MLD Burn

hahah nice…

I think Eric said that his was stock…Your observation about add-ons seems to be correct though.

I've got one on order…all i asked for was some bungee loops to the bottom in order to attach my duomid there.

I want a simple pack. I think it will blend well for what I need.

oh yeah: MORE PICS!

I hade the padded hip belt straps added to mine as well. I've taken it out the past two weekends. Carries like a dream.

Yep, mine is a 100% stocker.

Zero complaints from me. Being that not everyone is the same nor do we all weigh specific options the same, we're just lucky MLD offers options to tailor one's setup to their specific needs.

I'm pretty sure "most" of us here would alter every piece of gear we have somewhat to better fit our individual needs.

MLD is a great asset to our community. Ron is a great guy to deal with. I can only say good things about him.

…

The MLD Burn that I ordered April 20th came in to my surprise! I had actually been so busy with work, family and just general life that I forgot that the 6 week wait on custom gear from Ron Bell had quickly ran its course.

The pack couldn't have come at a better time as I'm planning to get out for an overnight in the Sacramento Mountains with my father this weekend to also attempt some trout fishing in the Rio Ruidoso. This pack is perfect for this light venture. To add bonus, the weather is supposed to be 107F on Sunday where I live in Las Cruces and a bearable 90F in the mountains this weekend so we'll be packing verrrrry light.

Out of the box impressions:

– Extremely light but highly durable (uber clean stitching, couldn't find a flaw in the craft)

– Slim profile for efficient travel and unimpeded movement on and off trail, this should promote the quicker paced hiking I typically resort to.

– Simplicity, it's a very practical ruck and it's design is quite clean, no superfluous items and features, it should compliment my streamlined approach quite well.

-Small volume, there is very little room for wiggle in the Burn, I think I've finally paired my kit down to a comfortable weight and volume to utilize a pack of this design and I'm happy to have arrived at this point.

*Forgot to note,

My Mountain Laurel Designs Burn pack is pretty stock, with one exception, custom ordered Prophet style hipbelt for some extra grace when needed.

Question, for those that own the Burn, what are the different ways you're packing the Burn, specifically with how you store your pad? Are you even using a pad as a frame in the Burn? My total weight for this weekends overnight will maybe be 10lbs., I'm thinking of not even using a pad inside the pack for a frame at this weight. Thoughts? Advice?

I mainly use a TorsoLite type pad. I deflate the pad and fold so that it lays flat against the back panel of the Burn (valve up). I then load the pack with all gear. After packing all gear I have the option of inflating the pad for increased structure if desired.

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I can attest to the method the previous 2 posters recommended as well. While not a burn, I pack my Prolite Short into a 1st generation MH Scrambler or Ion the same way. I removed the foam pad from the Scrambler because I find it unnecessary with such light loads and good packing strategy.

I've found that I don't need to inflate the pad at all due to the small volume of these packs. Compression straps or bungee cords could facilitate this as pack real estate becomes available over the course of a hike but it really isn't necessary (for the purpose of compression) if you pack right.

One other thing – stuff sacks shouldn't be stuffed. The more amorphous your pack contents the more successful you'll be in packing these packs.

Eugene, my burn arrived the same day as yours and I had similar impressions. I can't wait to get it out on the trail. Hope your trip went well.

I just got my Burn a couple of days ago and I noticed that although I hadn't special-ordered it, it came with the bartack on the shoulder strap webbing as Mike had described. I suspect that Ron has made it standard.

@ Michael,

I just got back from an excellent little jaunt in the White Mountain Wilderness of southern New Mexico for an overnight and cannot say enough positive things about the Burn. This will be my weekend pack for most trips in the near future. I'll post up some pics of my gear for this trip with the Burn, how it all fit and my short on the trail impression.

I ordered mine 4/27 so hopefully it will be here this week!

Yeah, I'm getting a little antsy to get my hands on mine too, Bender. I ordered mine on 4/26. Seems like 2 years ago. :D

I talked to Ron a few weeks back. The bar tacking on the shoulder straps is standard process now.

Thanks everyone for the nice feedback.

We did add more bartacks to the lower part of the shoulder straps as per the very early user feedback. The very small handful that may not have it can send it back for a quick fix and a prize! Maybe email a pic first so we can let you know if you have the extra already.

I was in the shop tonight cutting out the next run of Burns- more to ship out the end of next week.

Ron,
Keep up the great work!

"I was in the shop tonight cutting out the next run of Burns- more to ship out the end of next week."

In cuben? ;-)

Alright, I will admit, when the MLD Burn arrived at my doorstep I was apprehensive about all my gear fitting inside without having to use every inch of the extension collar. Alas, fears quickly extinguished, the Burn accommodated my streamlined weekend gear for the beautiful White Mountain Wilderness of southern New Mexico perfectly with room to spare. I couldn’t have used a more perfect pack for this little trip, in fact, when a pack makes you smile just wearing it then you know you’ve got a winner.

I went ahead a took some photos simply showing my approach to packing the Burn, *(minus my tiny food bag and a pair of Cap 3 tights), the images below show everything that went into the Burn and clearly show how well and tight the Burn packs. The Burn has the best of the Prophets features but with a significant savings in weight, size and it’s much more nimble, appropriately suited for mild weather, low volume, fast paced hikes. Depending on how well I pack and the conditions I could see myself using this pack for up to 5 days though I’ll probably stick with my Ohm if a trip stretches that long. I found myself running along the trail on occasion on this trip with the Burn and it pulled double duty with my streamlined flyfishing gear.

Weekend gear 6/5-6/6, White Mountains, Temps: upper 40’s-low 80’s

*Again, I’m only missing my Cap3 leggings and small 16oz. food bag in this image.

Order of packing and items:

1. Inserted GG Nightlight as frame (folded in 1/3rds)
2. Inserted BPL pack liner, rolled down collar
3. Stuffed Nunatak Specialist into liner
4. Stuffed Montbell Down Shirt into liner
5. Threw in windshirt and Pata Cap3 leggings into liner, twisted and folded liner top closed.
6. Placed MLD Grace Solo Solo Spinntex EXP on top of liner
7. MSR Titan Kettle and TiTri Inferno (w/ x8 ti-stakes inside caddy) side by side on top of bag w/ food bag and BPL Beartooth Hoody, cinched collar and rolled down and shut.
8. Tenkara Iwana went in right side pocket along with my trekking poles secured with provided dynamic side compression cord.
9. x2 Evernew bottles and Frontier Pro filter went in left side pocket.
10. Flyfishing tackle went inside ULA mesh pocket stuffed in the large outside mesh pocket of my Burn along with my essentials kit in the green Granite Gear zip pocket.

GG Nightlight Pad folded into 1/3rds as “frame”, loaded pack liner inside the Burn

* The Burn is quite slim in the pack body so the GG pad took up quite a bit of interior space, I had plenty for my kit though. One thing to consider is how narrow the Burn is, when I folded my GG Nightlight into 1/3rds it was just a tad too wide, I trimmed my pad down by 1 inch to fit better. I was very impressed with how comfortably the Burn rode on my back, the use of my added Prophet hipbelt wasn’t necessary on this trip, however if I had added an extra day into the trip I’d definitely would have used the belt. The standard width shoulder straps on the Burn are very comfortable and I experienced not a single ounce of tenderness or fatigue. The daisy chains on the shoulder were bartacked. I didn’t receive a sternum strap with my Burn so I never used one, don’t think I ever needed too. Ron was quick to respond to the slipup in shipping and mail one out, it should be in today or tomorrow, MLD is a top tier company and I’m more than pleased with the quality of their work and their place in the UL community.

MLD Burn loaded and ready for a quick 2400ft. push up the Rio Bonito to White Horse Mtn. in the White Mountain Wilderness, 10,300ft.

Stoked to be flanking the northeast face of White Horse Mtn. @ 10,100ft. with not a fleas tear of fuss or issue from my MLD Burn

In conclusion, I’m thoroughly satisfied with my investment in the MLD Burn, the balance of weight, features, compact size, durability, practical storage solutions and streamlined design all meld together to form a very sensible SUL pack for overnight to mild weather multi-day adventures for the savvy lightweight hiker.

nice report/review…i'm feelin lucky that i made it on board for the next round of Burn's Ron was talking about.

Eugene, good review. I really liked your item breakdown. It was interesting to see how some one else packs. You are right Ron nailed the pack volume. Love it!

has anyone else received their Burn yet???

Y'know, I didn't get a sternum strap with mine, either. But when I asked Ron about this I had one in two days, shipped immediately from the MLD skunkworks.

You gotta love cottage manufacturers who still care about their customer base, unlike the big corporations. Of course, it probably also helps that I've bought a thousand dollars worth of stuff from MLD in the past year or so…

I have exactly one criticism of the Burn, and it is a petty one:

I'd like the mesh side pockets angled a little more forward. I like to use PET bottles rather than the Platypus-style flexible ones that so many people here prefer. I did a hike this past weekend with the new Burn, using those narrow SmartWater bottles, and it was still hard to get them in and out of the pockets without either A) slipping a shoulder strap off, or B) doing the funky chicken.

Don't get me wrong- IMHO this is one of the best UL packs out there, and is now my go-to pack for anything up to five days or so. (I'll be selling my Ion when I get a chance, soon.) I do like the slanted side pockets on the Osprey Exos series, but I can slip a shoulder strap if I have to. No big deal.

I received mine in just over 6 weeks. The volume is spot on. The shoulder straps are wonderfully comfortable. I like how it sits higher on my shoulders than my other packs. The large mesh pocket will be used for my platypus. Sometimes I use a small bottle as well so I’ll have to see if I can reach it without taking the pack off. The craftsmanship is incredible. I cant find a single stray thread. Weight for size large with all standard extras including sternum strap is just over 12 oz.

For those of you with a Burn check out how Ron runs the bungee cord. MLD Burn I did this on mine as well. I love how you can un-clip the center, stretch it around whatever and re-clip it.

I've got my bungi setup the same. Good versatility and flexibility depending on load/setup. I've even carried snow shoes on mine ; )