Anyone experience the SMD Feather? ….and other pack advice.

I have no experience with the Feather, but I do with the Swift. The Swift is a nice pack for sure, but it is also a big pack. My advice (based purely on amount of space/volume) is that if you have light, bulky gear then go with the Swift (with emphasis on bulky). If you have anything less, then go with the Feather. FWIW, I could not fill the Swift up with a 12 lb BPW load and I ended up buying a Zpacks Blast 30 pack to fill this need instead.

Thanks for the insight. I'm currently hovering around 9.5 pounds, with a few future purchases that will lower my base weight to 8ish. Swift mentions 12 pounds being a minimum weight. This being my first UL bag, I like the idea of the stays, but maybe it's not such a big deal not having them.

I have the Swiftand I have the stay for it.

I have used it ten to one with out the stay, up to about 32-33 pounds. Usually about 20-23.

I don't think the stay is nessessary with this pack unless it isn't full or packed incorrectly.

I carries very well with out the stay.

I have the '10 Swift (before the stay) and love it. I use a closed cell foam pad however and I can see where the stay would be good if you use an inflatable pad.

I have an '11 swift and love it – the carry with the stay is amazingly good (I mostly use it w/ stay + wing belt).

Yes, it offers a ton of volume if you're using an inflatable pad (as a side-sleeper I prefer them) – and given my 10-11lb 3 season setup I'm sure I could manage week long trips out of it. On shorter trips like overnights and weekenders, I don't really find myself minding the size – gear just ends up lower in the pack and the compression system keeps it all in place.

For an 8lb base weight setup, the Swift might be more than you need for most trips, but at 9.5lb you could probably go for either the Swift and the Feather and be happy regardless.

A lot of love for the Swift. Not surprising knowing the quality of SMD gear.

It's out of stock right now, I'm wondering if there will be any updates for 2012 when it gets back in stock. I love the new exterior pockets on the Feather.