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Katabatic backbacks
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Katabatic backbacks
- This topic has 100 replies, 31 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 10 months ago by Thomas Willard.
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Jan 13, 2015 at 6:10 am #2164185
DAMMIT.
Jan 13, 2015 at 4:39 pm #2164344I picked up the Artemis 55 while they were having their sale and am pretty stoked with it. The 420d fabric is burly, Side pockets are easily accessible, and the hipbelt/back foam is quite comfortable without feeling overdone.
I'll report back after it gets more use, but initial impressions are that it is definitely up to the same standard as other katabatic products.
Jan 13, 2015 at 7:49 pm #2164399Good to hear that the quality is there. Please do keep us updated on your experience.
What size did you get? When you have a monent, can you post the measurement for the frame length and shoulder strap attachment to bottom of pack? Thanks!
Jan 14, 2015 at 5:41 am #2164470The frame sheet is two layers bonded together; a stiff foam, then a softer foam with the channels (that is against your back) Total thickness is about 1cm. It is rectangular, but with a taper toward the bottom; similar to Granite Gear fame sheet in a VC 60.
The waist belt is 4.25" wide, with clearly formed wings to sit on your hip bones.
Steve
Jan 27, 2015 at 3:57 pm #2168733Steve do you have a shot of the front of the pack? How is that large pocket? What besides say a jacket will it hold. Can you access water bottles in those pockets while having the pack on? This pack is really looking like it'll be my next pack.
Feb 1, 2015 at 9:16 am #2170241The front pocket is a good size for a tarp, maps, wind shell. The black strechy material on either side is tight, not a whole lotta room fit something big in there. The picture below is a houdini in the top portion; the black fabric has not stretched yet, but the pack is stuffed with a sleeping bag for this picture. I would not expect it to hold very much. I will probably use it for maps, or my tarp if I expect rain/packed up in rain.
The side pockets are somewhat accessible with the pack on, without loosening any straps. I can get small items out, but could not easily get out a water bottle (elbows and shoulders just don't bend that way). Keep in mind that I've never had a pack that I could.
Hope that helps
Steve
I've added some bungee cord to attach a CCF pad to the back, err, front.
Feb 10, 2015 at 6:28 pm #2173285Feb 12, 2015 at 9:02 am #2173682Sorry for the delayed reply I don't get forum post update messages for some reason. That pack looks fantastic. Thanks for the additional pics.
Feb 12, 2015 at 9:47 am #2173697Looks good, Steve. Thanks for sharing.
Are you able to compare the fit & feel to any other packs?
Feb 12, 2015 at 3:57 pm #2173816Alex, if you can free up the funds, I'd just order one to try on. I've got an artemis, which has the same suspension, and its excellent. I've owned a golite jam, mld burn, GG gorilla, an hmg ice pack, and I find the shoulder straps and belt to be more comfortable and ergonomic then any of the others. Both the hipbelt and shoulder straps use the same foam, similar to a ridge rest with holes in it for ventilation. Its thin, but still wraps well and spreads the weight evenly. My initial impressions is that, with the aluminum stay, it supports a heavy load (40ish lbs) more comfortably then any 2lb pack I've tried. With lighter loads, I find the pack is more comfortable without the stay, because it moves with you better. The foam is stiff enough for decent load transfer, probably a little stiffer than the jam.
Mar 12, 2015 at 3:43 pm #2182107@Serge, I know, I know. I need to give it a try for myself. It's hard to justify though since I'm really digging my HMG Porter, but who can ignore a good looking pack from a maker with legendary quality? Anyways, thanks again for your insight.
Mar 13, 2015 at 12:53 pm #2182304I'm curious of both the main pack bag volume and the pack's ability to carry weight through the lumbar and hip belt.
From looking at the photos on Katabatic's web, it does appear that the Helios and Artemis share the same main pack structure and the list a 2L difference between the two (Artemis' larger pocket). I was curious how the main pack volume matches to the HMG 3400 series since a lot of manufactures wrap a fair amount of volume in the exterior pockects.
I am on the fence between these, and HMG 3400 and the Exped Ligtning–which leads me to the hip belt structure. It seems most reviews have rated the carry of the Exped a little above that of the HMG. I'm not certain if that is fully inclusive of the most recent updates to HMG but at least one (Luke Schmidt's) did state it was against the most recent versions of the HMGs.
I've finally ligtened up my gear enough that I would like to move on from my nearly 4lb Osprey. I am still partial to decent carry on the hips and have been looking at packs in the 2-2.5lb range. These Katabatics appear to be right on target. Just a little hesitant on how much load the hip belt structure will transfer.
Honestly it is probably moot since my target range for this pack is well under the 35 or 40 range that a few of you have already cited. I would say it's use for me would be commonly in the 3 day (<20lbs) up to maybe a full week (25-30lbs) on occasion.
Mar 13, 2015 at 4:34 pm #2182372Well, here is another wrinkle to these new packs.
Back in January, I called Aaron and asked him.some questions about the packs. During the conversation, I mentioned to him that of the two designs, I felt that the Helios packs with their zipperless stretch pockets were the most useful to me and what a shame it was only available in white Cuben hybrid.
I asked him to consider making the Helios in the grey V40 fabric as well. I figured most folks concerned about durability would take the few ounces of weight penality to get a $300 pack that would last a bit longer than Cuben;)
A few weeks ago, Aaron called me to let me know they had decided to add the V40 option to the Helios packs. Both the 40 and 55 liter weigh less than ounces in the heavier material.
Thats basically the same weight class as the ULA Circuit with a better back panel design and more durable pockets and fabric.. Not bad at all,IMHO.Apr 8, 2015 at 2:09 pm #2190284Steve (or anyone else for that matter), first of all thanks for all the info! You have convinced me that I definitely need a Helios, but as I'm one of those in-between-sizes guys with a 19.5" torso, I'm on the fence wrt sizing. I know that the general recommendation is to size up, but it would still be very helpful if someone would be open to sharing a side-view photo of how the bag fits together with their torso measurement. Or is it perhaps a no-brainer to size up?
Thanks in advance!
Apr 8, 2015 at 2:23 pm #2190291Why not ask Katabatic Contact Us since they make them and not only test them but get this question a lot.
Apr 8, 2015 at 2:49 pm #2190307That pack design does not have a fixed contour back. Just foam padding,a flexible framesheet and a single stay that can be bent to your back contours. So, from that standpoint ,either size could be made to fit.
If you want none to minimal weight on your shoulders and also want the load lifters to work effectively, then YES size up if you are truly on the cusp.
There are more pack fit issues from packs being too small than too large,methinks..
May 10, 2015 at 8:12 am #2198361In my very expensive search for the perfect pack (and the perfect shelter, but that's another thread) I finally broke down and ordered the Helios.
Holy cow I think I may have finally found true love.
Granted, I only packed it up with all my stuff and walked around my house, but this is probably the first time I've ever felt a pack actually disappear on my back.
The construction is exactly what you'd expect from Katabatic Gear, but I was just amazed at how well the harness/frame supported the weight and yet disappeared against my back. I've used packs from ULA, Gossamer Gear, Osprey and even two Zimmerbuilts and this blows them all away.
May 17, 2015 at 12:37 am #2200140Aiming this mostly at Jen, but anyone else with experience please chime in–
Did you take your Helios 40 on the JMT? Wondering if that is also bear can compatible. You mention having ULA packs. I tried my girlfriend's Circuit on, and while the torso was too small for me, I was amazed at how great that ULA hipbelt felt, and I have resented my Golite Jam hipbelt ever since. How would you say the Helios hip belt compares to the ULA? (And the Jam, for that matter, since you've had both!)
Anyone have insight on choosing one of the Helios volumes? How well does the Helios 55 compress down without getting all bulgy and lopsided? I use a medium Jam 50 at present. I've carried 10 days of food along with my 11.5# baseweight in Patagonia, and I generally have room leftover at the top. I imagine I'll have even more room now having switched from a ridgerest to a small neoair xlite. I don't do any winter activity where I have to pack tons of fluffy layers, but occasionally do trips where I have to carry a lot of food between resupplies
thanks!
May 17, 2015 at 6:11 am #2200152No, I literally just bought the helios 40. I've packed it up with all my stuff and walked around my living room. That's it…so this is very much a FIRST impression. So please take what I say with the proverbial grains of salt.
With that initial stroll about my room, the pack just felt great on my back – including the hip belt. I'm like you, I've gotten very picky about my hip belts since I used the circuit…and this one seems like a winner.
I can't comment on squishing down the 55. I'm hopeful I can keep the 40 for my CT this summer.
May 17, 2015 at 6:28 am #2200158Hi Jen,
How do you think the back length sizing compare to other packs.
May 17, 2015 at 6:54 am #2200162Well…i guess it's about the same because I didn't really notice anything! I'm usually a medium in most pack sizes (torso about 20" ish, give or take) and this fits me as perfectly as my zimmerbuilt does. It really does just disappear on my back – i guess I've never really felt that before!
May 17, 2015 at 8:22 am #2200179Jennifer — are you able to pull a water bottle out of a side pocket with the pack on?
May 17, 2015 at 8:38 am #2200181That's great Jen,
I am in the market for a 45-55 litre pack at the moment, I am talking to Dan McHale
but keeping my options open, I already have a McHale as my winter pack so don't need
to go through the fitting process again..May 17, 2015 at 8:51 am #2200183"are you able to pull a water bottle out of a side pocket with the pack on?"
yep – that was the first thing I tried!
Seriously guys, this pack has tons of potential to be nearly perfect. To be honest, my only complaint right now is that I wish they didn't put the cuben strip down the front (back?) pocket and just left the whole thing mesh. I use that pocket a lot and would have preferred more stretchy mesh rather than the bits on the side they use. But I was still able to put everything in there that I wanted to.
May 17, 2015 at 9:49 am #2200202"are you able to pull a water bottle out of a side pocket with the pack on?"
yep – that was the first thing I tried!
DARN! I was afraid you'd say that. ;-)
Seriously, thanks very much for the feedback.
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