My Hanchor Marl

[Ryan Smith]

Hello friends,

About 6 weeks ago, I ordered a Marl from Hanchor in Taiwan. There were a couple mods that I wanted which were:

– VX21 side pockets(which are now standard)

– Daisy chains on the shoulder straps

– No gray. Really wanted black VX21 instead.

Hanchor accommodated all three requests easily and had the pack delivered to my door in less than 3 weeks. I was really impressed with their turn time. See pics below. Also, note that this is the previous model Marl so there are some slight differences if you ordered one today.

As Dan Durston mentioned previously, this pack is larger than you would expect. I won’t have any issues with a week’s worth of gear which is typically my longest trips. The fit and finish is excellent as also mentioned. One thing to note is that this pack is designed to be more tall & narrow as opposed to some of the wider designs out there. Mine is an XL torso so it’s even more so.

I’ve only had the opportunity to do a couple short shake down hikes with it and so far, so good.  Loaded up 45lbs in it just to see how it handled the weight and it was as comfortable as could be expected given what this pack is.

In summary, seems to be a great pack that’s well constructed, with a lot of nice features and at a great price. Especially with the deal they’re running right now. Any questions let me know.

Ryan

 

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Nice :)

Looks good in black. How do you find the solid fabric side pockets in terms of ease of use and what they accommodate?

[Ryan Smith]

Dan,

Side pockets are good for me. I usually only keep a 20oz bottle in each and like an elastic top, which the Marl has. Easy to reach too.

Also, I know the Marl’s size is a little but up in there so here’s a pic of it next to a cuben hybrid ULA Circuit (68L).  Marl is on the left. There are some differences like the larger front pocket on the Circuit, but you can see they’re pretty comparable.

[Alex Wallace]

Looks good, Ryan. Thanks for sharing. Now go bend those frame stays!

[Ryan Smith]

Haha. Working on it. Takes me a few miles to get it right.

Ryan

[Doug Coe]

Very nice looking pack!

It’s interesting how a few added features can add up. Superior Wilderness Design’s 50L pack has VX-07 and weighs 28 oz vs 34 oz for this pack.

 

[jscott]

Still…34 ounces for such a large pack…pretty darn good.

1) how does it carry a bear canister?

2.) how well do the stays transfer weight to you hips? This has always been the killer for me: this style pack collapsing weight onto my shoulders. Even just 25 pounds or so.  But I don’t have a lot of experience with lots of packs like this.

[Ryan Smith]

”

1) how does it carry a bear canister?

2.) how well do the stays transfer weight to you hips? This has always been the killer for me: this style pack collapsing weight onto my shoulders. Even just 25 pounds or so.  But I don’t have a lot of experience with lots of packs like this.”

Jeffrey-

1) Would have to be vertical if inside which is common for these mid-size packs. It would need some help in carrying on top since only one top strap.

2) Most of these ~2lb packs are fairly comfortable up to about 35lbs from what I gather. I only have real experience with a Circuit, Exped Lightning and this pack for carrying any weight over 20lbs. The Exped did the best at weight transfer and the Circuit/Marl are pretty similar. If I consistently carried 30-40lbs I would take the additional one pound penalty and get a Seek Outside or Osprey Exos.

[Brad Rogers]

Ryan-

I have a 21.5″ torso, so like you if I got a Marl, I would probably opt for the XL Torso.  It looks like the frame doesn’t go up high enough to make the load lifters functional on the XL Torso (A seemingly common problem on packs’ largest torso size)

What is the actual weight of your Marl (and Circuit if you don’t mind).

Can you compare and contrast the Marl and Circuit?

Thanks!

 

 

[Philip Tschersich]

I’ve seen a few references to the frame (meaning the aluminum stays, I assume) not extending up as high as the load lifter attachment point on the XL pack. Is this true? How far short of the LL attachment point do the aluminum stays stop? What is the distance on that XL pack from the lower edge of the back panel (i.e., the bottom edge of the hip belt) to the LL attachment point? @Ryan- what size Circuit is the Marl sitting next to? It looks like an XL also.

[Alex H]

I am also interested in the weight of the XL with a large belt.  I not sure I believe the 34 oz. weight.  The website says a regular with a small hipbelt is 37.6 oz.  I am sure that an XL with larger belt is well over 40 oz.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I’m not sure where that 34oz spec came from but I expect it is for the XL is “stripped” or “frameless” mode, and then the frame stays add another ~5oz.

[Graham F]

Doug for reference, I have the Long Haul 50 all in black VX21 (which sounds the same as the Marl here) except for the back mesh pocket, it is 880 grams (31 ounces for you in the US) on the knocker. It would not carry the heavier loads the Marl would I don’t reckon by a long shout.

Dan, for what it’s worth, I agree with Ryan, I have Dyneema 210 on pockets on another sack but got VX21 pockets to go all black (your sack looks brilliant Ryan by the way!) on the Long Haul, much stiffer but seems good. I keep some scroggin and a one litre bottle in one and an Inreach and one litre bottle in the other.

I would be interested to know what your Marl weighs Ryan, not from a critical perspective, just from an academic standpoint. I seriously considered one myself. Thanks for posting matey.

 

 

 

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

The SWD Long Haul packs look good if you’re mostly carrying lighter loads. The biggest downside of the Marl is that it’s beefy construction (e.g. bottom edging, using VX21 even for the extension collar) and more capable frame (e.g. horizontal strut) add ounces. I think if you’re often above 30 lbs and occasionally hitting 40 then that’s good, but if you’re mostly walking around 15 – 25 lbs then you can get a lighter pack that will work nicely.

[Ryan Smith]

Brad,

My Circuit with Large torso weighs 34oz, while my XL torso Marl weighs 41oz.  Both torso lengths are very similar, seems only the classification by the manufacturers differ.  A little comparison between the two packs:

Hipbelts: Circuit is the winner hands down. The padding is thicker, pockets are larger and the buckle system is better(dual adjustment plus “pull-in” feature to tighten).

Load carrying capacity: Tie. I’ve had 38lbs in the Circuit and 30lbs in the Marl.  Both were moderately comfortable at those weights. The Marl’s stay system is slightly better while the Circuit’s more heavily padded hipbelt and shoulder straps are nice.

Ergonomics, fit, finish, etc: Circuit wins. The front pocket on the Circuit is larger and more useful. The Circuit’s buckles are more industry standard (although I think Hanchor has addressed this in v2 of the Marl). Build quality is the same IMO. Side pockets are very similar.

Fabric: Winner depends on your priorities. The cuben hybrid is perfect for me because it’s lighter, doesn’t retain water and almost as waterproof as VX21. However, it is also expensive and more delicate. One of the reasons I got the Marl is for it’s more burly yet still waterproof fabric. The 210d nylon in the standard Circuit is well known so I won’t go into details about it.

If you need the Marl’s durable fabric, that’s the way to go. It’s a very nice pack. If you don’t, and want to save $25, go with the Circuit. IMO, YMMV, etc etc.

PS – Yeah, the load lifters are mostly just good for pulling the weight more over your center of gravity on both packs.

Ryan

[Philip Tschersich]

So the size XL Hanchor has a shorter backpanel than the size L ULA.

Wacky.

[Alex H]

For those who regularly carry loads over 30# (pack rafters, desert walkers, etc) I would again recommend the Elemental Horizons Kalais it has the best thought out suspension of all the packs I have looked at (not including the SO Divide, which is a different animal), it is a few ounces heavier in VX21 XPac which is a dear $100 more, but the standard 300X400D fabric is burly but not as waterproof comes in at 44 oz. for my large/large.  Here are my thoughts on all those packs with more details on the Kalais suspension that are not obvious from his website (long V stay, load lifters that attach to the top of the stay, adjustable shoulder harness, four pull hipbelt line ULA, and more.

[Ethan A.]

Alex I’ve had your excellent blog article bookmarked for some time and regularly share it with friends – it’s a fantastic resource. Thank you for updating it.

Ryan thank you for sharing the comparison with the Circuit and photo.

Here’s some info and a photo from Hanchor. Like many cottage makers, I find them very sincere and helpful:

“The length of the padding on M belt is about 30.”

On an XL, does the frame extend up to the load lifters?
“YES! Here we take a photo for you and you can see the allocation of load lifters and the stays. You are right, no matter what size it is, the top of load lifter and the stays are anchored to the edge of the frame. The stays are just next to the load lifter, so it indeed helps when you pull the load forward. But they are not overlapping because it will be too thick to reinforce properly.”

“Sizing (torso XL/hipbelt M):
Frameless mode (includes hipbelt and sternum strap): 1051g
Vertical aluminum stays(2 pcs): 140g
Lateral aluminum stays: 31g

Sizing (torso L/hipbelt S):
Frameless mode (includes hipbelt and sternum strap): 974g
Vertical aluminum stays(2 pcs): 130g
Lateral aluminum stays: 31g

hope this information helps. Thanks again for contacting us.”

[Alex H]

Ethan A, thanks for the information and the clarification on the frame details.  Looks like the pack that would fit me comes in at 44 oz. (XL with M hipbelt)

[Pedestrian]

Interesting discussion and comparison between the Marl, Circuit and Kalais.

I’ve owned a pack in VX42 (Seekoutside). I got it mainly since it’s billed as “rugged” for cross country encounters with Sierra granite. From my experience the VX42 pack has a couple of holes from scraping rock – so I’m not sure it’s as “rugged” as it is made out to be. This after perhaps four cross country trips. I’m guilty of not being super careful with the my pack but for comparison I also have an ancient North Face pack (made of Cordura 210D?) that I’ve abused much more  on similar terrain over a much longer period of time (at least 20 trips and a day pack on many more hikes over 15 years) and it shows no signs of wear except on the mesh pockets (no surprise there). The VX42 is certainly waterproof but at least in my experience not as durable.

Any thoughts? Am I missing something?

Further, if the Marl and Circuit are as similar why not just a get a Circuit (in the standard Robic) for $235? It also seems to have a better hipbelt and better hipbelt pockets. Robic appears to be quite durable.

 

 

 

[Brad Rogers]

I can’t comment on VX42 but X21 isn’t as abrasion resistant as 210d Dyneema Grid in my experience, at least on granite or sandstone. It is waterproof however, and it has a slicker face so it seems to handle brush pretty well.

[Doug Coe]

Brad—That’s interesting to hear about x21. Do you mean VX21? Though it might be the same on the exterior.

I’m thining of making a pack out of V15 which is likely to be even less abrasion resistant. Hmm.

[Brad Rogers]

X21 is a 210d nylon face, the polyester X grid and a .5mil PET layer and is 4.4oz per sq. yard

VX21 is a 210 nylon face, polyester X grid, .25mil PET layer and a 50d polyester liner and is 6oz per sq. yard.

The face fabric of the two is the same.

[Doug Coe]

Brad—Thanks, that’s what I thought. The new V15 at ripstopbytheroll.com has just a 150d face (and no X grid), so it’s lighter (4.8 oz/yd) but not as tough.

[BCap]

The xpac fabrics have a pretty stiff feel to them.  In some ways that is great, but a side effect of it is probably that it makes the fabric more susceptible to certain types of wear.  Stiffer materials will concentrate stress to smaller areas.  So dropping/scraping your fully loaded pack with taught  fabric on a sierra nevada feldspar will probably do more damage than a similar material with a softer hand.  This is just a theory.

Having said that, my vx42 olive SO Divide has no holes after quite a bit of travel in the sierra nevada — I don’t baby it, but I am also careful to not be rough with it.  I actually kinda wish I’d gone for the vx21 fabric instead since I think the vx42 has been overkill.  If I were looking for a pack to drag across granite I would not choose an xpac fabric pack.

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