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  1. #1
    ain' nuthin' butta' peanut hambone5126's Avatar
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    Default confusion strikes: ula ohm/cdt/circuit

    i thought i had my heart set on the ula circuit for a long time. but recently ive started looking at lighter and lighter options. i really like what ula equip. is doing, so the other options ive been kicking around are going for the OHM, or possibly even the CDT

    ive read reviews, and they both seem like pretty viable options. im okay at packing a frameless pack like the cdt, as ive done a few short trips using my daypack. i guess im maybe a little concerned with exceeding weight or space limits, and the overall comfort of carrying the bag for six months on my thru next year. mostly space limits though.

    tell me what you think about one or all. i just wanted to see if any of my fellow whiteblazers had any opinions to throw into the mix.

    thanks a bunch,
    hambone
    It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.
    -Sir Edmund Hillary

  2. #2
    Hike smarter, not harder.
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    I use my Gossamer Gear Gorilla more than I use my ULA Conduit (CDT). A light frame just feels better to me than frameless.
    Con men understand that their job is not to use facts to convince skeptics but to use words to help the gullible to believe what they want to believe - Thomas Sowell

  3. #3

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    figure out your base weight then your max weight and go from there better to have a little extra capacity just in case rather than over exceed the packs limit
    "Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.

  4. #4
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    I have both the Ohm and the Circuit. Actually, two Circuits, one stock and one custom. The Ohm is great, and has a larger capacity than I was expecting, but it won't hold my winter bag, and I am not a fan of the hip belt (though the Ohm 2.0 fixes that.) I've pretty much settled on the Circuit as my year-round pack. I ordered my custom job with the navy blue fabric, and the drawstring top closure and stretchy front pocket from the Ohm. Works great, and the cost was very reasonable.

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  5. #5
    Registered User corialice81's Avatar
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    I had the ohm to begin with but i didn't like how it set higher than my shoulders so that I couldn't put my head back without hitting the back with the back of my head (if that makes sense). Switched it with the circuit and I here's my review: http://www.ula-equipment.com/product...aday/index.asp.

    Also, I suggest contacting Chris at ula...tell him what you want, why you want, what ya want to carry, and he'll find the perfect match for you!!!

  6. #6
    Digger takethisbread's Avatar
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    The circuit is my year round pack as well, I use lighter options on occasion but the circuit provides the best combination of capacity, weight, and durability . It's a perfect bag for a 6 month hike.
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  7. #7

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    I have an old ULA Relay which looks almost exactly like a new ULA CDT. It's a little small for something like a thru-hike in my opinion. When my appetite gets going I need a lot of extra room for my food. But my Relay can hold a Bear Vault Weekender (the half-sized clear bear canister) in addition to enough gear to do the JMT ultralight-style in August and is very comfortable to wear. I suppose my maximum weight of gear with water and food is somewhere between 15 and 20lbs, though, so I can't tell you how it would be with more than that.
    Some knew me as Piper, others as just Diane.
    I hiked the PCT: Mexico to Mt. Shasta, 2008. Santa Barbara to Canada, 2009.

  8. #8
    ain' nuthin' butta' peanut hambone5126's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigcranky View Post
    The Ohm is great, and has a larger capacity than I was expecting
    Quote Originally Posted by skinewmexico View Post
    A light frame just feels better to me than frameless.
    thats the kinda info i was looking for. since space was my main concern, im glad to hear the ohm is a little more spacious than it looks. my base weight hovers around 10 lbs w/o the pack included, and carrying water, fuel and 5 days of food is right around 20lb. so far im thinking the ohm 2.0 since its got the nicer hip belt than the standard.

    corialice - since the ohm looks narrower than the circuit, but has the same volume, was the pack physically taller when filled with your gear?
    It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.
    -Sir Edmund Hillary

  9. #9
    Registered User corialice81's Avatar
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    Yeah. That was the problem. I didn't have a problem getting all of my gear to fit as long as my pad was on the outside of the pack. My only two "hiccups": 1. the tallness of the pack preventing my head from tilting back (even when the pack wasn't fully packed) and 2. no hip belt pockets (which has since changed with the new Ohm 2.0 version). This picture is from last January and you can see how high it goes above the shoulder (just ignore the padding on top). Hambone, hope this helps. ohm.jpg

  10. #10
    Hike smarter, not harder.
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    I'd think the Ohm would be a little small for a winter pack.
    Con men understand that their job is not to use facts to convince skeptics but to use words to help the gullible to believe what they want to believe - Thomas Sowell

  11. #11
    Registered User corialice81's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by skinewmexico View Post
    I'd think the Ohm would be a little small for a winter pack.
    as the photo demonstrates, I got all my winter gear to fit.

  12. #12
    ain' nuthin' butta' peanut hambone5126's Avatar
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    a photo is worth a thousand words. that helps a whole bunch, being able to see exactly how it rides. thanks corialice
    i was starting to really like the ohm, and i still do. But for the 6 oz the ohm2.0 would save over the circuit, i might just bag that idea and get the circuit since there have been nothing but glowing reviews of it
    plus that way i can justify getting an even lighter bag for short trips
    It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.
    -Sir Edmund Hillary

  13. #13
    Registered User corialice81's Avatar
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    Glad I could help I've got photos of the circuit as well on that review link I posted earlier. Call Chris, tell him Cori sent you, and order your circuit over the phone with him. Best purchase ever! You may still be able to get it in another color other than the green if that tickles your fancy.

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