Affordable lightweight pack

[Rolfe]

In looking to lighten my pack loads, I recently bought a Black Wolf B-lite 55 pack. I had been looking at something like the GoLite Jam but baulked at the price tag. When I saw the 800g Black Wolf pack on ebay (or direct through Wild Earth) for $79.95 (+ $15 postage) I was impressed enough to buy it.

Features:
The pack has useful gussetted side pockets, a lid pocket and an internal sleeve at the back of the pack ('back' meaning the side facing your back). There is a hole for a hydration tube from the top of the main compartment and an unusual front zip providing direct access to the main compartment. There is a bungee cord on the lid and a couple more smaller loops on the front.
The large front zip is supposed to be waterproof but I doubt this and you couldn't get to anything inside a pack liner of course. Some people don't like side pockets because a broad pack is not ideal in dense scrub (just don't stuff them full on such trips). Personally, I like a couple of external pockets, and side pockets keep the centre of gravity forward better than front pockets. I will probably remove the bungee cord on the lid as it only snags on branches etc. I may also remove the internal sleeve as it's not really essential, although I do slide a piece of mat foam in there (my bush seat). The side compression straps could be useful for cinching up the pack when used as a day pack/ small loads but are not really essential either.

Harness:
The back has a thin, internal HD foam sheet to give it shape and to reduce lumps sticking into your back. There are two external pads against the upper back and a lumbar pad, which are not luxuriously thick but reasonable. The shoulder straps are not thickly padded either but again are quite adequate. I assumed that the hip belt would have no more functionality than load stabilisation but I am a bit surprised at how much it actually helps take load off the shoulders if done up firmly. The sternum strap simply slides up and down to suit. No, the harness is not as good as that on my bombproof canvas 85l. 'Mecpec' but again this is designed as a lightweight pack and is indeed over 2 kg lighter! And yes, your back will get sweaty. The pack fabric seems quite strong enough to withstand some punishment and quality of construction appears high. This is NOT a frameless pack but has two narrow, aluminium stays sewn into sleeves in the back. I have found the pack to be quite comfortable on a couple of overnighters with a little over 10 kg gross weight.

Generally, I find the pack to be of good quality, reasonably comfortable, nice and light at only 800g and very good value at under $100 including postage! Those looking for an affordable lightweight pack could give it some serious consideration.

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[cams]

Interesting option. Have you weighed it yourself?

[Franco]

That 800g does appear to be a bit optimistic, so yes I would like to know the real weight as well.
Franco

[Rolfe]

I was a little dubious myself as to the 'around 800g' claim, so I weighed it on the kitchen scales and yes, pretty much exactly 800g!

[Franco]

Thanks.
had another look at it and realised that the waist belt is where a lot of the weight saving is.
So I removed the one from the ULA Circuit (somewhat similar size and minimalistic "frame") and that is 240g of the just over 1kg total weight.
I find that the waist " strap" on the (frameless potato sack style) ULA AMP works up to about 7- 8kg for me, so yours should work around the 10-12 kg mark.
Franco

[Rolfe]

I would say that's a fairly accurate estimation Franco. By the way, thanks for all your excellent input into these forums- partly influenced my purchase of a Tarptent Scarp 1 which I love!
Rolfe

[Rolfe]

After a couple of months and a few more walks, I am still very happy with this pack. I am leaving the side compression straps on as I have found that they are indeed quite useful for converting the pack for day-use, which makes carrying a pack-away day pack unnecessary on base camping trips.

[melinda]

Hi Rolfe,
A lot of the light weight gear is overpriced but the US gear sites do go on sale frequently.
So things like the Golite Jam or Pinnacle can be found for half price.
I guess the idea is to watch the various sites, know your prices and pounce when the moment is right.
I like your improvising, it's exactly the sort of thing I do frequently.
M

[Rolfe]

Hi Melinda,
It looks like the US gear would still be more expensive even at half price (+shipping). However, regardless of this I am wondering what those packs offer which this one doesn't. Perhaps the Black Wolf brand simply lacks the kudos or exclusivity of the more exotic names, but I'm still very pleased with the quality and value of this pack and recommend it for consideration by those in the market. Having said that though, I haven't been able to do a side-by-side comparison with its competitors.

[melinda]

Hi Rolfe,
Haven't compared the weights so can't say.
Nothing wrong with Black Wolfe. (Good price, good quality, maybe a bit overweight!)
I guess the main things that the overseas UL packs like ULA offer is the X grid dyneema fabric.
Light but very strong.
But i'm with you, improvisation is everything.
I used to carry a one sided razor blade instead of a knife. Dual purpose: cut my wrists when the walks get tooooo...... hard! (Joke!)

[Rolfe]

Hi Melinda,
Yes it's a bit heavier than some but don't forget it's not a frameless pack but has internal stays to transfer weight to the hips rather than 'potato-sack' style.
It's a lightweight, rather than ultra-lightweight pack which pretty much defines my own approach. I like some comforts like sleeping in a full tent on a soft, insulated mat.
One-sided razor blade? I'm impressed. I only carry a spoon; I don't take food which needs to be cut, and a spoon can spread things ok.
I forgot to mention that the pack has a Cordura panel on the base.

[Ghillieshot]

This seems like a great pack for camping. Some will say it's not ideal for UL, but you can always take the frames out and cut straps down... ect I bet you could get the pack down to 700 pretty easily. It's a touch pack, versatile and a great buy. I actually just got one from the exact seller on ebay. There are things you could do to it if you wanted it UL. Really if I am wanting to go UL, or SUL, I just use my 50L waterproof liner in a dive bag(sports mesh bag) That cuts the weight, you just add an extra strap to the bag an you have a pretty decent waterproof UL pack. But still that comes up to 200-300g. I will have to check again, so an extra 400g for a good quality, strong, durable bag. I think that is pretty good. And your not spending a fortune on Cuben Fiber or any of that material that just costs way too much for the little it provides. Good buy in my opinion, and a great bag.

[Venturer]

They have recently released a new version with a better harness

Downside is that it weighs more but 400g more might be alright given it will be more comfortable.

Price has gone up too.

http://www.blackwolf.com.au/product/B-L ... ategory/10

[Onestepmore]

That's odd. It's gone from 800g to 1200g - that's an addition of 50% of it's original weight
Why would thay do that?

[Joomy]

I don't get the point of a pack with aluminium stays but no hip belt. Does it really transfer any weight to the hips?

[Strider]

Because they haven't worked out who they want to sell it to.