Sul/xul pack

[John Chong]

anybody else have had experience carrying a pack without any pockets?

[Dan Quixote]

I did it once with my Ion, and found I drank less water. Then I got shoulder-strap pockets for my water bottles, and it was nice. It did flop a bit though, and probably negated the weight savings of not having built-in pockets on the side of the pack.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I think the original Zpacks Blast backpacks used really thin cord like Aircore 1. In the BPL review (of the Blast 20 I think) the reviewer thought that the thin cord might wear through the cuben but Joe chimed in that he had used it like this for a thru hike and there was no signs of this sort of trouble.

FWIW, I have a new 1500 ci (small) Zero that is new and I've been meaning to sell if someone is in a lather to get one of these. It's olive drab cuben, has side pockets, rear pocket and a webbing hipbelt. It tips the scales at 140g or 4.96oz. I bought it last fall but I haven't used it yet because all of my trips this summer have been longer ones with my wife (ie. I carry the tent) so I've been using my bigger pack. I'm selling it because I've ordered another Zero from Zpacks with a few changes (slightly bigger, sternum strap, roll top, no hipbelt).

[Andy Duncan]

I've been using a Zero with a small Bear Boxer (25.6 ozs) for 4 day trips in Yosemite this summer. The pack weighs 5.9 ozs and is the same size as a Blast 26. It has 2 side pockets, 1 front pocket and a home-made detachable padded cuben hipbelt to make it a little more comfortable. I also switched out the heavy shock cord and cord locks with lighter ones and they seem to be holding up fine, although they don't provide the compression of the original heavier ones. My wife is wearing it in the picture.

I finally just made a pack out of 1.43 oz/sqyd cuben and added all of the options myself. It's 7.4 ozs and includes a removeable internal frame taken from a large GG Gorilla (11 ozs w/ the internal frame). I have been using a Bearikade Weekender MKII (30.2 ozs) with this one for longer hikes or when I'm carrying all of the food and a tent with my wife on shorter 4 day trips (so much for SUL).

I used the Zero in Emigrant this summer and was able to go SUL even while carrying a Spot II and camera (no bear canister required).

Here's the Zero with a Bear Boxer:

[John Frederick Anderson]

I have an Ion and don't have a problem stopping and getiing water from the pack evey now and then. I also use a Sea to Summit folding mug, which sits on top of the pack and I use to drink when I see a stream.
I also hike with pants that have front pockets, and regularly fill a half liter platty and store it in my pants pocket and can take it out easliy when I need a drink along the trail.

You CAN get by without pack pockets.

[Ken Thompson]

I have recently gone back to no pockets. Sure you style will change slightly, but I don't miss them. I also seem to stay hydrated just fine. Water stays cooler in the pack out of the sun too. Nothing on the outside of the pack to snag on brush or get pulled/dropped out of pockets.

Your pack is the one piece of equipment that experiences every mile that you do. I'll go with durability in this case. Everything used in camp can be a light as possible.

[Mike M]

I had lycra mesh pockets (front and side) added to my Ion, I don't miss being pocketless :)

[Adam Kilpatrick]

"Your pack is the one piece of equipment that experiences every mile that you do. I'll go with durability in this case. Everything used in camp can be a light as possible."

+1

Well said :-)

[William Zila]

Yep when you think of it your pack is the protection for your gear most of the day you don't want to tear up a pack and have to improvise that would get old after a couple miles

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I consider 1.5oz cuben to be pretty bomber. With reasonable care, it's going to last many years as a pack material. I'm not a fan of disposable gear, but I do like 1.5oz cuben packs. They're not for everyone (ie. climbers) but IMO opting for 210D nylon in a SUL pack is giving away precious ounces for little benefit. Many ways to skin a cat though….

EDIT: I just noticed that Zpacks is now offering their Zero packs in the cuben/nylon cuben material (2.92oz) and it comes in a nice shade of tan. This looks like a great option for anyone wanting something more durable and/or more normal looking that regular cuben.

[Nick Gatel]

anybody else have had experience carrying a pack without any pockets?

John, I often hike with my McHale LBP with all the pockets removed and in some pretty hot climates. Not a big deal. A few extra seconds to get the water. An advantage in hot weather is keeping my quilt on top of the water which keeps it cool versus getting hot sitting in an external pocket.

[Mike M]

pockets are handy, but certainly not essential- they were "essential" on my Ion as I didn't have enough volume w/o them, w/ them added they did provide the necessary volume to do 3-4 day trips AND they did prove rather handy :)

question- how does pocket material weight mesh/lycra etc compare to pack material?- I'm pretty sure cuben will be lighter (maybe not?), how about the "normal" lighter nylon pack materials- dyneema, xpac, etc?

[Michael Duke]

Lycra mesh is 5 ounces per square yard. Most Dimension Polyant material is 4 to 8 ounces I believe. Dyneema Grid-stop is 4 ounces I think.

[Mike M]

thanks, given that the weights are comparable more or less, does it reason that adding pockets for a little more volume (and convenience) is a wash to adding volume to the main pack? or does it take less material to add to the main pack volume wise?

[Michael Duke]

A pocket will add extra weight I'd assume. It is doubling the fabric vs. adding a small sliver of material. I used a very basic volume calculation (HxDxW) with the GG Gorilla. It has 396 cubic inches of space in the ALL pockets. Using 6x11x22 for the body (which would give you a fixed cube, which is not exactly correct) gives you 1,452. If you add 1.5 in per side you get 363. That means a section of 3 x 22 pack material will give the same amount of volume as a much larger pocket. I could be off here, but this was my thinking.

[William Zila]

I agree I just finished a pack a while ago and used it for a trip this past weekend made out of 1.5 ounce cuben I baby my gear but I have no durability concerns about it matter of fact im trying 1.26 ounce cuben. Yes a mesh like a Lycra or tuff mesh will add a little weight to keep weight at the lowest weight I would use either 1.5 ounce cuben or sil if your not bushwacking sil is so slippery brush tends to slide over not snag

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