On my ULA CDT, I have used my NeoAir inside the pack to create a sort of "virtual frame" and padding against my back. When minimally inflated and packed well, it seems like I am also getting some minimal load transfer to my hips in addition to comfort on my back. On hut-to-hut style trips where I am not carrying camping gear, I replace the NeoAir with a cut out blue foam pad to provided similar rigidity. This system has been good for me up to around 20 pounds. The majority of my miles with the CDT were actually in the Swiss Alps where I was going hut-to-hut and used the blue foam with a much lower total pack weight - perhaps 10-12 pounds. Very comfortable - love the pack but it is more volume than needed for hut to hut style walking.
I purchased a zPacks Nero and just got it yesterday and having some difficulty figuring out how I will pack it and whether a similar "virtual frame" is possible. The Nero, which looks like a very high quality well built pack, has a foam pad but it goes on the outside of the pack, not the inside. As a result, when I pack it, I don't seem to be able to replicate the "virtual frame" that I configure for the CDT because the pad itself doesn't provide any internal rigidity - it just sits on the outside of the pack. I could, of course, use an blue foam pad on the inside to kind of replicate what I have done with the CDT except the Nero doesn't have straps inside to keep a pad in place and, also, I have read reviews that if you don't retain some type of pad on the outside, the connection points will cause abrasion to clothing (see toward the middle of this article describing the potential abrasion issue on the pack when not using the foam sit pad on the outside: https://plugitinhikes.com/2017/12/11...smnp900miler2/). So if I rig the pack with some kind of internal "frame" to provide rigidity (either a partially inflated Neo Air or blue foam), I would *also* have to keep the exterior foam pad to prevent abrasion to my clothing - that's 1.5 ounces of extra weight.
The reason I purchased the Nero is two-fold: First, I obviously like the lighter weight (it saves me around 10 ounces vs. the CDT. Second, the CDT is too voluminous for my upcoming Camino Frances thru hike and I like the smaller volume of the Nero.
I cannot really field test the Nero with a full load on a walk outside if I want to be able to return it (per zPacks policy the packs should only be test packed and worn inside). So I'm trying to figure out if I should risk rigging up some type of virtual frame on the inside of the pack and take it for a spin or if I should just return it and either stick with the CDT (filling extra volume with my uncompressed quilt) or possibly buy ULA's smaller Photon pack (which weighs around the same as the CDT but is smaller in volume).
Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks.