Pondering a new backpack. Light, but not UL.

thats a good starting list but put the kakwa on your list too.

Seek Outside packs seem to be able to carry some weight and are a little bit more than UL. No personal experience though.

another vote for Durston kakwa

I have a HMG Porter that I’ve used for 6 years but went with the Kakwa 55 last year for a number of reasons. It’s only minus is it’s depth. At mid-pack the Porter is 7 inches, the Kakwa is 5.5 inches. Despite the difference it works fine with my load.

Ryan did an excellent review of the Kakwa 40. He reported that he could start to feel pressured from the hip belt at around 28 pounds. Being a bit younger, I think his tolerance may be a bit higher than mine. Much respect to Dan, he mentioned on Reddit that there was a sacrifice in padding in order to keep the weight down. An improvement over the HMG, I fear it may not be enough for my old aching bones. The Seek Outside I think is geared more towards hunters carrying game. The ULA has a bit more padding, though a few reviews claim the Kakwa is more comfortable. I’m leaning towards  SWD. More adjustability on the hip belt. However they report a lead time of 5 months. The vest style packs look interesting for better weight distribution. Fewer pressure points. Not a lot of volume though. I prefer not compressing my quilt too much.

I love my SWD Big Wild 70. Loaded up with my packraft and gear for a week, or just a weekend outing, it carries well and is probably my favorite pack I’ve ever owned. I also really like my Zpacks Nero, but that is for trips where my weight is 10-15 pounds for the entire trip.

My odometer is ticking over to a 6 soon and I’ve carried 33lbs to start 8 days in the kakwa 55 with ~ 100% of the weight on my hips with no issue, but these things are so personal

The Kakwa sounds like an excellent pack. My personal odometer will  soon hit 69. After getting X-rays around 20 years ago, the doctor told me that I shouldn’t carry weight on my back. Of course I changed doctors. It’s when I’m not exerting myself that my back hurts. Wearing a backpack actually gives me more support. I don’t hike without poles or I don’t go very far. Except for the last couple of years, my HMG has worked well up to around 25 pounds. Lately I find myself putting off more and more trips. I have a smaller custom made pack that actually carries the weight much better but it’s only 36 liters which I find a little small. I’m not only looking at the present time, but also 5, hopefully another 10+ years down the road. Not to discount the Kakwa, only to know and to work with my limitations. Hike or die.

While it is not the current “it” backpack, I am extremely happy with the ZPacks arc haul 55L which carries 20-25 lbs like it’s nothing.  At 28 lbs it was good but I think that is it’s real-life limit.

Also not the current bling, but I have a Granite Gear Crown 60 whose hipbelt I love and it carries 20-25 very nicely and for a great price. The current model is both more adjustable and more modular.

Of course I changed doctors

LOL, sounds luxurious (having a doctor)

I need something that carries on hip comfortably too, from shoulder injuries.   A few years back I did a big search but given exchange, duty and shipping, some smaller US cottage brands were out of reach

The Kakwa hip belt can dig in at high loads, but OTOH suffers alot less from compression than an HMG so should be less sore on the shoulders.

There’s the Zpacks Arc Haul but its also supposed to have a lightly padded hip belt

I flat out hated the Osprey Exos, its hip belt was a torture rack

I read review of the ULA hip belt collapsing under heavier loads and lots of comfort complaints at 30 lbs

The Seek Outside Gila is reported to have a comfortable belt, but its getting up there in weight (3 lbs or more).  The Flight seems to compress more under load

Heard good things about comfort with the 6 moon designs Swift X

Reviews of the Gossamer Gear Mariposa and Crown2 are all over the map, mostly good with reports teh Crown can carry a few more lb at the same comfort, the Mariposa was popular on the AT

The SWD looks like a best option for you.  This was a good review for an older version.  Maybe buy a used pack as a stop gap while waiting for the SWD?  You’ll get your money back on a used pack.

The hip belt and weight transfer on the Exped Lighting are great while not being overly heavy either.

https://www.rei.com/product/231101/exped-lightning-60-pack-mens

There’s the Zpacks Arc Haul but its also supposed to have a lightly padded hip belt

So….Yeah. Even though I said I really liked the Z-Packs Arc Haul, I didn’t like it so much until I added the optional hip belt padding. Kind of sucks that it’s an extra additional cost, but it makes a huge difference. Also important that you get the hip belt big enough that the padding wraps around past your hipbones… actually I think that’s important for the hip belt on any pack

I had that made a few years back. Some may remember Nathan with Cascade Craftworks that used to post here. Dual carbon fiber stays. DCF with XPac. More padding than the HMG. Wider belt and shoulder straps. It’s only 36 liters with no pockets so I’ve never really loaded it up. It’s a little workhorse. I put 27 pounds in it today and it wasn’t bad.

The packs that I have tried which were good above 30lbs for me in stack rank order:  McHale test pack, Seek Outdoors Flight, first generation Osprey Aether 60, ULA Catalyst.  I tried the first release of the Durston 40 (I believe there have been improvements) and found it pretty good, but after around 10 miles the hip belt started to bother me… but I need to tighten the belt more than some to keep it in position.

Packs which were good to 25lbs (for some this was the limit, others didn’t push above 25lb): Zpacks arc hauler with extra lumbar pad, the original granite gear vapor trail, hanchor marl, smd comet with pad and stays installed.

Good point about the Kakwa, I have to crank down hard on the hip belt. But I have the Y chromosome version of child bearing hips so it doesn’t bother me.

I had a heavy weight haul one weekend and tried the Aether and besides weighing a ton it creaked like mad right at my ear (drove me crazy)

I had similar circumstances as you and bought three packs to test them out. In my case, the Arc Haul was best for me, slightly ahead of the Kakwa 55. As I mentioned, packs are not equipment, they are apparel because you wear them, so try before you buy is best (if you can). Here’s the original post:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/kakwa-55-vs-ula-circuit-vs-gg-mariposa-vs-zpacks-arc-haul-best-for-comfort/page/2/#post-3820247

A proven pack that does the job for a moderate price. Very high marks from Section Hiker, Justin Outdoors and others. Roll top pack starts at 2 lb 12 oz, but leave the lid at home and you’re down to 2 lb 6 oz. One xan also remove shoulderstrap pocket and hip belt pockets. Shoulder strap harness is height adjustible for great fit. Back panel is 3D foam with mesh cover for comfort. Load lifters, large front shove it pocket, water bottle pocket cleverly located in easy to reach location between side pockets and hip belt pockets. Can easily handle 35 lb load, which my 2 buddies did on a recent base-camping trip w chairs, extra food and whiskey. Read Philip Warner’s review on Section Hiker for more on the REI Flash 55.

The Flash 55 was on my short list but there were complaints of the shoulder pad foam disintegrating and QC complaints but that may just be a side effect of it’s popularity along with Rei’s open reviews (where they often get buried elsewhere).  Also read mixed reviews on comfort over 30 lbs, but that’s personal.  Good to know it can asked to carry a heavy load.  It does seem like a good pack

I have a 50L SWD Wolverine. The SWD Wolverine is a Long Haul with a 2 inch taller frame and thicker hip belt than the standard SWD Long Haul.

For regular 30lbs+ carries, I would rate the SWD a close second behind the McHale S-Sarc I just received. The McHale makes 35 lbs (without use of the frame extensions and bypass harness) feel like I am not carrying anything relative to having 35 lbs on your back.

I think what is unique about the SWD is the hanging hip belt that fully wraps around your waist and frees your hips from the pack while providing very good support. The shoulder straps and hip belt have a more plush feel than the McHale, but for me the McHale is the most comfortable. The McHale hip belt provides more support than the SWD, which I need after getting injured in a car accident earlier this year. The SWD pack is very comfortable and carries more than 30lbs easily.

My son has a ULA Circuit that he finds comfortable, but with a single stay, more than 30lbs is probably not the pack of choice even though ULA claims it carries up to 35lbs. ULA Catalyst is probably what you want if you go with ULA.

I’ve read some people think the 40 or 45lb rating for the Kakwa is overstated and gets uncomfortable over 30lbs because of lack of padding. I’ve also read recent reports of the Kakwa hipbelt ripping as well. I wouldn’t want that happening on a trip.

One Canadian YouTube had his kakwa belt rip.  Mine and my son’s get a lot of use and have been bulletproof.  Sounding like fanboy now, enough from me on the Kakwa

S Long

Do you mind elaborating a little bit.

Do you have the 50 or the 70 liter?  Does the capacity include the top extension? Any accessories? Highest and lowest weight carried? Do you feel it’s overkill when carrying around 30 or 35 pounds? Is the Ultra 4,000 overkill? Anything else you might think of? Would you have gone with external pockets if you weren’t using it on the water? Thank you. I appreciate your review.

I’m going back and forth between the Big Wild and the Wolverine, though the Long Haul is a contender.

One Canadian YouTube had his kakwa belt rip.

I think I saw on Reddit where Dan has addressed the hip belt issue in his current line.  When something works one does tend to be a fanboy.

Of all the packs I have used I have found ULA and Seek Outside to be the most comfortable. I am not sure why Durston and HMG make the shoulder straps so thin, the more cushioning the better.

ULA Circuit Ultra or Seek Outside Flight are in the $400 range