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AND THE WINNER IS...
Osprey Aether 75 $239
Here's a sweet blend of comfortand foolproof convenience.
Why It's Cool: On a steep bushwhack through the Santa Monica Mountains, the Aether felt like a happy monkey on my back. A pair of long composite rods helps to spread the load away from the lumbar area and toward the sides of the hips. >> The bag is designed like a giant burrito. Grande load? The "tortilla" expands to handle 4,500 cubic inches. Poquito? The bag wraps tightly around. >> Cool open mesh swaddles the beautifully contoured, medium-firm foam of the hipbelt and broad back panel, keeping you cool. >> The lid includes a slot for a hydration reservoir and converts to a lumbar pack, so it's the best summit bag of the bunch.
Hmmm... External compression straps were too short to secure my bulky sleeping pad on the side of the pack when the burrito was at full grande. >> There's no hole for the hydration hose.
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GoLite Team $119
Born and bred for adventure racing, the Team is also a fine weekend pack, especially if you're hut-hiking, bivy- sacking, or an acolyte of the company's ultralight precepts.
Why It's Cool: You gotta love a 3,300-cubic-inch pack that weighs less than two pounds—lighter than most daypacks. They do it by using silky, silicone-impregnated nylon and eliminating suspension. >> Frameless construction is obviously not meant for much weight, but I pushed it to 30 pounds and lived. >> Once loaded with an aftermarket reservoir, the hydration pouch doubled as a nifty back cushion (until I drank all my water), and the very thin, meshy foam straps were wide enough to spread weight around. >> Deep mesh pockets and compression straps let me cinch light stuff like pads and poles down the sides and my rain jacket in front. >> Additional pockets are sized for skinny or fat water bottles and can be accessed on the fly.
Hmmm... It's not just a pack. It's an ounce-counting religion—the espresso maker stays home. >> Mesh pouch atop lid is an obvious rain collector. |
EMS Ascent 4700 $149
I own daypacks that cost more than this full-service, 4,700-cubic-inch backpack that'll easily take you through a week on the trail.
Why It's Cool: EMS doesn't get caught up in whiz-bang ultralight materials but instead focuses on features, including a suspension system that can support loads on the backache side of 40 pounds. >> Macho alpinists might disdain the front pocket and sleeping-bag compartment, but who can deny their handiness? Ditto for twin water-bottle pockets—sewn to the pack only at their sides to permit pass-through stowage of skis or poles. >> The Ascent is the only pack I've seen with loops for trekking poles; the Velcro ice-ax strap atop the daisy chain secures their handles. >> Compression straps at the bottom of the pack can snug a sleeping pad—a feature snootier packs forgo.
Hmmm... The firm hipbelt handles weight well enough, but I found it too wide and not well contoured for my midsection. >> There's no provision for hydration. >> A 14-inch spindrift collar is overkill that just gets in the way of packing. |
Kelty Haiku $180
Like Japanese poetry, there's a lot going on here once you look beneath the sparse surface.
Why It's Cool: At three pounds 15 ounces, the 4,250-cubic-inch Haiku is a super-streamlined pack, yet it doesn't force you to buy an arsenal of feathery, esoteric gear. >> For really light loads or a summit push, the two-stay suspension and framesheet pull right out. >> An airy, breathable mesh belt, shoulder straps, and back panel add to the cool pleasure of wearing this pack. >> Hydration ports on both sides of the bag will satisfy both left- and right-handed drinkers. >> You can stash poles and pads and/or fuel bottles in outside mesh pockets, boosting your interior capacity. >> There's an inch of vertical adjustability in the hipbelt.
Hmmm... The two-layer belt feels just right
supporting 35 pounds, but it isn't reinforced and starts to give way if you add to its burden. >> A too-slick lumbar pad wants to slide down
your back. |
Gregory Acadia $199
As a longtime Gregory aficionado, I've relished the way the company's packs handle heavy loads. But could this new entry-level model bear any resemblance to my $330 status symbol?
Why It's Cool: Guess what? The 3,800-cubic-inch Acadia feels like a real Greg. Its compression-molded-foam hipbelt uniformly spreads the load around my hipbone/lumbar platform with nary a wrinkle. >> It's rated to 40 pounds, but I'd confidently cheat up to 50. >> A narrow-but-stiff framesheet and single aluminum stay do a great job of transferring the load without nixing nimbleness like broader framesheets do. >> It weighs four pounds 14 ounces, but you still get several external pockets and a sleeping-bag compartment—niceties often stripped away on lightweight packs. >> A "chimney" down the center of the back panel lets the spine breathe. >>It's available in four sizes.
Hmmm... The hipbelt lacks the cant adjustment found on pricier Gregory packs, so be sure its flare matches yours. >> Compression-molded foam is an acquired taste. I like it, but it might be too firm for you. |
Lowe Alpine Warp $199
The flagship model of Lowe's new Hyperlite line pares back the pounds but retains a host of convenience features.
Why It's Cool: To bring the Warp down to four pounds 12 ounces, Lowe chucked the floating lid and replaced it with a roll-top that allows you to overstuff this 4,800-cubic-inch hauler. I didn't miss the lid, because a large front pouch gave me a place to store snacks and maps, while an inside top pocket gobbled my headlamp and first-aid kit. >> Lowe also opted against a framesheet, and even the twin aluminum stays are corrugated to trim a few ounces of metal without sacrificing strength. >> The Warp is designed for real-world use: It's hydration-compatible and has a side water-bottle pocket and a full-length watertight zipper down one side so you can grab anything buried deep within.
Hmmm... Soft, meshy padding in straps and back panel favors a cool carry over big-load support (best to stay under 40 pounds). >> Under a full load, I noticed a barreling effect—a tendency to pull backward. Offset it by packing in high, narrow columns. |
REI Aconcagua $215
Recognizing that many of us carry bulky stuff into the woods—think crazy creek chairs—The co-op marches out a pack spec'd to handle big, not heavy, loads.
Why It's Cool: REI is evidently hip to base-camp-style backpacking: Schlep in several miles, set up, then hang, fish, or day-hike. There's 4,600 cubic inches of room in the main bag for a week's haul, plus 890 cubes in a detachable front pocket that becomes a summit daypack, replete with hydration slot. >> A framesheet and two aluminum stays shift the heft to a soft hipbelt; a 40-pound load was stable and comfy. >> A two-compartment lid provides handy storage.
Hmmm... Fit is bound to be a compromise: The Aconcagua comes in two sizes; neither is torso-adjustable. >> No hydration pouch in the pack bag. >> Compression-molded-foam back panel is ribbed, but not for your pleasure; the edges protrude, and the slick cover doesn't breathe. |
JanSport Colter $230
Picture a big-ass suv with a hipbelt.
Why It's Cool: No internal-frame pack can handle weight like this 6,400-cubic-inch external-frame beast. Even if I loaded it lopsided, the frame seemed to correct my errors and neatly transferred the load to my hips. >> I stopped stuffing the Colter at 55 pounds, but it (not I!) could probably handle another 20. >> Its organization is
brilliant. Outside, there's a two-pocket lid, side pockets, and a front-pocket-cum-daypack, all removable. There's a huge sleeping-bag compartment and two fabric shelves that let me stash heavy cook gear up top and lighter clothing in the middle. >> The entire front panel peels down for access. >> Honeycombs of gel in the shoulder straps dissipate pressure.
Hmmm... Forget bushwhacking: The Colter is made for the trail. Every sway of shoulders or hips swings the full heft of the bag out or up. >> The reinforced hipbelt is supportive enough, but it's full of puckers and wrinkles. |
The North Face Prophet 65 $249
"No Sherpa train for me," this pack says. "I pack light and smart and I move fast."
Why It's Cool: TNF's X-Frame suspension supplies grace under 40-pound pressure: Two carbon-fiber stays start at the pack top, cross in the middle, and effectively transfer load to the hips just above the hip joints. >> The configuration feels organic: You reach, it reaches; you high-step, it's right there with you. >> Thin but firm foam on the belt, straps, and back panel achieves nearly the same support as more billowy stuff. >> The pack may be minimalist, but it still has two wand/water-bottle pockets, a hydration pouch, and an outer crampon pocket. >> Light-colored pack fabric eliminates black-hole effect of many other packs.
Hmmm... The Prophet deals better with weight than bulk. Its trim girth enforces a careful packing strategy. |
Mountainsmith Terra $260
Here's a newfangled pack that won't offend the GORP Brigade.
Why It's Cool: The Terra's beefy framesheet, aluminum stays, and broad, reinforced hipbelt can easily handle 50-pound loads. >> As an old-school backpacker who at times puzzled over how to load the ultralights in this review, I appreciated the two gusseted side pockets and one front pocket. If you don't use them, they compress to nothing, but if you do, they expand to take on whatever you don't want to go fishing for. >> Compression straps outside the sleeping-bag compartment neatly lash down a pad or tent fly. >> Two straps hidden behind the lumbar pad set the torso length.
Hmmm... The Terra felt a little unwieldy in scrambles, but just right on the trail. >> Flimsy mesh water-bottle pockets don't hold a quart bottle securely.
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