stranger
09-09-2010, 11:49
Just thought I would do a review on this pack as I recently completed a thru-hike of the Northville - Lake Placid Trail in New York. As someone who worked in the pack industry for 10 years, along with hiking a few thousand miles in 3 countries, this review should prove robust and accurate for most pack users.
I will break it down into the following categories:
1. Fit
2. Suspension
3. Overall feel
4. Packbag Design
5. Overall Impressions
The Fit:
Generally speaking, most ultralight packs do not fit all that well so I was happy to find the fit fairly solid on this pack model. I believe the pack comes in 3 sizes and has multiple hipbelts (5) that can be swapped out for a better fit (or in my case custom made to exclude hipbelt pockets). For example, I use a medium frame with a small hipbelt. Unfortunately, the shoulder harness is sewn into the pack which is a drawback for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that ULA does not have the best cut shoulder harness - it's average at best. This is most likely done because it's far cheaper to produce, however I never consider the price of something, just function, but I accept price is a concern for a small time American made pack company.
The hipbelt is thin, pliable and sturdy. This combined with a solid cut means a fairly solid belt with minimal chaffing (on me at least). I was happy overall with the hipbelt. I would point out that the hipbelt stabilizer straps should not be sewn into the bottom edge of the hipbelt, but rather terminate somewhere along the vertical existing seam hidden by the hipbelt pockets (I don't have hipbelt pockets on my belt, so can see this clearly). The way it is now, it places more weight on the bottom of the hipbelt rather than the middle where it should be. The 1 inch hipbelt buckle appears to be fragile for such a major point of stress - so you might also want a backup buckle in case it snaps under stress, or more likely, you step on it and break it.
3 frame sizes is a solid, proven method of sizing. Personally speaking, I think ULA could benefit from shortening each frame size a half inch in order to make the packs align with some other packs, meaning...they run slightly big in my opinion. This however is something very few, if any, hikers would ever notice.
Suspension - I'm a fan of suspension systems, and I would like to point out that a piece of foam or plastic IS NOT a suspension system, foam and plastic are suspension aids, not primary agents of weight transfer. In this department, the Circuit delivers well. Consider the pack is only 38 ounces with an aluminum stay, plus carbon fiber struts connected with a Delrin rod at the top means a supportive, solid suspension for minimal weight. I had to carry two heavy loads (carried my partners food!) plus a 6 pound tent, so I had this pack up to about 35-37lbs at times. It stood up, did not sag under stress (it settled a bit, but never sagged) and this surprised me. I expected this pack to collapse a bit and it didn't.
I haven't carried the pack without the stay for more than a few minutes, so my experience is limited. My knowledge and experience tells me the pack wouldn't be overly compromised without the stay however. I might point out that ULA does not know how to bend a stay yet...their pre-bend is poor in my view and for a competent pack fitter it's no drama...remove the stay and custom bend it, but for most hikers this wouldn't be an option. I wouldn't stress about this point, but you might notice it if you're paying attention. Worst case scenario, remove the stay...the pack will still work without it.
Overall Feel - I wouldn't report any noticeable hotspots, sags, stresses or anything like that. The pack is stable (when fit properly, loaded properly and put on correctly) and I also don't put anything outside of my packs. Attaching anything outside a internal frame pack WILL compromise the way it performs, and call me crazy...I'm not into doing extra work!
I already mentioned the shoulder straps...I don't love the cut of them, outside of this, the overall feels was impressive in my view, especially considering some of the heavier loads I carried (35 lbs).
Packbag Design - I couldn't help but feel the packbag has the 'short and fat' look to it. Most packbags are either teardrop shape, or cylinder, this pack is most narrow at the base, so bulky sleeping bags might prove annoying when trying to load it. This is more of a personal hangup I have, and I don't think it means all that much, but for me, a more cylinder, slightly taller packbag would be more attractive.
I like the rolldown top (I always remove the lid of any pack anyhow) so this was right up my alley. I do think a center closure, like velcro, would help align the roll down top a bit easier, however this would wear out over time like a velcro wallet.
The mesh pockets are great for things like raingear and small fuel bottles, I like that they are adjustable and can be left 'open'.
The major drawback on this pack however is the compression, essentially no compression below the side straps high up on the pack. I suspect ULA might point out the bungy cord on the back will help compress the pack somewhat, and I would tell them that's an empty point. This pack would benefit from a more elaborate compression system. Personally speaking, I had no issues filling the pack tightly with it's relatively moderate capacity, but for people carrying less gear, this could prove problematic.
Hydration port worked well, one on each side above each shoulder harness, solid haul loop that's bartacked into main seam, etc...
Overall Impressions - I really like this pack, and I'm a huge critic of ultralight packs...mainly because most of them lack major core pack components in order to save weight. This pack delivers overall, and I would strongly recommend it provided:
- You know how to pack a pack, and don't strap junk outside of the pack
- You keep your weight moderate, under 35lbs, pref under 30 (not base weight, COMPLETE WEIGHT)
- You can get by on it's capacity, see first point
Recommendations to ULA:
1. Redesign the shoulder harness, no one does this better than Osprey (if you can't beat them, at least learn from them)
2. Consider at least one lower compression strap
3. Sew the hipbelt stabilizer strap into the vertical seam on the hipbelt (where the patch of ripstop green is) instead of the bottom, taped edge of the hipbelt
4. Change your pre-bend on your stays, no one does this better than Gregory
I will break it down into the following categories:
1. Fit
2. Suspension
3. Overall feel
4. Packbag Design
5. Overall Impressions
The Fit:
Generally speaking, most ultralight packs do not fit all that well so I was happy to find the fit fairly solid on this pack model. I believe the pack comes in 3 sizes and has multiple hipbelts (5) that can be swapped out for a better fit (or in my case custom made to exclude hipbelt pockets). For example, I use a medium frame with a small hipbelt. Unfortunately, the shoulder harness is sewn into the pack which is a drawback for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that ULA does not have the best cut shoulder harness - it's average at best. This is most likely done because it's far cheaper to produce, however I never consider the price of something, just function, but I accept price is a concern for a small time American made pack company.
The hipbelt is thin, pliable and sturdy. This combined with a solid cut means a fairly solid belt with minimal chaffing (on me at least). I was happy overall with the hipbelt. I would point out that the hipbelt stabilizer straps should not be sewn into the bottom edge of the hipbelt, but rather terminate somewhere along the vertical existing seam hidden by the hipbelt pockets (I don't have hipbelt pockets on my belt, so can see this clearly). The way it is now, it places more weight on the bottom of the hipbelt rather than the middle where it should be. The 1 inch hipbelt buckle appears to be fragile for such a major point of stress - so you might also want a backup buckle in case it snaps under stress, or more likely, you step on it and break it.
3 frame sizes is a solid, proven method of sizing. Personally speaking, I think ULA could benefit from shortening each frame size a half inch in order to make the packs align with some other packs, meaning...they run slightly big in my opinion. This however is something very few, if any, hikers would ever notice.
Suspension - I'm a fan of suspension systems, and I would like to point out that a piece of foam or plastic IS NOT a suspension system, foam and plastic are suspension aids, not primary agents of weight transfer. In this department, the Circuit delivers well. Consider the pack is only 38 ounces with an aluminum stay, plus carbon fiber struts connected with a Delrin rod at the top means a supportive, solid suspension for minimal weight. I had to carry two heavy loads (carried my partners food!) plus a 6 pound tent, so I had this pack up to about 35-37lbs at times. It stood up, did not sag under stress (it settled a bit, but never sagged) and this surprised me. I expected this pack to collapse a bit and it didn't.
I haven't carried the pack without the stay for more than a few minutes, so my experience is limited. My knowledge and experience tells me the pack wouldn't be overly compromised without the stay however. I might point out that ULA does not know how to bend a stay yet...their pre-bend is poor in my view and for a competent pack fitter it's no drama...remove the stay and custom bend it, but for most hikers this wouldn't be an option. I wouldn't stress about this point, but you might notice it if you're paying attention. Worst case scenario, remove the stay...the pack will still work without it.
Overall Feel - I wouldn't report any noticeable hotspots, sags, stresses or anything like that. The pack is stable (when fit properly, loaded properly and put on correctly) and I also don't put anything outside of my packs. Attaching anything outside a internal frame pack WILL compromise the way it performs, and call me crazy...I'm not into doing extra work!
I already mentioned the shoulder straps...I don't love the cut of them, outside of this, the overall feels was impressive in my view, especially considering some of the heavier loads I carried (35 lbs).
Packbag Design - I couldn't help but feel the packbag has the 'short and fat' look to it. Most packbags are either teardrop shape, or cylinder, this pack is most narrow at the base, so bulky sleeping bags might prove annoying when trying to load it. This is more of a personal hangup I have, and I don't think it means all that much, but for me, a more cylinder, slightly taller packbag would be more attractive.
I like the rolldown top (I always remove the lid of any pack anyhow) so this was right up my alley. I do think a center closure, like velcro, would help align the roll down top a bit easier, however this would wear out over time like a velcro wallet.
The mesh pockets are great for things like raingear and small fuel bottles, I like that they are adjustable and can be left 'open'.
The major drawback on this pack however is the compression, essentially no compression below the side straps high up on the pack. I suspect ULA might point out the bungy cord on the back will help compress the pack somewhat, and I would tell them that's an empty point. This pack would benefit from a more elaborate compression system. Personally speaking, I had no issues filling the pack tightly with it's relatively moderate capacity, but for people carrying less gear, this could prove problematic.
Hydration port worked well, one on each side above each shoulder harness, solid haul loop that's bartacked into main seam, etc...
Overall Impressions - I really like this pack, and I'm a huge critic of ultralight packs...mainly because most of them lack major core pack components in order to save weight. This pack delivers overall, and I would strongly recommend it provided:
- You know how to pack a pack, and don't strap junk outside of the pack
- You keep your weight moderate, under 35lbs, pref under 30 (not base weight, COMPLETE WEIGHT)
- You can get by on it's capacity, see first point
Recommendations to ULA:
1. Redesign the shoulder harness, no one does this better than Osprey (if you can't beat them, at least learn from them)
2. Consider at least one lower compression strap
3. Sew the hipbelt stabilizer strap into the vertical seam on the hipbelt (where the patch of ripstop green is) instead of the bottom, taped edge of the hipbelt
4. Change your pre-bend on your stays, no one does this better than Gregory