Good Pack? 35L 1 lb 1 oz

Specs look great, until you see that the only access is by a full length zip.

What will you do when the zip fails?

Some packs are advertised with a maximum load limit, so you can see that it is more or less what you seek. I didn't see any load limit advertised on this one.

Once in a while, if a vendor knows that load limit is a weak point for a product like a pack, they will just accidentally forget to specify that in the advertising. Then if you purchase it, some hang tag will tell you that it is good for something far less than what you sought.
–B.G.–

Sorry, I lost track — are you shopping for "the" backpack for your travels — or just a day pack that you will use for carry on and exploring town?

Yes, I'm worried about that zipper also.

Benjamin,

I'm looking for an all in pack. I have no trouble living out of a 30- 35L pack for months at a time. Have done so for years – but NOT with an ultralight pack. I really need to shed more weight due to some injuries that give me a great deal of trouble if I try to carry much weight. Which is why I started looking at ultralight gear, which seems to be an entirely different thing than light gear.

I have today decided that I'm not going to worry about durability in lightweight fabrics. I have a 20 year old Sportsac duffle (1.8 oz ripstop) that I've dragged around the world, literally, at least six times – often checking it on airlines. It's beat up but still good to go.

Jim

I don't worry about the zipper at all. Millions of luggage travel the world every day and most feature zippers. Zipper is not the problem — low quality and overpacking are the problems.

What I do worry are flimsy pack fabric and strap materials. No direct experience, but just looking at the pack in question makes me wonder whether the fabrics are up to the rigors of traveling. Also, IMHO, a cord is suboptimal for use as side compression — as compared to webbing straps.

Maybe someone with actual experience will come out in support — but I wonder…

Benjamin,

That's a good point. Also, there must be a gadzillion panel loaders and they don't seem to have zipper problems.

I called the vendor, they said no problem with the zipper and that they stand behind it. I also found some sites of guys who use these packs and they report no problems.

Looks interesting: lite weight, right size, very affordable….

Jim

While I have no experience with that pack, I have always wondered about the usability/ how much would I enjoy a full zip pack.

One of them is the CragStation. 2500 cubes 41 L, 2lbs 10 oz.

The other is the Snapdragon. 2300 cubes 3lbs 13 oz.

Both are certainly not UL. They wouldn’t be used as a distance/ extended hiking pack, but more a travel and climbing pack. Opinions? Experiences?

James I'd be interested in your thoughts if you try it out. It's very similar in size to a pack I quickly learned to love for short trips and cycling – the Osprey Talon 33. The Talon I'm sure is much more durable, and likely carries more comfortably, but it weighs in at about 9-10 ounces more.

I worry about the zipper too.

Note my wife and I have used top-loading Patagonia Lightweight Travel packs and shoulder bags for travel and errands and are big fans. We'll often carry them in our MEI check-on size travel packs and pull them out for day trips. They've been very durable and compact down to almost nothing. Note the newer version of the backpack (last 1-2 years or so) is made of better material, has more volume (about 1600 cu. in.) and has water bottle pockets with enough volume to actually hold a real water bottle – old ones were too tight for all but the skinniest bottles. However, the older version of the shoulder bag is better than the new as it has more volume – the new shoulder bag is sized closer to a pocket book.

Patagonia has a convertible duffel/backpack made of the same material at around 2000 cu. in. give or take that you might want to check out as well.

Have you found any good reviews on the Laser 35?

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and avoiding further injury.

Hello EJ,

Thanks for your good wishes. MY MD thinks I'm insane to be planning this trip in my condition. Fortunately, my orthopedist has a background in sports medicine and is supportive, within limits.

I have decided against the Terra Nova, not because I’m worried about the zipper or the fabric but basically I just don’t like the design.

I have been looking at the Patagonia Travel Pack and Duffle, not for use as a day bag, but for my only bag. My wife has one of the Travel Packs and has been using it for over a year with no problem, and she carries her 15" Mac in it, along with a bunch of other stuff. If the shoulder straps were a little longer and the capacity a little more, I’d get one and be done with it.

I’ll start a new thread; call it the pack search continues.

Again, thanks for your comments and suggestions.

Jim

One of the guys I went ice climbing with this weekend used this pack to carry a bunch of extra gear as we were with a large group. He had about 10 crampon holes in his pants suggesting that he is pretty hard on his gear. This pack looked like it had been beaten up pretty good and it was still going strong.

Hi Mike,

From all reports this is a very tough pack. I asked a Brit friend about it (serious outdoor guy, fell runner, climber etc) and he said the Terra Nova packs from 20L to this one are popular with his crowd and very tough – that his fellow climbers use them to haul climbing hardware.

Don't know what the fabric is like, but apparently it's much stronger than it looks in the pix.

Jim

Hey James, I have the Terra Nova 20Liter and 20 Liter elite, so I can comment a bit on the materials. The stuff in Black feels like cordura to me…maybe 500 denier or less…but pretty tough. The yellow material however, is just silnylon, so its not the most durable of materials. I think its silicone coated, and not impregnated, as only one side has the tacky feel of silicone (the inside of the material). A dyneema pack will def. be stronger.

Not sure if you are still looking for a pack, but i saw your comments about the lumbar pad bothering you on the Flash 30…I too recently felt the uncomfortableness of the lumbar pad. I didn't realize it, until I really started maxing out the pack to its 30 liters capacity. I was able to resolve the problem 100% by removing the pad with a seam ripper. Now the pack conforms to the back perfectly and carries 15lb+ in comfort. Might be worth reconsidering.

I was looking at the pack because I own the Mystery Ranch big sky it the big brother to the snap dragon. It has one vertical zipper and two top zips to close the top it called a Tri Zip.

The only problem I can see with the pack is is should have two 3/4" or 5/8" horizontal compression straps that start at the back seam and wrap around the side to the front with a dual adjust buckle attaching to the strap on the other side. To take stress off the zipper if it over loaded for compression.
Terry