The most comfortable UL pack you've tried??

[Ed Tyanich]

I’ve carried 40+ very comfortably in my Exo 58 just to see how well it did. Packraft and all.

[Cameron M]

I have an older ArcBlast that is the most comfortable pack I have owned. 21 oz with shoulder and lumber additions. I can start out with 32 lbs (11 days food, liter of water, bearcan) and be OK. I do find that the frame suspension allows more airflow on my back than with frameless packs. I don’t find the frame to be a problem for tough cross-country travel. I was never able to go higher than 25 lbs with other frameless packs, and there was always some fiddling to make them work.

 

[Aaron]

The Katabatic Helios/Artemis is the most comfortable UL framed pack I have used, hands down.

[Thomas E]

So far the Bergans Helium 55L. I find it marginally better than the zpacks arc blast, but the arc blast is lighter, so I prefer the latter.

[Matthew / BPL]

2016 Kumo is very comfortable for me.

[Vincent Vilcinskas]

I’ll put in another vote for the Seek Outside Unaweep. The adjustability and weight distribution ability are amazing

[Jack]

What makes the Kumo so comfortable for all of you?

[Yoyo]

I’ve tried on probably over a dozen packs in the last 5-6 years–Gossamer Gear packs, Elemental Designs, ULA, REI, Gregory, Osprey, etc.  My Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 3400 is my current go-to pack.  I think fit is subjective, but it feels more comfy than my Arc Blast, which I want to love since it weighs about 11-12 oz less than the Southwest.

Fit is everything.

[Ken Thompson]

“Fit is everything”

+1

[Matthew / BPL]

The Kumo fits me really well and I can reach the water bottle pockets comfortably. The 1.5(?) inch seatbelt webbing belt is wide enough to take some weight transfer comfortably. The size of the pack is conducive to easy packing for me.

Ive said it before but the materials seem flimsy. I’m tempted to send mine to Zimmer and ask him to execute a copy in better materials.

[jared h]

Cilo Gear packs. Love the 30L, just ordered a 40b w/nwd. Shape, shoulder/belt, adjustment, load cinch…all works perfectly for me. Got the 30L as a dedicated alpine pack but ended up using it for everything–hiking, snow sports, cycle tours, school–and now that I need to replace my Exos, Cilo was an easy choice.

[Arne L.]

KS Ultralight KS50. I’ve tried a bunch of packs over the years but this is (at least, for me), the very best one.

The fact that it has a basic but decent frame and a lot of customization has a lot to do with it, off course.

[Dena Kelley]

For me it was the Granite Gear Vapor Trail, which I bought here used on Gearswap. Fits me perfectly in a Long (I have a freakishly long torso for a woman). It carries 30 lbs comfortably- I’ve never gone higher than that so don’t know what its limit is.

[Jeff Patrick]

I like my Seek Outside Divide. Just did a trip where I had to start out with 6 liters of water due to unknown spring conditions. Was at 31 with too much food, too much alcohol and all that water. Very comfortable at 30 and very comfortable for that last mile with no water or alcohol weight and a lot less food so 15-17 lbs-ish?

I generally have to do shorter trips due to work so its not a huge deal but I’ve found myself packing more luxury items because the weight doesn’t bother me at all with this pack. That could be an unwanted consequence for some.

[K2 Travels]

Zimmerbuilt frameless.  Custom configuration. Weighs 16oz with a GG sitlight pad. Carries amazing.

Old pack was a 2014 GG Gorilla.  Very good but much heavier at 26oz. Zimmerbuilt takes the cake.

K2

 

 

[Valerie E]

Another vote for the Seek Outside packs.  First pack that doesn’t make my (weak/damaged) shoulders hurt, carries anything I need it to, is rainproof, and makes it easy to reach my water bottles.  Can carry that – surprise! – extra 3 quarts of water for a no-water day-and-a-half, plus food for 8 days, plus all my stuff, comfortably.  Yeah, maybe it’s more pack than I need sometimes, but I only do multi-week trips, and there are usually “heavy” stretches where I can’t resupply, or long waterless stretches that cause my pack weight to jump up suddenly.

And that hipbelt!  It’s a Bentley!

[Serge Giachetti]

Gossamer Gear Kumo– Kind of nice to see all the love for this one. I’ve got the slightly older model that weighs about a lb. I prefer the taller/narrower build of the mld burn, but the padded/semi-wide shoulder straps and GG sitlight backpad are what make this one so good. The fabric also seems to be pretty tough for the weight, although I agree it doesn’t have much structure to it. This pack just conforms well to your body and moves well with you, which is something I really value for off trail/scrambling style trips. Also very livable pocket configuration.

Katabatic Artemis– If I was carrying 35+ loads on a regular basis, I may go with the seek outside, but for longer UL or winter trips, this pack is probably the best that I’ve owned (also owned granite gear, hmg, gg, golite, mld, gregory etc.). The belt and shoulder straps are nicely contoured and just padded enough. They are also nicely flexible, which helps with mobility, but maybe with a small sacrifice in load transfer. Good back ventilation/comfort. Best hipbelt pockets I’ve used, and I love the vertical zip back pocket. Makes it easy to go the whole day without having to access the main roll top compartment.

Runners up would be the gg gorilla and hmg packs. I loved my old vapour trail too, my gateway to UL.

[Ken Thompson]

“And that hipbelt! It’s a Bentley!”

lol, pretty plush.

I too have a Divide, but don’t really consider it ul. Especially compared to my beltless CDT and version 1 Ohm. And they’re not the lightest choice.

[Yoyo]

@arnel

What materials does the KS Ultralight come in?  You mentioned a frame.  What kind of frame options do you have with this pack?

@k2-travels

Do you have a pic of your Zimmerbuilt?  Do you think Zimmerbuilt can do a cuben pack around 50 L in volume with aluminum stays that weighs around 16-20 oz?  How much does he charge for his packs?

[Five Star]

+2 Kalais (both wife and myself).  A custom ZimmerBuilt is a close 2nd for me.

[Yoyo]

That’s interesting.  I never quite got my Kalais Pack to fit quite right, and it is sitting in my closet unused.  Again, I think it comes down to how the pack fits the user’s body.

[James holden]

fit is indeed EVERYTHING … like shoes

which is why pack recommendations are quite useless unless it fits YOU

;)

[Francis DeRoos]

+1 – ‘Fit is everything’

MLD Burn – for weekend trip – up to 18 lb – frameless

Circuit – for several week trip – up to 25. Can go to 30 but you definitely feel it then. – framed

[jscott]

“Fit is everything…”

Well yes. But some people don’t mind carrying some weight on their shoulders; others like me want all weight transferred to their hips. For this latter group, plusher hip belts and more robust frame/stays are important. Again, some don’t mind a pack that carries right on their back; others enjoy a small gap. And then there’s the matter of how a pack carries a bear canister. I would never carry a canister up top; others don’t seem to mind. Etc.

So, fit, yes…and some other things too.

[Ben C]

MLD Prophet is my current favorite.  It’s relatively light.  The shoulders are very comfortable.  It’s big enough for even my longer trips.  I don’t need or want a frame as I am not ever carrying more than 26-7 pounds and that is rare.

For shorter trips, I often carry and enjoy my old Zpacks blast that has no frame.  It’s 8 ounces.  It’s fine even up to 25 pounds, but the prophet is a little more comfortable above 20 pounds.

I don’t really think fit is nearly as important in a frameless.

[Author]

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