The North Face Verto 26 pack?

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699687&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442635094

26 dollah … if you live in canada … 11 oz

i just picked up one of these … 15 oz … but it has axe loops and daisy straps … and is made of more durable fabric for climbs … and i look sooo yuppie ;)

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442635351&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302889511

The thing that stood out was the 26 liter size, outside pocket and bungee loops. There are many 18-20 liter packs out there, most designed as summit or travel accessory packs. Mont Bell, Cilogear, Grivel, Camp and REI come to mind. The extra liters make a huge difference in capacity (25%) and the way the pack rides, particularly for someone on the XL size. If you have big shoulders and long torso most of these small packs are toy-like. The other side of the small pack world looks like 20 liter packs loaded with features that drive the weight up over a pound, but still ride too high and bouncy on a bigger guy. Many hydration packs fall into this range, all having weight-adding hardware, fabrics and features.

This is all in comparison with the GoLite Ion which was 25 liters and 9oz, but lacked pockets and bungee loops. Why GoLite ceased production on that model is a puzzle. They came out with the Peak, which is a decent day/short trip pack, but much larger and heavier, loaded with features and just a few ounces lighter than the Jam. What they needed to do was turn out a pack more like this North Face pack, ditching the top pocket, and providing two water bottle pockets and a front mesh pocket and/or bungee array. I'm sure there are marketing issues, as a small pack with the pockets and bungee loops takes nearly as much labor as a larger pack with a similar feature set– the real difference being more fabric.

So Dale, do you think that the Verto would fit a xl, long torso fellow?

Here is a video of a guy packing his Verto 26

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxdzlks_JE

Ken wrote, "So Dale, do you think that the Verto would fit a xl, long torso fellow?"

Only by virtue of the capacity. What I haven't done is to try one with a load. My cursory look at REI leads me to think it has potential. The straps are long enough, etc. Certainly much better than something like a Flash 18, or any of the 20 liter packs I have tried.

I'm thinking of day hiking or minimalist summer overnight trips with a simple menu and little cooking. I think a 26 liter pack could handle a list like this:

Verto 26 pack
Pack liner
Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape
Ti stakes (6)
Mont Bell Alpine #7 down bag (16oz)
Prolite small sleeping pad
Polycro ground sheet
Ti or IMUSA cup
Esbit Ti wing stove or small alcohol stove
Aluminm foil windscreen
Folding Ti spork
Platypus 1 liter — 1 carried inside, 1 outside
Spare socks
Fleece beanie
Gloves
Windshirt
Patagonia Micro Puff vest (read basic insulation)
Bandana
Insect head net
Headlamp
First aid kit
Whistle
Compass and map
Fire starter(s)
Swiss Army knife
Food sack and bear rope
Micro Pur tablets
Hygiene kit
Food
Fuel

Chad added, "Here is a video of a guy packing his Verto 26 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxdzlks_JE"

I was amazed to watch that tent and cook kit go in there! We gotta straighten him out on pack covers too :)

I was looking at that pack the other day and was wondering if anybody was using one. Sunnysports.com has them for $48.95 and free shipping if you spend $50.

I saw the YouTube video and the Verto looks interesting. A few weeks ago, I did a long overnight with a Vaude Rock Comfort 25. My list was similar to Dale's, although the shelter I had was significantly heavier and bulkier (BA Seedhouse SL2 in fastfly mode). I also had a fleece instead of puffy insulation. Gatorade bottle and Precip in side pockets, everything else fit inside. I'm replacing my shelter with a lighter, smaller option, so could prob. get my gear plus 3 days food in 25 liters for future.

My concern with the Verto would be packing so that it fit comfortably against my back, while still having the volume for 1-2 nights. The Vaude pack I used has a removable plastic framesheet. I tried packing my gear without the framesheet (saves ~5 oz) but without using a CCF pad, and with my Prolite deflated to save volume, the back of the pack rounded out in a way I found uncomfortable. I put the framesheet back in, and found the pack carried well (I did a little over 22 miles each day, starting weight >15#).

I prefer to pack my quilt, clothes, etc loose in a liner. Is there a way to do this in the Verto, while using a low volume pad like the Prolite *and* having the pack fit comfortably against my back?

you gotta take the vol with a grain of salt …

for example the mec travel light "19L" pack has basically as much volume as my dead bird cierzo 25L …

the only way to know is to try …

as to stiffening the frame … only way to do that IME is to pack it "right" … sometimes it pays to stuff the bag and clothes in a tube and place that vertically … i would say though if its sags substantially with a lightish load, it probably doesnt fit you the best

i just put a 60m rope, puffay, rain gear, water, food, helmet, first aid and emergency gear in mind .. and im happay =P

"Volume with a grain of salt…" Sure. Going by the youtube video, and a promo video from TNF, it looks like about what I expect for 25-26 liters. A MEC pack would be a great alternative, if only because it wouldn't have the TNF logo all over it.

I get that Verto is intended as a climbing pack, which it sounds like is how you'd use it. My interest, and I think that of the OP, is for 1-2 night backpacking, with shelter, sleep system, etc. I'm sure there's some folks here who can pack for that and still have to worry about a 25 liter pack sagging–I'm not one of them. For me, I'd have enough volume that a 25 liter frameless pack would likely round out into a cylinder. Sorry if that wasn't clear in my post. I can see how stuffing bag and clothes into a tube would help *stiffen* a frameless pack, but not how it would keep the back of the pack from going convex, and that's what I find uncomfortable.

i suspect that part of it is the design … my dead bird has no inclinations of being rounded off in the back, while my marmot daypack does … i guess it depends on how its sewn together

also packing things in rounded bags probably wouldnt help …

the only way to know is to try … MEC usually has stuff bags full of things to simulate sleeping bags and other items for you to fill packs with

I just picked one up from Sunnysports.com. We'll see how it does. I'll post picks and gear list when I get it. Comes in black. If I keep it I'll mark out the TNF logo. Maybe sew a demerit badge over it.

This looks like an interesting pack for weekend trips. I am just concerned about the side pockets because they don't look like they have any stretch to them…

"I am just concerned about the side pockets because they don't look like they have any stretch to them…"
Yes, apparently they do not have any stretch. But construction on the pack looks like it could be easily modified.

"If I keep it I'll mark out the TNF logo. Maybe sew a demerit badge over it"

Why?

Too large to be tasteful. That company has gone logo crazy. Look at the MEC packs above. What's with the logo on the backs of shoulders now?

Wow, I just checked it out and it's not only huge, but bright white.

See. Exactly what I'm talking about. And I bought a black one too.

I tried to get to the link Dale posted but got bounced to the front page of the TNF UK site. This ticks me off and I won't be buying anything new from this company. Are you listening TNF?

Not the lightest but in the summer months I like a pack which stays away from my back and lets some air in, but is stable when cragging, so I picked up one of these:
http://www.gelert.com/products/serenity_22l_rucksac
They do a 28 and 18 litre version too, which are +/- 1" on back length. The sizes are optimistic though, so I returned my 22L version for a 28L model.

I'll be adding some side straps for CCF pad and tent (when carrying more food).

UK ebay has them a lot cheaper too.

Huh, if you decide to keep the pack ken I would be interested in how you would modify the side pockets because other than that, I am pretty interested in getting this for weekend trips and they are easier to find than Ions ;). It looks like they might have it at my local REI so i will definitely find some time to check it out there too.

I'll let you know Sam.

There's one side pocket and I'm going to try a 1 liter Platypus in there. I would love to see two pockets, but one is better than none. I do have plans to remove the inner/storage pocket and the waist belt is removable. I like to hike with 2 liters, so one can go outside and the other in the pack.

My plans are to use this for day hikes and summer uber-light overnighters with a mostly no-cook menu– hot water for coffee, oatmeal, and soup. The rest would be my most minimalist stuff. I would use the small Prolite pad against my back and carry the down bag without a stuff sack. Clothing will be minimal, so the volume should be low, giving a soft fill; in other words, no big hard lumps on my back. Other than my cook kit, the only hard items would be my hygiene kit, some food, and small stuff like headlamp and tent stakes that will fit in the top pocket.

The logo isn't that bad. I can't think of any factory-made packs that aren't a billboard. I think you guys are afraid of being labeled yuppies :)

"I can't think of any factory-made packs that aren't a billboard."

Like I said look at the MEC packs above. ULA logo is fairly understated. Even Kelty and Jansport don't jump out at you like that that white logo on a black pack. But hey another use for laundry markers…

Mine gets here Monday.

I ordered a TNF Verto 26 from Sunny Sports for $48.95 and received it today.

It weighs 13.0oz/370g on my scale. Advertised weight is 11 ounces (see http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/verto-26.html).

I had inspected one at a local store, so there were no surprises.

Features:

– 3 vertical compression straps (1 for the top pocket, 2 at the corners of the back panel)

– 2 ice ax loops with Velcro shaft holders on short 3-loop daisy chains.

– Top pocket with zipper at back

– Inside pocket with zipper (forms self-stowing bag)

– 5/8"(16mm) removable heavy grosgrain web belt (0.6oz/18g)

– Top-loading main compartment with drawstring and toggle

– 2-/12" wide padded shoulder straps (1/8"/3mm thick) with hydration tube guide loops

– Sliding sternum strap

– Hydration bladder hanger

– Open pocket on right side

– Hang/grab loop

– 12 bungee cord loops for storage/compression and 2 36" reflective 2mm cords with toggles.

The shoulder straps are padded and about 1/8"/3mm thick with bound edges and are 2-1/2" wide. They are long enough to be comfortable with the pack full (I wear XL tops). IMHO, torso length is meaningless unless a pack has a weight-bearing waist belt. For the record, this pack is 18-1/2" long from the shoulder strap mount to the bottom of the back panel.

Pros: light weight, good capacity, reasonable price, comfortable shoulder straps.

Cons: too many features, needs another pocket on the left side.

I cooked up a SUL list for summer use that is about 7.5 pounds base weight. It is based on an SMD Gatewood Cape, Prolite small sleeping pad, a 50F Mont Bell sleeping bag and a minimal cook kit. I tried that combo in the pack and it fits well. It has ample room for day hiking essentials.

Packing strategies: I folded the Prolite in quarters and place that against the back. I tried using a trash compactor bag for the clothing and sleeping bag, looking for a loosely compressed result, so the pack wouldn't be bulging and no hard lumps against my back. That was successful, but I wanted to see if I could squeak a little more volume out of it, so I tried a 13 liter Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil roll-top stuff sack. That made for a central column with room for items down each side. I liked that arrangement more and it is comfortable.

For water, I tried a 1 liter Platypus Bottle in the outside pocket and that works well. A 1 liter Nalgene works fine, with just the top of the bottle above the pocket. If I wanted to carry more water, I think the best approach would be to put another 1 liter bladder inside on the left side. I can't reach the water container with the pack on, so I would need to roll it on my right shoulder to get a drink. I could use a 2 liter hoser inside for day hikes. I don't like robbing interior volume with water storage if possible.

Like many designs, this pack has features that add weight. There is a lot of "surgery" that can be done on this bag if you want a lighter, more minimal pack:

*The internal zippered pocket that also forms the self-stowing pocket is heavy. In fact it has two layers. I assume this was a marketing decision as the pack it shipped and displayed with it stowed in the pocket and the double layering adds to the look and feel. It could be cut off close to the pack body. TNF should have used the top pocket as a self-stowing sack.

*The belt is easily removed and can be re-installed. It is hung on conventional ladder locks on grosgrain loops. They could be removed as well. I won't use the belt as it adds no weight transfer. I could see climbers or runners using the belt for added stability. It weighs 0.6oz/18g.

*There are 12 bungee cord loops. The pack comes with two 36" 2mm reflective cords and toggles that can be used in the loops. They are not installed at the factory. My preference would be to use a zig-zag of cord or shock cord on the front for stowing wet gear. The extra loops could be removed, but the weight saving would be minimal.

*There are two vertical compression straps that run through fabric tunnels at the back corners of the pack body and run through ladder locks at the top. I assume TNF wanted to add the possibility of using the pack as a compression stuff sack, adding these straps to be used in conjunction with the top lid strap of a 3-point compression system. I could see this with a 18-20 liter bag, but 26 liters seems rather large.

*The ice ax loops could be removed. The Velcro shaft retainers can be removed/replaced easily. I wouldn't try to remove the short daisy chains.

*The top pocket/lid could be removed. I like it and wouldn't go there.

My goal was to find a 25 liter pack for day hiking and SUL summer overnighters. I think this pack will handle those uses. I think it is a good alternative to the discontinued GoLite Ion. There are many minimalist packs in the 18-20 liter range. I find that they ride too high and don't have enough capacity for anything more than a light day hiking kit. The straps are usually too short for my frame as well. There are few if any simple packs in the 25 liter range, so this one caught my eye. My impression is that the next jump is around 30 liters. The price caught my eye too. MSRP is $69, and an under $50 street price can be found. The REI Flash 18 is $29 and the Mont Bell Versalite 20 is $60, making this TNF pack a bargain.