UKC

Hi all, I'm in the market for a lightweight backpacking pack. I've been doing quite a few short 2-3 day backpacking trips with some longer days, and I'd love to try and do some longer stuff soon. I usually carry around 10-11kg including food and water (so a base weight of around 7kg most of the year, pushing towards 8kg in winter).

I'm looking for:

- A weight of ~1kg 

-50-60L capacity

-Buckles which are easy to operate with cold hands or gloves (I can't remember the last time I had warm hands on a hill, even with Dachsteins)

-Side/Wand pockets which you can get to whilst walking

-A front mesh pocket.

If anyone knows anything that fits the bill, let me know!.

Cheers!

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

Granite Gear make some sturdy but lightweight packs. Used a 60L from them on a ten day backpack from Appin to Inverness last month. 

In reply to Deleated bagger:

I was looking at the Crown 2. Seems like a good bag - but couldn't find all that many long term reviews of it so good to hear it's served you well.

Also looking at the Atom Packs Mo if anyone has any experience with that?

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

I have taken the Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 40-60 out for two short trips, only 100km or so with it so far. No mesh pocket on the front though (but does have hip belt and shoulder strap pockets plus wand pockets). Just over a kilo I think. 

It's weird look and at first glance appears terribly 'strappy' but the straps have keepers to keep them tidy, and the carry is excellent with variable capacity that works better than just lifting the lid higher and higher until you can't look up. It appears quite unconventional, but I quite like that!

Only issues I have are (1) the zips catch in the storm flap at the top and (2) the top lid pocket needs a small rethink as it fills "downwards" into the main cavity, but if that becomes an issue you just increase the main cavity size.  It works well with poles, axes and ropes (not tried skis yet). 

The differential options in NZ, where there's not a huge range available, included the Granite Gear Crown or Blaze, one of the lighter Ospreys, the REI Flash, and my son got a TNF Banshee (which I had never considered) which is remarkably light but doesn't quite fit me as I need the M/L not the S/M - major advantage is that it was incredibly cheap from sportspursuit...!

As my old pack was an Arcteryx 75l this means my new pack plus tent (Durston X-Mid 2P), sleeping bag (PHD Minimus) and mat (S2S Etherlight) weighs as much as my old pack with nothing in it. For really heavy loads the Arcteryx will always be more comfortable but now I don't have to take all the kid's gear too then I'm delighted... also the difference between "pack getting lighter over the days" to "pack gets smaller and lighter" is unexpectedly pleasant psychologically!

Have fun with what my old mate Andy used to describe as "retail foreplay"  

b

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

Atompacks are one of a few small companies making lightweight packs. They're not cheap but they are heavily customisable.

https://atompacks.co.uk/collections/50l-backpacks

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

The Osprey Exos 48 in the longer back length is 53 litres. I've used mine quite a lot and carried 12+ kilos for a five day walk of the WHW. 

Very comfy and not too spendy.

They do a 58 litre one now too.

In reply to Oscar Dodd:  To posters here - how comfortable are these ultralight packs?  I'm a bit nervy of 60+ litre backs with very low weights.

In reply to wbo2:

Does anyone have experience with Hyperlight Mountain Gear? Looks great, but I can't try the packs locally.

CB

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

I've a couple of Lightwave packs, a 40lt for short trips and a 60lt for longer ones. Really comfortable and light but not quite as light as ultralight packs, but much more comfortable to carry. 

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

A vote for Atompacks

i have an Atom+ 40l.  Carries brilliantly,  I try and stay under 8kg including food and a litre of water.  Their 50/60l packs have more structure and padding so I expect are better for bigger loads.  
 

Made in the lakes by nice people. 

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

Most lightweight backpacks are weak and fragile... they'll tear by looking at a rock.  And then they're as porous as a sponge.

However, I've been using a Crux AK57 for the last 15 years almost and it's tough as old boots.  Made from Kevlar, fully water proof (seam sealed too), and only 1.1kg.  Awesome!  Its also got handy climbing features such as usable compression straps, proper floating hood and BIG double hand carry strap. The new ones aren't cheap mind you...

In reply to OwenM:

I have a Lightwave. Highly recommended though I miss the hipbelt pockets and stuff sac on the front that I had with my Osprey Talon 44 (another option for you).

In reply to crayefish:

Crux and lightwave rucksacks are made by the same people.

In reply to OwenM:

So I understand (from the tent side of things).  Though they do look different... not sure why they have two brands.

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

Atom packs are brilliant and unlike other lightweight packs actually carry weight comfortably and are actually fairly tough. Mine has survived years of use including several long distance paths.

In reply to ben b:

Some mega information here mate. Cheers - super useful.

I was taking a good look at the Flex Capacitor - seems like a cracking bag. Still not 100% sure how the zip-top would suit me, but great to hear it's served you well.

The other bags all sound solid too - some more solid options. TNF Banshee looks lovely, but it's a wee bit heavier than I'd really like to carry sadly. 

In reply to Kalna_kaza:

Very tempted by the Mo 50, ngl. Looks like a brilliant bag - but it is £££

In reply to OwenM:

The Lightwave stuff looks solid. I like the simple design, and they look properly durable too.

Think I'd still miss the front mesh pocket though.

In reply to George Fisher:

Good to hear. Yeah - they are starting to look like the best option for me. Cheers!

In reply to crayefish:

Climbing bags are defo something I need to look more into. Lots of my mates use them for backpacking and rave about them. I use an Osprey Mutant 38 for winter walking and have done a few 1-2 night expeds with it - but can never turn it into a livable bag tbh. The lack of outside pockets drives me bonkers, I don't really like to stop much during the day, so not a fan of having to faff around with taking the bag off etc, so having a place to store water and snacks on the outside is ideal for me. 

The Curx bags look dreamy though - so durable! One day, I'll try and grab one for winter walking

In reply to JB:

Yeah - Lightwaves look great. Been looking, think Gossamer Gear and Atom Packs do add on hipbelt pockets, and exped do an add on front elastic style pocket that gets some decent reviews, so they  might make Lightwaves a really brilliant choice for me, as aside from the lack of those pockets, they look perfect.

Fear it might push the weight and cost a bit outside of ideal though.

In reply to Andypeak:

More I hear about Atompacks, the more I start to think they're the way to go. £££ But absolutely solid by the sounds of it.

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

If you strip down an Osprey Exos 58 you can get it down to very near 1Kg and it's amazingly functional, comfortable, etc... I found it an almost perfect compromise (for me)

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

You can always add an Exped flash pocket. There a mesh pocket that clips onto any pack.

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

Another vote for Atompack. Fantastic design. Super comfy, lightweight and robust.

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

It takes some getting used to to go without pockets.  But once you have, you won't miss them.  I use my Crux AK57 for all my multiday hiking and trekking (which is much more than my mountaineering these days) and never wish I had more pockets.

I use lightweight colour coded dry bags of various sizes to separate and organise all my stuff inside.  So grabbing the lunch snacks or electronics bag is very quick.  Regular access stuff (medical kit and camera) goes in the top pocket and my spare jacket/waterproof goes under the hood (on top of water bottle) for rapid deployment.  Once at camp, the tent can be pulled out from the top of the main compartment very quickly if its raining, while cooking and sleeping gear is at the bottom to be pulled out at leasure once the tent is up.

It's taken many years to fine tune my system of course, but even with a single compartment I know exactly where every item is and can access them all quickly while practically blindfolded. 

Free yourself from pointless pockets! 

In reply to crayefish: I now use a single compartment roll top rucksack and would never go back to one with tons of tiny pockets. You save so much weight… my 30l ‘mountain flyer’ weighs 400g, it’s frameless (removable back pad) and has no hip belt but is comfy for carrying at least 10kg. The atom packs seem a very similar design but are obviously pricy. As someone else mentioned in this thread you may be surprised how light you can get your current rucksack by cutting all the useless bits off. I removed the mobile phone pockets, chest strap and hip belt from my Osprey Talon 33 and it now weighs a respectable 600g. Same with my old berghaus cyclops which is 50-60l but only around 700g with extra straps and top pocket removed. Hip belts are a nonsense unless you are carrying 25kg plus, and with modern kit you shouldn’t ever need to carry that much…

In reply to maxsmith:

I'd agree with that except the hip strap part... for me it makes a big difference to comfort when carrying 10-12 kgs for 6 hours a day for multiple days.  A few kgs, yeah, only a chest strap needed to keep straps in place.  But otherwise the hip strap helps with my all day comfort a lot.  Whether my rucksack weighs 1100g or 1000g is neither here nor there really.  Sometimes the grams are worth it.

In reply to crayefish:

Agree, decent hip belts are a total game changer for any serious backpacking.

In reply to ben b:

Snap Ben, must be a NZ thing! We don’t have a huge amount of brands available here, but have a good new independent store that’s a major Montane stockist, with a few less common brands like Sierra Designs. They’ve also just bought the very niche local bag designer, Aarn Packs! Check out his packs for a novel take on carrying loads.

I like the same things about it (it being the Sierra Designs flex capacitor), and dislike the same minor issues. It’s the latest along my search for the perfect bag!

I’d prefer a classic drawstring and top pocket closure to the zip, not sure how durable the zip will be, particularly as I tend to fill to capacity any bag I take.

I very much like the large volume hip belt pockets and the mesh shoulder strap pockets. When I use it I have 2 collapsible bottles in there for hydration, often with electrolytes in one. It’s my new preferred hydration set up. 

In reply to damowilk:

I haven't actually been in Further Faster but I suspect my bank balance is thankful for that! They do have a much better range of toys than most other places, with the honourable exception of Small Planet of course  

Aarn puts me off with the bloody awful pack names. They all sound like feminine hygiene products (I have no. issue with feminine hygiene products, I just don't want a pack named after them). If choosing between Flex Capacitor and Effortless Flow there's only one winner.

cheers

b

In reply to the thread:

Anyone got experience with Hyperlight Mountain Gear? Saw their stuff on some ski touring videos, but difficult to try a pack here in Germany.

CB

In reply to cb294:

Have the Windrider. Absolutely fantastic pack and it ticks all the op's boxes. 

In reply to PaulJepson:

Thanks! May order one to try, which I normally try and avoid for eco reasons! My trusty old Mammut will have to retire after this ski touring season.

CB

In reply to cb294:

It'll last well. When I did the Appalachian trail there were a few of them about and I met one chap towards the end who had already used his on the PCT and a number of other smaller multi-day trails (so had done upwards of 5000 walking miles with it, over the course of over a year in the field).

I was using an old Karrimor pack but bought a HLMG pack as soon as I was finished. Used it on the Pennine Way and a couple of other shorter trips and I love it. So fantastic to have a totally bomber pack which you know is going to keep all your stuff dry. 

In reply to Oscar Dodd:

Thanks for all the advice guys - I'll probably decide between a Lightwave and an Atompack. Sadly, my boots and hardshell have decided to give in this week up in Scotland - so the backpacks going to need to be put on hold for a while!