50 or 55 Liter Aarn Featherlite Freedom (Dyneema) Backpack

"Working for myself comes with benefits I occasionally need to remind myself of. The other day I had to jog my memory when I noticed a weekend tramping trip wasn�t an option but that a quick mid-week getaway was available to those of us with a flexible schedule. Yay!
As I gathered my gear, I mentally reviewed the changes I had made to my tramping kit over the past year. My goal was to reduce neck and back pain, which had been plaguing me for many moons. I have been reviewing these changes over a few trips, going through various iterations of equipment that brought me ever closer to my dream setup.
While the overarching goal was weight reduction (of the pack, not its mule), I increased the weight of comfort items like a sleeping pad (also adding a camping chair). During this process, I took a lot of inspiration from ultralight principles, but without (going to the extreme of) cutting off my toothbrush handle. The resulting loadout is tailored to suit my most common type of trip: A single overnighter in low alpine terrain covering 3.5 seasons. I have also learned to embrace some of my more idiosyncratic needs to keep my brain happy, but more about that later.
Weight Reduction
My new kit is by no means ultralight, but it has come very close. The ultralight adage that not bringing items is the cheapest way to reduce weight guided a lot of my decisions. Every item in my pack was evaluated, and either removed, replaced, or, in rare circumstances, kept as-is. Save 30 grams on an already quite light titanium pot? Bring it on! Leave the Kindle at home and use a phone + ultralight battery pack instead? Sure! Drop 150 grams on a rain jacket? Absolutely!
Taken by themselves, each of these changes will have your tramping friends laugh you off the mountain. But apply them to dozens of items, and suddenly your base weight is 30-40% lower. The effect of carrying less weight is drastic!
The dark side of these changes lies in their cost. A lot of items can only be sourced from cottage companies overseas. By the time they arrive in New Zealand, they are�expensive. When I started going for the low-hanging fruit, each gram saved cost me roughly one NZD. These days I�m closer to $2/g. That�s ouch, but I�d rather buy new gear than give the money to my physiotherapist.�
The number of changes I made could fill a book, so I�ll discuss only a few noteworthy items below.�
Sleep System
My ideal sleep temperature range is quite narrow, and after 20 years in sleeping bags I decided to give quilts a chance. Not only does my�Enlightened Equipment Revelation�quilt allow me to pop out a leg to cool down when set up as a blanket, it also zips up the footbox in colder nights. As a nice extra it can be turned into a poncho, which is great on a cold morning. I have used the -6C version down to -4C on this trip, and could not have been happier with it. It�s also stupidly light and can be customised for warmth, length, width and colours.�
After using Therm-A-Rest sleeping pads for almost twenty years, I finally started looking for alternatives. I was extremely happy with the weight and warmth of my X-Therm pad, but due to its relatively hard horizontal baffling system I never slept on it particularly well. I have since tried various pads to address this issue, and have landed on a�Big Agnes Rapide SL�pad for now. It is significantly more comfortable than the X-Therm, at the expense of being slightly heavier and colder. I was happy with it at -4C, but I would not use it when camping on snow.
Another addition to my sleeping kit is an inflatable pillow. My�Hikenture pillow�will not break any weight records, but it is an incredibly comfortable pillow for side-sleepers. Using a stuff-sack full of clothes does not even begin to compare. Why did I torture my poor neck for so long?
Between sleeping much better, having less weight to carry, and having a way to relax comfortably in my�Helinox Chair Zero�during breaks and in the evening, my body has never been happier during or after a walk. I used to be in pain for days, and sometimes weeks, when coming back from a tramp, thanks to lifelong back issues. The improvements to my well-being have been significant, and pain does not factor into trip decisions any more.
Other Changes
While I was reviewing my kit, I started challenging a few other assumption and habits. I have always struggled a lot more than the average person with the feeling of cold sweat and sunscreen on my skin. For the last few trips I tried Brynje�mesh undershirts, that were originally designed for moisture management in cold conditions. I have a summer and a winter shirts, and they have served me well on hot summer days as well as temperatures just above freezing.�As a bonus, the looks of a 90s rave outfit will serve to amuse your tramping buddies.�
I combined this with a sun hoodie � a thin, long-sleeved polypropylene shirt with an integrated hood. This combination keeps me dry and out of the sun, and has been a huge improvement in warm...

TRANSFORMATIONAL!
This pack actually delivers on all its promises. Takes some fiddling to get used to the front pockets, but the way it makes carrying the weight so much easier - it really doesn't feel like your carrying the same amount of kgs - it's worth everything. Bye bye sore back.

FF Pro with Pro Sport Pockets
This pack with balance pockets met all my expectations on a recent trip. It just doesnt feel like Im carrying the weight that is in the pack. I put as much heavy stuff in the front pockets, including water and lunch. Then everything else in the back pack. My centre of gravity was noticeably improved, especially when manoeuvring around awkward sections of track. Definitely recommend this system to others even if you dont suffer from sore back- it may even help to prevent it