What are “Flash Reviews?”
Welcome to Flash Reviews, a new column at Backpacking Light.
Flash Reviews will feature short, introductory reviews of selected products that may be new on the market, have not yet received “official” press at backpackinglight.com, or may be just outside the scope of our core product review program to warrant a full review.
This column will allow us to feature more gear than ever before in a unique context – actual user experience from a wide variety of authors. The source of the gear may come from different places – the gear may have been submitted for review by a manufacturer (either solicited or unsolicited) or purchased by the author. In any case, you’ll get our honest and sometimes frank opinions about how this gear works for us.
Flash Reviews, in all cases, will represent gear that is new to the author writing the column issue. Our hope is that the author could provide their fresh perspective on gear that is new to them, and review it in the context of their kit, how that new gear might find a place in their kit, and what the new gear might replace for them.
We hope this column provides value and interest to the reader, so please leave your feedback in the forum below as we allow you to help us evolve this column.
If you are interested in writing a Flash Reviews column, please submit your proposal via our Story Submission Form.
Issue No. 1
ZPacks Challenger Rain Jacket & Pants
Until 2012, my rain pants of choice have been old pairs of Gore-Tex Paclite pants (various brands) trimmed below the knees with a pair of scissors to make āknickersā. This makes getting the pants on and off easy over shoes. In 2012, I upgraded to a simple Cuben Fiber version of the same style (also knicker-style) from ZPacks. I wore the knicker-style pants on about 2/3 of my trips, but I always kept a full length pant in the quiver, which provided better protection and warmth in the fringe and winter seasons, and for packrafting.
In addition, Iāve always kept a quiver of rain jackets for various purposes and seasons. However, over the years, Iāve found myself grabbing one style above all others: a simple, full-zip, highly breathable rain jacket with a single chest pocket. It was time to minimize the number of choices there as well.
In an effort to reduce the quantity of equipment that I own and use (and thus, to make trip preparation easier through simplified decision-making), I am exploring the idea of using a single set of raingear for all trips in all seasons. For my choice, I opted for the ZPacks Challenger Rain Jacket (5.6 oz) and Pants (3.8 oz).
Wearing the ZPacks Challenger Rain Jacket in my shelter in the Gallatin Mountains while writing this review on an iPod Touch. In addition to the possibility that itās going to replace several other rain jackets, Iām also exploring the possibility that it just may replace my wind shirt as well. Iāve worn the jacket in dry, windy conditions, and while sleeping, and am happy to verify its excellent breathability in a wider range of conditions than what Iāve experienced with most, if not all, of my other raingear.
Made with a 1.6 oz/sq. yd. waterproof-breathable Cuben Fiber material (a laminate of Spectra fibers, eVENT, and ripstop nylon), the Challenger garments are compact, lightweight, breathable, and have a stiffer hand characteristic of much heavier fabrics. In addition, they fit well, offer high quality trim (e.g., waterproof YKK zips), and donāt skimp on design features important to backpackers (e.g., room for layering, long sleeves and pant legs, articulation, adjustable cuffs).
Iāve used the pants for a year and they have officially replaced all other rain pants in my kit. Iāve worn the jacket for just a few trips in 2014 so far, and I foresee the same future for my other rain jackets. Iāve experienced their effective breathability and comfortable next-to-skin feel (e.g., when worn over shorts or a short-sleeved shirt); I love the fit, finish, and manufacturing quality of the garments; and have been impressed by their waterproofness and durability when bushwhacking, sitting in a packraft all day, and sitting and kneeling on wet ground.
As for as long term durability, the juryās still out on this particular fabric. However, for now, they have edged out at least six other jacket-and-pant garments from my closet, and Iām expecting those to find their way to other owners soon.
Learn More: ZPacks.com
JepPak Custom Pack
My custom JepPack on an overnight trip to the Windy Pass Cabin, Montana.
Over the past few weeks, Iāve been working with a new backpack manufacturer, JepPak, to build a custom pack and review their process. Iāve now received the finished pack and have used it on a short overnight backpacking trek in the Gallatin Mountains.
My primary pack is a 2.5-lb full Spectra version of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Porter 4400. Mine is actually a bit bigger than 4400 ci, with a heavier-than-stock harness and suspension, for carrying the heavier loads required of my longer expeditions, while guiding clients, and carrying packrafting or climbing gear. I was hoping to use my HMG pack for all my trips, but I found it to just be too much for short trips. So, Iām looking to add one pack back to my quiver.
The specs I sent to JepPak were simple: build me a mostly waterproof pack with a top lid, rear pocket, and robust enough suspension to carry a heavy-ish load. The pack was to be durable and simple. Volume was to be compact – in the range of 35 liters – without sacrificing the length required for a nice long torso.
Sam Jepson, the owner and maker, built a little beauty of a pack with these specs:
- Cuben Fiber CT5K.18 2.9 oz/sq. yd. 50d polyester-laminated, main body fabric (1.5 oz/sq. yd.)
- Aluminum tubular āUā-shaped frame stay
- 37L of volume in the main body (verified by me)
- Compact dimensions (10.5ā wide and 7ā deep)
- Torso length to fit me (23.5ā)
- Roll-top closure
- Fully taped inside seams for waterproofness
- Double layer bottom (reinforced with 210d Dyneema grid)
- Twin rear daisy chains
- Removable top pocket with waterproof zip closure
- Removable back pocket with waterproof zip closure
- Removable hip belt that can be used on top pocket for fanny pack
- Dual daisy chains
- Stripped weight (pack bag with shoulder straps): 13.8 oz
- Total weight (pack bag, hip belt, frame, top pocket, back pocket): 29.7 oz
Iāve tested the pack to about 35 pounds and am thrilled with its comfort at this weight. This is about as dense as Iāll pack it – on those winter day trips where the pack is filled with carabiners, ice screws, and rope. The combination of wide padded shoulder straps and a wide padded hip belt with an aluminum frame immediately set this pack apart from floppy ultralight sacks that require some manifestation of a rolled or folded sleeping pad for a frame.
The pack is well made, aesthetically pleasing, and has a narrow profile thatās fun to wear in tight spaces. Itās comfort is outstanding, in part because itās a custom fit for me, and in part because Sam pays attention to how loads should be carried, and builds harnesses accordingly.
I donāt have a lot of experience with my custom JepPak yet, but if first impressions are good predictors of the future, I can recommend one to you.
The most enjoyable part of owning this pack has been getting to know the JepPaks family and working with them through the process of designing and building the pack. Sam has a great attention to detail and pays careful attention to customer needs.
Iāll be writing a complete review of the process used by JepPaks, and a review of this pack, as I get more experience with it.
Learn More: JepPaks.com
Zebralight H52Fw Floody Headlamp (Neutral White)
In addition to a goofy name, there are other unique features of this interesting little headlamp.
First, the highlights:
- Its LED is a Cree XM-L2 – which outputs a whopping 266 Lumens (Lm) at full power. To the layman, this can be translated to mean: āreally freakinā brightā. I can light up the side of a mountain several hundred yards away with this thing;
- It uses a single AA battery;
- The lamp is detachable from a headband so it can be used as a conventional flashlight, stood on end as a table light, or clipped to a belt/pocket;
- Current-regulated in all lighting levels/modes;
- Waterproof (IPX7 – 2 meters at 30 minutes);
- Very powerful customization options;
- A wide variety of lighting modes and runtime options:
| Mode | Description | Output (Lm) | Runtime (hr) |
| High | H1 | 266 Lm | 0.9 hr |
| High | H2 | 163 | 1.7 |
| High | H2* | 102 | 3 |
| Medium | M1 | 47 | 7.5 |
| Medium | M2 | 23 | 12 |
| Medium | M2* | 11 | 27 |
| Low | L1 | 2.6 | 4 days |
| Low | L2 | 0.32 | 3 weeks |
| Low | L2* | 0.06 | 2 months |
| Low | L2** | 0.01 | 3 months |
In addition to these modes, the H52Fw offers two beacon strobe modes (4Hz and 19Hz), both at level H1.
Did you see the asterisks in the above table? Those modes indicate so-called āsub-levelsā that you can select via custom programming.
And that leads to the primary limitation of this light:
- You have to read the instructions to get the most out of it!
The Zebralight H52Fw is a very well-made and outrageously bright headlamp with a nice form factor. It has a lot going for it, but at an MSRP of USD$64, it will have an uphill row to hoe if itās going to compete with the simpler, more popular headlamp models that dominate the outdoor industry from Petzl, Princeton Tec, and Black Diamond.
My preliminary experience with the H52Fw is that its operation is not as intuitive, as say, a Petzl. Read the instructions to understand what is happening when you click the button through various modes, or hold the button down through various mode cycling.
Second, Iām discovering much shorter battery life (even with the manufacturer-recommended Sanyo 2000 mAh Eneloop AA battery) at the suggested outputs than what the manufacturer is claiming. This is based on circumstantial field observations, and not on a controlled test environment, so take this observation with a grain of salt.
Stay tuned for a more in-depth review of this light to come. My experience is limited with it, but Iām looking forward to spending some time studying its performance. For me, this light competes with my old standby – a Petzl Tikka+ XP, which weighs about the same but uses 3xAAA batteries. I like the Zebralightās superior manufacturing quality, maximum light output, and utility when removed from its headband. But I like the Tikka+ XPās simplicity, reliability, and runtime predictability…
Learn More: Zebralight.com
Discussion
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Companion forum thread to:
Flash Reviews (No. 1): ZPacks Challenger Raingear, JepPaks Custom Packs, Zebralight H52Fw Headlamp
The link to JepPaks is broken. Needs a second slash in the specifier.
Liking the flash review format
Yeah, a little weird (original post time-stamp) on the website itself, … if I go through a search engine … but there's a hyperlink (look for "here") that goes to a neat little website with menu and Pinterest pics. There are pictures of their packs on google images however (looks like Dyneema grid and various cuben hybrid materials – interesting U shaped frame tho)
ed: gr
Good stuff and nice new format! I like the idea of this being used in conjunction with full fledged reviews, its a nice preview of what may come.
Thanks!
Love the new format!
Thanks.
Ryan,
Thrilled to see this new edition to BPL.
Great way to let people know about new gear so they can jump on doing their own research and to spark discussions on the forum.
Also, it means that when a formal review comes out, people cannot complain that BPL is "late" with coming out with news about a new product.
Plus, it creates fresh content to give people a reason to swing by BPL more often.
Be the hub of all things UL/Lightweight as a trusted and current resource of what is happening in the market place.
So great idea.
My suggestion is to have a better home page layout that has different sections to explore that has little bits of information that change from time to time….to entice people to come back again and again.
In particular, as a means to hopefully spur new paying membership, having a permanent section on the home page of rotating past articles that are essentially a 101 on how to get into UL Backpacking would be nice.
I know that there are links for that, but something a little more visually appealing vs. a simply hyperlink. Maybe a smaller version of the rotating photos of the weekly new articles that you currently have, which is great for people who are already UL or Lightweight, but having a section that targets newbies who would be potential new members for generating revenue for BPL would be good.
Anyway, some quick thoughts that I had previously suggested a year or so back.
Tony
How noisy is the ZPacks Challenger rain gear? Wondering about suitability for hunting, or just how annoying while walking.
I will second this question
ZPacks' new "Challenger" material is really interesting. I have a ZPacks rain jacket made of the older white eVent material and just got some Challenger Rain Mitts. I am surprised at how much more durable the mittens feel. At 1 oz with taped seams, I'm thinking they could prove to be the ideal UL mitten shells – hoping to use them a lot this winter.
The material, at 1.62 oz/sqyd, is not much heavier than Silnylon. It would be stupidly expensive, but a shelter with the stuff might be great in winter. Edit: I also wonder about using it to make lighter, WPB bivys
Not so long ago BPL would offer Spotlight reviews, which were more comprehensive than the guff you find in Backpacker magazine, but didn't require 6+ months of testing that a fully fledged review might. I think they served their purpose well, getting information about newer products out to BPL members.
Then a couple of years ago we were told that we'd be getting rolling reviews of products, from early impressions all the way through to (potential) destruction. The Trailstar review died a death after its first installment, and the HMG Expedition / 4400 Porter was very controversial due to some of the style of writing, broad-based claims and a decision to edit the article after it was published. There was one update with a second article linked to the original one, but that put paid to the rolling reviews idea.
I'm all in favour of a format that brings new and interesting products to our attention, and that's exactly what external blog posts and member contributions on the Gear forum are all about. For editorial content provided to annual and lifetime members, I would hope that the bar be set rather higher.
Most nylons will be "noisy" when the nylon rubs against itself. The Challenger is no different. I don't really notice it to be "noisier" or "quieter" than any of the other nylon-faced raingear I own. But, it has a stiffer hand than some types of raingear and that makes it a little bit "crunchier" when you move.
It's quieter than non-nylon-faced Cuben Fiber that is used in stuff sacks and tarps, spinnaker cloth, and silnylon.
And it's noisier than so-called "quiet" hunting raingear (e.g., like those made with waterproof fabric with a brushed polyester face and sometimes a brushed microfiber lining).
It will be interesting to see how this format evolves and the extent to which authors would like to write in it. One goal is to create a format where we can bring in more author diversity, but not at the expense of ditching either Spotlite Reviews (which will still feature only one product) and comprehensive performance reviews.
The rolling review format seems interesting and useful, but it's the least favorite among our authors to write. Maybe due to the commitment required to see it through. I've written a few in this format and personally, the format appeals to me, but I have to give some latitude in recognizing that some authors hate that format, and some readers are opposed to the idea of having a review changed/updated over time. I think that's an easy one to solve though: we should have documented that changes were made so the folks that read the original review knew what the changes were (i.e., on the Porter review).
We're learning. Thanks for your feedback!
Ryan, thanks for taking the time to respond to comments about the new format, and for sharing the trials and tribulations for those of you who were involved in writing the rolling reviews.
I value the indepth reviews published periodically, and the MLD Soul bivy was one of the stand-outs of the last year. I'm also glad to hear that the new format isn't intended to replace the Spotlight reviews. Thanks for being open to feedback from your membership.
"Second, Iām discovering much shorter battery life (even with the manufacturer-recommended Sanyo 2000 mAh Eneloop AA battery) at the suggested outputs than what the manufacturer is claiming. "
Several have noticed that over in the forums. In order to achieve the run times posted by ZL, you must use the Energizer Ultimate Lithium that they also recommend.
Ryan
Ryan I really appreciate this new format. While the in-depth reviews are very helpful, getting more reviews out and getting them out earlier will help a lot of readers. Reminds me of the academic peer-review process, which can take two or more years, versus researchers sharing their focus on an ongoing basis in shorter articles and blog posts.
Which shelter are you using in your photo with the ZPacks Challenger jacket?
I'm pleasantly surprised to hear how breathable the Challenger jacket is and amazed it's available with pit zips for a very small weight penalty.
Ryan what made you choose the floody Zebralight H52Fw over a spot version? Does the spot version have enough of a flood spread to work well in camp on low settings, and wouldn't it work just as well on the trail?
Some people say they like the flood for hiking when mounting the light at waist level, but I've had no problem night hiking with a head-mounted spot beam so long as it has enough of a flood spread in addition to the center spot.
Does the spot version of the same headlamp suffer from the same complexity in settings?
One thing might help users decide whether to get a flood beam or a spot beam. If you do any night photography and do not use a strobe, you can use a flood beam. The spot beam will tend to appear too artificial, but the flood will look halfway natural, especially if you get one with a natural light color temperature.
–B.G.–
I've yet to buy a ZL but it seems that the spot vs flood issue is the first hurdle many buyers struggle with before making the purchase.
I have a Petzl Tikka and one feature I really appreciate is the ability to have both options. I use the regular lens as a spot light and there's a built in light diffuser (not sure what it's supposed to be called) I flip up when I want more of a flood.
I was going to steal a picture of it from the internet to share with the class but from looking at REI and Petzl's website, I didn't see that feature on any of the current headlamps. Too bad because I think it's great.
Anyways, I don't think it'd cost more than a nickel for ZL to produce and offer a clip on light diffuser that can be added to a spotlight version of their headlamp. Also sounds like a fairly straightforward MYOG project.
PS
Nice article and format Ryan.
Edit: Found an old REI sales page which advertised this feature as "Spring-assisted, flip-up diffuser lens changes beam shape from spotlight to area light for different conditions"
Edity edit: Looks like the rechargeable core battery for the Tikka is AWOL too.
Ryan said, " Iāve experienced their effective breathability"…"am happy to verify its excellent breathability in a wider range of conditions than what Iāve experienced with most, if not all, of my other raingear".
I measured the air permeability for this version of WPB Cuben at .29 CFM. Although this is almost double the prior WPB Cuben air permeability (.17 CFM), it is approximately 1/2 of conventional UL 3 layer eVent rain jackets (.50 CFM). I tested the HH at greater than 3,500 mm H2O for this version as well as prior versions of WPB Cuben.
The low air permeability may be the result of the very densely woven nylon face fabric and the manner that it is laminated to the outside of the sandwich. The following is the latest WPB Cuben lamination's nylon fabric micrograph with a field of view = 1.4 mm:
The following is the latest WPB Cuben lamination's inner surface micrograph with a field of view = 5.0 mm. Note that it looks identical to all prior generations of WPB Cuben:
The zebralight is listed with an eneloop AA for its claimed runtimes
http://www.zebralight.com/H52-AA-Headlamp-Cool-White_p_131.html
However this is an ANSI measurement which means down to 1/10 the intensity, not what most folks would consider "run time"
For more and why how things get fudged read this …
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/a/11165/Why-Headlamp-Claims-are-Deceptive
As to flood vs spot, some of the new petzls have both a flood and spot LED
;)
Richard,
Thanks for the information regarding this style of WP/B from CubicTech. Really helps to cut through all of the anecdotal "this stuff breathes awesome" that we continually hear when a new product is released. CT is moving in the right direction, but not there yet IMO.
Ryan
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