SWD SL40

[Jason McGrath]

Thanks for the report! I’ve received the new pack and taken it on a short trip. Frame is so easy to remove and replace! Even easier than my movement. I do this all the time for peak bagging.

[Nicholas P]

Tom and Jason, I’m curious how you are liking the sewn in hip belt?  I almost pulled the trigger on the Sl40 but now that the movement comes with 2 tubular frame stays,  I’m wondering if the freedom of movement of the hanging hip belt might be worth the extra weight. Also the cut of the belts are quite different , the SL40 being more narrow at the ends and only coming in one size being  28 inches of padding ( which happens to be about right for me ). Anyway any insights or comparisons between the fit ,  comfort and functionality of the two different styles if you happen to have experience with both would be great to hear.

thanks

[Jason McGrath]

I don’t have experience with any of SWD’s dual frame packs with the “floating” hip belt. I will say that the floating hip belt has a really snug and comfortable fit; I’d give it the edge. The Movement has more freedom of movement (haha) but I attributed that to the single stay. The 28in belt is perfect for me but I had knee-length strap left over strap so I cut a lot off. Dual stays are better for side to side stability. My movements frame (terminating underneath the belt) is slightly more challenging to remove than the SL40. This might have changed with the dual stay design though.

Edit for clarity: I think the main difference between the belts is how well the Movement’s belt makes strong contact with your body all the way around your torso, kind of like a custom fitted belt. With the sewn-in, I can get more of the sensation that the belt is sliding down with weight vs the more secure sensation I get with the wrap around belt. I do think I only notice this by comparison and forget about it a few minutes into the hike.

[Tom M]

Me personally I prefer the sewn in belt on the sl40. I’ve used the pack for some long and technical Nordic ski trips where flexibility is paramount and never felt any discomfort. I think the larger more flexible belt like I have on my big wild works great on that pack because it’s primarily used for winter, packraft, and hunting trips when I’m carrying 50+ lbs of gear.

On a side note I just ordered the new SL50 and will be testing it on a thru hike of the GDT  in August/September

[Nicholas P]

 

Jason and Tom , thanks guys for your thoughtful responses!Good data to have.

I think I am reluctantly leaning toward the floating belt of the movement despite being more attracted to the minimalism and reduced weight of the ls40. Ideally what I would really want I guess is a hybrid of the two packs.

My dilemma with the movement is I’m kind of between the  hip belt sizes 26 and 30. I have a small 26 inch (of padding) replacement ULA hip belt on my SO Flight 2 pack that remedied the slipping and poor load transfer that I experienced with the Flight 2 belt and it has worked well but I think just maybe another  inch to inch and a half of padding could have added some comfort, while the medium I think would have been to big. I always find with hip belts that I need to size down from the recommended sizing of what my measurements would suggest to prevent hip belt slippage with a weighted pack. I think this is because the measurements through my waist and hips are about the same not leaving much for it to grab, plus this is also where I store just a bit of extra fat which I think helps enable some slipping.
I guess maybe I should reach out to Brandon and see what he suggests, I wonder if he would do a custom sized hip belt that would fall between small and medium.

 

[Nicholas P]

Update: I reached out to Brandon and Ashley at SWD about getting a custom  hip belt . They said they could do a custom length sewn in hip belt on  the SL ,or for a 10 dollar charge and about a 2 to three ounce weight penalty they could customize the SL with a full wrap floating  belt,  but I would have to  go with one of their standard sizes. They would not do a custom length in the full wrap belt (which is understandable because I assume they pre-make these in large batches).They also informed me that with the full wrap option it would   have the torso adjustability of the long haul packs.

After a bit of hemming and hawing I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the full wrap option  in 100x. I got a bottom pocket  and a venom mesh upper side pocket,   venom for the front pocket – oh yeah and a zipper hip belt pocket  (had the zipperless one in the cart but in the end I wasn’t brave enough to to go through with it ).

Anyway it does feel good to have finally made a decision on this pack. Now I just need to hurry up and wait 18 weeks ,what will I  possibly do in the mean time? IDK , “F*€k it Dude, I guess let’s go backpacking! ”

[Rob Daly]

Nicholas, Tom, Jason, any updates now that you may have more experience with these packs? I’m looking at the SWD packs and trying to decide between the Movement and the SL line up.

[Jason McGrath]

I’m still loving my SL 40 with the tall side pocket. Only two things I would consider changing: a larger (not the tall) pocket on the other side of the pack and perhaps a move up to the SL 50. I’m not sure I’d do either, as the 40 has worked for every trip and I’m unlikely to pack a bear can on the inside of either. It’s the absolute best size for a pack that can do big trips and side missions, and the frame comes out so easily. There are limitations to this kind of frame-the pack will barrel when stuffed, but that’s a trade off I’m okay with. Again, the frame goes in and out so easily that you might actually do it regularly. The belt webbing is a little narrow and buckle is really small. I wouldn’t mind that being a little wider/bigger for more comfort.

[Tom M]

Rob,

I have owned a lot of different packs throughout the years and my SL40 and SL50 are the most comfortable by far. I put these packs through the AZT, Bob Open, Colorado trail, and lots of other local trips last year. After the AZT the sl40 worked great but i wanted the ability to do a bit longer food carries (7-8 days) so Brandon build me a sl50 and it fits my objectives perfectly. 30lbs in these packs feel like nothing. I’m heading back to the AZT this spring and will be bringing the SL50. 

[Rob Daly]

I’m glad to hear you guys are enjoying your backpacks. Interesting that you both mentioned the SL50 which SWD doesn’t advertise.  I’d like to be able to carry a small bear canister inside my pack and that size could be just what I need. And space for extra clothes in the shoulder seasons would be nice too. I don’t know if the SL40 would be able to do that for me.

Again, thanks Jason and Tom for the updates! Much appreciated….I’m really looking forward to supporting fellow Michiganders.

[Nicholas P]

Hey Rob , sorry for the delayed response. Unfortunately I haven’t had much of a chance to truly give the pack a proper test and fully form my opinion on it.While I did receive it back in October that  same week I also received a somewhat minor but very pesky LCL tear in my knee which put a damper on my backpacking for a bit and caused me to cancel the trip that I had in mind for it. I did however manage to get it out on an overnight trip and a couple test hikes.
So far I think it is an excellent pack it carries very well and is quite comfortable. Although it probably wasn’t necessary I was happy with my decision to get the floating hip belt I think for me coming from mostly using my novum 40 which is a frameless running vest style pack I liked that I was able to preserve some of the great hip mobility of a vest pack in going to a framed pack.

I think this would be a great pack for a lot of people that have pretty dialed in kits but still want or need a capable frame system. However, for me even though I think the pack is awesome the jury is still out on if it’s right for me , I’m wondering if for my use this pack might fill to small of a niche or even none at all. I think if I was going to do it over again I would  get a 50 liter because the 40 main pack volume was a bit smaller than I was expecting, I can fit considerably more in my novum 40 but the use case for the Sl for me was not to replace my novum (love the novum) but for it to take over if I was going a little heavier. That is difficult task for it  since the SL has less volume than the Novum and while I rarely fill the Novum to its max I also don’t usually max out its comfort limit so really it would be ideal for me if the two packs could trade volumes.

I think if I did move up to a 50l I might reconsider the bottom pocket to offset some of the weight and also because of the shape of the pack ( bottom comes to a point at the bottom of the frame) it ends up being more of a lower front pocket which makes access a little more difficult than if it was more of a flat bottomed pack because you have to reach around the pack more than under it. Also  I would have to think long and hard about whether to go Sl50 or movement 50. While I had no issues with the SL shoulder straps I think the movement shoulder straps look like they may be wider and shaped a little nicer, I think I might just have a little shoulder strap FOMO. Also if I was to forgo the bottom pocket it would probably be nice to have the larger side pockets of the movement 50.

 

[Jason McGrath]

I meant to include this above: I would definitely move to the SL50 if I didn’t store my tent in the huge (custom) tall side pocket. Especially if I wanted to store a DCF tent that might not as easily fit in the outside pocket, and would need to go inside. I’ve done multiple 4-day food carries with room to spare, and I’m sure I could add 2-3 days. It’s pretty space-optimized though, I also carry water on both shoulder straps and use the big zipperless belt pockets. Definitely consider the 50 if you like a little extra space.

[Rob Daly]

Thanks Nicholas and Jason for the great feedback. I also would probably go with the 50 liter. I might contact Brandon and see if I can stop by the shop the next time the wife and I go up north. We’re headed up next month for some snowshoeing and they’re not too far from where we go. It’s so difficult to figure out what’s best for you without seeing it in person, especially when placing a custom order and having to wait 4 months. Thanks again guys.

[Sam E]

 ” difficult to figure out what’s best for you without seeing it in person, when placing a custom order and having to wait 4 months”
I know from experience that if you do have a fit or other issue and need to replace a pack, they will turn around the replacement much quicker.  I needed to exchange my med Long Haul for a large, and they turned it around in ~3 weeks (IIRC) last Spring, their busy season.  Of course, if the pack you order has custom options, it’s not returnable.

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