Simple Pack

[Derek Weeks]

I just saw that Simple Pack is back up for sale! Can’t wait to try one out!

[Rex Sanders]

That didn’t last long:

— Rex

[Ken Thompson]

Wow.

[Brando Sancho]

Reddit said they had 100 for sale. Just made some nice coin.

[Matthew / BPL]

Preorders for the next round are up. Shipping in 3 weeks. Now available in three different torso lengths.

[Michael F]

To anyone bummed about these being sold out…yes they are a lot cheaper, but if you don’t mind spending the money you could buy an almost identical (save for a few features like the bottom pocket) HMG Southwest

I mean buying this pack is like buying a HMG SW for a much better price so I understand the demand and excitement but to anyone super bummed they are sold check out the HMG SW (if you haven’t already heard of it, which I’m sure almost everyone has so this post was likely redundant)

[Derek Weeks]

I own the SW HMG backpack and yes it’s nice, but the weight alone  put it in a different category then the sample pack. Plus HMG pack has the thinnest shoulder straps I’ve ever seen, which is kind of a deal breaker for me, because I don’t want to use a hipbelt. I wish HMG the best, but me personally   experience with them I will not buy anything from them in the near future. I don’t understand why they charge people to not add things to their pack like hipbelt pockets it’s  ridiculous.

 

[Rex Sanders]

Pa’lante Packs Simple Pack versus HMG Southwest 2400 white, just the important stuff:

Weight: 11.9 oz vs 28.6 oz (more than 1 pound higher!)
Padded hip belt with pockets: No vs Yes
Removable back panel stays: No vs Yes
Non-removable padded back panel: No vs Yes
Bottom pocket: Yes vs No
Shoulder strap pockets: Yes vs No
Mfr volume: 40 liters vs 50 liters
Mfr load capacity: under 20 lbs vs 40 lbs
Cost: $220 vs $300

I don’t think these are comparable packs, even though I love my HMG Windrider 2400.

— Rex

[Kevin B]

Yup, what Rex said….

I’ve followed Andrew and John since they began and it does seem like the cult following is growing and growing.  I imagine there could be some bulk buying and reselling going on due to the rare supply run and huge demand.  Zpack zero and hmg 2400 will get their 5th season if I can’t get my hands on this goldilocks of a pack (non cuben version)

[Luke F]

I don’t understand why they charge people to not add things to their pack like hipbelt pockets it’s  ridiculous.

I can sympathize, it is horribly disruptive to production flow, while it sounds like it should be cheaper it really does cost them money to make changes, even subtractive ones.

 

I will admit to being a little mystified by the Palante Cult, but I bet all of the smaller cottage pack makers are getting tired of requests for stretchy bottom pockets about now ;)

[Matthew / BPL]

The appeal of Palante’s product seems pretty simple to me. They are making a lightweight small pack with a couple nice features (the shoulder pockets and the under pockets) that appeal to some people and not others. I will concede that the pack is relatively expensive compared to similar packs but they do offer a couple of features that are not available elsewhere.

I still hesitate to purchase a pack without a hipbelt because I like to use one when my TPW is closer to 20 pounds. When I don’t want the belt I just clip it behind me or remove it for that trip. I noticed the following on their site last night:

“No hipbelt?!?! Hiking without a hipbelt often simply feels better. You feel freer, can breath easier, stay cooler in hot environments, and when your pack is light enough you just don’t need a hipbelt anymore. Both Andrew and I prefer to hike without a hipbelt, as do many lightweight hikers with tens of thousands of trail miles behind them (Ray Jardine, Scott Williamson, Tatu Jo, Lint, Dirtmonger, Charlie Dayhiker…). If your total packweight is nearly always in the teens, we would definitely recommend trying it. For many, a hipbelt enhances their experience and this pack is not right for them (but we’re working on something for those people, too…”

I’ve decided to hold off on a purchase from Palante until that option becomes available. In the mean time, I’m going to try a different option out.

[Rob P]

@Luke – I think Palante is employing pretty excellent business practices for a brand that is on the smaller end of an already relatively small industry and that is creating their cult following.  They are pumping out excellent and genuine marketing material via YouTube, aligning themselves with younger hikers that are out there and putting a cap on supply to create a stronger demand for tomorrow.  They are also employing thoughtful design additions to a classic pack style.  It really reminds me of the earlier years of Supreme (skate clothing brand out of NY).

They seem to be doing a great job storytelling about and speaking to the core of the future audience.

Without being a fly on their wall, I could imagine these are some of the elements that are developing their cult following.

[John Brewer]

The problem is that even though they build a great product, if there is no supply the demand will go to their competition. They need to strike while the iron is hot and get serious about production otherwise their brand will fizzle out.

[Derek Weeks]

Love the new pack and the Scout bear canister fits easy with plenty room for my gear setup.

The bottom pocket is my favorite feature. I like the shoulder pockets, but I find it hard to remove my camera RX 100, but may just need to get use to it (John Z use the RX 100 and he keeps in the shoulder pocket.) The IPHONE 7 fits the shoulder pocket just fine not hard to remove at all.

I own the MLD Burn which is an awesome pack, so I’m glad to see the Simple Pack made the shoulder straps thick and comfortable like the Burn.

 

[Gerry B.]

One of the other attractive features of the Simple Pack is the X-Pac VX03 and VX07 fabric.  I have a KS-Ultralite pack made out of VX07 and I like it a lot more than the fabric on my HMG Southwest, Cuben Composite.  The VX07 is lighter and seems to be more abrasion resistent and just as waterproof.

 

[Scott Kilcoyne]

My review of mine….I like it….a lot.

Thank you.

[Ryan T]

I thought I’d also bring up KS Ultralight. After putting mine through the paces I’m impressed. It looks like a KS 40 is also around 11-12 oz without accessories. Seems like it’s something to consider.

 

[Steven Hall]

What do the KS ultralights run?

[Ryan T]

Looks like $160 shipped for the ones with hip belt. Probably less for the sul ones without. He has a ton of custom options though. I think mine was ~$200 with pad for my dog, dyneema, ice axe loops, etc. Man that dyneema is tough! I do a lot of off trail bush whacking stuff and it doesn’t even have a scratch on it.

http://www.ks-ultralightgear.com/p/ks-3.html

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

“The VX07 is lighter and seems to be more abrasion resistent and just as waterproof.”

With regards to the waterproofness of VX07 vs hybrid cuben, my experience is that both of these fabrics start off entirely waterproof except for the seams (obviously).

However, a key difference is that it’s much easier to seam seal the hybrid cuben because the plastic layer is exposed on the inside of the pack, whereas VX07 has an inner layer of nylon covering it up. This inner nylon is great for protecting the waterproof plastic layer, but it also makes it basically impossible to seam seal, because water can wick through this nylon and around the area you’ve seam sealed. So you’re never going to get it as waterproof.

My experience is that if a pack has a fairly simple design (only a few seams), then un-seamsealed fabric (XPac or Cuben) is good enough in decent rains, but if the pack has a lot of seams then it’s going to leak quite a bit. In this case, hybrid cuben is going to easily win as it seam seals much better/easier. For example, while I love my Hanchor Marl pack, HMG packs are easily more water resistant out of the box and would continue to be so even if I seam sealed the Marl.

A final consideration is long term durability of the waterproofness. Since the plastic is exposed inside hybrid cuben packs, it’s fairly easy to wreck. If you shove pointy objects in, it’s not that hard to wind up with visible damage to the plastic in short order. Even my wife, who takes extremely good care of her gear, had a pretty haggard inside of her HMG pack after about 200 days of use. Conversely, since VX07 is protected inside by another nylon layer I expect the waterproofing will have at least double the lifespan.

I don’t have much to add on the Palante packs, but they look nice. I too prefer to use no hipbelt when the load is under 20 lbs.

[Nick B]

Took my 21″ torso Simple for a little 5 mile test hike yesterday.  Pack weight was right at 15 lbs (had a couple of field guides in there).

Almost totally enamored with the pack.  The extra pockets are perfect.  I thought the bottom pocket would take some getting used to but it didn’t. Super well thought out, right down to the smaller access on the left side in which to shove food wrappers and such.  One thing I didn’t think about, adding bulky items to the bottom pocket extends the length of the pack (duh).  At first, I had my snacks and a field manual for identifying flowers in there, but I felt that the thick book made the pack a bit too long for me.

Interestingly, it looks like John Z and I are the same height but he uses the 18″ torso pack.  No doubt that would allow him to use the bottom pocket with bulkier items.

Shoulder pockets are great. NO BOUNCE! It was a bit difficult to get my Galaxy S5 in its Otterbox in and out of the pocket but that was mostly because there is a lot of friction between the rubber Otterbox and the pocket material. I doubt it would be an issue with the bare phone.

Now, my one gripe.  The shoulder straps feel like they are too close together.  I’m really hoping that I get used to this or the straps break in and the issue goes away. The distance between the top of the shoulder straps where they attach to the pack measures 1.75″ on the Simple vs. 2.875″ on my MLD Burn. With a collared shirt it’s not that noticeable, but when shirtless or wearing a tank top I notice the straps rubbing my neck.  At this point it’s just a nitpick but it could  become an issue on longer days.  Like I said, hopefully I get used to it because everything else about this pack is perfect!

[john shultz]

The budget foldable version of that simple pack, I believe, is this:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/40L-Outdoor-Waterproof-Men-Women-Lightweight-Foldable-Convenient-Backpack-Sport-Camping-Hiking-School-Backpacks-for-Girls/32671079515.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.dQvv81

[Matthew / BPL]

I don’t understand the comparison.

[Luke F]

I have a question about the shoulder strap pockets; is the sternum strap fixed or is the pocket open at the side?

The sternum strap/pocket conflict has always seemed to be something that was hard to overcome, I remember several packs trying to put a stretchy pocket above the sternum strap (like my Granite Gear Crown VC) that was never good for much, if they’ve cracked that nut then that alone is an evolutionary step that we may see in the wider market for some time to come.

My personal prediction is that the bottom pocket will maintain only a niche appeal, but better strap pockets seem to have the potential for wide acceptance.

[Link .]

. Palante Simple Pack review by Lint

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