three days, two nights w/ a 24 liter pack?

[Mike M]

to answer Kevin's questions, my dragon weighs 13.2 oz, don't remember what the published weight is; here's a pic of the pack loaded before my trip- sorry it's out of focus

the pack rides very close to the back, the "load lifters" help suck into your bak as do the lower straps of the harness

[Mike M]

Peter- good news. With that volume, we can now run well into the shoulder season too! :)

Mike

[Wolf’s Rain]

Peter:

If I understand you correctly, the shoulder straps on the 30 only have one bottle pocket? Is it a bottle pocket on one side and a huge zippered pocket on the other?

Either way, if it comes out in January, I'm sure the FP 30 will be my first gear purchase of the new year. Like Mike commented, it will allow to push this style of pack deeper into shoulder season. I can't wait.

[Peter Bakwin]

Correct – the UD Fastpack 30 will have 1 bottle pocket on one of the shoulder straps and a large enclosed zipper pocket (with an inner sleeve for a smart phone) on the other. I used this for a 5-day trip in the Colo mtns this summer and I really liked the functionality of these pockets.

[Wolf’s Rain]

Here are some of my measurements of the Dragon and Fastpack 20:

Dragon
15.3 oz listed weight
14.3 oz actual weight (pack only. Bottles weigh 5.8 oz total for two)

Fastpack 20
19 oz listed weight
17.8 oz actual weight (pack only. Back panel weighs out at 3 oz)

Here are some measurements of the back panel to give a rough idea of the dimensions. You can maybe also imagine how this would effect the carry / feel of the pack on your back. When I took the photos, I placed the packs side by side and attempted to measure at the same point on the back panel.

And here is a photo of the Dragon placed on top of the Fastpack. You can see a few inches of the Fastpack's roll top extending beyond the length of the Dragon.

[Wolf’s Rain]

I'll try to get some pics up of each of the packs on my back, similar to Mike's selfie. I'm sort of curious to see myself. I can feel the difference but am curious if there is a visual difference. I'm inclined to believe the appear quite similar on the back.

Additional tidbits while I'm thinking of it. I really like the haul loop on the Fastpack. I know a reviewer said that was the first thing they cut off, but I find them extremely handy, even on a small pack. Oddly, if you look at the tag that comes with the Dragon, there is a haul loop in the picture. It is even labeled as a "hang loop". It must have included this in a beta version of the pack and they forgot to change the tag.

In actual use, I found the side pockets very easy to access, even one handed on the move. As I mentioned previously, the finger loops on UD's kicker bottles are pretty handy. I ended up storing kickers in the side pockets and two body bottles in the harness pockets. It was a bit finicky having 4 separate bottles, but it worked well for my needs and I wanted to test both of them on my trip. I love the valve system on the body bottles. I just wish they were slightly higher capacity. I'm sure I'll get a fair bit of use out of them. They weight 1.1 oz on my scale so not a big deal to me. I am debating other options though for carrying more water than the two 20oz kicker bottles provide. I use one for fuel anyway so its really only 20oz of pure H2O.

I'm not sure if it was fatigue / darkness or that the pack was wet from the rain, but the side pockets did become a bit harder to access one handed towards the end of the first day. This difficulty went away again the next morning. Fatigue, darkness, and rain were all gone at that point so I'm not sure which was the culprit!

[Mike M]

thanks for the comparo pics and measurements. I knew I was forgetting one more nit pick- that was it, for a 1/10 of an ounce- please put one on :)

[Ito Jakuchu]

Another review on the Montane Dragon here:
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montane/dragon-20/#review32449

[Mike M]

just added one of my own :)

[Wolf’s Rain]

I just obtained an RMA on my Dragon pack. Something to keep an eye out for is the seam tape quickly becoming delaminated. I also noticed the hook / loop closure on the wide belt loses its holding strength rather fast. I'm a bit worried about the longevity of the belt being able to hold at the same adjusted size over and over again. Mine already pops apart pretty easily unless I move it over into more untapped territory on the "fuzzy side". This of course can make the belt tighter than desirable.

The seam tape coming off may just be the nature of the beast. I'm not really sure. It does look rather unsightly for a basically brand new pack. I'm pretty happy with the Fastpack so I decided to return the Dragon while I still can. Based on these two problems, I question its durability for backpacking / fastpacking. I think this use is a bit more demanding than running alone.

[Mike M]

I'll keep an eye on mine, thanks for the heads up

[Ito Jakuchu]

"just added one of my own :)"

So did I.
I didn't end up using it on the Mont Blanc, as we did more technical stuff (ice climbing, and rock climbing) so I had to wait till I got back to Japan.

I can't believe how comfortable the Dragon 20 is. When I load it up with gear and extra water it feels way too heavy – until I put it on that is. Just feels like there is nothing there really. Nothing to adjust, no nagging things or hot spots. Super super comfortable. All with 6Kg inside.

Looking forward to use it during my upcoming race..

[Mike M]

agree w/ all your observations; for a running pack the first and foremost consideration is how it carries and this pack carries so very well

[Wolf’s Rain]

haha. Reading your reviews make me miss my Dragon! It really is a great pack and shows a lot of potential for version 2.0.

I'm still loving the Fastpack for my style but would love those fast pole attachments and the ability to achieve an equally snug ride when needed.

Happy to hear the pack is working so well for you two.

[Ito Jakuchu]

And.. versions from inov8:

http://iancorless.org/2014/09/15/inov-8-race-ultra-vest-2015-new-product-review/

http://iancorless.org/2015/01/31/inov-8-race-elite-24-pack-review/

I include the first one because it talks more about the front vest portion and the fit.

[Ito Jakuchu]

While I'm at it:

Salomon X Alp, bit bigger than 20L. No vest harness, but separate crampon storage, can access main compartment without taking pack off. Looks nice for winter running, even just with microspikes.

http://www.outside.co.uk/latest/reviews/S-Lab-X-Alp-20?utm_source=ukclimbing&utm_medium=competition&utm_campaign=15XAlp

[Mike M]

nice to see more options :) I believe UD's bigger pack is coming out soon as well

[Mike M]

stand corrected it is already out

http://www.ultimatedirection.com/p-634-fastpack-30.aspx

[Ito Jakuchu]

I just put the Fastpack 30 on the other day here in a shop.

I think for the trips you are subscribing it is a very nice pack. I mean the vest/fit is not as nice as the Montane Dragon, but it is certainly not bad. I think it is quite a lot bigger, and if things don't fit inside it is very easy to lash things to the bottom, or back, or in the big outside mesh pocket or the side pockets. Sounds good for you no? (not trying to get you to spend more money, trying it on just made me think of what you wrote earlier)..

Two things I don't like about the Dragon are the proprietary bottles, and the velcro. I mean they are both great, especially the super wide velcro elastic is super comfortable. But durability wise I don't like it. A normal broken clasp is easier to replace then this velcro.
In actual use I love the Montane pack more and more – I'm out there twice a week with it. But I'm getting a UD Fastpack 20 just as a backup. Solid materials, bit heavier, bit less comfortable, but still fine ride I think.
I really dislike the lack of the load lifter straps (for lack of a better word – the straps that pull the top of the pack into you and towards your centre of gravity). Love those on the Dragon. If I like the UD overall, I might add some straps myself somehow.

If that works well I feel it works well even with a lot of weight inside I might leave my normal back pack, exchange for the 30 and use that for fast packing in the Japanese Alps this summer.

[Mike M]

I might have to check the Fastpack 30 out, no real complaints on the Dragon, but it's really a one or two night pack tops- having additional room would definitely be handy for trips in the 2+ range

I agree it would be difficult to beat the "ride" of the Dragon- they really nailed it w/ the wide elastic imo (never thought about it, but you could use the same elastic w/ buckles vs velcro, velcro is quicker though)

[Author]

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