Gossamer Gear Murmur Dyneema DX First Look

Very cool. Nice pack. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for the insight/thoughts on the pack! I was interested in the new design but at almost 14 ounces that is not really what I am looking for now…

There are some ideas in this pack that I really like, but it doesn't look like the top cinches securely.

Thank you for the review. I like it.

Does this mean Gossamer Gear is discontinuing the silnylon Murmer? That would mean basically the only real SUL packs available would be the Zpacks Blast series. Is it just me or is the market swinging back towards more durable packs?

It's not just you, Luke. Most of the Cottage manufacturers us Dyneema more and more.

I dont think a sil pack makes sense anymore when cuban is more durable at equal or lighter weight. With a sul blast in the 3-5 oz range why would you buy a sil pack. Even material cost isnt that big of factor as labour is a much larger component of the cost compared to tarps

After seeing the condition of cuban fiber packs after a thru hike I can see why. I know they claim they are only good for one thru but the cost differential and durablity issues seem a high price to pay for a few ounces. My MLD Burn with the heavy fabric still has another thru left in it.

Don,

Good stuff. I especially like that you contrasted with another well known pack of similar size. That and the photos are worth many thousand words. Also, good selection of simple additions to make this pack better.

Do you know pricing and time to market?

Anyone save the original picture that was posted on the GG site before it was removed? It was a similiar pack with black Sil on the sides, same top and bottom.

I would be interested in knowing what sort or wear problems you have seen with the cuben packs?

Now if only someone would post a pic of the rumored GG daypack. Or is this it?

One thing I learned from Dan McHale was the difference between Dyneema and Dyneema Grid. If you want full Dyneema (or Spectra) your choices are pretty much limited to McHale or CiloGear. Also the cost is differential is significant.

Regarding Cuben… even Joe at zPacks says a Cuben pack will only last 1 long thru hike. But when looking at Cuben one would need to be very specific about what kind of Cuben. As to the "failures," I too would like to know exactly what they are. According to McHale the tear strength is way up there. We have also been told it has low abrasion strength, but I have yet to see anyone post any tests. I suspect that the Cuben failures may be related to construction methods and/or seams. If Cuben has an abrasion weakness, seems that adding a laminate could solve this, assuming the material doesn't de-laminate.

As for SUL packs, it does seem there is less available. But then a lot of those SUL packs did not hold up, or are very uncomfortable with anything but a SUL load for a short trip. Also interesting to note the larger shoulder straps and belts on the new Murmur, enhancements probably in demand by customers, which moves it out of what we know a SUL to be — simplicity. I really liked that you could remove the foam from the old Murmur should straps and replace it with clothing for padding. It is interesting to see all the additions you can also get with a zPacks Cuben pack these days… again customers driving the minimalist simplicity with all kinds of do-dads.

The new Murmur looks nice. I am not a fan of mesh as it stretches (despite the marketing in IMO) and catches on stuff. I liked the minimal approach of the old Murmur. I wore one out with separation of the elastic on side pockets,some tears from brush, and some seams were starting to look weak. To me a belt on a pack like this is silly… defeats the minimal simplicity. I did abuse the pack a lot and have now have a 2011 model, but for SUL I prefer my Cuben Zero, which is really a minimal pack.

A while back GG had posted a price of $155 for the new Murmur, which was almost double what I paid for my old ones. However, I think they may end up selling more of the new style even at almost twice the weight.

That's my suspicion too , sewn seams rather than bonded, and failure at high stress points like where straps attach.

@Nick: Cilogear has information on the dyneema fabrics: http://blog.cilogear.biz/?p=1320 They don't have tests about abrasion weakness, but they say cuben has "incredible tear strength" but go on to explain their need to use a face fabric in some areas for abrasion resistance. Woven Dyneema (i.e. the real deal, not this 1.5oz stuff) has great abrasion resistance.

I'm not sure I like the new Murmur. With packs, the popular Dyneema X is great. I don't worry about my Burn, but I don't baby my gear so the move from silnylon, I think, is a good one. But with the weight creep and the price hike, I don't think the new features bring enough value to this one. It's no longer a SUL pack, just another low-volume, LW pack with a standard allotment of features.

"It's no longer a SUL pack, just another low-volume, LW pack with a standard allotment of features."

Yeah, we see a lot of this these days. So many packs are so similar. However there are little things that can make almost similar packs easier to live out of from brand to brand.

I had a Spinaker Murmur and it was a great pack for what I used it for. It got pretty beat up so I gave it away. I bought a replacement silNylon Murmur but never used it, didn't realize they had changed the material and it was heavier than the old one. But for light loads it is a great pack to live out of. For SUL I am going to stick with my Zero. I will probably give the Murmur to my son, if he wants it.

"Now if only someone would post a pic of the rumored GG daypack. Or is this it?"
No, that is not the day pack.

Joe,
Earlylite(Phil Werner) posted this:
"The Minimalist – Ultralight Day Pack from Gossamer Gear"
( http://sectionhiker.com/the-minimalist-ultralight-day-pack-from-gossamer-gear/ )
Take a look…

NM

I like the look of this pack, and the weight doesn't bother me as it looks durable and will last a long time. This is a trade off I am willing to make. YMMV.
I sold my silnylon Murmur as I had issues with the top closure, and the durability for the style of hiking I do, and the new Murmur ticks all the boxes in terms of a future pack for me.
Both versions I have seen, the full dyneema and the mix dyneema and silnylon appeal to different markets and requirements, so GG have a good spread of the market in terms of SUL types and just plain old UL types like me.
All the features I liked have been retained or improved, and the ones I didn't like have been fixed. Congrats to GG, I say!
If only I could talk myself into another pack…
Cheers,
Fred

Very interesting. I wonder how much weight could be dropped by removing the waist belt, sternum strap, those shoulder D-rings, and anything else extraneous. At 14 ounces, that's about the same as my much larger MLD Exodus, but I'll bet it can easily be pared down to less.

That lid system is intriguing, too. I haven't used lids since my first lightweight pack, so that would take some getting used to. The slanted rear mesh pocket seems kind of strange, too. I wonder if there's a practical reason for that or if it's just snazzy-looking to have different angles.

I'm kind of surprised at the 'weight creep' comments. Yes these newer designs weigh more. But we've all seen how the really light stuff fails. Durability is not just fluff. As in all things, there is a balance. The Murmur's belt is removeable. If you need SUL, get a 0.35 (or whatever) cuben pack from ZPacks.com.

Now I do hope they don't go the way of GoLite. Those guys took weight creep to the extreme. Their company name doesn't even apply anymore.

"The slanted rear mesh pocket seems kind of strange, too. I wonder if there's a practical reason for that or if it's just snazzy-looking to have different angles."

Looking at Don's pics it seems like the rear pocket's slant gives you just enough space to get a hand in there when the lid is closed. It seems to be a balance between pocket security and accessibility. Not sure how it would work in real life though.

"Looking at Don's pics it seems like the rear pocket's slant gives you just enough space to get a hand in there when the lid is closed. It seems to be a balance between pocket security and accessibility. Not sure how it would work in real life though".

I could be mistaken but I believe this pack is a different version than the new Murmur GG briefly had on their site. It was mentioned in the following thread but if you will notice, the link no longer shows a new Murmur:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=56527

I'm pretty sure the new Murmur that was there had no slanted pocket.

The pack is a great new pack design and durable fabric that is less prone to failure of seams or ripping in the only one trip, it weighs under a pound that use to be considered SUL and it will last someone who has less discretionary income more than one trip.
Even ULA is offering their packs with a 500 denier cordura option that is even more durable than Dyneema X grid is only 2 to 4 oz weight penalty.

It really funny people had a short lived love life with the newest lightest fabric but after shelling out tons of money and having their pack self Destruct after a few trips. They have realizing each ultra light fabric has a place in their UL arsenal. Silnylon and cuben tear easily at the seams or fabric failure from stress as backpack fabric but are best suited for shelters and ditty and stuff sacks fabric.
Terry

I have a murmur and I love it. It is thin and I use it on lighter trips. I love the price, because at $90, I can change some things and not feel crazy. James was right, this new pack should not be called a Murmur. More like a full on coronary. You go from 7 ounces to 14 and add a hipbelt that looks like it would restrain a passenger in a plane crash. Sure it can be removed, but in the pics, it looks like that huge tri-glide would still be attached. Oh, and almost double the price. Sorry, but in my opinion a MISS all around.
I understand the need for durability. I would not want to own a company and see a bunch of people returning ripped packs, but who exactly is the "murmur" geared towards? I thought that the murmur was made for ultra-lighters who most likely carry very light and fragile gear and understand how to be gentle with their gear.

My Golite jam2 that still has a hip belt and trimmed of unnecessary weight, weighs 15 ounces and has about 1000 more cubic inches! Sorry Gossamer, but who is this pack geared towards? Oh well, they might sale a million of them.