Best UL Expedition Size Backpack 90-110L?

Thanks Brad and Terran on the sizing recommendation. Yes I think a large makes sense for me. When I measure myself my torso seems to be well beyond 19″.

And thanks Jeff for chiming in on the 70L Wolverine.

I am pretty sold on the 95L Wolverine at this point. I could well see the pack being my fave for the colder 6-9 months of the year. I’m probably going to get in line and buy one this week. Large torso, 34″ hip belt. Can’t see examples of most of the accent colors. Avocado green and teal sound nice but I’ll probably get coyote brown. And for the body and hip belt I’ll get the black. I don’t live near a desert and won’t be using the pack in summer, so I’m not worried about it getting too hot.

I’ll hold off on the accessories until I see how it is and if I can attach some of Zpacks adds ons.

Thanks for everyone’s input.

What about carrying your tent? I don’t see any examples of people carrying their tent on the back bottom with a large SWD. Are there attachments loops to carry a tent there? Do most of you carry your tent on top with a V-strap? Will def get the V-strap accessory. I’ll probably store my larger sleeping bags internally near the top part of the bag with a tent on the top.

What about carrying your tent? I don’t see any examples of people carrying their tent on the back bottom with a large SWD. Are there attachments loops to carry a tent there? Do most of you carry your tent on top with a V-strap? Will def get the V-strap accessory. I’ll probably store my larger sleeping bags internally near the top part of the bag with a tent on the top.

There’s plenty of ways to carry a tent. Inside, top, back pocket. This is a DW tent with poles in the back pocket:

I’ve taken inspiration from the AArn packs. I have to correct a prior comment about hanging a front pack from the apex of the shoulder straps. It’s actually a bit lower at the bottom of the load stabilizers. The tension transfers into the stabilizers rather than down on the shoulder straps. There’s a sweet spot where it’s not counteracting with your suspension. I’m sure AArn has it all worked out.

I got white so I could see inside better. My hardest decision and the least important was the accent colors. They have better examples on their Facebook page and I think Instagram.

I have loops on the bottom, but they may have been optional. They’re fairly fast in answering emails and you can always add them later.

I bought a larger pack so I didn’t have to hang my tent from the bottom.  My old Tarptent SS 2 Li just barely pokes out of the top of a tall side pocket with room to spare. A water bottle pocket is adequate though, still leaving room for a one liter bottle.

I have a Big Wild 95l for my wierd packrafting loads. It’s become my main pack. It hauls loads so well, just make sure you get the larger hipbelt if you’re over 32″ waist. They can customize as well. When I bought mine they only had Ultra 400 in black. They now have white. I don’t like how hot my pack gets in the desert but that might be a good thing for you in the winter. I ordered the deck bag attachment thing and it’s wonderful. I use it as my summit bag. Paid extra for seam taping, some extra gatekeepers and a few other goodies. The main difference as you’ve gleaned is the Wolverine has the built in rear pocket. BUT the BW also has tons of extra lash points for odd gear loads, tripods, bows, paddles, helmets, pfds etc. It’s an incredible pack but plan on spending $550-650 with bells and whistles.

I wish I had gotten the detachable shoulder straps and a few other things. The Gatekeeper system is pretty wild. You can replace straps in the field and do all sorts of things. I’ve absolutely hammered the thing and the only wear I can see is the lower pack by the rear of the hip belt. I think it’s a place that sees a lot of wear and dirt gets in there when you drop pack etc.

The Sockdolager Bad Larry is another option for high volumes/weights, and quite light. Marketed towards packrafters, but no reason to believe it wouldn’t work for your uses. I have used the HMG Porter 85L pack extensively, and while I don’t love it with heavy loads for long days, I think for what you’re describing (a few short miles to a basecamp) it would be hard to beat the volume/weight/durability/simplicity.

Chad, yes I see the Sockdolager Bad Larry (weird name) is capable of carrying up to 60lbs. A bit more in the lightweight than UL category at near 48oz. Unfortunately it’s sold out for now. I don’t do packrafting – but that may be something I get into in the future with an UL expedition size pack.

I just took the plunge and went in on the SWD 95L Wolverine pack. So I should hopefully have it by February in time for mid winter and a possible snow trip or two.

I went with black fabric as hot sunny weather is the time I’m least likely to use it. I can def see the appeal of white fabric for those who frequently hike in the desert. I also think white fabric would tend to show dirt very easily. So black seems more practical that way too. I generally don’t dig into my pack until I’m at camp so I don’t really think being able to see light penetrate it better would be that helpful.

I didn’t see any option about seam-sealing the inside. And I ordered no add-ons as I want to see which if any of my Zpacks accessories might be compatible first.

I checked their policies. 3.5% fee to cancel seems fair. And I can return within 30 days if I send it within 7 days of getting approved for a return.

I feel good about it. I still love my 70L Arc Haul. But when you find yourself regularly maxing out your main pack for 2/3rd of the year, that’s a strong sign you need a bigger pack. The real size of my Arc Haul 70 is probably more like 60L. So the new pack is more like 35L larger or about 58% more space. I already know I will frequently make use of that as I have filled up my AMG 105L both times I’ve used it.

Sure there are times when I want to go fast, light, and minimal. I’ve never had any interest in getting a smaller UL pack like a Kakwa 55 for example. I’m set with my 70L Arc Haul for those kinds of trips. But this 95L Wolverine will just be about 10-12 oz more than my Arc Haul. That’s piddling to have an extra 35L of space. So I’m excited to do more comfort focused trips or ones with a larger food store to really get away from civilization for a while.

This is a coming to fruition of constantly upgrading my gear with lighter options as I’ve gotten into it. I’ve been enjoying the ability to go faster and farther. But now I can still go pretty far and fast with a lot of tricks in my kit.

SWD seam taping

Thanks Terran. So I can buy this anytime as long they haven’t started working on the pack. I’ll probably add it in a few days.

Yes. Up until about the last month. They do the tape after the packs finished anyway. I ordered the pack, then ordered the extras as they fit into my budget. I asked them to let me know before they started production, which they may do anyway. Good service.

You’ll have a nice pack. Well padded suspension and really nice adjustment on the belt.

Good choice. I have the Big Wild 95 and have never owned a better pack before. I planned on using it for packrafting and winter trips, but choose it for most other trips as well because of the comfort – even though it’s larger than necessary. The seam taping was nice – especially when my packraft rolled over and the entire pack was submerged for a few seconds. Not a drop inside.

@Volker64 aside from preferring flatbar, shapable stays, I always request SWD make the side pockets with an adjustable “cinch style” closure (shock cord w/ cordlock) rather than a fixed piece of elastic sewn into the pocket opening.

I was considering packrafts in the spring. The volume of space needed pretty much requires a large UL pack. So I may revisit that next spring once I’ve gotten my hands on the 95L Wolverine. I found a lovely large pond/small lake with several inlets on a group hike this year. The water is calm and there are numerous gorgeous places to camp. Would be a ton of fun to pack raft and then camp nearby – assuming the rangers don’t mind. Plenty of trees with firewood and beautiful low peaks that reflect against the water.

I like that Superior Wilderness Designs (SWD) is actually located in Michigan near Lake Superior. It’s cheeky. If they called themselves Superior Wilderness Designs and were based in Florida like Zpacks – it would be a tad arrogant.

Back in the day, when I was the family sherpa and Boy Scout leader, I carried a McHale Inex which was certainly in the 100+ liter capacity range, and hauled 70-80 pounds. That’s heavy and 20-year-old history, but the pack worked.

When you do explore McHale, give Dan a call and ask about packs with the “critical mass” suspension. These will have a full-wrap hit belt, removable/positionable lumbar pad, and the bypass shoulder strap/load lifter set up.

I like that Superior Wilderness Designs (SWD) is actually located in Michigan

The “Wolverine” state?

I do believe SWD switched to the cinch style pockets as standard practice. Verify of course.

Volker64; if you are looking for a packraft then check out Anfibio. I have the Rebel 2k (2.4kg with seat and a spray deck), and they are really well made. They have good customer service, and the packrafts are very lightweight.

I do believe SWD switched to the cinch style pockets as standard practice. Verify of course.

As of 2025 they had changed to sewn-in elastic, rather than cinch closures. But they do change things a lot with little or no notice (like switching to pre-bent tubular stays), so it pays to spell-out everything you want.

If you can get exactly what you want, they make, hands-down, the finest light backpacking packs there are. And they are absolutely fine human beings.

I love supporting them…

The cinched side pockets came standard on my Wolverine 95L which arrived in early 2026.  This was a feature I did not know about or expect and I like it.

My other main pack is (was?) also an Arc Haul (60 L, circa 2015, great pack).  All of my Z-packs pack accessories work with the SWD (FUPA, top and chest Multipacks, shoulder pouch and belt pouches.  the hip belt is so robust that I attach the FUPA as a larger side belt pouch on one side.

The Ultra400x fabric on the SWD “looks” more waterproof than the Zpacks.  Seam sealing on a backpack is unimportant to me.  I use waterproof stuff sacks (mostly DCF) and an interior liner thicker mil black garbage bag.  Garbage bag is also multi use.

I went with all black for the color.  I paid 429.00 (which is a steal) plus 20.00 shipping.

I ordered October 19th and pack was shipped Feb 28th.  I was aware of lead time. No communication between order confirmation email and email when shipped with tracking info (no communication was needed)

They responded reasonably when I had a question about pack set up after I got the pack.

I’m really liking the pack so far!

Sounds like they switched back to cinch pockets. That’s a good thing!

Yes, I have no need for sealed seams either.

I was told in September of 25′ that cinch side pockets were going to be the standard option. They can be slow to update their website, so if you’re unsure about anything, ask. It’s not a small purchase as far as backpacks go.

I had mine sealed. Probably not necessary. If moisture gets inside, it’s usually from the opening from damp clothes. Then if moisture does get in, it has no way out except for peeling tape. I bought a Bow bag that I didn’t have sealed. Their price for seam sealing may be a bit high. It’s probably time consuming for them when it’s busy. I don’t think diy would be too difficult. They do a nice job of it though.