Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus Backpack Review

Will,

Another great review! I'm really looking forward to your state of the market on frameless packs.

I'm curious what you impressions where regarding the hip belt pockets? I recently purchased an Exodus from a fellow BPL member and I was extremely pleased with the pack design. That being said, I just can't get the hip belt pockets to work correctly. They seem to have a tendency to either bunch up if they are attached to the shoulder straps or slide/fall off the hip belt if not anchored to the shoulder straps. I'm curious what your experience was here?

I also missed the integrated internal pad sleeve from my ULA Conduit, especially since I'm a hammock camper and like to just use a small pad to offer some padding from my gear and my back. That's not a show stopper for me but more of a convenience issue. In comparing packs though I find that the assumption that we all carry a torso/full pad not necessarily a valid assumption. Maybe something to consider in your roundup?

Thanks
-Skip

I'm a huge fan of the existing MLD Ark/Exodus pack design. I particularly like that it's an ultralight pack that's built to last. Yes there are other frameless packs that are lighter, and if that particular attribute is an overriding concern, then choices are plentiful.

There are other packs that offer removable frame stays, but that's a deceptive benefit because the (resupply) conditions where you say they'd be useful are the same conditions where a frameless pack will likely be full and taut and delivering the best percentage of weight to the hipbelt.

I believe the Ark/Exodus packs offer the highest quality combination of bomber materials, brilliantly simple design, and a useful but not excessive feature set. I love mine, and I wouldn't change a thing.

I absolutely love the whole MLD pack line. I use my Exodus for winter loads. Prophet for early spring and late fall loads. The Burn for the rest of the year.

I like the fact that they are all made the same way. The only thing I would change, would to be add straps to hold a pad in place against the inside back panel. I should have had Ron add this when I placed my order.

All in all. Ron has a great pack line up in my opinion and I hope he does not make any radical changes to it.

Will,

Thanks for the review. As a point of reference, could you please post the gear list you used for your testing? I think this would help to determine is this pack is a good "fit" for people who are considering a new pack.

Also, do you have a projection for when your report on frameless packs will be published?

Skip,

There's a small webbing loop on the pack where the hip-belt attach, and another on the pocket that should be attached using a z-clip. Are you attaching the pocket to that or to the shoulder strap? Once I got that sorted out, my pocket doesn't seem to bunch or fall off.

Instead of folding your pad, let it unroll. It'll give your pack the structure that you desire.

I find maximum comfortable carry to be about 25 lbs (I've carried up to 42lbs in it).

66 liters is 7 greater than 59, not 9 as stated.

+1

Thomas, apparently there are a large number of people who are crazy and/or smoking crack. Seriously though, I share your enthusiasm for the Exodus – my comments and those of the reviewer and others are not a complaint about the excellent pack design, but rather a request for an additional feature/capability that would great enhance its use range and comfort.

I and other potential customers are not asking for a permanent stay, but rather a removable stay – the weight penalty for a few loops to hold a removable stay and two pad loops against the back is negligible (the pad loops are an option that MLD does). Also see feedback from the many users of the Gossamer Gear Gorilla – I have never heard a Gorilla user complain about having the option of a removable curved 3.4 oz stay, and have only heard raves about the comfort and load carrying it adds. Having tried it recently, I fully agree – though I'd prefer volume closer to that of the Exodus as long as there's good compression.

In addition, the more supportive Ark hip belt is offered as an option on the Exodus for a reason. A well-designed stay and hip belt helps take weight off the shoulders – important for anyone carrying a heavier load or needing to protect/rest their back. Your back takes a lot of stress backpacking or running – anything you can do to share the load is going to be helpful over the long run. Your back might be able to take it now, but this may come at the expense of later…I know one local highly experienced very fit lightweight backpacker who recently sold his Ark after many months trying to make it work only because of the lack of a stay.

I have asked experienced users of this pack for the max comfortable load capability and the answer has always come back max 20lbs. There are plenty of situations where you will start a trip with more than 20lbs, or remain at above 20 lbs especially if you are carrying supplies for others. A removable stay will help quite a bit in those situations.

Ron and MLD, hope you guys are listening. I and quite a few other people I know would snap this pack up with a curved removable stay and pad loops.

Ron, there's no need to choose one or the other. Offer them as options and you'll greatly expand the user base and sales, without harming one group or the other.

Mike, there's no need to threaten Ron for innovating solutions that meet the needs of a much wider group of users. Why would you walk if Ron offered a stay and pad holding straps as an option that you don't have to order???

Ron, if Mike walks, there'll be hundreds more lining up to take his place.

Thanks Will for the Great Review !

(Note: Will reviewed the 2009/2010 Exodus he received in Jan/Feb of 2010. We have since improved and tweaked a quite a few details to make it an even better pack!)

****Update: August 2011: The Exodus is now slightly smaller in volume and a full suspension version is now available.****

We addressed all of Will's points and assume it would be A Highly Reccomended Rating now based on those small changes.

Here is some more info to help users think about the Exodus volume and other questions.

As Will noted, we offer four different size packs in the series- all with almost exactly the same features- only the 2200ci Burn has a couple of small changes from the larger three.

The 4400ci Ark, 3500ci Exodus and 2900ci Prophet are all pretty much the same design and share a robust feature package.

My sense from the article and from feedback from Will is that he would have given the Prophet a Highly Recommended rating because it does share all the same features of the Exodus at a smaller size- for him the Exodus was a little too much volume.

Many people and companies measure pack volume different – there is a an industry spec standard using small balls – but no exact way to say where/when the min and max usable amount in the extension collar starts/stops or how far to expand the exterior pockets, etc. – So there is some interpretation there and perhaps thats is the main area of difference in vulume perspective for this type of pack.

There is easy way to measure the MLD packs since they are fairly box shaped – W X D X H.

The Exodus in a LG is 12" Wide X 7.5" Deep X about 26" – 27" Tall = about 2400ci. That includes only a little of the extension collar. Our Extension collars are very tall if needed.

Exodus Specs:

• Total Maximum Volume: 3100ci main pack / 3500ci with filled extension collar
• Minimum Volume: 1800ci with compression and bottom volume reduction system engaged.
• Main Pack: 2400ci
• Main Outside Pocket: 400ci
• Side Pockets: 150ci + 150ci
• Extension Collar: 500ci

For size comparison- I measured two common packs the same way as I measured the Exodus main compartment.
– The Exodus main pack bag is about 100ci larger than the Golite Jam2 (the Exodus a much taller ext collar)
– The Exodus is about 400ci smaller than the Golite Pinnacle (the Exodus ext collar is a little taller.)

FAQ: Would you be better off with an Exodus or a Prophet?
A: If you could have only one, perhaps the Exodus is the way to go. I use it in the colder weather when I carry a slightly thicker or multiple sleep pads and lightweight but bulkier synthetic filled clothes and quilts/bags. The volume fills up fast with synthetic insulation but can always be compressed down with the three volume reduction features. The Exodus is large enough for most bear canisters that won't fit in smaller packs.
A: The Prophet is the way to go if you really have your LW gear dialed for med to low volume, you are mainly going to use it in for weather above maybe freezing or are primarily in dryer climates using more compressible down insulation or only use a smaller sleep pad.

What I don't get is "pack structure hate." mountainwalker has said it all more clearly… Of course, I don't enjoy carrying rigid pieces (particularly single-use) any more than the rest of us. Seems to me a question of balance. (Isn't everything?)

What I'll say: isn't "ultralight" truly more about "ultraefficient" or "ultraappropriate" than actual weight? I think that for significant loads (found with long trips, techy winter trips, limited-water-supply desert trips, rough off-trail travel, etc) effective and very lightweight load transfer and stability structures make the load FEEL so much "lighter" (more comfortable/less painful).

Ron, I think mountainwalker is right concerning customer base. Just make it optional. I imagine you don't like stays, though.

OK, now I'm dropping it. For this thread. In closing I'll provide a link to the other BPL (UK, newspeak) featuring a Golite Jam modification which adds 161g: Ultralight ALICE. BTW, have you seen Roger's awesome packs? TTFN!