?? A DCF pack designed for grabbing water bottles “on-the-go??

I’m not sure if the Arc Blast is the same as the Arc Haul, but on my non DCF Arc Haul I could reach the water bottle pockets.   I can also reach them on my SWD Long Haul 50, which also isn’t DCF, but they offer the fabric as an option.  I think ULA offers a DCF Option as well.

IMO- You may look at X-Pac as an alternative to DCF as I think it’s superior in just about every way as a pack fabric.

And by the way, I am a water bottle pocket snob.  If I don’t like the pockets, the pack just won’t work for me.

Thank-you, Brad Rogers!

This drives me crazy as well. A couple options to look at would be A. HMG porter with the angles water bottle attachments. B. What I did was asked the pack manufacturer to omit the belt pouches for molle webbing and I then attached something like the Seek Outside bottle holder directly to the belt pouch. That is my favorite option

Thank-you, Zack L!

Side pockets & water bottles works well on my Zpacks Nero.  Easy to get out and put back.

https://zpacks.com/products/nero-backpack

I used to have trouble with my HMG Southwest also.  I decided it was a shoulder mobility problem, not a pack problem.  It only took about two months of shoulder mobility exercises incorporated into my routine and its not a problem anymore.  For whatever that’s worth.

Take a look at Superier Wilderness Designs packs. They have DCF packs.  I have one of there X-Pac packs and the water bottles are easy to grab.

Lots of decent suggestions here, but I will point out that none of the packs mentioned have dramatically different bottle pocket strategies. I have a ULA Catalyst, a couple of HMG packs, and a few Seek Outside packs. They all require pretty similar bottle pocket access bio-mechanics by the user. Happily, as a die-hard bottle user, I can get my bottle in and out of all those pockets. But if you really need something different, consider getting a Zimmerbuilt. He will do something truly different that could be of service to you.

Thanks again, All!

Part of the issue is my fault in that I should have bought the large instead of medium.  HMG website states their medium can work for folks with 17.0” – 19.0” torso -it also suggests going to the next largest size if one’s torso measurement is on the cusp -which mine is (19”).  Unfortunately, I didn’t notice the “go to next size” suggestion until after I committed to the sale.

It will be a great pack for someone and I will learn to read the fine print a little closer next time! Ha!

.d

G’day I have a SWD Long Haul 50L size L-I can put my entire hand in the water bottle pocket the SWD sack. I also carry scroggin in there. It fits my torso. Is the sack you are looking at correct as to torso length?

I have another frameless 30 which again is fitted to my torso L- getting the water bottle is easy.

I reckon if you have average flexibility you would be right with SWD.

Mine is VX21 for reference not DCF. But the template is the same I was told.

Cheers

Whoops, just read your post (before mine) you’ve already solved the problem.

As Fonzie said “It’s all about the torso length-correctamundo”

If you decide to buy another, I can also attest to the SWD Superior 40 being reasonably easy (for me) to get the bottles out.  Like others, I carry a 500ml “squirt top” on a shoulder strap and refill that from my 1L bottles for drinking on the go. It gives me a way to sort of portion my water… I can easily fit 2L in one side pocket.

im also a 19” torso went with the large SWD

it’s also really fun to shop the SWD packs because of the customization options (colors, pockets, different fabrics, etc…) Brandon, the owner, couldn’t be more responsive and helpful when trying to make decisions. He also is open to pretty much any customization you might dream up. Currently he is building me a custom fanny pack even though there is no fanny packs on the website. A few emails with my design considerations and he gladly accepted…

the Zimmerbuilt looks pretty awesome as well. I like how the tall pocket and bottle pocket live together on the same side…

I can easily reach the side pockets on my Arc Blast to get at my water bottles, and just as importantly, put them back.   My circus performer days are long behind me.

How does the SWD pack carry? I’ve been rocking an HMG 2400 for a while and am also in the market for something with larger volume and trying to figure out whether to simply get a 3400 or to go to SWD. SWD looks great and the fabric is good but I’m wondering about the hipbelt and the actual load transfer of the stays. The HMG fits me just great – but I also cannot take water bottles out while walking. No biggie, I just pause and take a drink, life should be less rushed anyway.

Packs fit everyone different, but I like my SWD Long Haul 50 better than my Arc Haul as well as the HMG Porter 3400 and ULA Ohm 2 that I tried.

I also really liked the Seek Outside Flight prototype that I tried this summer, but I’m not sure it’s released yet (November is the last I heard).

Shoulder strap mounted holders?

Great thoughts, ALL!  Much appreciated!!

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Zimmerbuilt used to make bottle pockets for the HMG Porter pack. If you like the HMG, you could attach those bottle pockets extra low, add an HMG front stuff pocket, and sort of end up with a Windrider/Southwest. But it would be a weird and expensive workaround. At that point just doing the straight Zimmerbuilt with your exact preferred pocket layout makes way more sense.

<p style=”text-align: left;”>@Jimmy…..  As mentioned earlier all packs carry different for everyone.</p>
My SWD 35L frame pack carries like a dream.  Its the only pack I’ve owned that doesn’t rub my hip bones to raw meat.

I order their optional four point (or something like that) belt.  I can tighten the top of my hipbelt to go over the hip bone while the lower portion is tighten to fit perfectly on the sides of my hips.

I love this pack.  They now have a 40L DCF pack that I’m going to order.

I recently got an Atom+ from Atom Packs and find the side pockets fairly easy to pull from and return bottles on the go.  I think Tom found a nice balance in height of pocket: short enough to access but tall enough that bottles stay put.  If doing intense scrambling or off-trail stuff, you might need to cinch them down (I got the removable elastic drawcord on my pockets vs. sewn on elastic), but for typical trail hiking they hold 1L and .7L Smartwater bottles well.

Not to distract from the OP, but I’m curious about others’ experiences with Xpac.  I used the same dyneema grid pack for 10 years and never got a tear in the fabric- only a couple pinholes in the bottom.  However, after my first day of using Xpac I came home to find a 1/2″ slice cut into the front of the pack. No idea how it happened- maybe brushed up against a nail on a railing? I’m normally very gentle on my gear, but now I’m worried that I’m going to have to baby that fabric.  Hopefully that was just an isolated incident and a bit of tenacious tape will hold it together for many years to come!

What version of X-Pac?   210 Dyneema grid is pretty durable stuff, especially for the weight and that’s why it’s still one of my favorite pack fabrics.  It’s a lot more durable than 50d Hybrid DCF or 70d X-Pac.  It’s also more durable than 150d Hybrid DCF, and slightly more durable than the 210d X-Pac in my opinion, but the 210d X-Pac is pretty durable too.  The 420d X-Pac is very durable, probably more so than 210d Dyneema grid.

I have an Arc Haul and can reach them but absolutely love having a shoulder strap bottle holder.  It’s so simple and convenient.

I’m pretty sure I went with 70d for the majority of the pack, 210d on the bottom. Maybe it would have been worth that extra 28g to do the whole thing in 210d. Not ruling out “waterproof” pack fabrics like Xpac and DCF- I’ll see how it holds up for me over time.  But, I think there may be something to choosing a durable/lightweight fabric like Dyneema grid and doing the waterproofing on the inside through dry bags and trash compactor bags that are protected and can be swapped out as they wear.