14 Comments
Jul 23, 2023Liked by Anand Sankaran

Hi Anand. Great articles. You mention that the pro is 1lb lighter than the standard FF. Is this from your measurements? The weights on their website seem to have the pro as barely 50grams lighter than the standard. This doesn't really make much sense though. Any thoughts? ta

Expand full comment

Thanks for the review! So the balance pockets rub against or impede your forward arm motion when walking with poles? The picture of Ashwin makes it seem like it would.

I'm considering getting the bag for the heavy water carries in the desert section of the PCT. Would the balance pockets accommodate 2 1-liter Smart water bottles in each pocket? If so, which size balance pockets? Sorry if you don't know. You're one of the few independent reviewers of the bag. I appreciate the help! Thank you!

Expand full comment

Anand, thanks for the review(s) of the Aarn body pack. I've been looking at these for a few years now. I first saw Aarn when I had started looking at replacing my MASSIVE REI Traverse backpack. I still have that pack, and in fact it's still has the most comfortable carry of the packs I own (even if it is weighs 6 lb). After looking around I settled on a Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor (60-75L version). The pack is great in that it weighs just about 2 lb. I like the flexibility of the capacity, it's just that after 3 trips into the Sierra, it just doesn't carry the weight as well.

I'm leaning towards an Aarn pack. At the time I was looking (early 2019) I didn't hear back from the Aarn USA folks. It turns out I had contacted them during their move from Washington to Utah, so everything got misplaced until they sorted it out. Unfortunately, I had already purchased the Sierra Designs pack. I still kept Aarn in the back of my mind.

I'm still looking for someone in the SoCal area (I'm in Orange County) that has one. I'd like to at least look at the pack before I commit.

Expand full comment