Finally got to test out the Elevate 22 :-)
I have been super excited about the Elevate 22 since it came out. Seemed like the perfect day hike pack for what I do around Southern California.
Luckily enough for me, my Elevate 22 came in just in time for a hike my wife and I have been training for the last 6 months or so. We decided to tackle Cactus to Clouds. Cactus to Clouds is a well known tough Southern California Hike that takes you up from the desert in palm Springs to the top of San Jacinto Mountain. Since the hike starts in the desert, San Jacinto has one of the biggest prominence in the United States which makes for some stunning views.
Starting off in Palm Springs you start at about 400ft in elevation and climb to about 10,800ish.
Entire hike clocked in on my Garmin at 22.11 miles with 11k feet in elevation gain. Took us just under 16 hours.
Didn't notice it until typing this, but pretty cool that my inaugural hike with my Elevate 22, was 22 miles :-)
My total pack weight was 24.2 lbs. Carried a lot of water at the start, and probably packed too much food. But was glad I had it all.
You can view my entire pack here.
If only I was clever enough to pack exactly 22 pounds to hike 22 miles with my Elevate 22... maybe next time.
For a light 22L pack, it held the 24 pounds beautifully!
My wife has the White Elevate 22, while I have the black. She comfortable carried 20.11 pounds in hers. This was the first hike in awhile I decided to leave my tripod at home, so unfortunately didn't get any black and white 22 pics, but next time thats on the plan. Tried to save a little weight on this hike...
I will say though, the white is very photogenic color on the trail!
One thing I will say about this pack is how it sits on my back is perfect, the fit was amazing. I never felt like it got in the way while hiking, and it just felt stable which made me feel stable while climbing hiking.
Cactus to Clouds has some very steep sections, that are not really "trail" and the Elevate 22 just felt solid the entire time.
