Essence has arrived!!

cool,

looks like a good UL thru-hiking pack.

and welcome back pj, where have you been?

verrryyy impressive.

Pretty slick. Looks like a great competitor in its peer group. I wonder if he’ll have this one up for testing on BGT? PJ, (welcome back), I hope you’ll give us a review if you get one.

As for the Gatewood… it looks pretty cool too. I’m just not sure how all the geometry works out when you’re wearing it and with a human inside in tarp mode. Would love to see some more photos, but it looks like another good step forward.
-Mark

Was Gatewood’s Mother Japanese?

At 11oz Gatewood is just a little to heavy. One of the coming soon “I think” Nano Poncho/Tarp’s, set up smartly, is way less weight and should do as well as this does. To bad Ron didn’t go for it and use something like Cuben fiber. Even the Japanese item only weighs about 5oz.

In todays world of true Ultralight and now Super Ultra Light gear I don’t see how something that is “an incredibly light 13 ounce weight” can be called UltraLight. I am sure this is a well made pack but this pack will not created an “UltraLight Revolution”.

It might have been better to say that “as six moon designs moves closer and closer to a truly UltraLight Pack the Essence is the next step.

I believe the GoLite Breeze is listed at 14oz and that pack has been around for “how many years”?

That is true bill.

not quite “wicked lite”

but it dose look more durable than other UL packs, so it will probably perform well for long distance hikes, when durablility is more important than every ounce.

I am thinking about trying to get a custom G6 pack with a hip belt, mesh side pockets, external pad pocket, 2.2oz fabric, and a sternum strap for long distance hiking. if this is not possible, this may be a good tru-hiking option, this or a fanatic fringe pack.

13 oz. isn’t so impressive in and of itself anymore… but 13 oz. with decent, padded suspension, top pocket and even two usable hipbelt pockets — that’s pretty impressive, esp. for those who want these features but without a lot of weight!

Bill,

Suffice to say that we view the Ultralight world through different sets of lenses. My readings of your various posts incline me to perceive that you tend to view gear with the idea that weight is the primary consideration.

As I’ve written before, while weight is important, it’s not the deciding factor in my decision for design. My core principle for ultralight hiking is “Focus on Maximizing the Experience not Minimizing the Gear”. Anyone willing to understand and follow that principle will be well on their way to not only a light pack but a better all around backpacking experience.

So I try to balance weight, durability, features and cost effectiveness in making decisions on how to design gear. In general I do start out with a basic weight goal. For both the pack and shelter that goal was 12 ounces each with a final weight of 24 ounces. Since it came out as 13 / 11 ounces I’m still quite satisfied.

Can I design a 6 ounce pack? Yeah, so what. It’s not that difficult. But designing a 13 ounce pack that can carry 30 pounds, includes lots of pockets, hip belt and can survive a 3000 mile hike without being shredded isn’t. I design for long distance hikers and they need more than a weekender.

As to exotic material like Cuben fiber, etc., yeah I’ve looked at them, even built a prototype or two. While there is some weight savings, for me it’s not worth the added cost or loss of durability. With the pack we weighed various components in different fabrics prior to making the final decision. The Essence’s 420D bottom weighed .1 ounce more than a 210D material. How much durability is a tenth of an ounce worth? A Cuben version of the Gatewood Cape would probably cost $200 more and may save maybe 4 ounces. Plus it would have a considerably shorter life span.

Ron

Bill makes some good points.

For me, a summer sub-5 pound SUL barrier has been achieved. An UL seven or eight pound base pack weight provides more comfort and convenience, as well as permitting personal “testing” of one or two new pieces of gear while still packing a tried and true backup for that new gear.

Still, this pack looks interesting.

Some observations:

Definitely NOT SUL. Perhaps UL, if Essence contributes to a sub-10 pound base pack weight. If the Breeze, at 14 ounces helped achieve UL levels, then the Essence at 13 ounces will help also.

Are there lighter packs? Sure. Essence seems to be very weather proof and somewhat robust. The materials used should provide a degree of weather resistance and should last quite a while. Not Dyneema, but a bit more robust than Spinnaker or other lighter weight fabrics. Large enough for a Thru-Hike. Manufacturer claimed load capability is Thru-Hike sufficient. Materials are perhaps Thru-Hike capable without the need to replace the pack part way through the hike. Dyneema Breeze certainly was Thru-hike capable.

Breeze was a great pack. Breeze lacked a hip-belt. With its hip-belt, Essence should be able to carry a bit more weight than the Breeze.

Breeze, other than “leftovers”, is no longer available. It’s no longer listed on the GoLite website.

While it never was a limitation, the Breeze only had external three mesh pockets. Essence has more external organization capability for those who desire this feature. External mesh pockets should function fine for convenient bladder or bottle access.

Front-panel loading is very convenient. With an UL kit this feature may not be as important as it was with all the 50 pounds of gear carried in an 80 liter pack. Still, front-panel loading will make mid-day pack access easier. As a “closet” front-loader fan, I look forward to it. Down-side is pad is buried in the pack and inaccessible at rest stops for use as a sit-pad.

Hip-belt pockets are very convenient and accessible by all while wearing Essence. Top-pocket is very convenient and may be accessible while wearing. Lower side mesh pocket may also be accessible while wearing. Looks like this pack may provide more “on the go” access than other packs. For some, convenience may “trump” lightest possible weight.

A bivouac on the path to SUL? No. A fork on the path to UL? For some, perhaps. For others, yes. I plan to take this fork in the trail and see where it leads.

Ron:

An even more important question: how much moolah will the Essence be, pray tell? :)

good job on the pack Ron, though the pack may not be designed for the super ultralighter, the durability and useability is a plus for the tru hiker or average ultralighter

thanks for the adition to my thru hiking pack consideration list for a 7lb load :-)

but for the weekend I will stick with my 3.5oz G6 and 3.5lb load :-)

It might not be a gram-weenie pack, but its my kinda pack.

>> An even more important question: how much moolah will the Essence be, pray tell? :) << Ben, Should be posing pricing tomorrow once I get the production cost. There will be an Intro price with significant savings. Also we are working on a 6 pound thru-hiker gear list. While heaver than the 4 to 5 pound SUL kits, it needs to be good for temperature ranges of 20 to 100+, durable enough to survive 5 months of hiking 7 days a week and 12 hours a day without being babied, work with rain, snow, bugs, high winds and sandstorms and anything else a thru-hike will throw at it. Nor should you need to be a member of Bush’s Pioneer Club to be able to purchase it. Ron

Mark,

thanks for the “welcome back”. i have been keeping in touch via email with some Forum regulars. also, i’ve never stopped reading the Forums. however, i would, generally, prefer not to “post” any longer as i don’t want to chase anyone away from the Forums as i fear that i (and my wife) may have done some weeks ago.

i will, however, post a “Reader Review” after i order the pack tomorrow – or, whenever the Pricing appears on the SMD website. i’ll immediately post an initial impressions/build-quality Reader Review after receiving the Essence pack and update it later after trying out the Essence pack on the trail.

take care,
pj

pj,

too bad, I enjoyed learning from you for the short period of time we were both posting. take care.

Ron:

Thanks for the quick feedback. I’ll be sure to visit your webpage again tomorrow!

Yes, it could be lighter [at some cost].

Now that that’s out of the way, the Essence is probably best compared to its true peer group–rather than the miniaturized, feature-thin fringe. I enjoy products from both of those groups, and it’s good to see someone reviving some old lovable features [top pocket, front load] and implementing some popular new ones [pad sleeve, hip belt pockets]–without much of a weight bump compared to its competition.

On paper, comparing the Essence to other LD-suitable packs of similar weight and volume, like the GoLite Dawn, GoLite Breeze, GG Mariposa [stripped], and upcoming MLD Prophet 40… none of those look like they can meet the feature/oz ratio, subjective though it may be. As for real-world performance, we’ll see.

-Mark

My motto–never get version one of anything —so, please fellas, please get it and put it through the ringer so inquiring but frugal minds who need to know can make an informed purchase. It’s great to see more pound or less packs with well considered features hitting the market.

I see the resident self-denying gram weenie rationalizes that this isn’t a “gram weenie” kinda pack.
O yes it is—just in a more rugged flavor. Time to come out of the gear closet, guy.;-)>

And a healthy and outdoor filled New Year to all.

Hi Ron,

I’m always gratified to see new and different takes on well-established gear concepts, which on first glance the Essence seems to represent. That it’s not ninty-six grams isn’t a personal concern; I’m far more interested in whether it represents–at long last–a frameless pack that I’d like carrying.

Of particular interest is the effectiveness of your internal strapping arrangement for the pad pocket. Pack sag is what cools me on frameless designs.

That you’ve included lots of external storage appeals to my affinity for gadgets and keeping them handy, and I’m also curious about your mysterious front-load system :-)

So, that it’s twice as heavy as some competing ubersuperduperlite packs is irrelevant to somebody (me) who can’t use them. If it could get me out of three-pound lightweight framed packs it represents a very significant leap. If it can survive my clumsy crosscountry shambles, all the better.

“resident self-denying gram weenie”

Should I be insulted? Hmmmmmm

I bet the comment was directed somewhat twords me, its cool, I accept that I am a gram weenie.

There probably is some paradox at work, here. Glad to see you’re interested in the 6 moons pack.

R.F. –sorry, not directed at you—everyone knows it anyway.;-)>

I think you must have a mistaken understanding of me Kevin, which is odd since we seem to have had this discussion already. :)

MOVING ON!

Hmmmmm

knows what, that I am a gram weenie, or that you were not talking to me???

probably both :-) how do I know

and
I am more of a tenth of an ounce freak I dont use the metric system