Which pack fabric is best for rough off-trail hiking/scrambling?

I have no experience with Ultra, though I understand the 400 to be more abrasion resistant. If you can afford the 5 month lead time from SWD, they offer a full Ultra400x pack for the same price as the Catalyst. $379. 40 or 50 liter. Excellent reviews.

Heavy duty Long Haul.

I do a lot of Utah semi technical desert trips with a heavy pack, mostly food weight as the trips are longish. They are focused on the type Steve Allen describes in his books, so not requiring a full canyoneering suite to complete.

As you say, hauling does a number on the packs. Ultra’s abrasion resistance has not impressed me compared to the lowly Cordura. At least it’s not living up to the hype Challenge is building; and I’m def going to stay clear of it if the industry allows.

More so I find that specific design features could help the packs hold up better. But few companies really know, or care, what works off-trail in such an abusive environment

There have been a handful of anecdotal reports of Ultra’s real-world abrasion resistance not living up to its numbers (or the hype). Look at this post by Nunatak comparing Ultra and Cordura in desert-use packs:

https://www.instagram.com/nunatak_gear/reel/DHOr5JyJR0H/

These reports aren’t all that common since most hikers are trail hikers, and packs used on trail aren’t subjected to much abrasion.

From what I’ve read, if durability and abrasion resistance is your primary aim, personally I’d opt for the Robic option.

Check nunatakusa.com. He has a pack specifically for the type of trips you mention. Check out the plateau pack.

Thanks all!

baja bob–that pack looks awesome!  I’ll definitely consider it.  If most of my backpacking was in canyon country, I’d get that pack for sure.  I’d say only about 1/4 of my trips are in canyon country though (the rest being in the Rockies)–but I expect those desert trips to put the most damage to whatever pack I get (hence the post).  I’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the modest increases in price and weight (and uncertainty with a new and lesser-reviewed pack) when only a minority of my trips would really need it.  In a perfect world I’d buy two new packs and this would be one of them…

Chris and George–thanks for the input; based on your comments, I’m ruling out Ultra.  I think I’m leaning toward a Robic Circuit.  I haven’t completely ruled out that plateau pack yet though.  Or I might just keep my eyes out for very used packs, and buy whatever for cheap, knowing that I won’t care if I abuse it then (my strategy last time I bought my current Circuit).

Something like the HMG NorthRim might deserve a look. I picked one up on here on BPL years ago but haven’t beaten on it with off trail use. The woven dyneema seems to be super robust.