Alite Hatcher

I'd love to see a review on this. As you said there aren't a lot of options for external frame packs, and most of the ones floating around here are $400 or more. External frame works better for hunting and inexpensive options are always better recommendations for the scouts I work with. Can't wait to hear what you have to say about it.

I would be interested in how much the frame, hipbelt, and shoulder straps weigh. Certain things though, like the leather attachment points on the hipbelt and the "retro styling", make me wonder if it is actually meant for backpacking

I'll be sure to do so then!

I'm curious about the build quality myself. It's about 10 ounces shy of my Kelty Trekker 65, but the Kelty is also considerably larger. If it's as robust as my Kelty, I'm sure it'll be fine.

It's supposed to be here by this weekend, hopefully. With some luck I'll have some initial impressions then.

I know this impression is severely late coming, and it'll probably be smaller than what the pack deserves, but here we go, and just for comparison's sake, I'm about 5'11 at a fairly athletic 155lbs.

The pack itself is incredibly burly. There are no zippers, instead relying on button snaps, and the frame itself is incredibly stout. I haven't weighed the frame separately from the bag, but it's easily twice as stout as my Kelty Trekker 65. Though I haven't tried one, I have to imagine it's heft is up there with some hunting packs. The frame is rock solid.

The pack also doesn't have load lifters. It's probably not an issue if you carry lighter loads, but I found that upwards around 30lbs, the pack was pulling back too heavily without them. I can't imagine wanting to push more than 35lbs for sustained periods of time, even if the frame itself could definitely withstand it. And the belt is fairly minimally padded, but it hugged well, and despite having hesitations of its effectiveness, I actually didn't mind it at all.

The fabrics sort of speak for themselves. The body is built out of 420D Cordura, and can't imagine ever having any issues with it. Probably way tougher than what most would need, but for someone like a Boy Scout, its a nice inclusion.

So far, I've gotten about 15ish miles on the pack, with ten of those at around 20lbs, and 5 of those miles at 30lbs. If you simply swap a 15lb total weight in gear/food from an UL pack to this one, it feels amazing. I don't even mind the extra weight. The luxury of ease in strapping whatever you like to it is simply too convenient. Want a full length Ridgerest? No problem. Want to lash a bear can with absolutely worries? No problem, and at around a 20lb total weight, you have little to no weight resting on your shoulders. I could jump up and down, even, and feel nothing on my shoulders. But at 30lbs, the discomfort settles in a little bit more. The backward pull of the pack (although it could be halfway corrected with more thoughtful packing) caused slight bruising on my shoulders, although I should mention that I have very, very little upper body strength. Someone with a bit more muscle probably wouldn't find it as unpleasant.

Would I recommend this pack? I would, with some concessions. If money wasn't an issue, and the durability isn't as valued, a Vargo Ti Arc is probably the better pack. It shaves about 2lbs off the Hatcher, but if your a bit more frugal, like myself, and you need the extra durability, be it for children, or whatever, I feel like it's worth considering. I'll probably use mine often. There's definitely a dorky factor when strolling up a trail with a bright blue external frame pack, but I'm a function over form guy when it comes to my gear. The fact is that if I move the same gear from my Kumo into the Hatcher, it's equally as comfortable, despite the weight, and I then have luxury of not being limited by bulk.

Just my two cents.

I got this pack when you posted in gear deals that it was on sale for $100.  I had been looking at used external frame packs just to see how they would carry for me and I got this instead as the price wasn’t much different from a used back in reasonable condition.

I didn’t have the same problem as you, but I had problems at heavier loads.  I tried it on various walks of two to five miles around my neighborhood.  I was carrying 35 or 40 pounds, including the pack.  (My main purpose with these walks was conditioning, so I’m carrying more weight that I would ever expect to in the field.)  For me, the problem wasn’t pressure on the shoulders but that I couldn’t get the shoulder straps to hold.  Even as few as a hundred steps would have the shoulder straps noticeably loosen.  After about a 500 yards or so, the straps would slip about two to three inches each.  The straps were then loose enough that the swaying of the pack was pronounced.  If I tried to pull against the strap to loosen it, it would not budge, but it would always slip bit by bit as I walked.

The hip belt didn’t slip.  Even after the shoulder straps had loosened, the hip belt still carried the weight fine and I never had any pain in my shoulders or elsewhere.  But it certainly isn’t practical to have to tighten a strap every 200 yards (even with the handy loop they have on the end of it) or have a pack that bounces.  I’ve tried various adjustments.  None of them worked, but it’s possible I haven’t got it right yet.  If it makes a difference, the shoulder straps right now hit more on the front of my shoulder than the top. I can’t seem to get it so that they rest on the top, but I have an internal frame pack and that works fine and that’s where the straps hit me on it.