, to be precise it's my "get myself noticed to be rescued" gear.

I suppose I coudl travel as light as you talk about, but at forty I do like my comfort so a thermarest has to be included. Bivvy bag as well if I'm using a tarp. And I like to try out different stuff, eg learning to use an axe safely means I've got to carry the axe somewhere safe for me, so not on a belt. I also don't want it to be noticed so I need a pack. ALso I've got to have somewhere to carry the camo gear if I am going to be taking pictures of wildlife, particularly fallow deer which apparently have good colour vision.

Now as for attaching the side pouches to the yoke, you need the specific yoke for that, apparently the standard yoke doesn't have the attachments. I got my yoke from Strike Force Supplies He's a good bloke, you have to order by phone to make sure stuff's in stock.

Cheers
Justin

I am soon going to order from strikeforce. Can you use the yoke with PLCE webbing? If i'm walking locally I just step out of the backdoor and i'm in the countryside. I recently started looking into more lightweight backpacking and I was wondering about the weight of a rocketpack because it's better to carry a lighter pack than to scimp on the essentials. I was considering purchasing a thermarest but its not worth the weight and its very pricey. I often sleep without even a foam mat so I dont think its worth it.

This is a good place for lightweight camping gear.

This is a good place for articles and reviews on lightweight hiking.

Reconsider your position on sleeping mats. I think that some mat is useful for insulation from the heat-sapping power of the ground. You can loose a lot of heat through direct contact with the ground. Most, really good, sleeping bags will crush flat enough under you to be effectively useless as insulation but even a slim foam pad will provide a lot more insulation. You can get a 20" X 72" closed-cell (waterproof) foam pad that weighs only 9 oz (I don't know the metric conversions - or bother to look them up.). That foam pad can keep you a lot warmer than carrying an additional 9 oz of sleeping bag.

BTW a foam pad will also insulate you from those pesky pebbles as well. You might do as well by piling up dry pine-needles and dry leaves (if they are dry which might be difficult to find and difficult to keep that way)

Try this to save some money and weight at the same time.

For a really light pack using the sleeping mat as a frame you might look at this

I only dont carry a mat in the summer in a tent on flat grassy ground. I do often look at back country stuff and the light weight backpacking forum. They are very interesting. Unfortunatly lightweight backpacking and being prepared dont really go very well together. I am keeping/building up my survival equipment without comprimising but cutting down the weight of other camping equipment.

The value of a Thermarest is a very personal thing but for me it's well worth the money. I think the Yoke is PLCE item so that squaddies can do the daypack thing with their bergen side puches. I suspect that the reason they don't have the daysack fittings on the ordinary yoke is that they would be painful under a heavy rucksack.

As for weight, you can can get much lighter rucksacks with a similar volume, eg check out Golite UK , look at the Gust pack, about the same volume but weighs only 590 g yep grammes! It's about the same price too.

Justin

This is very interesting. When I first saw the weight I was worried about durability but its made from spectra ripstop nylon which is strong. Thankyou very much for showing me this. I will seriously consider it.