Zpacks Arc Zip experience and alternatives? (bad reviews)

The Arc series backpacks all use the exact same “mechanism” or frame system, whether they’re Arc Blasts or Arc Hauls (and regardless of zippers).  The only reason the Arc Hauls have a heavier weight-carrying capacity is because the fabric used is “beefier”; otherwise they are the same construction as the Blasts.

If you note the beginning of the video, Google (Mitch) says several times that his pack’s frame seemed to have a defect right out of the box, but that he used it anyway.  Granted, ZPacks should have better quality control to avoid such things, but it is also up to the consumer to send back a product that arrives with problems.  [Bad for all the procrastinators, since it would take ZPacks 4-6 weeks to get you another one, even if they were at fault — yes, their customer service HAS deteriorated beyond belief – ask me how I know.]

There are tons and tons of reviews of the Arc backpacks out there.  I suspect that most of them don’t arrive with defects, and work out well.  I hope so — I’ve only used mine a few days so far; I’ll let you know in October how well it worked for me on a longer trail.

Ive over 1000 mi mi 2014 arc blast.

Perfect. Love it.

Original, flat stays, no bottom stay

Never had any of the problems that led them to modify the frame, stays.

I believe.that most problems..were caused by overloading.

Its a ul pack

If your not a ul hiker…..well dont expect great things.

And many buying these, arent.

What would you (those that have experience with it) consider the load limit (aside from specs) for the Arc Zip?

And what would be comparable packs or alternatives in this range?

I have an early 2018 Arc Haul, not the zip, and have nearly 600+ miles on it with out any signs of wear. To be fair for a 5 day trip I max out at about 18 to 20 pounds so I’ve never pushed it in to the mid 20′ or even close to 30 pounds. Besides some slight dirt, I could clean it up and it would look nearly brand new. I’m thru hiking the Superior Hiking Trail this September, so that should be a good long term test for it. By the end of that trip I will have put close to 1k miles on it. From what I’ve gathered so far I’m not in the least bit concerned with it’s durability. Your mileage may vary though. I’m very careful with my gear. My guess is the reviewer you linked got a lemon, it can happen. Compared to that one bad review, I’ve seen plenty of glowing reviews. The Arc Blast, being the more common choice even survives multiple thru-hikes on the AT, PCT, and the CDT, with out any real issues other than some minor abrasion, and tears in the mesh which is pretty impressive. All in all in my 25+ years of backpacking I have never enjoyed a pack more than my Arc Haul, comfort, build and functionality wise. It’s truly a great piece of gear.

I consider mine maxed at 25 lbs.

Past this, it bounces with every step and you feel wt on shoulders.

I went with the Arc Zip because I sleep in a hammock and it’s really nice to lay out the pack, fully unzipped in the hammock as I’m packing or unpacking it in camp.  I’ve carried it with 25 pounds without any problems and I love the way some air gets to my back because of the “arc”.

Thanks a lot – your information is very valuable for me.

I wondered: If Zip is desired – when would you use the Arc Zip, and when the Arc Haul Zip?
Also: The SWD Long Haul 50 seems quite popular – I guess that’s quite hard to decide.

Original Arc Blast, flat stays, no bottom stay. ~ 60 days.; very happy with the pack.

I bent/ broke one of the vertical stays on the JMT. Easy field repair with titanium shepherd hook and zip ties. I contacted Z-packs and they promptly sent me a two (not just one) replacement stays. I’m now careful to to limit arc the of the stays. Z-packs has since moved to round stays to address this issue.

Peter

I heard another guy broke a stay also on bmt. He said it just snapped when adjusting.

Ive overflexed mine no issues 4″ or more

Perhaps some stays were defective

I haven’t had lots of packs – just 3 before the Arc Blast. The Arc Blast fits far better than the others. It is probably about 16 oz lighter than most other packs. I originally ordered one with the wrong size belt which was sewn to the pack. This was lucky because they replaced it with the current belt which is attached to the frame. Huge improvement. It never occurred to me the carbon struts could snap. I’ve been reefing on mine for 3 or 4 years now.

Thanks for all the input! I think I will stay with the Arc Zip, as there seem to be many happy users!

The SWD Long Haul 50 is a nice pack. I bought one but even the large was a little too small for my 21.5″ torso. I went back to my Arc Haul.

I agree that the top weight capacity is significantly less than Z Packs claims. For me I am good until the mid to upper 20 pound range. Any higher than that, and I am using my Unaweep.

Pretty interesting that so many people don’t trust the rated max load … I would expect zpacks to react on that..

I used the Arc Haul I purchased over the winter for 10 days on the Long Trail (7 1/2 days hiking) end of June/beginning of July.  No issues with it, My original pack weight including food and water was 23.5 lbs.  I stopped in town 3 days later to add another 2 days of food to extend my resupply.  I bought way too much food because I was hungry.  I probably approached 28 lbs. after I put all that food in along with the heat wave that came through Vermont so I carried more water.

I thought even at a higher weight, still sub-30 lbs, it was comfortable and I am glad I purchased it, I don’t see any durability issues with it yet either.  I would not constantly carried near 30 lbs. with the pack unless I had the extra padding on the shoulders, I did start feeling it after I loaded the new food into it, but it was not bad and within 2 days I was down below my 25 lb. max I never wanted to surpass.

I have a 2016 Arc Zip that I like very much. I would agree with the ~25 max load. Much over that would probably become uncomfortable, but I haven’t used it with larger loads. I haven’t really pushed the arc of the frame, so I couldn’t be able to attest to the durability of that aspect. I will say that I don’t really find the zipper access as beneficial as I thought, but that is clearly just my opinion. It actually seems that the zipper opening may reduce some of the water resistance. I found a small amount of moisture in my pack the last time that I hiked in the rain, but that is why you gotta use liner bags. The exterior pocket is huge (at least 10L). There have been a few times that I wished that I had the mesh back of the Arc Blast to allow things to dry on the exterior, but overall no ragrets. Not a single letter.