<< Part 1: Admit you have a problem
2. Downsize your pack.
Backpacker says: "For the lightest load, choose a pack that weighs less than two pounds and keep your total payload below 25 pounds (our pick: the GoLite Jam Pack [mens | womens], $150, 1lb 15oz)." Alternatively, should you want the best of both worlds (a light pack, with big load-carrying ability), they recommend a Granite Gear Blaze [mens | womens] for $200, and weighing in at 2lbs, 15oz.
Backpacking North says: Backpacker's optimum suggestion barely squeezes in at under two pounds. I think we can do better than that and still maintain a good level of comfort.
The thing to bear in mind when selecting an ultralight pack is that your pack weight is going to be so much lower – especially for the short weekend trip which we are focusing on – so the load-bearing requirements of your pack can be less. It is not absolutely necessary to have a pack frame to support your load, as this can be achieved with careful packing. Nor is a complex and heavy hip belt system with an integrated free-floating suspension system desirable. Once you eliminate these two traditional mainstays of the backpack, you can easily get the initial weight of your pack down to around 1lb or 500g.
Frames vs. frameless
As mentioned above, with an ultralight load you should be carrying far less weight, so the load-bearing demands put on your pack will be considerable lessened. The corollary of this is that with a lighter load you will be able to hike further and longer, so it's still important that you are able to carry your pack comfortably over longer periods and distances.
Traditionally, a frame helps to maintain pack shape and carrying position. But the addition of a frame – typically taking the form of metal stays – adds a lot of weight to a pack. Some UL packs offer the best of both worlds by providing removable stays, so if your load is bulky or heavier you can leave the stays in if you wish. But if your load is lighter and you employ a good packing strategy, you don't necessarily need a frame. Another alternative to the more standard metal stays is a plastic, removable framesheet. Lighter in weight, but still offering some structural support, it's a good option. But what we're really interested in is doing away with the frame altogether.
When you see a frameless backpack for the first time, it seems impossibly flimsy and shockingly light. Most schoolkid's backpacks are heavier. Can something this insubstantial really carry enough gear comfortably for a weekend trip? The secret is in the way you pack. Instead of a fitted frame, you simply use the items you take with you to create a frame or structure inside the pack. The easiest way to do this is with your sleeping mat. Simply roll the mat loosely to fill the pack and create a kind of burrito in which you'll stuff the rest of your gear. Alternatively or, as I generally do, fold your deflated air pad (I use a POE Ether Elite 6) to create a torso sized framesheet.
Then it's simply a matter of packing everything else in to create a nice, tight bundle that carries comfortably. We'll be looking a little more closely at that in part 10.
Hipbelts vs. weight concerns
It is always better to transfer as much of the weight of your pack to the hips, rather than to the shoulders. You'll know when you have a poorly fitted pack. At the end of a day's hiking, your shoulders will be killing you. This, I find, is as true for ultralight backpacking as it is for traditional heavyweight backpacking. The amount of pain is different, of course, but I've had aching shoulders with a lightweight pack.
Heavy backpacks often have elaborate hip belts, and they need to because the packs are designed for people carrying everything including the kitchen sink into the wilderness – with a 15kg pack you're going to want a thick hip belt. But with a total pack weight less than around 8kg, the hip belt can be a lot simpler, or in extreme super ultralight cases, it can be dispensed with altogether.
Personally, I like to have some form of decent hip belt to take most of the weight off of my shoulders. it can be as simple as a slip of unpadded Dyneema, but it needs to be able to distribute some of the load onto my pelvic area.
My Laufbursche huckePACK has a very nice hipbelt – just right, providing enough support to take the weight, while not adding much to the weight of the pack. My MLD Burn, on the other hand, while not that dissimilar, carries less well. But there is another reason for that...
Sizing and fitting
When packs become simpler, they generally lose a lot of flexibility when it comes to sizing adjustments. With a heavy pack you often can adjust the torso length, for example, to meet your specific anatomical peculiarities. Again, all those straps and attachment systems add to the weight of the pack. Most ultralight packs dispense with the fine-tuning and come in three sizes (small, medium, large) for different torso lengths. A few manufactures (notably Granite Gear and GoLite) offer variations of their packs designed for women, which is always a good thing. For a comfortable carry, it's vital to choose a pack that fits well – and not all packs will. It's possible you'll find what seems like the perfect lightweight pack, only to discover it simply doesn't feel comfortable when loaded. Should this happen, avoid the temptation of buying that otherwise perfect pack, for I guarantee it will transform your pleasant hike into an arduous slog.
Another feature common to heavy packs, but frequently (sadly) omitted from lightweight packs are load lifters. These shoulder-mounted straps pull the top of the pack in close to your body, and create a much better carrying position. It's essential to have the weight hug your shoulders, rather than tugging away from them. Some hardcore ultralighters might argue that with an extremely light load, load lifters become irrelevant. I would argue that any load when carried for extremely long distances will be felt eventually, and a small sacrifice in weight for a pair of load lifters makes a huge difference to your carrying ability and stamina. We can go ultralight and still maintain comfort.
Bells and whistles
A heavy backpack is positively loaded with non-essential straps, pockets, dividers, pockets, load adjusters, pockets, lids, tie-off points, pockets, and additional pockets.
An ultralight backpack typically has one compartment, two or three mesh pockets on the outside, and some lightweight compression cords, and that's about it. Many packs forego a lid for a simple roll-top closure system which keeps rain or spindrift out. The large exterior mesh pockets are ideal for stuffing damp shelters in. A couple of side pockets keep essential items and water handy. A single compartment is really all you need, and cuts out a bunch of extra material and zippers.
Durability and materials
Ultralight packs today are made out of a variety of materials, with two perhaps proving the most popular: DyneemaX and Cuben Fiber. DyneemaX is a durable, strong, water resistant fabric, while Cuben Fiber is extremely lightweight but less durable. It's also very expensive, but, in white, looks very hip and cool. I tend to go for Dyneema for durability and price reasons. There are of course other materials in use, but these are by far the most visible at present.
Cutting corners
The gram counters out there will eagerly take a pair of scissors to a new pack and cut off extraneous straps and labels, shearing whole fractions of an ounce off the weight of the pack. This may seem utterly obsessive and crazy, but don't be surprised to catch yourself doing it. It's perfectly acceptable, and you will not be alone.
Which came first, the pack or the load?
It's a little odd that Backpacker chose to begin it's guide to seeking the tao of ultralight with the cold turkey option of choosing a lighter pack. A ultralight pack is not much use if you don't have lightweight, compressible, compact gear to put inside it – they are simply too small to contain much traditionally sized and weighted gear. Unless you already have a nice, light, down bag and a tiny shelter, you'll fill your new pack with your heavier versions of those items, leaving no room for any other gear or food. Enjoy your trip!
However, Backpacker's pack selections are quite generous in the pack volume department, so it is feasible to get either a Jam or a Blaze and pack a lot of your existing gear in – it just won't be particularly light... yet.
I would say, unless you happen to have a lot of disposable income, most people making the transition to a lighter load would begin with the contents of the pack rather than the pack itself. A one-step-at-a-time approach is easier on the wallet and gives you the opportunity to test the waters before committing to a new obsession (and I promise you, it will become an obsession).
There are so many niche (and increasingly mainstream) manufacturers making lightweight packs today, your options a many and varied. Rather than list every single product and overwhelm you with data, I'll focus first on my "transition to ultralight" experience, then look at what other bloggers are currently favoring.
Backpacking North's Backpacks
My first foray into the ultralight bewilderness also began with some advice from Backpacker. I wanted to get a lighter pack, but at the time wasn't really aware of the ultralight community and the underlying philosophies and principles. I eventually opted for a Granite Gear Vapor Trail, a pack beloved of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers (or so I'm led to believe), and made by a company in my temporary new home of Minnesota. The website says it all really: "So you're ready to take the next step. You've got your pack weight doen to 30 pounds [13.6kg] or less." By no means truly ultralight, then, the pack's weight of 1kg / 2lb 5oz was still a significant improvement on my old Halti traditional pack (mine, to be precise, weighs 1104g). It has an exchangeable hip belt which, I must admit, is very comfortable. It is quoted at 59l / 3600c.in, but it has a huge roll-top collar – and I mean ridiculously huge – so you could carry a lot more than that if you were so inclined.
The design is quite unusual – the side pockets are a stretchy lycra-like material, and instead of a front pocket, there is a system of straps which can be used to attach a sleeping pad, tent, or other long object, but isn't too practical for a tarp or other lightweight shelter. The lower section, where a sleeping bag might be placed inside, bulges out, creating a slight teardrop shape. While I still have the Vapor Trail in the gear closet, it has been relegated to winter use at the moment. My current three-season gear simply doesn't fill it up enough. For an extended hike it might prove useful though.
As I started to get more and more lightweight gear, the capacity of the Vapor Trail was just way too much. I started looking for a really small pack, and settled on a Mountain Laurel Designs Burn. This is a tiny pack – tall and thin, frameless, with tiny straps, a thin hip belt (more a hip strap), a fixed size, and weighing a delightful 414g / 14.6oz. Now we're talking! Excited, I wrote a little bit about it here.
This was seriously lightweight in comparison to the "ultralight" Vapor Trail. For a weekend trip with a full complement of light gear, it's a great pack. However, I found that the long torso size was still a little short for me, and the hip belt sat too high on my waist. As I've already said, my load in this pack is very light, so the hip belt isn't so essential. However, combine that with the fact that there are also no load lifters, and I can tell you that after three days I noticed I was carrying it mainly on my shoulders.
When I purchased the Burn, what I really wanted was a new pack that wasn't even on the market yet – the (almost literally) legendary Laufbursche huckePACK. I finally managed to get hold of one last year and ever since it has become my pack of choice (or my go-to pack, as the Backpacker editors might have me say).
Like the Burn, it's made of DyneemaX (although Cuben and Silnylon versions are available), is frameless, has mesh pockets, and a thin hip belt (which can be strapped out of the way, should you wish). However, because the belt sits on my hips where it should, and the shoulder straps are ergonomically shaped, it is an extremely comfortable carry. What's more, heaven be praised, it has load lifters! Simple ones, for sure, but they do the job splendidly. The ample mesh pockets fit my shelter (and even a snow claw for winter). Going against the tide of UL fashion, it has a pack lid (with a zippered pocket – how quaint!) which is again quite simple but helps in creating a good pack structure.
It weighs 534g / 19oz with the hip belt pockets I ordered, so more than the Burn, but it is larger and, in my opinion, superior. They are still a little hard to get hold of, but you can email Laufbursche for more info. But don't just take my word for it – there are a bunch of other happy huckePACK owners out there who will attest to its greatness. Check out the links at the end of the article.
What others say...
Ultralight packs are a dime a dozen these days. Well, maybe not a dime – the costs of small cottage manufacturers make their unique offerings a little on the expensive side, but I'm a big fan of supporting small independent businesses. Here are a few packs that popular with other bloggers, but I welcome and hope for recommendations highlighting other packs worthy of consideration in the comments.
Gossamer Gear Gorilla
This one pops up a lot, and appears to be a great pack. It's a very decent 23 oz / 658g considering it has foam shoulder straps, a removable foam hip belt, an aluminum curved stay which is removable (so you can reduce pack weight even more if you wish), and a sit pad which doubles as a padding for your back. I've never seen one, and Gossamer Gear never did get back to me about their Trail Ambassador program (hint hint), but if I was looking to buy my first ultralight backpack today, this would be high on my list. No load lifters though. A pity. Read reviews at Section Hiker, and Nielsen Brown Outdoors. It also made Joe's Gear of the Year, and I have heard Martin Rye call it both "superb" and "top kit". High praise indeed.
Laufbursche huckePACK / huckePACKchen
The original huckePACK is a firm favourite among the cognoscenti. Prized and coveted alike, you can read reviews at Lighthiker, right here, and, with a membership, at Backpacking Light.
Laufbursche also offers a smaller pack – the huckePACKchen in cuben fiber, which cuts back even more on the ounces (and capacity). Take a look at hrxxlight's excellent review. The beef? It comes in at a measly 210g, or 7oz, for €150. Take that, GoLite.
Mountain Laurel Designs Prophet / Exodus
MLD make great gear – though you'll have to wait for it to be made. The Prophet and Exodus have a good reputation and are larger than the Burn or their even more minuscule Newt packs (forthcoming). Check out Jason Klaas's review of the Exodus, and, Martin Rye's review of the Prophet.
Hyperlight Mountain Gear Windrider
The Windrider is another new kid on the block, but has been getting some excellent reviews. It's a touch on the expensive side, but if you're feeling plush, you can read more about it at Utah Outside and Active Gear Review. Even Backpacker like it (in their typically hyperbolic way, although they have featured rather a lot of HMG gear recently, which makes me a little suspicious).
Other perennial favorites
ULA Ohm
Six Moon Designs Starlight
Z-Packs Blast
Links
Probably the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the ultralight backpack state of the market can be found at Backpacking Light (membership required). The Backpacking Light forums are also an excellent source of reader reviews (free to all).
Want to see learn to pack a frameless pack? Hendrik has you covered.
Manufacturers
Mountain Laurel Designs
Laufbursche
Granite Gear
GoLite
Gossamer Gear
Six Moon Designs
Z-Packs
Hyperlight Mountain Gear
Osprey
REI
Part 3: Ditch your dome >>
The thing to bear in mind when selecting an ultralight pack is that your pack weight is going to be so much lower – especially for the short weekend trip which we are focusing on – so the load-bearing requirements of your pack can be less. It is not absolutely necessary to have a pack frame to support your load, as this can be achieved with careful packing. Nor is a complex and heavy hip belt system with an integrated free-floating suspension system desirable. Once you eliminate these two traditional mainstays of the backpack, you can easily get the initial weight of your pack down to around 1lb or 500g.
Frames vs. frameless
As mentioned above, with an ultralight load you should be carrying far less weight, so the load-bearing demands put on your pack will be considerable lessened. The corollary of this is that with a lighter load you will be able to hike further and longer, so it's still important that you are able to carry your pack comfortably over longer periods and distances.
Traditionally, a frame helps to maintain pack shape and carrying position. But the addition of a frame – typically taking the form of metal stays – adds a lot of weight to a pack. Some UL packs offer the best of both worlds by providing removable stays, so if your load is bulky or heavier you can leave the stays in if you wish. But if your load is lighter and you employ a good packing strategy, you don't necessarily need a frame. Another alternative to the more standard metal stays is a plastic, removable framesheet. Lighter in weight, but still offering some structural support, it's a good option. But what we're really interested in is doing away with the frame altogether.
When you see a frameless backpack for the first time, it seems impossibly flimsy and shockingly light. Most schoolkid's backpacks are heavier. Can something this insubstantial really carry enough gear comfortably for a weekend trip? The secret is in the way you pack. Instead of a fitted frame, you simply use the items you take with you to create a frame or structure inside the pack. The easiest way to do this is with your sleeping mat. Simply roll the mat loosely to fill the pack and create a kind of burrito in which you'll stuff the rest of your gear. Alternatively or, as I generally do, fold your deflated air pad (I use a POE Ether Elite 6) to create a torso sized framesheet.
Then it's simply a matter of packing everything else in to create a nice, tight bundle that carries comfortably. We'll be looking a little more closely at that in part 10.
Hipbelts vs. weight concerns
It is always better to transfer as much of the weight of your pack to the hips, rather than to the shoulders. You'll know when you have a poorly fitted pack. At the end of a day's hiking, your shoulders will be killing you. This, I find, is as true for ultralight backpacking as it is for traditional heavyweight backpacking. The amount of pain is different, of course, but I've had aching shoulders with a lightweight pack.
Heavy backpacks often have elaborate hip belts, and they need to because the packs are designed for people carrying everything including the kitchen sink into the wilderness – with a 15kg pack you're going to want a thick hip belt. But with a total pack weight less than around 8kg, the hip belt can be a lot simpler, or in extreme super ultralight cases, it can be dispensed with altogether.
Personally, I like to have some form of decent hip belt to take most of the weight off of my shoulders. it can be as simple as a slip of unpadded Dyneema, but it needs to be able to distribute some of the load onto my pelvic area.
My Laufbursche huckePACK has a very nice hipbelt – just right, providing enough support to take the weight, while not adding much to the weight of the pack. My MLD Burn, on the other hand, while not that dissimilar, carries less well. But there is another reason for that...
Sizing and fitting
When packs become simpler, they generally lose a lot of flexibility when it comes to sizing adjustments. With a heavy pack you often can adjust the torso length, for example, to meet your specific anatomical peculiarities. Again, all those straps and attachment systems add to the weight of the pack. Most ultralight packs dispense with the fine-tuning and come in three sizes (small, medium, large) for different torso lengths. A few manufactures (notably Granite Gear and GoLite) offer variations of their packs designed for women, which is always a good thing. For a comfortable carry, it's vital to choose a pack that fits well – and not all packs will. It's possible you'll find what seems like the perfect lightweight pack, only to discover it simply doesn't feel comfortable when loaded. Should this happen, avoid the temptation of buying that otherwise perfect pack, for I guarantee it will transform your pleasant hike into an arduous slog.
Another feature common to heavy packs, but frequently (sadly) omitted from lightweight packs are load lifters. These shoulder-mounted straps pull the top of the pack in close to your body, and create a much better carrying position. It's essential to have the weight hug your shoulders, rather than tugging away from them. Some hardcore ultralighters might argue that with an extremely light load, load lifters become irrelevant. I would argue that any load when carried for extremely long distances will be felt eventually, and a small sacrifice in weight for a pair of load lifters makes a huge difference to your carrying ability and stamina. We can go ultralight and still maintain comfort.
Bells and whistles
A heavy backpack is positively loaded with non-essential straps, pockets, dividers, pockets, load adjusters, pockets, lids, tie-off points, pockets, and additional pockets.
An ultralight backpack typically has one compartment, two or three mesh pockets on the outside, and some lightweight compression cords, and that's about it. Many packs forego a lid for a simple roll-top closure system which keeps rain or spindrift out. The large exterior mesh pockets are ideal for stuffing damp shelters in. A couple of side pockets keep essential items and water handy. A single compartment is really all you need, and cuts out a bunch of extra material and zippers.
Durability and materials
Ultralight packs today are made out of a variety of materials, with two perhaps proving the most popular: DyneemaX and Cuben Fiber. DyneemaX is a durable, strong, water resistant fabric, while Cuben Fiber is extremely lightweight but less durable. It's also very expensive, but, in white, looks very hip and cool. I tend to go for Dyneema for durability and price reasons. There are of course other materials in use, but these are by far the most visible at present.
Cutting corners
The gram counters out there will eagerly take a pair of scissors to a new pack and cut off extraneous straps and labels, shearing whole fractions of an ounce off the weight of the pack. This may seem utterly obsessive and crazy, but don't be surprised to catch yourself doing it. It's perfectly acceptable, and you will not be alone.
Which came first, the pack or the load?
It's a little odd that Backpacker chose to begin it's guide to seeking the tao of ultralight with the cold turkey option of choosing a lighter pack. A ultralight pack is not much use if you don't have lightweight, compressible, compact gear to put inside it – they are simply too small to contain much traditionally sized and weighted gear. Unless you already have a nice, light, down bag and a tiny shelter, you'll fill your new pack with your heavier versions of those items, leaving no room for any other gear or food. Enjoy your trip!
However, Backpacker's pack selections are quite generous in the pack volume department, so it is feasible to get either a Jam or a Blaze and pack a lot of your existing gear in – it just won't be particularly light... yet.
I would say, unless you happen to have a lot of disposable income, most people making the transition to a lighter load would begin with the contents of the pack rather than the pack itself. A one-step-at-a-time approach is easier on the wallet and gives you the opportunity to test the waters before committing to a new obsession (and I promise you, it will become an obsession).
There are so many niche (and increasingly mainstream) manufacturers making lightweight packs today, your options a many and varied. Rather than list every single product and overwhelm you with data, I'll focus first on my "transition to ultralight" experience, then look at what other bloggers are currently favoring.
Backpacking North's Backpacks
My first foray into the ultralight bewilderness also began with some advice from Backpacker. I wanted to get a lighter pack, but at the time wasn't really aware of the ultralight community and the underlying philosophies and principles. I eventually opted for a Granite Gear Vapor Trail, a pack beloved of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers (or so I'm led to believe), and made by a company in my temporary new home of Minnesota. The website says it all really: "So you're ready to take the next step. You've got your pack weight doen to 30 pounds [13.6kg] or less." By no means truly ultralight, then, the pack's weight of 1kg / 2lb 5oz was still a significant improvement on my old Halti traditional pack (mine, to be precise, weighs 1104g). It has an exchangeable hip belt which, I must admit, is very comfortable. It is quoted at 59l / 3600c.in, but it has a huge roll-top collar – and I mean ridiculously huge – so you could carry a lot more than that if you were so inclined.
 |
| The author sports a fetching Vapor Trail. |
The design is quite unusual – the side pockets are a stretchy lycra-like material, and instead of a front pocket, there is a system of straps which can be used to attach a sleeping pad, tent, or other long object, but isn't too practical for a tarp or other lightweight shelter. The lower section, where a sleeping bag might be placed inside, bulges out, creating a slight teardrop shape. While I still have the Vapor Trail in the gear closet, it has been relegated to winter use at the moment. My current three-season gear simply doesn't fill it up enough. For an extended hike it might prove useful though.
As I started to get more and more lightweight gear, the capacity of the Vapor Trail was just way too much. I started looking for a really small pack, and settled on a Mountain Laurel Designs Burn. This is a tiny pack – tall and thin, frameless, with tiny straps, a thin hip belt (more a hip strap), a fixed size, and weighing a delightful 414g / 14.6oz. Now we're talking! Excited, I wrote a little bit about it here.
 |
| Mountain Laurel Designs Burn |
When I purchased the Burn, what I really wanted was a new pack that wasn't even on the market yet – the (almost literally) legendary Laufbursche huckePACK. I finally managed to get hold of one last year and ever since it has become my pack of choice (or my go-to pack, as the Backpacker editors might have me say).
 |
| Laufbursche huckePACK inaction |
 |
| The huckePACK is roomy, but not excessively so. In this image it is packed with an uncompressed quilt to give an idea of capacity. It can be packed much smalled, and this is part of its flexibility. There is plenty of room for gear for a multi-day trip, and the internal space is easily filled without the need to compress everything. |
What others say...
Ultralight packs are a dime a dozen these days. Well, maybe not a dime – the costs of small cottage manufacturers make their unique offerings a little on the expensive side, but I'm a big fan of supporting small independent businesses. Here are a few packs that popular with other bloggers, but I welcome and hope for recommendations highlighting other packs worthy of consideration in the comments.
Gossamer Gear Gorilla
This one pops up a lot, and appears to be a great pack. It's a very decent 23 oz / 658g considering it has foam shoulder straps, a removable foam hip belt, an aluminum curved stay which is removable (so you can reduce pack weight even more if you wish), and a sit pad which doubles as a padding for your back. I've never seen one, and Gossamer Gear never did get back to me about their Trail Ambassador program (hint hint), but if I was looking to buy my first ultralight backpack today, this would be high on my list. No load lifters though. A pity. Read reviews at Section Hiker, and Nielsen Brown Outdoors. It also made Joe's Gear of the Year, and I have heard Martin Rye call it both "superb" and "top kit". High praise indeed.
Laufbursche huckePACK / huckePACKchen
The original huckePACK is a firm favourite among the cognoscenti. Prized and coveted alike, you can read reviews at Lighthiker, right here, and, with a membership, at Backpacking Light.
Laufbursche also offers a smaller pack – the huckePACKchen in cuben fiber, which cuts back even more on the ounces (and capacity). Take a look at hrxxlight's excellent review. The beef? It comes in at a measly 210g, or 7oz, for €150. Take that, GoLite.
Mountain Laurel Designs Prophet / Exodus
MLD make great gear – though you'll have to wait for it to be made. The Prophet and Exodus have a good reputation and are larger than the Burn or their even more minuscule Newt packs (forthcoming). Check out Jason Klaas's review of the Exodus, and, Martin Rye's review of the Prophet.
Hyperlight Mountain Gear Windrider
The Windrider is another new kid on the block, but has been getting some excellent reviews. It's a touch on the expensive side, but if you're feeling plush, you can read more about it at Utah Outside and Active Gear Review. Even Backpacker like it (in their typically hyperbolic way, although they have featured rather a lot of HMG gear recently, which makes me a little suspicious).
Other perennial favorites
ULA Ohm
Six Moon Designs Starlight
Z-Packs Blast
Links
Probably the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the ultralight backpack state of the market can be found at Backpacking Light (membership required). The Backpacking Light forums are also an excellent source of reader reviews (free to all).
Want to see learn to pack a frameless pack? Hendrik has you covered.
Manufacturers
Mountain Laurel Designs
Laufbursche
Granite Gear
GoLite
Gossamer Gear
Six Moon Designs
Z-Packs
Hyperlight Mountain Gear
Osprey
REI
Part 3: Ditch your dome >>
Great work again Mark, distilling a lot of current information into a concise and educational article. On a personal note, I still rate my GG Gorilla highly and was recently impressed with it's ability to carry 7 days food supply along with my summer gear or strip down to remove the hip belt and stay for an UL weekender. When it's replaced however it will be with a huckePACK. There has never been a bad word written or spoken about them by anyone who owns one.
ReplyDeleteI have a tiny wee black cuben huckePACKchen being crafted for me now.
What a great post! And you mentioned "part 10"? You should make a book out of this. My favorite pack is my huckePACK in black silnylon, but I'm also a fan of the Jam, and my workhorse pack is the ULA Circuit, but that may be too heavy to be included in this article I guess ;).
ReplyDeleteWell I had to pick one ULA, and the Ohm seemed the obvious choice. The Jam has a lot of fans, so I don't mean to give it a hard time. I hear the Jam 2 is less appreciated than the original though... A case of GoLite going heavier.
ReplyDeleteYes, 12 parts! We're in this for the long haul :)
The black silnylon huckePACK is a true thing to be envied. It is the porsche of the backpack world.
Thanks, Joe. You are a lucky man! Black cuben fiber! Rolled on the thighs of virgins! I am truly green with envy right now :)
ReplyDeleteGood information here Mark and useful links for people to find out more. I am going to wait to see some more reviews on the Tramplite from Colin Ibbotson - I think it is out in October to make up my mind, about a new pack. For the moment my Golite Pinnacle will be fine.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually the "Jam2" that I own. It's kind of confusing that they called it Jam, and then Jam2, only to go back to the original name "Jam" for the current version :). Personally I wouldn't mind the extra weight of the 2011 version since it's got hipbelt pockets, better padding etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is as good an series of introductory UL articles as I've seen. Love my ULA Conduit/CDT!
ReplyDeleteThe Tramplite is generating some buzz. It looks interesting, but I have to say I'm not entirely convinced. The images I've seen have all been prototypes though, so I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product and reading some reviews. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteAnother +1 on the Pinnacle, huh? I might have to edit it into the article...
Thanks, Fraser - I might add a couple of packs to the lists if enough people recommend them. So far the Conduit, Pinnacle and Jam are getting the most community support.
ReplyDeleteMark, You NAILED it!. I mean you really hit it out of the park. This is what Backpacker should have written. When I first aimed at UL backpacking, there was nothing available to consolidate all of this theory and information in one place. Thanks for putting in the time for all of the newbs.
ReplyDeleteSuper article, looking forward to part 3 a lot!
ReplyDeleteI am totally in love with my Huckepack so far. My previous sack was an external frame 3 Kg Klattermusen Mjolner, and I am still using it for the big climbing trips (I don't want to rip the Huckepack to bits with 20 kilo loads of ropes and carabiners and so on). However the Huckepack has already been on a ton of trips, and it's surprisingly comfortable. You're dead right that the load-lifters are important, I have a simple roll-top pack without them and the difference is night and day. In fact I've even had the Huckepack for light climbing trips (I'm doing my best to have UL gear there as well) and it's been great.
And although it's a little shallow to think about it, I do think the Huckepack is head and shoulders more stylish than the competition. Trail-style matters damn it!
Thanks, Jake, much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tomas! Glad to hear you are enjoying the HuckePACK as much as me! I completely agree that a little style doesn't hurt :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent series you have going here, Mark. Great reads.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, my Six Moon Designs Comet (now Starlite) is dynamite.
The one thing it has, that no other backpack offers, are huge mesh pockets on the outside, where I store my quick-access gear, like shelter, stakes, rain pants, TP, maps, first aid kit, paddle, etc, without throwing off my balance/weight distribution or making it too wide or cumbersome. I store so many things on the outside, the pack is almost too big - I almost always have it rolled down all the way and am actually thinking about using it this winter (in Alaska!). And, the hipbelt pockets are perfectly sized to store a 25 mile day's worth of snacks in one and knife, sunscreen, light gloves, compass, etc, in the other, cutting the need for a top pocket type place to store all the little stuff.
It seems to have the perfect design - everything that works with other backpacks and nothing that doesn't or anything excessive (for it's role as a 30+ lb load pack).
I honestly cannot say enough good things about it. Maybe I should do a review here: www.joshspice.com
Keep up the great work. Where in MN are you? I used to live and guide on the SHT & in the Boundary Waters (Ely & Gunflint Trail).
Josh, thanks, and great to find your blog.
ReplyDeleteThe Starlite looks like a great pack for larger loads. However it's a little inaccurate to say no other backpack has huge mesh pockets on the outside - the huckePACK does, MLD's packs do, Gossamer Gear's packs do.... The list goes on. In fact, I'd say it's almost a design requirement of an ultralight pack. Most packs also have ample, simple hip pockets and skip the lid (the huckePACK is an exception). So while I'm sure it's a great pack, especially if you are carrying a little more than an ultralight load, it doesn't seem to me to be that different from many other packs. However, I'd love to see a review on your blog that proves how very wrong I am! :)
I'm down in Minneapolis, a little too far away from the trails up in the BWCAW. I've hiked up there plenty though - you can find trip reports for the Sioux Hustler Trail and Snowbank Lake from the menu at the top of the page.
Yeah, they do, but I guess I kind of mis-spoke... I should have said, no others have quite as big of side pockets. Many of those other brands' packs just have the little, low pockets on the sides and are commonly angled to allow for water bottle removal while hiking (without taking the pack off). I really like the tall mesh on the Starlite (nearly as tall as the entire pack, not just water bottle side pockets), which can hold an entire Shangri-La 3, without exposing it to passing branches like a short pocket and a compression bungee would.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the correction!
I go pretty light up here in AK. Summer basepack weight of 12 lbs. I'd like to get a Swift to accommodate the lighter load.
I had a feeling that might be what you meant. They do look good, and I definitely like the additional upper side mesh pocket. I'm sure I could find something to stuff into that.
ReplyDelete