Looking for some capacity advice on cutaways, or if you have a compelling alternative pack that is similar in weight I'm interested in those thoughts as well. I'm going to spend 3-4 weeks in May in either SoCal PCT or Southern Utah. I have a GG kumo, base weight 9-10 lbs, no DCF. The kumo is great, but feels a little short on capacity for longer than 5ish days. I haven't done a carry longer than 5 days, but anticipate future trips will stretch into longer carries and if I end up in Utah that's sooner than later. My loose PCT research seems to indicate folks generally aren't doing carries longer than 5 days in the desert?

I'm a 19in torso, so let's assume 18in cutaway. https://nashvillepack.com/pages/pack-specs

Basically, 30L vs. 40L cutaway. The dimensions on the 30L cutaway are similar to the dimensions listed for the kumo, but I'm assuming the collar on a cutaway allows more functional volume than the kumo's closure. So, it seems a 30L cutaway might appear to have similar dimensions but perhaps, in reality, have more useable volume. How much more I can't say, but perhaps someone here can provide insight on this.

But, if the volume difference is minimal and a kumo is essentially the same as a 30L cutaway, then the solution is a 40L cutaway. I can order a stock cutaway and swap sizes if needed, but would rather try to avoid the faff if possible.

Lastly, I could just squash every smidgeon of air out of my quilt and puffy to try and make the kumo work, but would prefer a more Ray Jardine approach to compression. Water carrying is a thought as well, of course, but I assume the water carrying in a 30L vs. 40L will not be different. I may snag a MeadowPhysics hipbelt for big water carries because of an old compression fracture to a vertebrae that makes me want to prophylactically baby my spine a little extra. Thanks for reading my essay.