A Complete Review of the Best and Worst Ultralight Packs
Let’s face it: ultralight packs have a pretty bad reputation. Many people have described them as trash back with straps, and often, ultralight packs seem to sacrifice comfort first in order to shave down weight.
But, those downsides aren’t always the case, and to prove it, I’m comparing 6 ultralight packs that are almost too good to be true.
What Exactly is an Ultralight Pack?
To fall into the “ultralight” category, a pack needs to weigh 2lbs or less. Most traditionally-framed packs weigh as much as 3-4lbs more than ultralight packs. If you’ve ever carried a heavy pack up the side of a mountain, you know exactly how much of a difference even a few pounds can make. Switching to an ultralight pack is a great way to quickly shave off those unneeded pounds, but not all of them are created equal.
To find the right pack for you, I’m comparing the most popular ultralight packs… and one you might not have heard of quite yet. To see these packs in action, and find out if they really can carry the liter capacity they advertise, click below to watch my comprehensive reviews and tests of each pack:
The Most Minimalist Ultralight Pack: The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest
Hyperlite makes the most recognized ultralight pack on the market. This pack is made entirely of dyneema composite fabric, giving it that infamous “trash bag” look, but with the main benefit of being highly water-resistant. With that said, there is one key feature that improves the comfort of this pack.
The main comfort feature of this pack is the basic, ultralight frame. Embedded in this pack are two aluminum stays that are designed to transfer weight from your shoulders to your hips. It’s the ultralight version of those old exterior frame packs, with a basic design that actually works.
If this truly was a “trash bag with straps,” all of the pack weight would sit squarely on your shoulders. This design is a simple pack with no extra bells or whistles: it embodies what the ultralight movement is all about.
There are, however, a few downsides to this pack that give me pause. First, I’m not crazy about the nearly $400 price tag. As you’ll see later in this blog, there are other ultralight packs that are cheaper and come with more comfort features. The Hyperlite doesn’t have features like load lifters, and is pretty skimpy on the padding in the shoulder and waist straps. But if you’re looking for a durable, uncomplicated design that works, it’s a great option.
The Gossamer Gear Mariposa: Comfort Without Additional Weight
I really like Gossamer Gear’s Mairposa pack. It’s a 60-liter pack that comes in just under 2lbs. Even with its lightweight design, they didn’t cut crucial comfort features to achieve this ultralight weight. This pack is made of very durable robic nylon, and, like the Hyperlite, has aluminum stays to help transfer the weight of your pack from your shoulders to your hips.
Unlike the Hyperlite however, this pack does feature load lifters. Notably, it also has thick, comfortable, and wide shoulder straps. The very first feature that most ultralight pack companies cut is the comfort of the shoulder straps, because that additional padding can pack on the ounces. Gossamer Gear, however, has found a way to keep the padding, increasing comfort even with heavier loads.
At $285, it also comes in nearly $100 less than the Hyperlite pack.
Sixmoon Designs Minimalist V2: The Most Unique Design
At just over 3lbs, the Minimalist V2 technically isn’t an ultralight pack, but it is significantly lighter than a traditional pack. Technically, this pack would fall into the “hybrid” category, but it is a really unique design with comfort at the forefront.
The most unique aspect of this pack is the optional chest harness. You’ll see this harness design on a lot of running packs, but this is the only framed pack that offers this feature (that I know of.) The sturdy straps shift the weight of the pack from your shoulders to both your chest and hips, increasing comfort.
At 50 liters, this is the smallest pack in this list, but maybe that’s a good thing: it forces you to really consider everything that you’re carrying; the smaller capacity makes the slightly-more-than-ultralight weight almost a moot point.
The Most Affordable Ultralight Pack: Durston Kakwa 55
At just $260, this 55-liter, 31oz ultralight pack is the most affordable pack on this list. But don’t let the price tag fool you: they didn’t skimp on design features to make this pack affordable. The Durston Kakwa has all the same features you can expect to see on an ultralight pack, but has special tubular framing.
Most of the packs on this list use two vertical stays to transfer weight from the shoulders to the hips, and even include a short crossmember near the middle of the pack. But the Durston has a wide cross-member to give you a lot of structure right where the pack connects with the shoulder straps. This ingenious design prevents the “rounding out” most ultralight packs will experience, especially when overpacked.
This simple but effective frame design remains flexible at the hips, but it is sturdy in the shoulders to prevent barrelling, which can weigh heavily in all the places you don’t want it to.
My Favorite Ultralight Pack: The Zpacks Arc Haul
At $399, it’s easy to get sticker shock when you look at this pack. But there are several reasons I recommend this pack in my ultralight loadout gear list, which you can get emailed to you right here:
This pack is a featherlight, 24.7oz, workhorse. It’s the lightest pack on this list, but the benefits don’t stop there. This pack, unlike many ultralight packs, has load lifters. It also employes a unique design that prioritizes back ventilation.
Many ultralight packs will round out and press up against your back, creating issues like sweating, chafing, and just general discomfort and many stops to readjust. The Zpacks Arc Haul is named the “Arc” due to the unique tensioning system along the backside of the pack. Tensioning straps pull a lightweight, breathable mesh taut against your back, “arcing” the pack away from it. This unique system gives your back appropriate ventilation on hot summer days.
All in all, it’s a very functional pack that helps you find a comfortable fit. It’s also a full .5lbs lighter than every other pack on this list, which is why this pack costs so much–there aren’t many people making framed, adjustable, ventilated packs, and you truly get what you pay for with this pack.
The Pack that Gives You More, for Less: the Bonfus Framus 58
Bonfus is a new Italian cottage-made pack that is pretty similar to most ultralight packs. With this pack, you’ll find the typical roll-top lid, center mesh pocket, two side pockets, and aluminum stays… just like the Hyperlite pack.
It also looks a lot like Hyperlite’s Southwest, but with big differences: one of them being, this pack has load lifter straps. Load lifters are a huge consideration for me, because I find that they make a big difference in keeping the weight of your pack off your shoulders. (It’s also worth noting that all of the packs on this list, save the Hyperlite, have them.)
The other big difference is the price. This pack is only $324 and a full $50 cheaper than the Hyperlite.
The Framus, while being cheaper and at a lightweight 37oz, still manages to squeeze a lot of function into its simple, but effective design. The frame and the foam pad can be removed to transform the Framus into a frameless pack, and can save you an additional 5.3oz depending on your torso size.
As the competition between cottage companies heats up, it’s features like this that make packs stand apart from each other. This pack is truly giving you more for less.
Before you buy a backpack, make sure you watch this video here. Your backpack, especially when going ultralight, is the last item you should buy from your gear list, and here’s why:
