The rising use of ultralight, abrasion-resistant, and waterproof pack supplies like Extremely, Woven Dyneema, EcoPak, and Liteskin has ushered in a brand new period of sturdy light-weight, sub-3-pound backpacks that may face up to the abuse of a number of thru-hikes, bushwhacking, packrafting, canyoneering, and winter mountaineering and nonetheless come again for extra. Previously, elevated sturdiness was bigger achieved through the use of thicker and heavier materials to make backpacks. The rationale these new backpack supplies are such a sport changer is that they’re many instances stronger than standard supplies resembling Robic Nylon, Cordura, Dyneema DCF, or XPac leading to much better sturdiness with out a rise in weight. Whilst you might pay a premium for a backpack that’s each light-weight and sturdy, it’s well worth the funding since your backpack is the one piece of substances that may’t fail.
Right here’s my go-to checklist of probably the most sturdy light-weight backpacks obtainable at the moment within the 50-70L quantity vary utilized by most multi-day backpacker and thru-hikers, Go forward, run these packs via your favourite backpack torture check. I’m fairly positive you’ll be impressed with their sturdiness below hearth. You’ll want to try our choice information under for solutions to generally requested questions on backpack sturdiness
1. Zpacks Arc Haul Extremely 60L Backpack
The Zpacks Arc Haul Extremely 60L is an ultralight ventilated backpack with a suspended mesh again panel to maintain you cool in sizzling climate. Made with waterproof and sturdy Extremely 200 and 100 material, the 19.6 ozArc Haul Extremely 60 is a roll-top with facet water bottle pockets and a entrance mesh pocket for exterior gear storage. The torso size is adjustable by elevating and decreasing the shoulder pads, whereas the hip belt is out there in a number of lengths. The Arc Haul Extremely can haul as much as 30 lbs comfortably. Sizing is Unisex, however a brand new ladies’s mannequin can also be obtainable. This pack is seam-taped. Learn the SectionHiker Arc Haul Extremely 60L Assessment.
2. Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Lengthy Haul 50
Weighing 30.7 ounces, Superior Wilderness Design’s Rugged Lengthy Haul 50 backpack Lengthy Haul is similar to SWD’s common Lengthy Haul 50, besides it’s constructed with Extremely 400. With 50 liters of closed storage, it’s well-sized for multi-day backpacking journeys with all the must-have options you’d count on on a light-weight backpack like a entrance stretch pocket, facet water bottle pockets, and a roll-top closure. Pre-bent aluminum stays and a sewn-on hip belt additionally present superior consolation, wonderful load switch, and a body-hugging match, whereas a plethora of attachment factors make it straightforward to tailor for technical hikes. Seam-taping is an add-on possibility that provides 1 ozto the pack’s weight. Learn the SectionHiker Rugged Lengthy Haul Assessment.
The ULA Extremely 24 Circuit is a 68L roll-top model ultralight backpack made with Extremely 200 and Extremely 400 that weighs 36.7 oz. The multi-part body consists of an aluminum keep, dense foam, a Delrin hoop, and cargo lifters for consolation and optimum load switch. The Circuit comes with a large interchangeable hip belt for optimum sizing together with giant, hard-faced hip belt pockets. Female and male-specific shoulder straps are additionally obtainable as an possibility on the time of buy. The Extremely 24 Circuit is just not seam-taped, so that you’ll desire a pack liner Learn our ULA Extremely 24 Circuit Assessment.
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Northrim 3400 is without doubt one of the most sturdy backpacks obtainable at the moment, but it surely’s additionally one of the crucial costly. Weighing 34.4 oz, it’s a 55L roll-top pack with 10L of further pocket house that’s made with 375 Denier totally woven Dyneema in all of its excessive abrasion areas together with its base, three exterior pockets, and hip belt pockets. Absolutely woven Dyneema is way stronger and extra abrasion resistant than the Dyneema/Polyester composite used for Hyperlite’s cheaper packs, but it surely prices extra. Additionally obtainable in a 4400 cubic inch dimension, the North Rim has two inside body stays that present construction, a sewn-on hipbelt, waterproof zippers, and heavy-duty buckles that may stand as much as critical abuse. All of Hyperlite’s backpacks are seam-taped. Learn the SectionHiker Northrim 3400 Assessment.
The Search Exterior Gila is a 3500 cubic inch (57 L – not counting one other 13L of pocket quantity) ultralight-style roll-top backpack with an exterior body able to hauling very heavy hundreds as much as 50 lbs, that blows different light-weight packs out of the water. Weighing 43 ounces, it’s made from a sturdy waterproof materials referred to as Extremely 400. The adjustable-torso size exterior body behaves loads like a ventilated backpack, maintaining your shirt drier in sizzling climate. The strong facet pockets and strengthened entrance mesh stash pocket present a formidable quantity of exterior storage, whereas a large hip belt offers wonderful help. The Extremely model of the Gila is just not seam-taped, so that you’ll desire a pack liner. Learn our Search Exterior Gila Assessment
The LiteAF Extremely Curve 46L has a foremost physique with 46L of substances storage, with an extra 15L in exterior pockets, totaling 61L. Made with Extremely 200 material and seam-sealed, it’s a 31 ozroll-top backpack made with giant facet pockets and the entrance mesh pocket discovered on ultralight-style packs. However the factor that actually units LiteAF aside from different ultralight pack makers is the wide selection of garish colours, patterns, and materials they provide. In case you’re sick of white, black, or grey-colored backpacks and desire a pack that lets exudes persona, try their shade palette. The max really helpful load is 35 kilos. The Extremely Curve 46L is seam-taped.
The Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L is a high-volume frameless backpack obtainable in a number of materials together with a model made with Extremely 200 and Extremely 400, which is totally seam-taped. Weighting 18 oz, it has a regular ultralight roll-top design with a strong entrance stretch pocket and facet pockets made with strong material as a substitute of mesh for added sturdiness. The Exodus additionally has a sewn-in hip belt and female-friendly S-shaped shoulder straps. The pack’s most really helpful load is 25 lbs. Sizing is Unisex. Learn the SectionHiker Exodus Assessment.
The Waymark Gear Lite 50 is a light-weight inside body backpack made with EcoPak EPX200Â that’s appropriate for multi-day backpacking and thru-hiking journeys. Weighing 34.2 oz, the Lite 50 has a regular UL rolltop design with a sewn-on hip belt, a entrance mesh pocket, and sturdy facet pockets. The pack is out there in a number of colours and the stitching and development are completely top-notch, making the Lite 50 an actual contender for backpackers that desire a light-weight roll-top pack made with waterproof material. Notice: the seams on this pack usually are not seam-taped, so a pack liner remains to be really helpful. Learn the SectionHiker Waymark Gear LITE 50 Assessment. Sizing is Unisex.
Atom Pack’s The Mo EP50 is a 32.1 ozultralight backpack made with EcoPak EPX200. It has an inside body consisting of a plastic framesheet and a single aluminum keep. It has a typical ultralight model roll-top construct with a 4″ twin adjustable hip belt and S-shaped shoulder straps. The Mo is out there in an off-the-shelf model with a hard and fast function set and an enhanced custom-made mannequin which features a backside stretch pocket. The seams on this pack usually are not seam-taped, so a pack liner is really helpful. Atom Packs is positioned within the UK. Sizing is unisex. Learn the SectionHiker Mo 50 Assessment.
The Six Moon Designs Swift X is a forty five liter adjustable size backpack that weighs 36 oz. Accessible in LiteSkin (which we’d advocate because it’s much more abrasion resistant). It has a sturdy stretch Lycra entrance pocket and facet water bottle pockets, strong hip belt pockets, and a detachable Delrin body keep. Six Moon Designs is without doubt one of the few light-weight pack makers to supply vest-style shoulder straps as an possibility in addition to a number of hip belt lengths so you may dial in an awesome match. Learn our Swift X backpack evaluation.
I’ve at all times been a bit obsessive about the sturdiness of light-weight and ultralight backpacks as a result of I destroyed so lots of them again within the days once they had been made with much less sturdy materials like Silnylon, Robic (nylon), Dyneema Grid (nylon strengthened with Dyneema threads) and Dyneema Composite Materials or DCF, which is a Dyneema/Polyester laminate.
Abrasion Resistance
One of many key areas of backpack failure is because of abrasion, which happens everytime you set the pack down on the bottom, scrape in opposition to rock, or bushwhack via dense vegetation. Abrasion wears down the material of a backpack, finally inflicting holes to type and permitting water and moisture to moist the contents. With continued use, the fabric will finally fail.
By way of sturdiness, Extremely 400 and Woven Dyneema are prime canines when it comes to abrasion resistance. Woven Dyneema, which is used on the excessive put on areas of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear NorthRim backpack has been discipline confirmed. It’s additionally been confirmed on custom-made mountaineering packs. Extremely 400 has much less of a discipline observe document however has been demonstrated to have a really excessive abrasion resistance on a standardized laboratory check, referred to as the Taber Abrasion Check. Extremely 200 and Extremely 100 have comparatively much less abrasion resistance than Extremely 400, which is used for probably the most demanding purposes, like the underside of backpacks. The totally different grades of Extremely are additionally referred to commercially as EcoPack EPL Extremely.
Some pack makers, together with Waymark Gear and Atom Packs, additionally use a brand new materials referred to as EcoPak EPX400 and EcoPak EPX200 which isn’t as abrasion resistant as EPL Extremely and is cheaper, however nonetheless fairly sturdy. It’s additionally made totally with recycled content material and obtainable in all kinds of colours. Lastly, Liteskin is barely much less abrasion resistant than EcoPak EPX400, however significantly greater than EcoPak EPX200. (Sources: Dimension Polyant Outside Materials Information 2017, EcoPak Outside material 2022 Information). We checklist packs made with all of those supplies above.
Backpack Failure Factors
In case you do a cautious evaluation of backpack failure factors, you’ll discover that they fail in quite a few frequent areas, along with material abrasion on the underside of backpacks and alongside the perimeters.
Ripped facet and entrance mesh pockets
Torn shoulder strap or hip belt anchors
Damaged buckles
Zipper failure
Torn attachment factors, together with compression strap anchors
Worn-out body keep slots
If you need a light-weight (sub 3 pound) backpack that’s going to final for a very long time with out a variety of pampering, it’s greatest to intention for packs which are:
Overbuilt with greater buckles and broad webbing straps
Bolstered shoulder straps and hip belt wings
No exterior mesh
Have streamlined roll-top model designs
Decrease their use of zippers
Use customary {hardware} that homeowners can change with out stitching.
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