Quick look: Gossamer Gear Type II 26 Summit Pack
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Finding the perfect day pack has been an endless search. I went over my flock of day packs and decided to unload them and try the Gossamer Gear Type II 26 Summit Pack. I have always preferred a slightly larger day pack; the 15-18 liter crowd has always felt limited and ride high and bounce-y like a rabid raccoon on my back and this 26 liter model looked better.
Here are the specs from the Gossamer Gear web site at https://www.gossamergear.com/collections/backpacks/products/type-ii-26-summit-pack
Weight (may vary slightly)
15.1 oz / 428 g complete (approximate may vary slightly) [16 ounces on my scale]
.9 oz / 25 g removable foam pad
14.2 oz / 402 g pack onlySize and Capacity
19″ x 11.5″ x 7″ in / 36 x 60 cm
1400 c.i. / 23 l. Main body
1562 c.i. / 26 l. TotalMaterials
Custom 210 Robic Nylon/Extreema grid
Supreme air mesh harness
Custom nylon webbingFirst of all, my pet peeve with most UL day packs is the shoulder strap design. Loaded to capacity, they will collapse and simulate a 15th Century torture device. IMHO, Gossamer Gear is one of the few that make a light pack with comfortable shoulder straps. This one works. The width is good at 2.75″ and the perforated 3-d mesh foam wraps well and has enough traction to carry it on one shoulder which is a bonus for urban use as well as when retrieving items on the move.
The ends of the shoulder straps have a mating buckle. I haven’t seen this before and I assume it is to create a belly band of sorts. I’m 5’10”, 205 lbs and a 46″ chest and found that arrangement too small as well as having minimal function, so I simply removed the buckles. A smaller person might like the extra stability and corral the extra webbing.
There is a sternum strap on vertical sliders mounted on 6″x5/8″ webbing, an elastic section in the cross strap for a little give and an emergency whistle in the buckle.
There are webbing loops at the bottom corner to add an accessory waist belt with pockets (the Fast Belt https://www.gossamergear.com/products/fast-belt) for an additional $21. I have some Tom Bihn hardware around and their simple $10 webbing belt will fit this pack as well as a $30 padded version.
This is a top loading pack with a drawstring and toggle. There is a very good top pocket that turns into a self-stowing stuff sack and a webbing hang loop inside. I would simply roll the pack for storage and I added a tiny carabiner to use that loop as a key ring clip. The zipper pulls are woven line and I added another carabiner to the outside zipper to help theft proof it by clipping to the top compression strap. That top pocket is the first place I would put a phone and the fist place a pickpocket would look.
The top pocket secures with a sliding buckle on 5/8″ webbing which continues down the front with three daisy-chain loops. There are two tool loops at the bottom seam. There are four small webbing loops on each side for gear attachment or I would imagine a bungee cord array. There are 3/8″ webbing compression straps about 4″ down from the drawstring.
The side pockets are grid fabric with elastic at the top and huge– 9″ deep and 7″ across. They will swallow a liter bottle and a windshirt with room for more.
The back panel is stretch fabric with velcro at the top to create a pocket for the removable foam pad. The panel is roughly 18″x 12″. There is a 3/4″ webbing grab/hang loop at the top.
Inside to the front is a 7″x7″ zippered pocket of stretch fabric. There is a 12″ deep x 11″ wide sleeve on the back with 3 loops mounted at the top seam 16″ off the bottom to hang a reservoir. This is a nice touch as it should handle any brand of reservoir. I added a couple mini carabiners there too.
The bottom panel is the same grid fabric as the side pockets.
That’s about it. I like the way it rides and the feature set is great. It is a good universal design and works for travel, urban commuting and backcountry day hikes. I’m keeping this one.
Note the buckles at the end of the shoulder strap webbing
Webbing loop for waist belt mounting
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