Pack suggestions for my needs

If the CDT is just slightly too small I don’t think you need 60L. The MLD Prophet is a little larger than a CDT and a very functional pack at a minimal weight. I didn’t find mine comfortable at 22-23# total pack weight last summer. YMMV but I think I have decided that I want a minimal frame at that weight.

@matthew. Do the MLD packs have stretch front mesh pockets?

MLD puts a pleated mesh pocket on the Prophet. It’s more similar to the pocket on the Circuit than the CDT.

I’m happy with my Zpacks Arc Blast at around 20 oz. It is really excellent carrying 17 to 12 lbs or so. Just ok at 24 lbs.

. LITEAF CURVE . 40L body plus an additional 10+ liters of external pockets totaling 50L of pack space, Designed to comfortably carry around 20 LBS. With hip belt around 25 LBS

I have a ULA Relay which from what I heard became the ULA CDT. It has no mesh pocket on the back, just some small pockets and a bungie for lashing. I sewed on a piece of lycra spandex to make the small pockets into one big back pocket. I sewed it on with a needle and thread, which with doubled thread, is really strong. Since your pack has a rear mesh pocket, you could sew on a piece of lycra to the mesh pocket make a pocket on top of the pocket. Then you would have greatly expanded capacity without having to even poke holes in the pack fabric like I had to do. A good source of the right weight of spandex is thrift stores. A lot of ladies clothing, skirts and dresses, is made of the stuff. You can find wild designs and plain black pretty easily.

I have found ULA pack sizes to be way off compared to other packs – they claim larger volume that they actually are is my feeling. So, I would not judge what you need based on ULA pack sizes.

I would recommend  (second) the MLD Prophet – has great shoulder straps. I got mine without hip belt and use a fanny pack to move some of the weight into the fanny pack. So, if you are at 24 lbs currently, you can easily move 2 to 3 lbs into the fanny pack and get to 21 lbs on your shoulders in the MLD Prophet. It has lots of space – I can easily fit 6 days of food and the usual other stuff – EE quilt – 20 deg, Zpacks Altaplex etc and I still have plenty of room.

I also have a MLD Exodus with the hip belt and I can carry 25 lbs in it using the hip belt comfortably. Though I like the MLD Prophet without hip belt and with the fanny pack set up.

The packs have a pretty tough mesh with the borders made of fabric.

@ Murali C : so you are saying the exodus is roughly same liters as the circuit and the prophet like the ohm2?

I’m a fan of the SWD Long Haul 50 (they also have a 40L version if you want a bit smaller) which has a nice suspension and can be had as low as 23oz in DCF.   The Z-Packs Arc Blast should also be on your short list, and it’s lighter, though the suspension is more complicated and less durable than the SWD.

The Prophet is comparable to Ohm2 in size – though I feel that the Prophet packs much better than Ohm2. I had a Ohm2 with a roll top that I sold. Prophet is 30 inches tall. Ohm2 roll top is a little thick while Prophet’s roll top is narrower.

The Exodus is 35 inches tall – it is huge. I had tested a Circuit more than 2 years back – so don’t know if Exodus is comparable to Circuit. According to ULA, difference between Ohm2 and Circuit is 5L while Exodus is 10L bigger than Prophet. I trust MLD’s size much better than ULA’s.

I wish ULA would provide their length, width, height of their packs like other manufacturers.

Another way to check if a backpack will fit is by stacking your gear vertically and measuring the height and subtracting some inches when you squish the gear down – Prophet is 30 inches and Exodus is 35 inches.

Agreed that it would be nice if the dimensions were on their site. If you email ULA they will tell you the approximate dimensions of their packs they will tell you with the disclaimer that the packs have lots of tapers and curves.

CDT 22x12x7

Fastpack 17x11x7

I’m pretty sure the Ohm 2.0 is significantly larger than a Prophet. My son has a larger kit than I do and it fits well into his Ohm whereas mine fits tightly in the Prophet. I’m guessing it’s a 10 liter difference.

Would you have the dimensions of the Ohm 2 by any chance? I don’t have the bag anymore – else I could have compared the two.

Since the CDT is 22x12x7 and it is tight for OP, the Prophet should fit nicely as it is 30x12x7. The Exodus will definitely be great at 35x12x7. And the Exodus can scrunch down to Prophet size very well. I use the two bags on and off and the only difference between Prophet and Exodus is the 5 inch difference in height.

If you just multiply 22x12x7 of the CDT, it comes to 30.3 L. ULA lists it at 54 liters – meaning the side pockets/front mesh are almost 24L which doesn’t make sense.

If you multiply 30x12x7 of the Prophet – you get 41.3L and MLD lists it as 48L for entire bag which is more realistic.