Paradox Unaweep

[Valerie E]

DaveC, Is the shoulder harness on the Unaweep removable?

[David Chenault]

If you can wreck hard enough to shake a 1L nalgene out of a tightly cinched Unaweep side pocket, loosing your bottle will not be amongst your most pressing problems.

Valerie, the harness attaches and adjusts via two 1" ladderlocks. Removal is dead easy.

[Valerie E]

Thanks, Dave.

I'm considering the Unaweep since the Fusion 65 didn't work out for me, and I have widely varying loads (up to 8L of water if I'm caching, plus a week's food and gear!).

The Unaweep's shoulder harness looks a mite "beefy" and masculine, so it may require that I re-purpose the Osprey harness I modified to fit the Fusion…

[Eli Palmer]

I'm thinking about getting the pack for the PCT.

Been emailing back and fourth with a consumer sales rep. The red color pack is VX07. I prefer this color to all the other ones. It all together weighs 2lb 11oz.

It also comes in Ranger Green Cuben 2.92, for $50 more. I don't like the color, but it only weighs 2lb 8oz. $50 to save three oz is pretty good.

Does anyone know the durability/abrasion resistance differences between the two fabrics?

[David Chenault]

The foam in the current version is (for me) a great balance between being soft and supportive. In any case, adding two lengths of 1 inch webbing would be dead easy.

[David Chenault]

They're only charging 50 bucks extra for hybrid cuben over VX07?! That is a bargain considering the difference in wholesale prices.

Durability is probably comparable between the two, with cuben maybe a bit better. For majority trail hiking, VX07 or hybrid cuben would both be fine. If you do a lot of bushwacking or canyon hiking I'd recommend a heavier fabric

[Rob Lee]

Dave,
Thanks for thoughtful and speedy replies. You have created some buzz about this pack and company. Such a glowing review by someone as active as you really makes me think Paradox is 1)lucky to have your input and 2) really on to something. There is a lot to like about this design. I hate to buy a "new" model when it first comes out, thinking that it will take a couple versions to make it all it can be. I was surprised to read on your site how quickly this was developed even giving that it is only a modification of their original design. Looking forward to more input from other users. Since you have a conduit to them I noticed on your 3rd picture that the upper LL attachment seemed to be pulling hard on the stitching. Maybe something to consider along with the width of that attachment location I saw mentioned on another thread.

[David Chenault]

Thanks Rob. I obviously think they're pretty awesome, but I'm one not unbiased person so take that as you will.

I do think the load lifters could be a slightly better spot. My other request is for a big honkin' webbing haul handle, but apparently that isn't a universal demand so they're holding off. In my book the harness, suspension, and bag shape are dialed; with the rest being details.

One of the cool things about companies like Seek Outside and Mountain Laurel Designs, who run the whole product cycle out of what is effectively one location, is that innovation and development happens fast and doesn't get watered down. It's a lot more fun to talk directly with the director/COO/head designer than to run feedback through someone at a hired PR firm.

[Kevin @ Seek Outside]

Hi Rob

The Unaweep development itself was not as fast as it had seemed. It was primarily Angie's (co owner of seek outside) concept that she had had been playing with for a while. Since she is so involved with production, she gets the production aspect very well and has a great working relationship with our head seamstress that does all prototyping. Together they did most of the leg work for it to work using the Paradox suspension components and many of the same construction techniques that had been extensively tested. The frame itself, I had been using the UL frame for a year, we just did not offer it initially, because we wanted to do further testing with it.

Regarding both packs, I'm sure there will be some updates and enhancements as time progresses. It is a natural part of who we are, always trying to refine and improve. Most people say the packs fit great, and carry very well so I doubt we will change a lot. We may add a feature here, or change how it is presented to provide better value or service, but I suspect most changes to be very minor.

[Michael Sirofchuck]

I've been looking at the website, but I have some questions.
I am interested in the pack frame for hauling meat; I do not want a pack bag of any type. I want a frame that I can lash things to.
I have a Kifaru Long Hunter – it has a bottom "shelf" – does the Paradox frame have a similar feature?
I have a Granite Gear Flatbed – it has wrap around straps and a rear panel that help for cinching gear/game bags. Does the frame alone have this feature?
I have developed a system for containg my gear, etc using these frames and want only a lightweight frame that I can use for hauling

[Nathan Coleman]

Hi Michael, you want to check out the Evolution suspension with a Talon. It fits the bill of what you're looking for.

[Michael Sirofchuck]

Thanks, Nathan, I kinda thought so, but I just wasn't sure.

[Philip Tschersich]

I have a Unaweep and a hunting friend has the Evolution. I have studied his pack and the Unaweep and Evolution use the exact same main frame (the Unaweep ships with shorter extension tubes at the top of the frame than the Evolution because the former needs less extreme load lifter benefit due to the presumed smaller loads), same hip belt, and same shoulder yoke. The only real difference in the two systems is in the fact that the Unaweep uses an integrated packbag that slides over the frame directly, while the Evolution has a separate back panel system from the packbag itself, allowing you to carry a load (presumably meat bags) between the back panel and the packbag. The Evolution does have a "load shelf" attached to the bottom of the back panel that clips to the Talon.

If you want an idea about the Evolution in action check out the video of my wife elk hunting with some friends. She is using my Unaweep frame with a back panel I sewed for it to mimic the Evolution, but using a Kuiu Ultra 3000 packbag. She gets her elk near the end of the video. Patrick, the guy with the basically stock Evolution, is the guy doing the butchering. Note, this video is not overly gory, but also not for PETA members. Proceed as you deem fit. 2014 Afognak Elk Hunt

[Michael Sirofchuck]

Thanks, Phillip – I talked to Adelia earlier this evening and would like to come over and take a look at the pack sometime. Patrick said his is "in pieces" right now, so I hope to also check it out when he reassembles it.

[Philip Tschersich]

Oh, jeeze, THAT Mike. I should have looked at your name. Lol. Yeah, you can borrow the pack anytime.

Philip

[Ian]

I hope to buy a Unaweep or Catalyst soonish but wanted to bounce a couple ideas off of the forum before swiping the card. I plan on using this pack year round on trips where I need to carry a couple/few days worth of water; I live in the desert and there are Wilderness areas where there is no water source. Admittedly those trips will be few and far between so this will be used more for winter camping and (hopefully) some ski touring. A few questions: 1. I'd like to use the Talon (base preferably but Day Talon if need be) to store avalanche tools. Shovel may be a BD Deploy 3 or a BD Evac 9 depending on trip and or SAR mission. Certainly a probe and occasionally a saw. From perusing the website, I didn't see the dimensions and I was unsure if they would all fit in the Talon. Perhaps its unimportant as maybe I'd carry the shovel between the Talon and Unaweep or just lash them to the pack and forget the Talon altogether. Thoughts or experiences? 2. I'd carry skis from time to time and am leaning towards the X42 420d fabric. Am I safe in presuming this fabric is up to the challenge and that the 1000d option is overkill? 3. Don't have a tape measurer available to me at the moment but if memory serves, I'm at or slightly under 24" from C7 to iliac crest. From watching Seek Outside's videos, do I understand correctly that the 2" extension is fine and I'd only need to go with the 4" extension to lift the load lifters or for lashing gear? Thanks in advance.

[David Chenault]

1: Base talon is too small for a shovel. The mesh and day talons are probably big enough. 2: X42 will be quite adequate. 3: A 26" frame (aka 2" extensions) will give you only a small amount of lift with a 24" torso height. Probably fine for backpacking type loads.

[Earl Gilbert]

I would put something like a shovel between the talon and pack. The Talon is very good at compressing something like snowshoes to the pack, so I would assume a shovel would be no big deal. Skis could be strapped to the sides or back of the pack as you see fit. I've never strapped skis to mine, but I've attached everything else to it with no issues. Its a pretty modular pack system. I have the base talon and mesh talon. I prefer the mesh talon for the summer and base talon for winter.

[Ian]

Thanks gents. I'll start with the mesh talon and see how that works out. If I still want to go with a talon option that is purpose built for avy tools and it doesn't work out, sounds like an easy enough MYOG project.

[Philip Tschersich]

The Unaweep is a great platform, and while I like that talon system pretty well, for packrafting and ski touring I decided what I really wanted was a large rear stretch mesh pocket. Really large. Big enough to swallow my 4-piece packraft paddle with plenty of room left over for a jacket, etc. or an avy shovel and climbing skins. I ran it from near the bottom of the pack up 18" in height, and pleated the bottom to expand so that even with a stuffed packbag the pocket would still accept junk with ease. I removed the bottom compression strap and added a vertical daisy chain from inside the bottle pockets up to about half way up the pack. This is so I can use Voile straps to attach skis in a vertical or horizontal carry. Compression straps are nearly always mediocre for actually securing something to a pack. All they do well is compress. Voile straps on a daisy chain are absolutely fool-proof, set-once-and-forget sanity-savers. I have a cinch-down strap at the top of the side daisy chains for cincing the roll top to. I really prefer to cinch the roll top down rather than join the roll top ends together. This also eliminates the need for the over-the-top strap. This is just personal preference. I knew I wasn't going to use a talon with this packbag, so I got rid of the 'load shelf' entirely.

[Ken Thompson]

Whoa!!! Want to resize those photos? Can't read your text.

[Philip Tschersich]

Sorry about that. God do I ever hate the software running on this site… :^(

[Ken Thompson]

Going to be changes here soon. Nice pack.

[Ian]

Philip, If I could order it configured that way, I would. I may go that route instead of MYOGing an avi pack. We'll see. I'm fairly meh about the Talon. We went down that road in the military during the '90s with a ruck sack and clip on 72hr assault pack combo that didn't work out. The assault pack was a nightmare ergonomics-wise and eventually the ruck didn't get fully adopted due to other QC/QA issues. I'm less concerned about a couple ounces here and there since I a) already have a UL and nearly SUL kit available to me, and b) this pack will likely see some fairly heavy loads (eg three gallons of water) where a few extra ounces won’t really be noticed (Here come the UL torches and pitchforks) but I don't think I'm going to fully use it as a separate item and would likely prefer to have a more robust and larger front pocket just sewn in. I haven't completely written it off so will order it with the base or mesh talon to see if I change my mind but I may very well pursue a similar mod.

[Philip Tschersich]

It's weird, but every time I post those pics folks are like, "hey, that's exactly what I want!" But for some reason Paradox doesn't use my design. Oh well.

[Author]

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