Experience with SMD Fusion 65?

Have not seen one done yet.

Anyone?

Not going to help with the other issues/faults.

Their website blows. Certainly a lack of detailed product photos. This can't help with sales from those mainstream shoppers who expect more.

"Packs color choices were not picked out for American consumers. "

No joke? So an American UL gear manufacturer designs a product that's not for American UL'ers. Puzzling. I wonder if that's been a big win for them.

Ryan

Lightweight,yes,Ultralight,no.

"Is the Fusion 65 color scheme more attractive in person than in the pics?"

It's subjective. In person, the orange yellow appears to me as a kind of golden orange or marigold–bright yellow orange color. I actually like the color in a general sense. Then there is white, which i like in a general sense (not so much for a pack though), and then there is black which i do not like in a general sense as far as ascetics go, nor do i like how hot it gets in the sun though for some applications this is a good thing (winter quilt or bag, etc).

But for packs i prefer colors that blend in more, so i like tans, greens, gray etc and more muted. Especially for anything that is going to be connected to a bug out bag.

So i both like and dislike the colors :) Not much help.

"…as far as ascetics go…"

Ascetics?
LOL

Yeah i meant aesthetics. Funny i get a "LOL" from that, a spelling error, and not any of my consciously oriented humorous postings….

Ascetics, that's what a lot of people call SUL backpackers!

I own an SMD Fusion 50. The front and side pockets really blow, but the pack is still a great 2.5 lb load hauler. The rigid belt and spine of the Fusion are melded into one solid, rigid structure that puts the weight right on the hips like it's supposed to be. I could care less about the color, however the white should be eliminated.

Yeah, I know.

Ryan

I kept looking at the Fusion 50 and finally bought one. I can either keep it or give it to one of my kids, or my GF.

Jimmer

"They flights were designed as more of a fastpacking/ultra running pack,so the sporty "rally stripe" effect with the bright red and blue on white seems to suit them."

I use this pack all the time for fastpacking trips and I hate the white.
My white now just looks dirty.

To be honest the flight doesn't carry heavy loads. It can and will be comfortable, but the much more slender ridged spine piece will buckle with heavier 25-30 pound loads.
It buckles right above the hip belt and digs into your back.
If you consider the side pockets as only a stash pocket and nothing else and can work with it, then it makes sense.
Those pockets are useless for carrying water.
For the life of me, I cannot get a water bottle back into the pocket once you pull it out.
You have to put your hand in the pocket and spread it open and then follow with the bottle.
My body will not let me do this.

So keep the pack under 25 pounds and it's a great hiking pack.

I don't consider a pack that is designed to be hiked in a "fastpack".

To me fastpacking is what becomes of having a system light enough (with overnight gear) that you can run or jog with a pack and cover more miles more efficiently than just hiking.

Purchased the 65 as my technical multi-day pack. Mainly backcountry skiing and rock climbing. Should be able to fit a smaller pack inside for use in base-camp style situations – likely even my smaller airbag pack? Excited to see how well the suspension works. Should be great for these types of heavier loads. The side pockets aren't that critical in these types of situations, either, so it should be a non-issue. Killer deal for a pack of this size with a great (we'll see) suspension and load transfer design. The low weight for such a heavy duty suspension is great, too!

Surprised by the number of divas here that are so concerned with the looks (coming from a guy who wears a cuben kilt – hah!).

First of all,I live on the great Plains. I know what blowing dust and dirt looks like on gear. If anyone should be sensitive to white on packs, it should be me..but not all folks are bothered by white gear. Just look at the.number of people who recommend and use HMG gear and most of that stuff is white. It obviously does not bother everyone, but SMD should have offered a more conservative set of color choices.

As to the load hauling cabability of the Flights,never claimied they were loud haulers,I said the Fusions were. Also, there is a quite a difference in the suspension systems between the Flight 30 and 40. So much so,I believe it was another marketing mistake for SMD to even give them the same names..The Flight 30 has no frame at all, just a very supportive shoulder harness. "Fastpack 30" would have been a more accurate name for it.
The 40 has the removable stay and a real hipbelt. Full up,it weighs about 10 ounces more.

I also agree about the pockets..Frankly,its hard to believe the same guy who designed the almost universally well liked pockets on the ULA packs, also designed the Fusions and Flights..
But like pack colors ,pockets are an individual thing as well. I don't stow drinking water in side pockets. I prefer bottle holders up front. I also haye large bulging side pockets that snag on things. So, the SMD pockets don't bother me either. But, to folks who constantly reach around the side if their packs for a swig of water,I can seen how it could be maddening

I'm just complementing the abilities of the 65.

There are many similarities to both packs.
Same fabric, hip belt and side pockets.

There is enough of the here from time to time as it is….;)
I've always enjoyed your posts here…
I guess the bottom line is there is enough good features in the new SMD packs that they are worth improving. It will be interesting to see how they choose to go forward.

So i ended up doing a low mileage overnighter, since i had a rather late start yesterday, and had some errands to do today anyways.

Still think it was enough to begin to gauge the carrying qualities of the pack, especially since i loaded it up with some extra heavy stuff, like my large and full hydro flask vacuum bottle, which btw, fit fine in the side pocket because one of the side straps went right over the screw top part. I couldn't take it out while hiking though, but it was secure.

Anyways, i thought it fit well, carried very well, and transferred the weight very well to my hips, hip belt stayed secure and comfortable. I was impressed, about 5 times better than the Jam i had, which is a good pack for lower weight loads.

I think it will work for my purpose of carrying all the heavier stuff when i hike with Becky, for more serious winter backpacking, and/or for a bug out bag.

The adjustable torso is pretty ingenious imo. I use to have a Vaude pack that had an adjustable torso, and like the SMD one much better. I also like how you can shape/bend it to fit your torso better.

For a pack that weighs under 3 lbs (the Vaude was closer to 4lbs), and at a price of 115, well that is a screaming deal and really good value per dollar. Normally i don't care too much about aesthetics at all, but i have to admit that if the pack was all bright or dark red, i would have to pass, but i can deal with the color scheme on this, it's cheery though not very practical for a bug out type survival type circumstances (too visible).

I just got my Fusion 65 on closeout, and I took a good look at it last night. Here are my observations/questions: The color is not as hideous as I thought it would be. I wouldn't pick it, but it doesn't bother me much. It's also way more roomy than I was expecting. I had a BV 450 in it with no problem. The side pockets seemed ok, just would be nice if they were deeper and stretchier. The front pocket is as roomy as my Talon, but it would have been better in all mesh. The shoulder straps and hip belt are 1000% better than my Talon. I am a little bit stocky, and the Talon has skinny straps which are not comfortable. The Fusion has nice wide straps. I am not sure I understand how the torso adjustment works. There are three slots, L, M and S, and you can push the harness velcro section into each of these. The velcro section of the harness looks to be about 4" long. If you bottom it out in each of the slots, what do you reckon the torso length is for S, M, and L? The description says the regular harness fits 17-21" torsos. Mine measures 19", but the pack fits and feels best set on large with the velcro strip bottomed out. The sternum strap really sucks. It's way too small for one. I only have a 42" chest and it barely snaps. If I could move it up into the next opening it might work better, but the ends will not pull back through the clips to do so. The pack sits best on me when on large, the harness assembly actually meets my upper back and shoulders better that way. It's hard to picture whether everything is set right because the shoulder straps don't go back and attach to the pack, they go over and down pretty far. But large felt best. The gap between the body of the pack and my neck/upper back is much farther than I am used to seeing with my Talon. I have to pull the load lifters pretty far to get it closer, but even then it still has a pretty large gap. Is this where the process of bending the stays might help? Thanks everyone. The pack felt great with about 18 lbs weight. I will try to load it up with more weight over the weekend to see if it still feels great.

To those interested — the pack dyes very well IMO. I love this pack for winter trips, and heavier trips with my girlfriend when I carry the Jannu. The fit is a little wonky/not standardized, but once you get it and curve the stay appropriately, it is amazingly comfortable. On par with my old REI Crestrail 70, which is 4.6lbs. Also for reference, I am 5'10", with about a 19" torso.. I find the pack works best for me at the "M" length with the load lifters hitting about 70*. For reference, here is the pack next to my MLD Burn. I rather liked the orange and white, but this more stealth, and doesn't look like a flower.

That navy blue looks great. My husband used the 65 for a while and that yellow-orange definitely does attract bees, wasps and the like! The only other problem he had with the pack was the shallow pockets on the side. No bueno for 1L Platys/Evernews. We lost a Platypus that wiggled loose from a side pocket. Otherwise, it's a great load hauler.

"The fit is a little wonky/not standardized, but once you get it and curve the stay appropriately, it is amazingly comfortable." +1 Had the same experience but with the 50L….once you get it dialed in it is the most comfortable pack I've yet to use. Additionally, I haven't had any issues with the side pockets though I use 1L Smart Water bottles that the side compression strap helps to anchor in place.

The dye job on that fusion is nice! How did you do it?

Here is the BPL Link: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=106364

I attached a piece of shock cord across the side of the pack on both sides. On one side, I am going to use it to hold my tent in place from falling out of the pocket. Since there isn't a pouch in the pack for keys and wallet, I bought a really lightweight Lewis & Clark mesh zipper pouch from TJ Max and attached it with safety pins to the top inside of the pack body. It flips up and over, so won't be in the way at all. Still haven't tried bending the stays as I am not sure of the process, but I can say the pack rides pretty comfortably with 30lbs in it. Not sure if this is good or not, but almost all the weight feels like its on my lower back at the hip belt level, and almost no weight on my shoulders. Still contemplating dye since the dye job above looks so good!

I just received last year's Fusion 50. (Great deal btw!) mine has a stowaway pocket for keys, id, … at the top of the stay's sleeve on the inside.

Yeah, mine has a small pouch inside the zipper compartment where the stay and pack frame sheet are located, but I couldn't even get my wallet in it. I put one of these in, and hooked it to the inside of my pack with a safety pin on either end of that zipper. It flips up and over to get out of the way. http://lewisnclark.com/featherlight-pouch-medium/