ULA Catalyst Questions

Hi Travis,

I have an older Catalyst and have carried heavy loads in it back In Scotland for Winter trips (35-40lbs).
If I can help with anything drop me a PM.

Cheers,

Stephen

While I think the ULA hipbelt is the best in the UL realm, Im not sure I would choose it to intentionally carry 40 lbs.

The catalyst has the same hipbelt as the Circuit and Ohm 2.0. It is just a bit larger pack.

Circuit has no torso collapse issues, its weight carry ability is limited entirely by the belt. And so is the Catalysts.

I have loaded my Circuit to 42 lbs and it handled it.
I wouldnt choose it to carry 40-45lb loads regularly though, I would go for a conventional pack with a more subtantial hipbelt for regularly carrying that weight.

If I needed the volume for 30 lbs and occassionally up to 35 or so, I would go with the Catalyst.

Stephen– I'll send you a PM later tonight.

MB– I wouldn't intentionally choose to carry 40lbs in any pack! :D

And honestly, most of the time I won't be. I just happened to come across a packraft/hiking route that will require hauling water along with the Packraft. Kind of doesn't make sense, right? Having to haul water on a packrafting trip. But that's actually the case!

The problem is that I want a pack I can easily use again, and since I rarely do trips requiring this much weight (if ever), I don't want to buy a one-and-done pack. Even on this trip I should be maxing 40lbs only twice with food and water weight diminishing as the days go by.

I'm hoping the Catalyst will carry well for this trip and be of service to me in the future.

I work in outdoor wilderness with kids and have to carry large loads with my Catalyst. I routinely carry 40 plus pounds with no problem.

I'm using ULA packs due to my need to carry more water weight in dry areas. Go ahead and abuse the weight limits for specific trips, my ULA packs haven't shown any structural problems from that. It is my body that doesn't like the heavy loads.

Consider putting some foam under your current shoulder straps when your load overwhelms the cushioning of the straps. That is the design limit of soft foam, at some weight the foam is pulled flat so there is no cushioning left. Lace the extra foam on with string.

I've gotten many helpful replies, both here and through PM. Keep 'em coming!

I came across a blog post by Andrew Skurka where he talks about the pack and mentions that it is his new go-to pack. So I sent him an email asking his opinion on the matter. Here was his reply:

"The Catalyst will not carry a packraft as well as the EPIC (where it sits nicely on top) but it will work fine. It's a good pack — not perfect, but pretty good, and better than almost everything else that's out there."

Hi Travis,

I got your PM the other day, but I decided to share my thoughts here in case others have a similar question.

Outside of winter, my full load hasn't approached 40lbs in a long time, and because I tend to use my GG Nimbus Meridian in winter, I unfortunately have only tested my catalyst to roughly 35lbs. That said, it carried the 35lbs almost as comfortably as my old overbuilt 8lb gregory and arcteryx packs. The hipbelt is truly magnificent. I believe this is the result of the dual angle adjustment that is provided through the 4 tensioning straps on the hipbelt, and the delta strap that connects the pack body to the hipbelt, allowing you to pull the load in closer to your back/hips. The stays used in the backpack aren't the burliest, and only measure 1/2" in width. In my opinion, and experience with other packs, for true load haulers, the stays are generally 1" in width. So although comfort will be heavily dependent on personal factors, I would venture to say that the ideal load would be around 40lbs–which is in line with what ULA publishes as the recommended weight.

In my experience, the catalyst is pretty sensitive to how you pack the inside. I used it over 21 days on the JMT and was very very comfortable thoughout my trip. There were 2 instances when I noticed discomfort. Both times, one shoulder was feeling sore and not the other. When I stopped to examine and readjust my pack, I noticed that the bear canister was leaning towards one side slightly more than the other. After re-centering, the pack was a dream again.

I'm not familiar with packrafting, but based on what I've seen, it looks like people like to have more than one compression strap on each side of the pack, so maybe a consideration as an addon if you get the ULA catalyst? Also, I'm sure you've already given it thought, but according to RJ, the HMG Porter looks pretty ideal for packrafting. Seems like a custom hipbelt mod (like Doug's recent HMG windrider) would really make that pack shine.

goodluck!

Thanks for posting here, Konrad. I've read some of your other posts regarding the pack.

I fully am aware that I'm stretching the stated capabilities of this pack, and that it wasn't designed for packrafting in mind. But besides the ULA Epic and possibly the Porter, the VAST majority of packs weren't designed for packrafting. Plus, I do more hiking anyways.

An attractive feature of the Catalyst is the ability to carry lots of water, which I'll need to do this summer.

So ultimately, I'm looking for a backpacking pack that will handle the bulk of a packraft and be able to carry about 40lbs max, yet serve me well on less loaded down trips.

I did well with my Osprey Talon 44 packrafting for a week on Isle Royale, but I didn't have the water weight or the milage that I'll be putting on this summer.

I've been emailing Chris this morning, and he's been quick to reply. He offered to have straps sewn on the bottom of the pack to carry a pack raft.

I was wondering if it'd be better to carry the weight on top of the pack.

Thoughts?

Edit: Chris says to put them on the bottom.

"1. I currently use, and really like, the Osprey Talon 44. Can anyone compare the two for me regarding size and load hauling? The Talon is rated by Osprey at the high end to haul 40lbs, but that's really pushing it. "

Travis, I bought and used the Talon 44 on one five day hike, max of ~20 pounds, maybe 22. I found it very uncomfortable because the hip belt edge just dug into my hip bones. I now use that pack for air travel since it holds all I need to visit my family. Never again for backpacking. Clearly my hip bones protrude in ways that don't match that pack.

I've been using ULA packs for 10 years. Current pack is a Circuit, which I've carried for about 30 weeks of hiking. Usual total weight is 15-25 pounds, but I've carried 30-32 pounds without feeling any discomfort anywhere. I've carried it with 35 pounds occasionally, no problem.

If you've carried a Talon with 40 pounds and been comfortable, you shouldn't have any problem at all being comfortable in a Catalyst with 40 pounds.

Use to have straps on the bottom, Removed by Brian shortly after.

Ken, Chris has offered to put them on for me. Bonus: if the pack doesn't work out, I can still return it.

Amy, thanks for posting your experience. I've never had 40lbs in the Talon on a trip…max was 33-34. I did load it up to 40 around the house, and I'm pretty sure after a couple miles on the trail I'd be screaming.

Ordered the Catalyst with custom straps for a packraft. Hopefully it fits well.

Chris was quick to reply with all my questions. When I ordered the pack today, I expected it to take longer due to being custom. Boy was I surprised that only hours later, my pack was shipped!