REI Flash 65/50/30 outlet sale

I keep trying to think of a reason I need the Flash 30… can't quite justify it.

The Flash 30 was $39 over xmas, it's a great little pack for casual day hikes, I added the REI velcro sport wraps to the top loops which ups its carrying capacity a bit, but it's definitely too heavy as a summit pack.

The Flash 30 was my first "lightweight" pack. Its a tank compared to my Murmur but its very versatile. With my sleeping pad strapped to the top I could easily do overnight and weekend hikes. The lid gave me just enough room for small items that would have been easily lost in the main compartment, and the shock cord held my rain gear. One negative though… the belt pockets are laughably small. Overall I thought it a good pack, but heavy by UL standards.

The stoke 29 has nearly identical specs.

That means the flash 30 is $39. Couldn't resist….

Beat me to it Travis!

What a great little pack for the money. I was able to bring mine down to 15.9oz, while still retaining the crux of the suspension components (load lifters, hipbelt, foam backpanel). You can see my mods in the MYOG section of this forum

The new stoke 29 looks awesome btw…I'm curious to know how much weight can be stripped off it. It's got a great feature set as it is though.

The men's Venturi 40 is back in stock, apparently, and with the extra 22% off, is $78. Anyone have experience with that pack? Looking for something for weekend backpacks, and long day hikes where I'm carrying everything for myself, my wife, and 2 kids (one of whom requires diapers), since the wife usually carries the kid carrier.

Hey Konrad, would you have a link to your MYOG on the flash 30? Can't seem to find it and am interested to see how much you cut off to bring it down to 15oz. Thanks.

Samuel,

Here is the link to Konrad's MYOG (modify your own gear) thread. ;-)

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=57322

Even though I sew my own packs I sooooooo want to take advantage of the REI sale.

Party On,

Newton

Ahhh thanks for the link! Looking over this project, this seems totally cool! I actually bought one a couple of months ago on late November for $25 but can't really justify using it cause of the weight. Being this would be my first sewing experience…hope it all goes well! How much cuben would i have to buy for just that rolltop closure?

Just ordered the Flash 50 for $78 with 22% off. Can't wait to get it home so I can take it out and use it.

Hi Sam,
1/2 yard would be plenty.

I used 1.26oz weight Black cuben from zpacks, but it's only sold in 1 yd increments.

I opted for the heavier cuben simply b/c of durability. My first Flash 30 blew out its seam at the rolltop, probably due to user error since I was really stuffing the hell out of the pack while holding it by the rolltop. Either way, I figured it was susceptible to wear and tear (user error or not) and b/c I would hate to have to resew the rolltop if I blew it out again, I opted for the heavier dyneema thread count found in the 1.26oz cuben.

Lawson sells 1.5oz cuben by the foot, which is also enough to do 1 roll top. No room for error though if you screw up :)

Take precise measurements, don't forget to add in the seam allowance, and maybe practice on cheaper fabric. Another dumb mistake I made once…I installed the drawcord on the roll top, and when I went to sew the rolltop to the pack itself, I sewed it on inside out, so that the drawcord/cordlock faced the inside of the pack, as opposed to the outside. :/ Wasted a solid hour to fix it.

Good luck and have fun!

Sadly it looks like the flash 65 is sold out… Anyone have experience with the ridgeline 65 which is also on sale albeit more expensive?

Hey Phillip, Before i knew about BPL, I had a ridgeline and I did not like it very much… Compared to the flash series, it is very overbuilt and heavy and I wouldn't recommend it.

Ok, side comment..

Why does REI often have weird discount amounts? Why 22%? Why not 20, or 25%? I'm glad its not 20, or 21%, but it's just an odd number. Something in the power of semantics? Perception by the consumer?

They probably have their number-crunchers looking at what discount garners a certain profit at a certain time of year.

Wow, I think the Flash 30 sold out. It' snot showing up on REI's website. I wonder if my order will actually go through…

Thanks for the input! I really wanted a flash – it seems like the ridgeline has more bells and whistles which in this case seems to be overkill. I'll keep looking at the gear swap pages to find a larger capacity pack … I have a kelty redwing 50 which isn't quite large enough (I have a larger load due to my 10yo sons limits) and also pretty heavy on its own…

Phillip, check out on golite's clearance page and look at the Quest. I have no experience with either the flash or quest but the specs are similar with the quest being a little bigger and a little bit heavier but it is cheaper. Just something to look at.

According to the REI iPhone app the REI outlet still has Flash 65's, 50's and 30's for sale. I used my rebate to get a Flash 30 (and a few other necessities).

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