MLD burn vs the SWD 35L pack

MLD does several modifications on request. A few I have heard of include drawstring closure, removable hipbelt, lower (less secure) pockets, deleting pockets…

Dave Chenault has written a couple of posts concerning pack materials that might be relevant to your questions:

https://bedrockandparadox.com/2014/01/26/pack-materials-rundown/

https://bedrockandparadox.com/2015/07/05/pack-materials-redux/

Following. I’ve been debating between the same two packs as well and am currently leaning toward the Superior 35. Although the Burn certainly has been around longer, my main two concerns are the narrower shoulder straps and the smaller internal capacity (although I know Ron will put Prophet shoulder straps on a Burn by request). As far as durability goes they both seem pretty bombproof.

For what it’s worth; I own an SWD Long Haul 50 and it’s a great pack.

I love the shoulder straps and the hipbelt on it but the quality of the whole pack is very good.

They’re also really nice people to work with; I had a bunch of ideas for my pack and they were very cooperative.

I have a frameless/hipbeltless Superiour 35 on order for shorter, lighter & faster trips.

If you have any questions regarding SWD I’d be glad to help out.

I’m in the process of ordering a Long Haul and was wondering what ideas you had or how did you configure yours?

Hi Mark,

I like an external sit pad holder made out of 3D mesh. I use an old piece of a Ridgerest and I like having it close for easy access; it gets a lot of use.
Adding it was no problem for them, it replaced the standard foam inside the pack.

I also wanted a roll-top closure, because that’s just a lot more convenient to me.

They made the hipbelt-pockets slightly larger for me but IMO I got a little bit too carried away there, I replaced them with hipbelt-pockets from Tread Lite Gear.

I also asked to exclude the hydration port and hook since I never carry a Camelbak anyway.

My pack is made out of white VX07 and the shoulder straps, hip belt (& pockets) & side pockets are made out of Dyneema X. The bottom is made out of VX21 but next time I would have picked something non-waterproof like 500D cordura. The materials are waterproof but the seams aren’t sealed. During an extended storm in the Alps I noticed some water pooling on the inside of the pack because it had nowhere to go. Nothing a towel couldn’t fix but still noteworthy.

Some pictures maybe:

Thank you for the info.  That packs a real beauty!

I havent been able to take it out yet but I just got a SWD 35 frameless with quite a few customizations. Looks awesome and craftsmanship is top notch. Try to take some pics later today and add them