Ohm 2.0

[Michael Gartman]

I just bought my wife an Ohm, and it arrived over the weekend…much to her dismay, the front pocket is not a stretchy mesh, but instead a fairly rigid construction. I am not thinking much of anything will fit in it once the pack is filled inside. The body will expand and make the space available in the front pocket disappear. Does anyone have an idea why ULA decided to do this design change?

[Eric Blanche]

I had thought I heard from someone that they have been unable to get more supply of the stretchy mesh. That is not very good as the stretchy mesh has been a big selling point for a lot of people. I wonder if they will be able to get more mesh or at least look into viable alternatives.

[Michael Gartman]

I got it off of Massdrop, so they probably wouldn't take it back. We got home from a trip yesterday, so she is going to transfer stuff from her old pack into the Ohm and see how things fit, and to see if the mesh pocket is of any use when the pack is full. I will give a report.

[Ian]

My prophet doesn't have stretch mesh, and it works fine, but I much prefer the stretchy mesh on my Ohm 2.0. That's a bummer indeed.

[Nick D]

I picked up a Circuit recently and the changed mesh front pocket was the first thing I noticed. I turned around and asked Chris @ ULA about it and he said the company that made the stretch mesh went out of business so now all the ULA packs use the same, as he called it, "1-way stretch mesh". He said he never really liked the super stretchy mesh saying it tore too easily. Personally, I agree, I like the stretch mesh much better too. Then again, I HATED the plastic mesh they used on the Catalyst and Circuit. It's at least an improvement there. Chris stated "we'll continue to use this until we find something better".

[Miner]

I've had ULA packs with both the stretchy mesh and with the original rigid mesh. The rigid mesh pocket has enough space sewn in that you'll have plenty of space inside even when the main picket is full. It also is far less likely to get a hole in the mesh as its more durable. My CDT (2012) with the stretchy mesh has far more and larger holes than my Circuit (2009) with the rigid mesh despite having less overall usage. The only downside with the rigid mesh, in my opinion, is that it weighs more (big deal to many of us on this forum) and when the main pocket is pretty empty (say using it as a summit pack from camp), things can fall out if you allow the pack to fall over when dropping it on the ground. I really hated the lack of durability of the stretchy mesh and was facing having to send my CDT in for repairs before my next long distance trip.

[Jennifer Mitol]

I picked up a CDT recently and was quite upset to see that the stretchy lycra stuff is now stiff mesh – I hate that stuff…it tears at my knuckles when I put stuff in the pocket. Oh well.

[Maris L]

Also just picked up an Ohm from Massdrop and was a little disappointed in the same issue. There is no extra space sewn into the mesh panel like with an older ULA Circuit I just picked up. I like MLD's spare 'flaps' in their pockets, really let you load a lot into the front. I personally don't like stretchy lycra pockets having snagged to many holes in them. A couple of older packs I own have also significantly lost their stretch factor.

[Dan Durston]

I've always been torn on the Ohm mesh. I does tear too easily and if you overload it, then it permanently gets saggy, but it can be incredible useful. You can keep a lot of stuff really handy. Mine is destroyed but it also has >3000 miles / 200 days on it. I'd probably buy it again.

[Michael Gartman]

"torn" on the mesh…that's a great one! lol Thanks everyone for the responses. My wife took her gear out of her old pack and transferred it over to the Ohm…the front pocket was pretty disappointing, as she could only fit a few things in it, but overall, she loved the way the pack felt when she put it on, which trumps everything. All her gear will fit easily, and she said she can learn to live without the stretchy pocket. She said she could barely feel the pack when she put it on. She didn't adjust anything the first time except for the load lifters, and the pack fit her great. No fiddling with anything right out of the box! How's that for awesomeness?

[slavenya slavenya]

What was the price for Ohm at Massdrop?

[Michael Gartman]

It was $155 plus a few bucks for shipping, as I recall.

[Cameron N.]

I've been considering purchasing a custom Circuit with the stretchy mesh like the Ohm, but that no longer sounds like a possibility. Massdrop's ULA offerings sound more tempting now. Now if only Massdrop had Circuits or Ohms in the XL size…

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