luxurylite

As far as I know, yes.

My guess is that luxurylite website is having technical problems.

The site was working yesterday. You can call Bruce Warren at 979-798-2248.

If you decide to get one of his packs you should know that you may stop carrying all your other packs. I am, of course, assuming you're a gear junkie like me.

I guess this is your pack of choice for a wide variety of hikes? I will be on the AT this summer and am open to suggestions for a pack. If the pack is good then I don't mind spending a few bucks. So you really are sold on this pack for a "cool" summer pack?

Thanks! I am able to access luxurylite.com today. My mind began to think the worst I guess.

Cool stuff. Here’s our review of the

You’ll find a lot more in LuxuryLite Modular Frame Pack.

Enjoy!
Doug

Robert,
This pack was assembled by Bruce himself, from parts he had on hand, at ADZPCTKO 2006. All my other packs (7 of them)have been collecting dust ever since. I love this pack. If I'm going on a day hike I just load the size and number of cylinders required. If I'm doing a 10 day trip I just load the cylinders until everything's packed. The pack rides just fine from about 5 lbs up to 50. In the previous photo I'm on the first day of a 7 day trip, south from Luther Summit, on Hwy 89, south of Lake Tahoe. The pack weighed 26 lbs. and change. I typically carry most everything in the bottom cylinders. The top cylinder usually has my bladder, snacks, jacket and anything you's typically put in the top pocket.

One really great development is the "Hook". Never again will you have to hoist your pack onto your back and westle with it while you try to tighten your belt. Simply put on the belt, cinch it down, pick up the pack and slip your arms through the shoulder straps. Then grasp the frame shelf with both hands and set the pack into the hook. If you need to take off the pack to do some quick task just unhook and lower the pack.

Also, you'll like being able to remove the cylinders from the frame and toss them into your tent. I did a 10 day trip last October and kept the cylinders in my Integral Dedigns eVent bivy. They stacked like cordwood, forming a "v" around my head. I have ended up with quite a collection of cylinders. When I'm packing for a trip I get them all out and mix and match the cylinders to the load.

Me and Mike Arnold – October 2006

Heading North on the PCT – October 2006

LuxuryLite Cylinders in my bivy – October 2006

>I will be on the AT this summer and am open to suggestions for a pack.

The LuxuryLite is definitely a pack to consider. You can save money by buying the sturdy Condor cylinder set (3.2 oz heavier than VX-02, 0.5 oz heavier than Ripstop, and save $145). It is my favorite pack for on-trail use, although I do like my Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus for smaller loads. I think Doug Johnson's review is quite accurate. The weight sits on your hips but doesn't feel like it's tied to your back (because it isn't). Since the weight is distributed on the hip belt, you just feel as if you are pack-weight fatter, not like you're carrying a separate heavy load. I was carrying about 35 pounds (extra group gear and water) and it rode easy. Although you're wearing a hip belt, you can still walk freely–the connection is not constraining like most pack hipbelts. I don't bother removing the hipbelt at rest stops, so the pack just slings on and off as needed; no adjustment necessary. If you can try one somewhere, you certainly should. (There is a free 30-day evaluation.) I bought mine on the basis of the reviews and found it to be more comfortable than I had hoped. I don't recommend it for off-trail use, although I've done a bit of scrambling with it–it just feels sloppy and the pack can slide out of the hip belt. (I bring a velcro strap to lock it down if needed.) I carried it last summer in +85F weather and I really appreciated the external-frame ventilation. The separate cylinders are easy to pack and dig through–it's a multi-panel loader. The first day or two my cylinder loads did shift, but although it looked weird I didn't notice any difference in the carry. I soon figured out how to pack the cylinders so they rode fairly level (not that it mattered). The front-pack can be handy. I kept kid-snacks, water, maps, camera and various other don't-stop-walking clutter in it with room to spare, although it does obscure the view of your feet unless you pull it close. On re-reading this post I guess it sounds like a bit of a rave, but the ride of this pack is in a class of its own. A 2.2 pound 76-liter pack (or a 2.5 pound 105-liter pack) that carries well–what's not to like?

LuxuryLite pack frame & shoulder straps: 13.9 oz
LuxuryLite hip belt: 8.3 oz
LuxuryLite NeoTrekk/Condor cylinder, medium: 3.9 oz
LuxuryLite NeoTrekk/Condor cylinder, large: 4.5 oz
LuxuryLite sit pad (optional): 2.3 oz
LuxuryLite front pack (optional): 6.6 oz
LuxuryLite umbrella (optional): 6.9 oz

Douglas,
Is the 8.3 ounce the "Hook Belt"

I am just wondering on the comfort of it and how well it carries the pack.

>Is the 8.3 ounce the "Hook Belt"

Yes.

>I am just wondering on the comfort of it and how well it carries the pack.

It's a wide beefy belt, with two adjustable, removable (0.5 oz each) pads for the hips. I tend to strap it on high and tight, resting on top of my hip bones, and leave it on all day unless there's a long lunch break. The width of the belt helps the weight settle over a larger area so it doesn't dig in like a skinny belt.

The way the hook carries the pack is the real difference. The pack frame just sits in the hook; all of the weight is transferred onto the broad back of the belt, and from there onto the hips. The weight doesn't feel like it's on your lower back. There is no downward force on the shoulders at all–the straps are just used to keep the load from falling backward, and they don't need to be tight. The pack is not constrained, the load is all centered and on the hips…so you can take long, hip-swinging strides like carrying a beltless pack. That's what makes this pack feel so good on the trail.

I totally agree with Douglas here. If you're on trails and especially in very hot conditions, the LuxuryLite pack gives you comfort and the best ventilation of anything I've ever seen.

If you're going off trail or doing any running, the sloppiness of this pack in those conditions will drive you crazy (cylindars shifting, waist best sliding). Keep it smooth, though, and it's a sweet, sweet ride.

And the coolest thing is the front pack- when it's full of weight it counterbalances the pack and gives you MASSIVE airflow everywhere except at the waist belt. A very well thought-out design for hot weather!

The cylinders are easy to navigate, like Douglas says, but I really missed easy-to-access outside pockets. I still prefer a top loader with large outside pockets like the Gossamer Gear Mariposa in most conditions.

Doug

Dennis, I am thinking of buying the LuxuryLite pack frame myself (due to wanting something that can hold the Bearikade Expedition cannister sideways for a 16 day hike I'm taking in August (being resupplied at mid-point) on the High Sierra trail. Did you get the front pack water bag accessory? If yes, do you still use it? I'm wondering if it would be a visual hindrance with what is on the trail in front of you.

If not, do you have your water bag in your top cannister on your pack?

How much weight does your pack hold on a long hike (how many days)? My base weight is about 21 pounds (rest is consumables)–and that base weight includes weight of cannister and pack.

Hi Roleigh,

You might find the review helpful if you haven't seen it already: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/luxurylite_modular_frame_backpack_review.html

Best of luck!
Doug

You should get this pack. I use it in hot southern Utah and couldn't ask for a more fitting pack. Even with heavier loads, it feels lighter than moderate loads in my MLD Prophet 30 – still an excellent pack, but (imo) inferior if you're carrying more than 12lbs. In hot, dry climes it's often hard to not carry that much weight in water alone!

As for the front pack, I do not own one but employ a system similar to it. I mount my SLR camera bag (up to 7+ lbs) to it in a fashion much like the front pack. It really does balance the weight and pull it off of your back hips and more into the front, almost pulling you forward.

The sit pad is a nifty feature too, very useful for breaks.

Doug, I enjoyed your review. Did you see Bruce's lengthy reply to your review and all the changes made in last 2 years? I forgot the link. Anyway, I reread your review and did not see any comments about the front pack inteferring with your eyesight of where you are walking. This is important to know for me. Care to comment on how the front pack affected your visual ability to know where you were walking? Thanks!

Denis says: I didn't get the "front pack". After getting the pack I tried carrying an item to represent the "front pack". I wear bifocals and have enough trouble focusing on the trail just in front of me. IMHO the addition of a visual barrier didn't seem a worthwhile option.

I've carried my LL pack for 2 seasons now and it has become my "go to" pack. I just love this pack.

Hi Roleigh,

It blocks eyesight right in front of you to some degree but I never found that it blocked the view of my feet- it sits closer in than that. Further, it's fully adjustable- if the trail is really hot and you want the packs far from your body, you can adjust it further out to create more space around your back and chest.

Cool stuff for sure!

Doug

I'm trying a luxurylite out now in the neighborhood in prep for a short trip soon. I carry about 25-26 lbs including food and water. Can anyone tell me where you tend to wear the waist belt. It felt kind of low to me. The plastic slot or mount for the waist belt was well below below my tail bone. This felt kind of odd to me, and I felt some stiffness in the hip and lower back area from it after a short walk in the neighborhood. Does this sound right to you? The upper cross bar was perhaps a couple of inches higher than my shoulder line. I was using the front pack as well. Any tips or feedback would be welcome from more experienced users of this pack.
thanks
Gerry Magnes
Schenectady, NY

>Can anyone tell me where you tend to wear the waist belt.

I wear mine high. The belt should go above your pelvis, with the bottom of the hip pads resting on the top of the iliac crest. Picture here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pelvis_diagram.png The bottom of the belt should actually flare out a bit where it sits on these bones. When worn this way, the belt transfers the weight of the pack entirely onto the pelvis, without touching the hips, and leaves your spine and lower back free to move.

>The plastic slot or mount for the waist belt was well below below my tail bone. This felt kind of odd to me, and I felt some stiffness in the hip and lower back area…

Ouch. When worn as above, the plastic hook is in the small of my back above the pelvis (and well above my tail bone). Try it–I think you'll notice a big difference in comfort and freedom of movement.

>The upper cross bar was perhaps a couple of inches higher than my shoulder line. I was using the front pack as well.

I adjust the cross bar to wherever it feels comfortable, since there isn't any downward force on the shoulder straps. (Like adjusting a 'load lifter', except without the main load strap.) I think we're about the same on this adjustment. Most of the weight of the front pack is also put on the belt, when the tab is tucked in. That leaves the hang-weight of the front pack to balance out the hang-weight of the pack. I find that the pack, even at 40 pounds, just gives me a feeling of overall heaviness rather than feeling like I have a load strapped on my back.

Doug
Thanks for the helpful response. I'm going to give that a try tonight when I walk the dog. One follow up–how do you pack the cylinders in terms of heavy and light stuff? My normal tendency is to put my sleeping bag and maybe my folded air mattress and tent near the bottom of the pack and water and food, which for me tend to be denser and heavier than most other items as high as possible in the pack. Is this the best approach with the Luxurylite? The manual talks about heavier weight riding lower than traditional packs, but it's unclear to me from the description if that's just refering to the overall pack design or if you're supposed to actually pack heavier items lower in the pack.
thanks again,
Gerry

>One follow up–how do you pack the cylinders in terms of heavy and light stuff? …it's unclear to me…if you're supposed to actually pack heavier items lower in the pack.

I load a regular pack the same way you describe, but with the LuxuryLite I pack the heaviest and densest gear in the bottom cylinder, and the lightest items (such as my quilt and insulation) in the top cylinder. Since all of the pack weight is supported by a single point of contact (the belt hook), for carrying it doesn't matter where the weight is located vertically in the pack. However, since the shoulder straps hold the pack frame against the back, having the weight lower on the frame (closer to the support point) decreases the pull on the shoulder straps, and also reduces swaying. Further, since you can pack the cylinders loosely, a quilt or other low-density gear in a cylinder tends to get squashed if a heavier cylinder is loaded above it. Unless the gear in the low-density cylinder is internally well-distributed, it will probably compress more on one side than the other, leading to a lopsided load. (Not that this is a problem; I've rarely felt a lopsided load in the carry. It just looks bad :) Having multiple cylinders makes the pack function like a panel loader, so you have access to all your gear. Just extend the frame to make a bit of room to open a lower cylinder.

Re. belt placement: A rule of thumb is to place the belt so it passes right over your navel. Pull it very tight. When you "hook up" the pack should settle into place correctly. If the pack slides down after walking for a few minutes, or your thighs begin to feel funny (or hurt) you didn't get the belt tight enough.

As to loading & weight distribution: With theis pack keep the heaviest items toward the bottom and closest to your back.

Fiddle with it until it feels best for you.

Douglas, can you please post a photo of you having the luxurylite belt on you (without the pack) so it is obvious where you position the belt? I have been evaluating my luxurylite now for about 3 weeks and still have not found the optimal wearing position. I am getting close though. I think having a conventional back support belt on beneath the luxurylite belt is superior to wearing the foam-only luxurylite foam belt he has as an underneath item.

Thanks!

Denis and Doug,

I have seen pictures of this pack only once or twice and have dismissed it without examining it’s details. Based on your testimonial I’ve given it another look and must confess that I am intrigued. The main hesitation in seriously considering this set-up is the price.

How many cylinders do you two carry on short 4-5 day trips? Do you ever go out with only 1 cyclinder?

Denis: with this pack there would seemingly be no reason to ever carry our Slinglights-correct? Additionally, my weight flucuates from 35” to 38” waist. Would I be able to cover the whole range with one belt in your opinion? Thanks for your input. John

>How many cylinders do you two carry on short 4-5 day trips?

I tend to use three cylinders (two large, one medium). I could fit everything in two, but the way the pack is designed there is no real difference between carrying two or three cylinders (besides the extra 3.9 oz weight). I use the medium cylinder just for my quilt so it stays lofted. I also carry a spare cylinder as a rolled-up stuff sack in case I have to mule some gear for somebody else.

>my weight flucuates from 35” to 38” waist. Would I be able to cover the whole range with one belt in your opinion?

So does mine, and the belt will fit that range easily.

[Roleigh: I won't be back home for a week, so you'll have to wait on the pix. Somebody else want to post some?]