The ULA Extremely Nexus is a 40L streamlined frameless backpack that weighs 19 oz and is designed to hold 20-25 lb masses. It has 5 open pockets as a substitute of the three discovered on most ultralight backpacks, so you’ll be able to carry all of the gear, clothes, and meals you’d want on the surface of your pack while not having to cease and open the closed storage within the pack’s primary compartment. It’s additionally the primary completely new pack that ULA has launched in a few years, so it is best to anticipate some modifications to it primarily based on buyer suggestions. I’ve a couple of ideas beneath for minor modifications that I really feel would make the pack a lot simpler to make use of.
- Sort: Frameless
- Quantity 40L (32L closed quantity)
- Pockets: 5 exterior and open; 2 closed on hipbelt
- Entry: Roll-top closure
- Materials: Extremely 200
- Hydration suitable: No ports, no middle suspension level inside
- Waterproof: Not seam-taped
- Load lifters: No
- Hip belt: Non-compulsory
- Canister compatibility: BV450 suits horizontally, however barrels considerably
- Execs: Sturdy material, nice exterior storage
- Cons: Important compartment barrels simply, no facet compression/lash factors, extra-long Y strap is ungainly
Two Fashions Obtainable
The Nexus 40 is accessible in two completely different materials: the Extremely X Nexus 40 reviewed right here is made with Extremely X 200 material, which is extremely abrasion-resistant. Whereas the Extremely X 200 material is itself waterproof, ULA doesn’t seam tape the packs they make with it, so there’s an opportunity that the seams will leak if you happen to get caught within the rain. ULA additionally makes an Ultragrid Nexus, which is simply recycled nylon bolstered with Extremely fibers in a ripstop sample.
Backpack Storage
The Extremely X Nexus has a primary compartment, 5 exterior open pockets, and two zippered hip belt pockets. The pack is designed so that you’ll carry all of the gear and meals you want in the course of the day within the pack’s exterior pockets.
Important Compartment
The primary compartment is a roll prime, however the ends of the roll prime clip collectively, moderately than down alongside the perimeters of the pack, so that you don’t get the compression that you’d if the ends have been buckled to straps alongside the facet of the pack. There’s additionally no stiffener on the prime of the pack bag, which makes it troublesome to roll shut if the contents are bulging out the highest and to remain shut with out unraveling. Rolltups work rather a lot higher if they’ve a stiffener on the prime, or snaps, magnets, and even velcro to carry the 2 sides of a rolltop collectively.
Internally, the primary compartment is only a large, open house with a skinny foam pad held in place by elastic straps. Whereas the pad is designed to cushion sharp objects inside, it isn’t stiff sufficient to forestall the contents from barrelling (rounding) and urgent uncomfortably into your again. Overlook attempting to hold a bear canister contained in the Nexus or overloading the house, since you’ll really feel it by way of the again panel.
The one different options inside the primary pack bag are two webbing loops sewn into the highest seam the place you’ll be able to grasp an adjunct pocket, bought individually. The Nexus doesn’t have hydration ports, so there’s no level in hanging a water bladder inside.
The again of the primary compartment, dealing with the wearer and behind the shoulder straps, is Extremely 200 material, with none padding or mesh, so it’s proper up in opposition to your shirt. When the climate is heat and also you begin to perspire, the Nexus turns into fairly sweaty to hold.
Suggestion: The Nexus can be far more snug in sizzling climate if the again have been lined with spacer mesh so that you’re not sweating on the Extremely material. Alternatively, the interior foam pad might be externalized with pad sleeves, like these discovered on Gossamer Gear G4-20, or elastic twine like that on the Zpacks Nero and different decrease quantity ultralight backpacks. An exterior pad wouldn’t essentially cut back the barrelling that happens once you overstuff the Nexus, however having a thicker, extra cushioned pad, like a couple of sections of Thermarest Zlite, would absolutely assist.
Plenty of Pockets
There are two (decrease) bottle pockets on both sides of the pack. The underside pockets have slanted tops with elastic cords to tighten the highest and safe gadgets, making them straightforward to make use of with water bottles. Nevertheless, the entrance of these pockets is open as a result of the underside of the shoulder straps terminate inside them, and is a typical design characteristic on all ULA packs. Nevertheless it means you’ll be able to’t retailer smaller gadgets within the backside pocket lest they fall out. ULA runs the shoulder strap anchor by way of the entrance of the pocket to drag the pack nearer to your hips.
The higher two pockets on both sides are smaller and made with Ultragrid mesh. You should utilize these pockets to carry snacks, your lavatory/trowel set, or perhaps a small cook dinner system just like the Jetboil Zip, which inserts properly.
The pack has an extended open mesh pocket on the entrance with an exterior elastic twine threaded by way of tabs on the pocket’s perimeter. The mesh pocket is nice for storing a moist water filter or spare folding bottles, meals, or clothes, whereas the elastic twine is appropriate for hanging damp clothes that should dry.
The hip belt has two zippered pockets which can be giant sufficient to retailer fashionable smartphones. The pockets are sewn to the hip belt and usually are not detachable.
Compression and Exterior Attachment Factors
The Nexus doesn’t have any facet compression straps, which severely restrict the utility of the pack and make it troublesome to hold cumbersome gear except you’ll be able to match them inside the primary pack bag. As an illustration, whilst you can carry a pair of quick folding z-style trekking poles within the facet bottle pockets, I wouldn’t advocate carrying longer telescoping poles on this method, as a result of they’re extra apt to fall out with no strap to safe them in opposition to the facet of the pack. It’s an identical story with Tenkara fishing rods: I pack these in the primary packbag, moderately than trusting them to the facet bottle pockets the place they’re certain to fall out with out my noticing that they’re gone.
Suggestion: The perimeter of the entrance mesh pocket has webbing loops to carry an elastic twine. If extra webbing loops have been added alongside the facet seams of the pack (each back and front), then customers might add their very own twine/cordlocks to lash lengthy gadgets to the perimeters of the pack. That will make a giant distinction. In fact, an actual facet compression strap, like these on the ULA CDT can be even higher.
Whereas the Nexus does have a prime Y-strap, it’s simply bizarre and absurdly lengthy. One finish of the Y strap is sewn to the pack in a seam above the precise shoulder strap. From there, it travels to a plastic ring positioned simply above the entrance stretch mesh pocket, after which lastly to a tri-glide buckle sewn to the seam above the precise shoulder strap. So the one place you’ll be able to pressure it’s by way of the tri-glide above your proper shoulder. That is likely to be tolerable if the webbing that makes up the Y strap have been an inexpensive size, however it’s 3 toes longer than it must be (and hangs behind you as you hike like a tail.) So each time you wish to open your pack, you must thread the three toes of strap by way of the precise triglide, which is tremendous annoying. Different producers use buckles which you can clip and unclip to entry your pack’s prime rolltop.
Suggestion: Rework the Y-strap with a buckle above the entrance mesh pocket which you can unclip to entry the roll prime. Or give prospects the choice to make use of a single strap as a substitute of the Y-strap, like on the ULA Circuit SV.
Backpack Suspension
The Extremely X Nexus is a frameless backpack designed to hold very light-weight masses, maxing out at 20-25 lbs. As such, there’s no weight switch onto the hipbelt, whose solely useful contribution is to carry the pack nearer to your torso and to offer a mounting level for the 2 hipbelt pockets. It ought to be famous that the Nexus hipbelt just isn’t just like the hipbelt used on ULA’s bigger packs; it solely has one tier of pressure with a central buckle and never two. You possibly can instruct ULA to go away the hipbelt off that pack, and I’d advocate doing that. I discovered it annoying, and with a max load of 25 kilos, a hipbelt isn’t actually vital.
Assessement
The ULA Extremely X Nexus is the corporate’s first new backpack mannequin in fairly a while, and whereas it’s usable, I feel it might be much more versatile with the modifications I recommend above. If you would like a frameless backpack that has facet rolltop straps, a cushioned and porous again, and a greater Y-strap, I recommend you’re taking a tough have a look at the ULA Photon (35L) or the ULA CDT (50L) as a substitute. They’re each nice packs, and I can’t perceive why ULA didn’t leverage their designs after they got here out with the Nexus.
Disclosure: ULA donated a Nexus backpack for evaluation.
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