Just Bill
11-10-2014, 18:27
So, I got my hands on Matt Kirk's Record breaking backpack. Full disclosure, I got it for free due to some mental defect and moral failing on the part of Mr. Kirk. I am under no obligation to review this pack, other than the horrible sucking feeling of guilt at having not paid a penny to a fella I admire for the privilege.
Only one problem-
I don't like the pack all that much.
So how to write a review and assuage my guilt without adding further insult to this generous fella?
So the pack sat on my shelf for a bit and went on the occasional trip as I thought on this problem.
Finally an AH-HA moment occurred one day and this review can commence.
What is it- Well Matt does a fine job of telling you himself with near "movie quality" voice effects!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVOaCQQk74M
A quick spec rundown- YES, it's an ultralight pack!
$90- pretty good deal for a specialized pack.
A 285 gram (10 ounce) pack capabable of storing 25L of gear (30L in a pinch).
Nearly unlimited storage variations- Hip pockets, shoulder and body water bottle pockets, bandoleer gear storage, wet gear storage, easy to add a CFF pad of various sizes or even use an inflatable.
Fastpack minded UL design- light loads (20lbs), frameless body pack.
Keeping nearly all day use items "At Hand". Totally unique bottom loader design.
Construction was "Sub'ed out"- Point being these were professionally made by a well respected vendor- not hacked together by Matt in his basement.
So what's my problem?
Well I make my own gear, so as cool as this pack actually is, well, I make my own 6-12 ounce frameless packs. Hard to beat your own custom pack, right? So for me personally, it was hard to say, "I'll never use another pack again!"
So who might want this pack? Two groups of folks would find this pack handy.
UL folks who don't make their own gear, fastpackers, and runners looking for a pack capable of carrying overnight gear in a compact package.
If you don't make your own stuff, this is not a style of pack you can pick up off the shelf. Period. Your options are very limited and also quite expensive for a comparable item. On top of that, you can customize the pack to fit your needs, even re-configure the pack for different trips by changing placement or removing components.
The inner pack- can be left at home for UL trail runs or overnighters- or used as shown. This is also a sweet feature for those using SUL shelters. When you sleep in a bivy or hammock- you can simply dump everything, including the pack body into the Sil liner and hang it from your shelter or a tree.
You can easily add a foam pad to give more body to the pack, a simple sit pad slides between sil and mesh body easily, or for heavier loads you can use the old trick of rolling up your pad to form a frame.
The bottom loading feature is a unique feature that does allow a more "runner's" configuration of load when needed, and as advertised- lets you get your hands on that food-bag that typically accounts for the bulk of your load.
Compression and load adjustment is limitless and easy to modify or configure.
Let's be honest- options for this type of pack are pretty limited, this pack is very well thought out and tested.
For those not in record breaking condition- it's easy enough to cut a few hunks of CFF pad if you want to increase comfort at the shoulders or hips if needed, and a sit pad sized hunk goes a long way on your back when loads get closer to the upper limit.
Folks who DO make their own gear-(or want to get started)
"Well hold on there Bill, I thought you said you didn't like the pack because you make gear?"
Exactly. But perhaps the most unique quality of the pack is the "Some assembly required" feature. While that may sound like a ding to some; It is the most redeeming feature of the pack in my opinion. Because all the important parts and pieces that affect pack design are NOT permanently attached, so can make the pack anything you want.
So as the bright orange guilt spot sat in the basement while I continued to work on my own designs gnawed at me, I found myself picking it up often to address all those little tinkering questions us MYOG folks come up with. Finally it dawned on me what this pack's potential was for yours truly.
What if I move this here, or that there, or try an extra inch of torso length, or put the hip-belt a half inch lower?
These are not questions you can answer without adding to the pile of prototypes sitting in the other corner of the basement- so want to try any of these ideas out? Well you need to sew up a pack.
Unless you have Matt's Fastpack sitting there, where a couple of twist ties and a ruler are all that stand between you and a completely different pack design. It's great, I've even sewed a few different straps and hipbelts and pinned them to this pack to hit the trail for a test run.
So the fastpack has proven to be not an invaluable pack, but an invaluable TOOL in my MYOG adventures. Besides wasting $30 of fabric, I'm not wasting time to test out a tweak or an idea, simply moving around a component and loading up when a new idea strikes!
WRAP UP-
If you end up with one of these- a pair of linesman's pliers (flat nose) is handy for getting the twist ties secured. Not so you can crank on them (it's not needed) but just so you can get them tucked away neatly.
Don't go nuts on the ties until you take a test fit and a quick walk with a load. A twist or two will get you going.
If you play with it a lot like I have, pick up some extra ties at the hardware store. They are plenty strong for average users, but if you are moving them a lot they will wear.
For those getting started in MYOG- this pack is a great introduction to general UL hardware and design techniques. It is well thought out and well-executed, the best way to get going is to get something in your hands to study, and this pack has many great features to examine (and occasionally measure/borrow/steal).
Find out more/Pick one up-
http://sub60.wikispaces.com/pack
Only one problem-
I don't like the pack all that much.
So how to write a review and assuage my guilt without adding further insult to this generous fella?
So the pack sat on my shelf for a bit and went on the occasional trip as I thought on this problem.
Finally an AH-HA moment occurred one day and this review can commence.
What is it- Well Matt does a fine job of telling you himself with near "movie quality" voice effects!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVOaCQQk74M
A quick spec rundown- YES, it's an ultralight pack!
$90- pretty good deal for a specialized pack.
A 285 gram (10 ounce) pack capabable of storing 25L of gear (30L in a pinch).
Nearly unlimited storage variations- Hip pockets, shoulder and body water bottle pockets, bandoleer gear storage, wet gear storage, easy to add a CFF pad of various sizes or even use an inflatable.
Fastpack minded UL design- light loads (20lbs), frameless body pack.
Keeping nearly all day use items "At Hand". Totally unique bottom loader design.
Construction was "Sub'ed out"- Point being these were professionally made by a well respected vendor- not hacked together by Matt in his basement.
So what's my problem?
Well I make my own gear, so as cool as this pack actually is, well, I make my own 6-12 ounce frameless packs. Hard to beat your own custom pack, right? So for me personally, it was hard to say, "I'll never use another pack again!"
So who might want this pack? Two groups of folks would find this pack handy.
UL folks who don't make their own gear, fastpackers, and runners looking for a pack capable of carrying overnight gear in a compact package.
If you don't make your own stuff, this is not a style of pack you can pick up off the shelf. Period. Your options are very limited and also quite expensive for a comparable item. On top of that, you can customize the pack to fit your needs, even re-configure the pack for different trips by changing placement or removing components.
The inner pack- can be left at home for UL trail runs or overnighters- or used as shown. This is also a sweet feature for those using SUL shelters. When you sleep in a bivy or hammock- you can simply dump everything, including the pack body into the Sil liner and hang it from your shelter or a tree.
You can easily add a foam pad to give more body to the pack, a simple sit pad slides between sil and mesh body easily, or for heavier loads you can use the old trick of rolling up your pad to form a frame.
The bottom loading feature is a unique feature that does allow a more "runner's" configuration of load when needed, and as advertised- lets you get your hands on that food-bag that typically accounts for the bulk of your load.
Compression and load adjustment is limitless and easy to modify or configure.
Let's be honest- options for this type of pack are pretty limited, this pack is very well thought out and tested.
For those not in record breaking condition- it's easy enough to cut a few hunks of CFF pad if you want to increase comfort at the shoulders or hips if needed, and a sit pad sized hunk goes a long way on your back when loads get closer to the upper limit.
Folks who DO make their own gear-(or want to get started)
"Well hold on there Bill, I thought you said you didn't like the pack because you make gear?"
Exactly. But perhaps the most unique quality of the pack is the "Some assembly required" feature. While that may sound like a ding to some; It is the most redeeming feature of the pack in my opinion. Because all the important parts and pieces that affect pack design are NOT permanently attached, so can make the pack anything you want.
So as the bright orange guilt spot sat in the basement while I continued to work on my own designs gnawed at me, I found myself picking it up often to address all those little tinkering questions us MYOG folks come up with. Finally it dawned on me what this pack's potential was for yours truly.
What if I move this here, or that there, or try an extra inch of torso length, or put the hip-belt a half inch lower?
These are not questions you can answer without adding to the pile of prototypes sitting in the other corner of the basement- so want to try any of these ideas out? Well you need to sew up a pack.
Unless you have Matt's Fastpack sitting there, where a couple of twist ties and a ruler are all that stand between you and a completely different pack design. It's great, I've even sewed a few different straps and hipbelts and pinned them to this pack to hit the trail for a test run.
So the fastpack has proven to be not an invaluable pack, but an invaluable TOOL in my MYOG adventures. Besides wasting $30 of fabric, I'm not wasting time to test out a tweak or an idea, simply moving around a component and loading up when a new idea strikes!
WRAP UP-
If you end up with one of these- a pair of linesman's pliers (flat nose) is handy for getting the twist ties secured. Not so you can crank on them (it's not needed) but just so you can get them tucked away neatly.
Don't go nuts on the ties until you take a test fit and a quick walk with a load. A twist or two will get you going.
If you play with it a lot like I have, pick up some extra ties at the hardware store. They are plenty strong for average users, but if you are moving them a lot they will wear.
For those getting started in MYOG- this pack is a great introduction to general UL hardware and design techniques. It is well thought out and well-executed, the best way to get going is to get something in your hands to study, and this pack has many great features to examine (and occasionally measure/borrow/steal).
Find out more/Pick one up-
http://sub60.wikispaces.com/pack