School me on the updated ZPacks Arc Blast

David,

Do a search for Arc Haul..that will give you an idea of the progression.

Basically, the new Arc Blasts have the same suspension as the Arc Haul, hence the weight increase.

The haul added a more substantial wrap around hip belt ,direct linkage of the shoulder straps to the frame.

At this point, the only real difference between a 60l Arc Blast and the ‘Haul is the materials used.

While I realize Joe found it probably more econimical to make both pack frame designs the same to streamline production, I feel illiminating the origional design was a mistake.

IMHO most Cuben pack customers care about weight first and foremost, At 16 oz with a trampoline frame, the origional Arc Blast filled a niche that no other pack maker could offer.

At 21 oz, not so much.

Perhaps he could offer it as the “Arc Blast UL” or something..

I also have a one-generation-back version of the Arc Blast, and these are the main changes I noted when the new design came out:

The new design has a third horizontal frame bar, at the bottom in the hip belt. The hip belt is re-designed, integrating more lumbar padding. The hip belt has two wrap-around straps on each side rather than one, allowing more fine-tuning of the fit over the iliac crest. It has an adjustable torso height system, and the load lifters are attached directly to the frame at the top horizontal bar, rather than just sewn to the pack fabric.

I have 2 ‘older’ style Arc Blasts and an Arc Haul.

I agree with James L that for the Blast they should’ve just kept the older style frame and resulting lighter pack (which is why I bought another old-style Blast when I found one for sale on WB).

That said, the Arc Haul is not exactly hefty at 21oz and I have read reports that it is comfortable with much heavier loads, although I’ve thus far not carried more than about 20 lb loads with mine. One thing I noticed right away with the Arc Haul is that — for me — even with very light loads the bottom cross bar of the frame caused lumbar discomfort. This was, however, eliminated with the addition of the optional lumbar pad, which adds about 1 oz to the pack’s weight.

My wish list for Zpacks is that they start offering the Haul in smaller sizes so that 45- and 52-liter packs made with Dyneema X (and maybe even more durable materials) can be had. These might be popular with folks out West who do a lot of rock scrambling and need more durability.

Bob,

Great point about the need for extra padding for that lower frame crossbar.

I agree about the need for smaller sizes in the Arc Haul. Its easier to get to a lighter weight IMHO in a smaller pack because it limits the amount of items you are tempted to carry. Also, the smaller Arc packs are basically not as deep making them ride closer to your spine which is important in an Arched frame design.  To me, for most 3 season use, the 52 liter would be about perfect.

So does the new Arc Blast come with mesh-lined shoulder straps and hipbelt?  From the website, it looks like the hipbelt is identical to the Arc Haul, but it is hard to see whether the shoulder straps also have the mesh lining.  To me, this would be worth the slight upgrade in weight from the slippery cuben waistbelt / shoulder straps.

Regarding the lumbar pad issue, are you guys referring the older-style lumbar pad that you could get on the older Arc Blasts?  I tried out the lumbar pad on my 2013 Arc Blast and didn’t find it comfortable.

I feel like the adjustable system on the newer Arc Blasts is a plus.  My 2013 Arc Blast has never fit me quite right…as a consequence, it’s been sitting in my closet–never used it  once on a backpacking trip.  Maybe it’s just a feature of the trampoline design, but I could never get as comfortable with it as with my HMG Southwest 3400 pack.  It’s hard to describe, but the feeling I always got with my older Arc Blast is that the top of the shoulder straps were too high–this was with the shortest size they sold, I think.  My torso size (using traditional measurements) is around 16.5″, so short but not super short.  I had ZPacks move the straps down to shorten the torso further, but the problem persists somewhat…it’s hard to describe but I feel like I’m being squeezed by the trampoline and shoulder straps.

I’m curious to see if the newer Arc Blasts fit better for others who have tried both.  I really want to like the Arc Blast (because of the weight), but will likely one day sell mine since my Southwest 3400 Pack is all I use nowadays.

I believe the suspension, hip belt and shoulder strap designs are now identical on the Arc Blast and Arc Haul. The main (only?) difference now being the fabric used…Hybrid Cuben vs Dyneema X respectively.

From the Arc Blast page:

The belt and shoulder straps have 3D mesh on the underside

The pictures for each pack also show each to have the the same mesh on the belt and strap surfaces that touch your body.

From the Arc Haul page:

The Arc Haul has all the same design features as the Arc Blast, except that it is made in heavier duty 4.2 oz/sqyd Dyneema X Gridstop fabric.

I never suffered the discomfort caused by the hip belt crossbar that Bob reported, and was quite happy with the way the pack fit and rode with a 20-25 lb load, but his experience encouraged me to order the lumbar pad and try it out. I found it offered a noticeable comfort upgrade at all pack weights, and so it has remained on my pack.

If I were advising a new Arc Haul or Blast owner, I would say try the pack with the stock hip belt first, and add the pad if you think you need/want it. IMO the pad would be a no-brainer addition if you plan to periodically or routinely push the weight limits of the pack.