Liters describe the bag; the load rating describes the frame, and they are separate numbers on the same pack. Granite Gear rates the Crown3 60 at 25 lb without its framesheet, 35 lb with it, and 43 lb with an optional aluminum stay — three ratings for one 60-liter pack, depending on which parts are installed. The condition that changes which figure applies is the torso: the same maker sells the pack in three fixed lengths, short at 15 to 18 in, regular at 18 to 21 in and long at 21 to 24 in, and a frame transferring load to the wrong point on the back does not carry its rating.
The rating includes the pack, so subtract the pack
Scroll sideways to see the full table →
| Pack, as published | Volume | Torso range | Load rating | Weight, regular, without lid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Gear Crown3 60 | 60 liters | 15–18 / 18–21 / 21–24 in | 25 lb, 35 lb, or 43 lb by frame | 2.4 lb |
| Granite Gear Blaze 60 | 60 liters | 15–18 / 18–21 / 21–24 in | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 3.0 lb |
| Deuter Aircontact Core 60+10 | 60 liters | back length 42–62 cm (16.5–24.4 in) | recommended load 10–20 kg (22–44 lb) | 2,360 g (5 lb 3 oz) |
Example, from the manufacturers' figures. Granite Gear lists the Blaze 60 at 3.0 lb in the regular torso without its lid, with the removable lid at 0.18 lb, and gives the A.C. frame a 50 lb (22.7 kg) load rating. Carrying the lid, the pack weighs 3.18 lb, so 46.8 lb of that rating is left for contents. The Crown3 60 in the same torso size weighs 2.4 lb without its lid, or 2.58 lb with it, and its 35 lb framesheet rating leaves 32.4 lb of contents. Strip the framesheet and the pack drops to 2 lb, the rating drops to 25 lb, and the contents allowance falls to 22.8 lb — a 0.4 lb (180 g) saving that costs ten pounds of carrying capacity.
Read that way, the pack's own weight is the first item packed, and it is the only item that also changes the ceiling. A pack rated 50 lb is not 50 lb of sleeping bag, tent and food; it is that figure minus whatever the empty pack, its lid and its accessories weigh.
Volume works the same way. Sixty liters is the space inside the main bag and its pockets, and it is stated before anything compresses. A winter sleeping bag and a three-season one occupy very different fractions of that 60 liters, so two packs with identical liter counts hold different trips. Granite Gear builds the Blaze 60's high-abrasion panels from a 210-denier Robic nylon with UHMWPE triple ripstop, which is the other half of a volume figure: how much the fabric tolerates before the space stops being usable.
Torso length is measured on the back, not guessed from height
Fit is published as a range measured on the back, and that range rather than the wearer's height is the specification. Granite Gear's three torso sizes each span three inches, and Deuter states a back length of 42 to 62 cm (16.5 to 24.4 in) for the Aircontact Core 60+10, with a body-height guide of 170 to 205 cm (5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 9 in) covered by one adjustable pack. Twenty centimeters of adjustment in one frame and three inches per fixed size are two answers to the same problem, and only the adjustable one can be re-set when the pack is loaned or resold.
The hip belt is the second range, and it is the one that carries the weight. Granite Gear gives the Blaze 60 a fully adjustable Re-Fit hip belt covering 26 to 42 in, and 24 to 40 in on the women's fit. A belt that runs out of adjustment at either end moves load onto the shoulders, which is the failure a load rating assumes will not happen. Deuter's 2,360 g pack is 5 lb 3 oz before anything goes in, and its recommended load of 10 to 20 kg is stated as a range rather than a maximum, which is a different kind of claim from a single rated figure.
The frame is also the part sold on its own. Granite Gear describes the Crown3's Vapor Current Mark 3 framesheet as compression-molded polyethylene with reinforcement channels and die-cut holes, fully removable, and sells the U-shaped aluminum stay that lifts the rating to 43 lb separately. A pack whose frame parts are stocked can be brought back to its rating years later, which is the same repairability question that decides the life of a pair of hiking boots.
Before you buy a hiking backpack
- The load rating in pounds, and which frame configuration it belongs to.
- The pack's own weight with and without its lid, subtracted from that rating.
- Your torso length in inches or back length in centimeters, against the published range.
- The hip belt's adjustment range in inches, at both ends.
- Whether the torso length is adjustable or fixed per size.
- Which frame parts, stays and belts are sold separately as spares.