I like the gear I have used for backpacking trips last year, but there were a few items that didn't perform quite the way I had hoped or there were little things that could have been improved. Here are some of the gear items I have upgraded and why I was interested in upgrading them.
This post won't exclusively be about Zpacks gear, but this has turned out to be a Zpacks year for me. I have been hesitant to purchase some of their gear up till recently because it's expensive, but they had some items with features I was looking for, so I decided to make the leap into the Zpacks world.
Backpack for Day Hikes
Mrs. Gavagai and I do a fair amount of day hikes on weekends when I'm not doing overnight trips. Even on day hikes, I bring a small pack loaded with water, first aid, snacks, a water filter, and I typically throw a poop kit in the pack, just in case.
Last year, I purchased a 30 liter Gregory daypack that I found on clearance from REI. It has a full hip belt with hip belt pockets, an internal frame (not common for a day pack), and ventilated back panel. My issues with the Gregory pack are that it was bulky and I am not able to zip the hip belt pockets with one hand. I also felt some frustration with hip belt pockets in general. On my Durston Kakwa 55 pack that I have been using for longer trips, I can usually close the hip belt pockets with one hand, but they are so far on the side that it's hard for me to find items in them, and I've even forgotten to close the hip belt pocket and dropped at least one item out of them.
For those reasons, I decided that I wanted to try a day pack with no hip belt pockets and using a fanny pack instead.
Enter Zpacks Sub-Nero Ultra 30L day pack.
Here's a link.
This is a basic day pack that shares many similar features of ultralite backpacks. The main compartment of the pack is just a large compartment. It closes with a roll top and clip closure. It has a strap you can use to lash an item to the top. It has a large external front pocket and two side pockets. You can order it with or without a hip belt, and there are a variety of options. I also comes with a closed foam seat cushion that lashes to the back panel that helps with back ventilation.
It also has side compression cords that can help to hold things like trekking poles, tent poles, or other items.
It's an expensive pack, but it's lightweight and has the features I was looking for. I ordered mine without a hip belt because I intended to use it with a fanny pack.So far, I like it pretty well. The nylon webbing that you use to adjust your straps is thinner than I'm used to, so it can be a little difficult sometimes to grip it to make adjustments. It also has long webbing cords. I'm tempted to trim the webbing for the top lashing strap because it's more than I think I will ever need unless I decide to use this 30L pack on an overnight trip and I will be using a bear canister. Apart from that unlikely scenario, I can't think of a time where I would need that much cordage to lash something to the top of this day pack.
Having the sit pad on the back panel is nice. I think it breaths more than it would without the pad and it's also convenient to have a sit pad that's easy to pop out and pop back in when you are ready for a break, but all you have to sit on are rocks or stumps.
Regular price: $225
I'm not sure about the weight, but with day packs, you're not typically carrying much weight and this Sub-Nero pack is lighter than any other day pack I have ever owned.
Large Backpack
My Durston Kakwa 55 backpack served me well on the Ouachita Trail and other trips over the past year or so, but there were two issues that lead me to look for a new pack. I already mentioned the first issue above, the hip belt pockets that were just a little awkward to use. The other issue was the fact that the back panel has no ventilation, and caused my back to get super sweaty and made the pack stink.
I turned again to Zpacks and chose to purchase the Arc Haul 50.
There are more similarities than differences between the Kakwa and the Arc Haul. The Arc Haul supposedly has 5 Liters less capacity. If I do another through hike, that loss of capacity might be limiting. On my scale, with the accessories that I will discuss later (because without them it's not an apples to apples comparison with the Kakwa) the Arc Haul weighs 25 oz. For comparison, the Kakwa 55 weighs 33 oz. Features of the Arc Haul
Modularity
Many of the Zpacks backpacks, including the Arc Haul, are somewhat modular. This has advantages and disadvantages. You're already paying a premium price ($399) for the pack, so if you want addons, you'll be paying even more. It's an advantage insofar as you are not paying for features that you don't want or need, and you can customize. The big advantage for me in this case was that I was able to not include hip belt pockets, because I wanted to try using a fanny pack instead. I also decided to not include a shoulder strap water bottle holster to see if I would miss it. I've not been using them on my Kakwa as much because I decided I didn't like the water bottle holders on the Kakwa. I'll talk more about those features in a bit.
Another upside to the modularity of the pack is that you can swap out hip belts or not wear one if that's not your preference. They also have a couple of options for shoulder harnesses. They also have dozens of other variations that can be added to the pack on the outside and inside. Here is a link to the Zpacks accessories list.
I don't think anyone would buy all of them because some of them don't work with others. For example, you wouldn't (likely) use both the fanny pack accessory and the hip belt pockets. But also, the hip belt pockets are $33 each! Zpacks is making a killing with their model. It's evil genius. Just to outfit the pack with "extras" that would come standard on most other packs, like either hip belt pockets or fanny pack attachment, shoulder strap bottle holder and/or pocket, you're going to have to shell out an additional $100-150 on top of the $400 for the pack. The Kakwa 55 comes with shoulder strap water bottle holders and hip belt pockets for $200 if you choose the Ultragrid version or $260 for the Ultra 200 version (made from slightly different materials, the Ultra 200 is slightly lighter weight and has a different feel). This is the reason I went with the Durston pack when I was shopping for a lighter weight alternative to the traditional packs I had used before.
To Zpacks credit, their gear is manufactured in the US. I think Durston (Canadian company) outsources the manufacturing to Vietnam like many of the other big brand companies.
Back Ventilation
The Arc Haul has a trampoline back to facilitate ventilation and airflow between your back and the pack.
The word Arc in "Arc Haul" is because the frame of the pack bows out away from the pack to create a gap. I had this pack on a 12 mile overnight trip with 80° F daytime temps on the LOViT trail in Arkansas. Because it was in Arkansas, that also means that the 80° was probably 80% humidity. I was dripping sweat, but my back felt cooler with this pack than it did last winter with 60° days on the Ouachita Trail. The Arc Haul is a very comfortable pack and the back ventilation works well.
Bottom Lashing Cord
On my Durston Kakwa backpack, I added bungee cord under the pack to allow me to lash some items there. It worked okay, but it was something I had to add on. The Arc Haul comes with cinch cord lashing, which arguably holds items more securely than bungee cord.
Also, the position of their "bottom lashing" is below the front pocket, but not actually on the bottom of the pack. This is helpful because when you set the pack down on the ground, the pack isn't as inclined to fall over if you have lashed something with a more cylindrical shape like a rolled up sleeping pad or bag of tent poles.
Large Front Pocket
The front pocket on the Arc Haul has generous storage capacity. My Kakwa is a 2022 model that I purchased in 2023. But last year, Durston introduced some improvements, including a larger front pocket. I can't say for sure if the new model's pocket is as large as the Arc Haul, but it's larger than the one on the Kakwa I own, so the Arc Haul was an upgrade for me on that feature.
Zig-zag Side Compression Lashing
The Arc Haul also has zig-zag side compression cording that can be used to compress a smaller load, but also to help lash taller items more securely in your side pockets. In the photo above, the girl is carrying an umbrella in her side pocket. Without the cordage, that umbrella would fall out. The side compression cordage keeps it very secure. The Durston has a single compression cord on each side rather than the zig-zag cordage. It's better than nothing, but does not secure items as well. It's also somewhat more limited because the item has to be tall enough to reach the compression cord on the Durston for it to help. If it's slightly too short, the Durston compression cord won't do anything to secure it. I have a folding saw that I have been taking on trips recently (because it helps with limbs on trees when I'm hanging my hammock). It's too short for the Durston compression cord, but tall enough for the bottom loop on the compression cordage on the Zpacks pack.
Kakwa's Stash Pocket
There is really one feature that the Kakwa has that I missed while using the Arc Haul; the stash pocket.
This pocket is controversial among reviewers, but I like it. The complaint people have with it is that if you put things into it that have much volume, it eats into the space of the water bottle side pocket. But if that's an issue, I would argue you're using it wrong. It's the perfect place for a small backpacker wallet, a key fob, or a map. Not having somewhere to stash my map, key, and wallet conveniently was the reason for another change I will discuss below.
Backpack Accessories
So, as a result of choosing the Zpacks Arc Haul backpack, I ended up spending on some accessories for the pack. Here are the items I tried.
Fanny packs
Ultralite Sacks Fanny Pack
Some companies try to avoid the "fanny pack" name, but not Ultralite Sacks of Arkansas.
This is the same company that makes the zipper cube ditty bags that I like. The fanny pack comes in two sizes, which they call Minimalist and Deluxe. I went with the minimalist bag. I have used it on one overnight trip and a few day hikes and kayak trips. I like it but...
The Ultralite Sacks minimalist fanny pack is a single chamber pouch. It's roomy enough to hold everything I normally put in my hip belt pockets.
- snacks
- lip balm
- travel size sunscreen
- headlamp
- small knife
- earbud case
- electrolyte tablets
It would also hold my phone if I wanted, but I generally hike with my phone in my pocket.
On my recent overnight trip, I had a map printed on plain printer paper. As I mentioned above, the place I'm used to stashing my map on the Durston pack is in that side pocket stash. Without that option on my Zpacks backpack, I defaulted to putting it in my fanny pack. I was super sweaty on this trip and the edges of the map were damp from my hands. I had folded the 8.5x11 paper into quarters and it was still a bit taller than the depth of the fanny pack. Because of this, the zipper shredded the edge of my map when I opened and closed the fanny pack.
Doing a bit of research, I also discovered that the Zpacks fanny pack is designed to buckle into the hip belt of the backpack, so you don't need a second belt with that fanny pack. That's a nice feature. The Ultralite Sacks fanny pack has clips that allow you to detach the pack from the belt. You could probably rig it to use it with the hip belts on some packs, but I don't think it would work with the V type straps on the Zpacks hip belt.
I will probably continue to use this fanny pack for day trips. But because of these issues, I sought another option.
Zpacks Front Utility Pack Accessory (FUPA)
Here is a link. The Zpacks FUPA is a bit larger than the minimalist Ultralite pack. It also has an internal elastic pouch and a pocket on the outside back. Here's a video that shows the features on this fanny pack.
I haven't taken this one on the trail yet, but I hope to do so soon. I already mentioned above that I was looking for a front pack with a little more depth to hold a map. The FUPA is just wide enough to hold the nice glossy topo trail maps, and it's deep enough to handle my quarter folded printed paper maps. The pouch on the back is plenty big for a phone. The inside pouch is perfect for my key fob and backpacker wallet.
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| "Wallet" and key fob |
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| Wallet and key fob in the internal stretchy pocket |
My backpacker wallet is just a dyneema zipper pouch that is large enough to carry my driver's license, a couple credit cards, and if I wanted, a little cash.
I will probably try to use the outside pouch for my phone. I am debating whether I want to carry the belt for the FUPA with me because I can use it without the belt. I will probably leave the belt at home. I'll report back after using this item.
Shoulder Strap Water Bottle Holsters
One of the things I realized after my first trip with the Zpacks Arc Haul pack is that I did miss having a shoulder strap water bottle holster. I looked online for options and narrowed things down to the Zpacks and one made by Gossamer Gear.
Gossamer Gear Bottle Rocket
Because the Bottle Rocket by Gossamer Gear was half the price of the Zpacks bottle holster, I decided to try it first. I ordered it through Garage Grown Gear. I saw reviews online for previous versions of the Bottle Rocket and people complained that the opening was not rigid and you couldn't replace the bottle with one hand. Gossamer Gear has addressed that issue. It now has a more rigid cuff at the top that keeps the opening wide open and you can grab the bottle and replace it one handed.
I never took this item on the trail and ended up returning it because I did not like the way it attaches to the pack. I don't think it would have fallen off the pack, but there was so much slack, even when the straps were cinched down tight. The daisy chain loops on the Arc Haul run up the shoulder strap and are made for horizontal attachment points. On this holster, there are just two attachments points in that direction and they aren't super secure. The holster is really design for the Gossamer Gear backpacks, which apparently have loops that run across the width of the shoulder strap and allow for vertical connector insertions. The Bottle Rocket has both, but the horizontal attachment straps have much more play than the velcro vertically aligned straps. And you can't cinche the horizontal straps down too much or it would compromise the shape of the sleeve and not allow you to put a bottle inside it.
On a side note, I was not a fan of the Garage Grown Gear return policy and process, especially for a small item like this. The price of it was only $15 and they wanted a $5 restocking fee if I wanted a refund or store credit that I seemed to be required to spend on the spot in a poor alternate product catalogue. I'm still not sure I will get the alternative item I purchased instead of this Bottle Rocket. 😖
To the credit of their support team, I reported my experience and they replied back, acknowledged it was an issue, and indicated they were working to fix it. They even asked follow up questions.
Zpacks Water Bottle Sleeve
You have to undo the strap at the bottom of the shoulder strap, which is a little bit of a pain, but it has elastic straps that wrap around the width of the shoulder straps to help keep it secure and to stop it from swinging and sliding around. There are toggles on the sleeve at the top and bottom that loop through the daisy chain on the shoulder strap that hold it in place on the shoulder strap. It's super lightweight and works with one hand. Here is a view of the backside of the sleeve to show the attachments points.
This one costs $30. Knowing what I know now, I would have purchased this and the FUPA at the same time I purchased the Arc Haul. All together, the total purchase would have been $500 for the pack and the two accessories. SMH.
Even so, it seems to work well. I'm looking forward to using it on trail.
Trekking Poles
Komperdell Carbon Cross Stick Trekking Poles
The regular retail price of these trekking poles was $299, but they were on clearance at REI for $119, plus I had a discount code for 20% off a clearance item. I paid $95.
As far as design, these Komperdell poles are very similar to the Leki poles I have been using. The primary differences between these and the Lekis I have are that these are made of carbon fiber instead of aluminum and the grips are a dense foam instead of cork. These poles are about an ounce lighter than the Leki. The Komperdell have a metal flick lock length adjustment lever, whereas the Leki flick lock lever is plastic.
They probably made these in other sizes. I didn't realize how long they were compared to the Leki poles I owned when I bought them. On the shortest setting, they are still a couple of inches longer than the length to which I normally set my Leki poles. It was still a comfortable length, and it's probably the length I should have been using with my Leki poles because it helps to have the extra length for downhill slopes and on creek crossings.
The reason I was even shopping for poles is because Durston released some trekking poles that are manufactured by Komperdell. The Durston Iceline poles are also carbon. However, they aren't the Z type folding poles. The Iceline poles separate completely and snap together.
I am partial to the folding style poles because they pack down to a shorter length than other poles. The shorter length does mean that they pack a bit wider than the three section poles. There are always compromises. The folding poles are really four sections. There are three main sections that connect together with a tether line, then the fourth section adjusts the length. Three section poles traditionally have two adjustable sections. Durston's Iceline poles are a bit of a hybrid, in that they have 3 sections, but only the top section adjusts. The argument against more adjustable sections is that it's additional moving parts and therefore, more failure points.
The Durston poles do not come with wrist straps. I have removed the straps from both the Leki and the Komperdell poles, but I have both sets of straps and I may end up putting them back on. There have been a few moments on the trail when I did miss having them. We'll see.
Neoross Stove Windscreen
The only place I was able to find a product like this was on AliExpress. I have never purchased anything from that online vendor before. It's the Chinese equivalent of Amazon. As a rule of thumb, I wouldn't buy from either of these vendors if there were any comparable alternative. But AliExpress is the only vendor that carries this product.
Before you click the following link, just a warning, they heavily advertise through Google and you're ads will immediately be populated with this and other AliExpress products. Here's the link.
So what is it? This is a windscreen for the BRS 3000t backpacking stove. It's just a ring that sits on top of the pot supports and protects the flame from wind. I haven't had much experience using this yet. I will say that it's design is not perfect and a US based company that wanted to find a niche market could easily compete with this product. The BRS-3000t is the lightest and smallest stove on the market, so it's very popular with backpackers and thru hikers. The biggest complaint about the stove is that it is inefficient, and particularly inefficient in windy conditions.
I think I got a deep discount from AliExpress because this was the first ever purchase I made from them. The total was less than $5, including shipping ...from China. I basically got a free stove and paid for international shipping. The regular price is supposedly around $21, but they seem to constantly have a sale. I'm currently seeing 30% off, so it's listed as $15.11.
This stove seems well built. It does pair well with the BRS stove. It is made of stainless steel. It seems like it would do the job it's made to do.
Having said that, there is a good deal of room for improvement. It's heavier than the stove. The stove and a mini Bic lighter, plus the stove stuff sack weigh 40 grams. The Neocross windscreen weighs 45 grams. While this is less weight than the Optimus windscreen that I have used a couple of times now, if the Neocross windscreen were made with titanium instead of stainless steel, it would be considerably lighter.
Let's talk about packability. While it's true that this windscreen does fit inside a standard diameter backpacking cookpot, it doesn't fit inside in a space efficient way.
For those who weren't around when cameras still used film, that black container is an old film canister I use for creole seasoning. I don't put it on everything, but I use it frequently enough that keeping it in my cook kit makes sense. While I could keep it in my food bag, it would tend to get buried in the bottom of my food bag. If the windscreen had a larger diameter, it would fit better with the other items I keep in my cook kit and there would be less room for rattling inside the pack.
Like I said above, I think a US based company could improve on this design by tweaking the size and material and easily corner the market to fill the gap. The Toaks titanium cook pots sell for less than $30. They use a lot more titanium than this, plus moving parts. You could machine these windscreens and probably crank them out for less than $20, and still clear a sizeable profit to BRS users and I'm sure you could adapt the design for other stoves for improved wind performance too.
If I knew more about manufacturing and patents, I'd do it myself, but that's definitely not my strong suit.
Well, those are the things I'll be testing and trying out more in the months to come. I've got a couple of shorter trips planned for this fall and I may try to do a longer trip after the new year.
Thanks for stopping by,
Gavagai
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