Paleo meals to go - Product Review

Oh so delicious Mountain Beef Stew in the Mountains

I was given two Paleo meals to go in exchange for doing this review.

https://www.paleomealstogo.com/

Paleo meals is located in Colorado and this is what their website says:

“We are happy to announce that finally, there is a place you can purchase freeze-dried meals that adhere to the general principles of the Paleo Diet!  Sometimes a snack just isn't enough and you need a solid meal, whether you are backpacking in the wilderness, camping, competing in ultra marathons, undertaking an epic adventure, participating in extreme events, traveling, or anytime you do not have access to fresh foods and your own kitchen.  Paleo meals to go are a great option! “

I was given these to review

I don’t know much about the Paleo diet, but I am very sensitive to MSG and I know that MSG is not part of the Paleo diet.  I really struggle to find savory prepared foods that are not loaded with MSG, so I have to make most of my backpacking foods at home with my dehydrator.  I wish I could freeze dry foods, as freeze dried foods cook faster, taste better and weigh less.

Paleo meals to go are freeze dried.  The Beef Mountain Stew weighs just 4 ounces in the package and contains 300 calories, so it gives you 75 calories per ounce and that’s including the package.  I really enjoyed the Mountain Beef Stew.  I took it on a day hike and I had it for lunch.  It was super easy to cook with water that I heated with my alcohol stove.

Skip ahead to 7:25 in this video to see my cooking, eating and reviewing this meal:

Cooking time was about 5 minutes. Freeze dried foods really do cook fast.  The stew tasted so delicious!  It also filled me up, I wonder if it really was just 300 calories, because I almost could not finish it before my stomach got too full.  Maybe the lack of MSG to excite and kill my neurons caused this meal to be more filling?

 It tasted really good, the spices were just right and the main ingredient is beef, so it was very meaty.  The celery and other vegetables also made the stew taste good.  Honestly the Mountain Beef Stew is one of the best tasting things I have eaten in a long time.    If I had the money, I would buy a bunch of these to take on day hikes and backpacking trips.   It is so nice to find something tasty packable and healthy.

I don’t like to cook foods in a bag because I worry chemicals from plastic leaching into the hot water, so I would probably cook these in my cook pot if I was on a backpacking trip.  For just an occasional day hike I would go ahead and eat these out of the bag with my long handled titanium spoon.

The other meal I was sent was a breakfast.  The breakfast was called Coconut Berry breakfast.   My daughter and I shared the breakfast meal in a motel room in Los Angeles.  We heated the water in a microwave oven.  

 I really like both coconuts and blueberries but I was not enamored with this breakfast.  The blueberries were too sour for my liking and the coconut flavor did not seem to come through very strong.  The package contained enough food for two, but my daughter would not eat hers at all, so I ate the entire thing, even though I did not think it was the best tasting thing I have ever eaten.  At least is was a good healthy meal.   I'd like to try their other breakfast that is mango flavored.

So there you have it, I loved the stew but did not really care for the breakfast.  If money was no object, I would buy the "Beef Mountain Stew" by the case.   It tasted that great!  It is also healthy and it packs and cooks easily. 

Visit the Paleo meals to go website to see all of the foods that they offer.. https://www.paleomealstogo.com/

The package matches my backpack too, what if I just wore this package on the outside of my pack all the time?  Could I convince the fine folks at Paleo meals to send me more Mountain Beef Stew?

Get your own at https://www.paleomealstogo.com/

My MLD Duomid has arrived and these are my first impressions

It looks like this

I ordered a MLD Duomid a few weeks ago and it arrived today.  I am sick today and I am not in a good mood.    I think I'm going to keep the Duomid, but it's not what I was expecting.  It was supposed to weigh 20 ounces, but it weighs much more.   I got perimeter bug netting and I know that added a few ounces.  Still, I was not expecting this floor-less shelter to weigh 30 ounces with stakes, bag and lines.  My 3 person Shires Tarp-tent with full bug netting and a full bathtub floor weighs 43 ounces with stakes, poles and lines.

It weighs this much with lines, stakes and pole jack and stuff sack

I think the listed weight for the Duomid on the MLD website is off by five ounces.  I'm just not sure how much weight I added with the perimeter bug netting and the extra snaps that come with it.

This is what it came with, the seam sealer was missing and there were no directions or receipt

If I use a polycro floor then the Duomid will still weigh about 30 ounces but if I use a tyvek floor like I had planned the mid will weigh about 33 ounces.  That's only a ten ounce saving and for that savings I get less space, less bug protection and I have to carry a heavier trekking pole or fart around tying my poles together.   What I do get is a prettier tent that will hold up better in the wind and the snow.  I don't think that my Shires Tarp-tent would hold up at all in the snow and it's not particularly good in the wind with it's long side walls.

If I bought the inner net I would have a shelter that weighs just as much as my 3  person tarp-tent  so it made no sense to me to get the inner net.

My trekking poles are Black Diamond ultra mountain FL women's poles that extend to 110cm and they are too short to use with the Duomid even with the pole jack, so I will have to use heavier poles or will have to take the time to tie my existing poles together and carry the extra weight of cord to tie them together.  Tying my poles together will take extra time and the cord to tie them will add a little extra weight.

One of the selling points of the Duomid for me was being able to quickly pitch it in the rain and the cold with just one trekking pole, so I'm disappointed. I suppose I could try to find a 41cm rock to put under my pole, but I don't think I want a huge rock in my living space.  I'll have to take the time to tie my poles together.  Maybe I can come up with a good fast solution using Velcro.

My pole is way too short, even with the pole jack
the mid is pitched tight to the ground here too.

 I bought the mid because I wanted something lighter and smaller and more wind resistant.  It's a little bit lighter but is it $300 lighter?  Maybe the answer is yes, but only because I  want to be able to camp in the wind and maybe even the snow.

The Duo mid does look to be very well made and the stuff sack is certainly ample.  In fact the stuff sack is twice as big as it need to be.  I wonder why it is so big?  The stuff sack is well made too, much better made than the sack that came with my tarp-tent.

My mid was not shipped with the seam sealer that was supposed to be included and it says I'll void my warranty if I use any other seam sealer.  So I emailed MLD about this and I hope they will send me some.  What a shame it was not included, because it's going to rain all week now and I won't be able to seam seal it in the rain.  Today was probably the last day this week that I could have seam sealed it.

I found directions for the Mid online and it did not take me too long to cut up all the string and attach it.  The directions said that the length of strings needed for the side tie outs would be obvious, but it wasn't really.  Still I was able to get it pitched for the first time without too much trouble.  I am going to have to singe the ends of all the cords I had to cut to stop them from fraying.

The mid has a very strong smell to it that I hope will fade with time.  I had a headache when I pitched the mid and the smell made my headache worse.  The peak has a vent in it.  The vent has bug netting in it but there is a gap in the attachment that is big enough to let mosquitoes in.  I'll have to find a way to plug that gap during bug season if mosquitoes are smart enough to find their way in and around the vent.

The mid looks to have ample space for both my daughter and I and all of our gear. I'm only 5'5" and I sleep with my backpack under my feet so I will be able to store all my gear at my head or at my feet.  My daughter is about 5'3" and growing.  In fact there is no reason why we can't fit the dog in there with us.  I never let my dog into my tarp-tent with it's bathtub floor, but I think I will let the dog into the mid since it does not have a floor that she can destroy.  She will have to be trained to stay off my sleeping bag though.

 So bottom line, not as light as I had hoped but plenty big enough and plenty strong enough for wind and snow.  Now I have to find out how livable it is with out a floor or full bug netting.

I'm going to go with this self improvised system.  It will give me ten centimeters of adjustment and by using the rivit on the pole I can prevent the poles from slipping down under pressure, but I can still slide them up and down for adjustments via the flick locks.  I think this will work, it won't take too much time to tie my poles together and there won't be as much of a weight penalty as there would be if I packed a dedicated pole.  The only weight penalty with this is the cord. 

If I want to pitch my tarp and go hiking with my trekking poles I will have to find a stick to prop the mid up with, that or tie the top to a tree.  But I doubt there were be very many situations where I can tie it to a tree branch in a spot that is flat enough to pitch it. Running a line between two trees might work better depending on how saggy the line is. 

I can creatively use this rivet on my pole to keep my poles from slipping down under pressure.

With the slack in the cord I can use the flick locks to adjust the poles up and down
and at the same time the rivet on the lower pole will prevent the set up from slipping down under pressure.

DeLorme inReach SE 2-Way Satellite Communicator, first impressions and short term review

After having many failures of my SPOT messengers and after SPOT raised the subscription price (they call it free tracking) I decided to dump SPOT and give the Delorme InReach SE a try.

First impressions of the Delorme unit

#1.  It's expensive!  $300 for just the unit
#2   It does a lot of stuff that SPOT does not do
#3   It weighs the same as a SPOT
#4 the USB port cover looks flimsy and the mini USB charging port might   become a problem after repeated use.

The Delorme unit is nicer to use and gives you the ability to send and receive free form text messages, but there is a price.  I signed up for the annual safety plan, that plan gives me unlimited preset check in messages but charges me 50 cents for every free form text message.  The first ten message per month are free, but I found that if I send the same message to my spouses cell phone and email I get double charged.  The free form messages added up much faster than I expected them to before I figured this out.

The Delorme can only be charged via a mini USB port.  The port cover looks very flimsy and mini USB port in general seem to be a weak link in many products.

The Delorme can be synced to your computer so you can program it via the Explore Delorme website.  I'm pretty sure that you have to use the website to select recipients for pre set messages and to type in preset messages.

Syncing the Delorme has been somewhat problematic for me.  About every other time I go to Sync the device there is a required upgrade that I must install.  Sometimes the upgrade is easy to install and other times it is not.  Then after the upgrade is installed sometimes my computer can not see my Delorme and I have to reboot the computer a couple of times to get it to see the Delorme.  So I try to avoid syncing my device very often as the process of upgrading and then syncing can take over half an hour just depending on how well my computer handshakes with the Delorme on a given day.

The battery life of the Delorme is not what I had hoped for.  I have to leave the unit off most of the time or the battery just drains.  I don't use tracking and I dread to think how fast the battery must drain with tracking on.

After about three months of use my Delorme Inreach product began to display an error message.  I was 23 miles in on the PCT with 23 miles to go and my delorme began to display a message that said it was damaged and could no longer send or receive messages. The device said that I needed to contact customer support.  Great, just great.  So my spouse sat at home worried for three days because he was getting no messages from me.

When I used the SPOT he know that the think was very prone to breakage and if he did not get messages he would know that the SPOT had broken yet again.  But we did not expect the Delorme to be so fragile, so he was worried.  Now we know.

I ended my trip early because the Delorme broke and a few other reasons.  When I got home I called Delorme customer support and after spending about 20 minutes on hold I got through to a human.  I told the Delorme rep what had happened, he apologized and said he would rush ship me a new unit.  No questions asked, the new unit arrived after about 4 days.  Setting up the new unit was easy enough and now I'm on my way again.

I hope that the new unit lasts longer.  I fear that the Delorme device may be just as flimsy as the SPOT.  What will happen if this new one breaks in just a few months?  Will the Delorme customer service still be just as good or will they do like SPOT did and accuse me of being too hard on the units?

Note that I carry the same GPS, Digital Camera and IPod on all of my hikes and none of those deviced have ever broke.  I take good care of my gear, it's not my fault that the SPOT kept breaking and it's not my fault that my Delorme has already broken.

I'll keep you all posted and let you know how long this second Delorme unit lasts.  I beginning to think that satellite messengers fry their circuits just a little bit every time they send a message and are maybe only good for about one hundred messages each.

The first bill I got from Delorme was shocking, taxes upon taxes upon taxes, nearly 50% of the first bill was tax.  I was gobsmacked!  The montly bills are not taxed at the same rate, but that first bill was a real shock.

 I thought my inreach would have an adress that I could give to people, but it does not.The only way someone can send a message to my Inreach is to reply to a message that I sent to them or to go to my map page.

The Inreach is does have more sucess sending out messages than my SPOT unit had and sometimes it sends my messages out within seconds.  I have found that in the evening the inreach has more trouble finding satellites as they sink below the southern horizon.  Like the SPOT the Inreach might work better at more southern latitudes.

Ultralight Adventure Equipment (ULA) Circuit 2014 Short Term Review

packed up after a one night trip, here I have the
tarp tent in the front mesh pocket of my pack

We have taken our ULA circuit packs on 5-6 trips now for close to 200 miles and about a two dozen nights.  So far we have no complaints with these packs.  I have not yet cut off the water bottle straps or anything else for that matter.  I'm okay with the long straps on the load lifters and on the hip belt.

I have now used the water bottle holders on the shoulder straps and found them useful for freeing up room in the pockets.  I have a rather bulky 3 person tarp tent , so I like the extra space.

This pack will hold a Garcia bear can vertically. I wish I could take it horizontally, maybe the large size could?  Mine is an adult size small with a large hipbelt.  I hope to fit into a medium hipbelt by the time we are done with our PCT section hike.

It can hold my large bearcan, my tarptent and all my clothes at once.  When the bear can is empty then I can stuff all my clothes into the bear can and then my sleeping bag fits into the pack too.

This picture was taken at the end of our last trip:

The pack on the right it mine.  My original Garcia bearcan, my tarptent and my sleeping bag are all inside the pack.  Most of my clothes are stuffed into the bear can.  The side pockets can hold a large gatoraide bottle.  I don't drink the stuff, I just like the bottles.

The hip belt pockets can hold a GPS and a Delorme at the same time.  When I first got this pack I was worried that it might be a little bit too small, but not now that I have my daughter carry her half of the food bulk. 

On the left is my daughters kids sized circuit adjusted to the shortest setting.  It might be time to adjust her pack soon.  The pack will grow with her and I love that.  I'll never had to buy her another pack.

These are tough packs that carry the amount of weight we want well.  My base pack weight is about 15 pounds including a DSLR camera and a three person tarp tent.  I use a pop can stove a tarp tent and the best sleeping bag I could afford in order to save weight.  I have carried six days worth of food with this pack and the pack carried it well.

The only spot on my pack that I am wondering about is where the Y strap that goes over the top of the pack is sewn to the pack.  I've been trying not to cinch my sleeping bag down too tight when I have to carry it on top.  It might be a good strong seam, but the outside looks like a stitch might be getting a bit loose.  It's probably okay on the inside though.

I have not decided if I like having so many ways to close the top.  Roll it up or cinch it down?  I like to cinch it down to be on the safe side.  I don't want to lose any of my stuff.  In the picture my daughter's pack is rolled shut and mine is cinched shut.

One thing about this pack that I do not like is the gap in the side pockets where the hip belt goes it.  Small items can fall out of these pockets. 

If you're in doubt about this pack I say go ahead and buy it.  I have no regrets at all.  ULA packs come with excellent customer support. 

Delorme inReach SE first impressions

I ordered the unit by calling Delorme directly, shipping was free but I had to pay tax, so ordering through them might have been a mistake except for the fact that they gave me a $50 "pro" discount.

The unit took about a week and a half to finally arrive.  It looks nice enough and it weighs 7 ounces on my scale, that is the same weight as my GPS.

I used the explore Delorme website to set up my account.  Since I am living well below the official poverty level this month I went for the basic safety plan with no frills.  Set up was not very intuitive but I still got through it fairly quickly.  Syncing was fairly easy once I had installed the syncing software on my computer.

I can not figure out a way to sent OK message to a cell phone, it seems that I have to us my text messages for that.  Text messages cost ten cents each with the first ten each month being free. 

I found that the only way my spouse can text my Delorme is to reply to a message, that seems strange.  I also found that if my spouse pings me it will cost me twenty cents each time.  I was sure that it was only supposed to cost ten cents.  I told my spouse that he will owe me twenty cents every time he pings me and that started a big argument so I did not bother setting up my map page for pings.  He thought I should pay for it every time he pings me.  I think not!

The only way to ping a Delorme is to go to the map page (if you have set one up) and ping from a box there.  Also when I send a check in message to users it takes them to a map page with a reply box.  I see no way to get rid of the reply box.  Each reply will cost me ten cents, I so would like to find a way to turn off the reply box. 

I might want to put people on my list that I don't totally trust not to go crazy and message me dozens of time.  I have one relative in mind that I want to send okay messages to, but she's a funny one and might suddenly decided to reply over and over and over while I am hiking and that is the last thing I want.

The delorme unit beeps when an okay message has been successfully sent and I like that feature.  Also Delorme uses a better satellite network than it's competitor so I expect that less of my messages will get lost now.

Another thing I like about the Delorme is that the website has a "cancel service" link.  The competitor has no such link and they make it VERY hard to cancel even by phone.

I got my first invoice and the tax was really high.. I'm very disappointed with the tax.. on $21 invoice there was nearly $8.00 in tax!  There was Federal cell tax, Sales tax and Utility users tax.. Sheesh.. what a load of regressive taxes!  So I now owe $44 for one month and one day of service plus the $20 set up fee and a ton of tax. Ouch!!

Moment tarp tent product review

Moment Tarptent

I purchased a moment tarp tent last winter and I have pitched it in my yard in the rain several times, but I have not taken it on a trip.  Seam sealing this puppy has been a hassle.   It's finally water tight now  If I ever purchase one of these new I will get it seam sealed at the factory.

I bought this tarp tent second hand from someone who was switching to cuben fiber.  It came with the optional 13 section pole to make it free standing, a Tyvec ground sheet and customer seam sealing.

I've owned the Tarptent rainshadow 2 for about ten years and I've never had problems with it leaking.  This was back when the factory did all the seam sealing (I think).  The rainshadow 2 kept us all dry but it does take some time to set up.  The newer rainshadows come with line tighteners and a few other things to make set up easier, but mine is an older model.

I am amazed at how easy it is to set up the Moment Tarp tent!  This is a great tarp tent for folks who don't want to fuss around with setup.  I would like to assume that when these are factory sealed they don't leak.

My Moment has been seam sealed 4 times now and I have it back out in the yard for testing right now and it seems to be passing, the leaking has finally stopped.  The problem was with the attachment points for the optional pole and for the interior pockets. 

This was enough silicone to seal this thing

The first time I re-did the pocket attachment points I used a diluted mix of silicone and spirits and then put the tent in my yard for a test.  It leaked.  So I wrote to Henry Shires, the man who makes tarp tents and he wrote back to me right away and suggested using undiluted silicone on the attachment points and putting some silicone in the center of the patch too as there might be a hole there.  Customer service at Tarp Tent is top notch.

So did as Henry suggested and the pocket attachment points quit leaking, but then the attachment points for the extra pole are leaking.  So I have now seam sealed those with undiluted silicone.  My tarp tent is finally watertight now.

After heavy rain and a dousing with the garden  hose the inside is dry

If I had just taken this tarptent out camping without testing it in my yard, it would have been a disaster!

What I like about this tarp tent. 

It is light
Set up is super fast
Comes with great customer support
Bath tub floor
Bug netting
Excellent customer service

What I don't like about this tarp tent

Seam sealing was a nightmare of trail an error
Too many seams on the ridge line and tent body
A bit cramped inside, in the rain I would probably get my sleeping bag wet with condensation since I toss and turn all night long.

This original moment tarp tent is for sale  $200 plus shipping.  It shows no signs of wear at all.  With the included extras (Tyvec ground cloth, seam sealing and 13 section ridge pole) it would cost well over $300 brand new.

Use the comment form to inquire about buying this or message mosswalks on facebook.

The inside is dry now

Gear Review: La Sportiva Omega GTX Hiking Boot

Gear Review: La Sportiva Omega GTX Hiking Boot

I bought these boots on sale at REI.  The day after they came I saw that the price online had been reduced by $50.  I called REI and they credited my $50 back because they have a 30 day price guarantee on all their stuff.

I've had these boots since last fall, it is now spring and I have put a fair amount miles on these boots, generally hiking twice a week.  This week the right boot started to leak, but it's not the fault of the boot.  It is starting to leak where my ankle brace is rubbing it.  The left boot is still perfectly watertight. 



Boot is starting to leak where my ankle brace rubs.
I did this test by filling the boot with water and
then watching for seeping on the outside of the boot.

I took a 13.5 mile hike on a day when over an inch of rain fell and my left foot stayed bone dry.  I have never had gortex boots stay water proof for this long before.  Normally I can only get about three months out of gortex boots before they leak.



Warming my toes with a teabag.
 I can only do this with truly waterproof boots

These are good sturdy boots over all.  The only weak spot I have found is the stitching on the side of the foot.  Some of the stitches have worn off now.  I should have put some goop over them when they were newer, but it's not too late.

I'm going to keep wearing these boots but with a little goop or silicone over the spot where the right boot is leaking. 

I don't think you will want to wear these boots in a lot of scree due to that seam, but these boots are perfect for soggy valley hikes in the Olympics.

The toe box is a little bit more narrow that I like, but my feet have adjusted.

I maybe should have gotten a larger size.  These are size 42 and my toe sometimes hits the front of the boot when I go down steep hills.

I like how you can tighten the ankle laces separately from the ones over the top of your foot that really cuts down on toe jamming.

I picked these boots because they offered the balance between weight and durability that I wanted.  Come summer time I'll be hiking in running shoes.

REI does not carry them anymore but you can buy them on Amazon.com by clicking this link:
La Sportiva Men's Omega GTX Hiking Boot,Grey/Rust,44.5 EU/11 M US and I might make 50 cents off the transaction.. :)

Sawyer Squeeze Mini Final Review

Sawyer Squeeze Mini Final Review

First of all thank you to Sawyer for giving me a free mini squeeze filter to review!

This will be my final review for the Sawyer Squeeze mini filter.    I used the filter on about ten day hikes and on one backpacking trip.  Right away the gasket failed while using the filter with a water bottle.  I got new gaskets at the hardware store and they worked well.  I know that Sawyer will mail out new gaskets for free, but I did not feel like waiting and gaskets are very cheap to buy.

The cap on the outflow end has a small retaining ring.  The cap was often difficult to get off and one time I had to use so much pressure to get the cap off that the retainer broke.  So now when I have to get the cap off there is no retainer and sometimes the cap flies away into the woods. 

I took the Sawyer mini on a backpacking trip to the ocean and the filter worked well and it was so much better than a pump filter, but the gasket kept falling out.  I think my replacement gaskets were too small.

I would dip my bladder into a river and then attach the Sawyer and squeeze water through the bladder into a bottle.  The chance of contamination with this method was high, I felt.  Untreated river water could drip down the bag and into my bottle.  Certainly one must take care when using all filters.

I love the squeeze filter concept, and I love that Sawyer is doing such wonderful work to bring clean water to folks in developing nations.  But I don’t think I will use my mini filter anymore.  I hope to buy (or better yet be given) a couple of regular sized  Sawyer Squeeze filters for my planned PCT Oregon hike with my daughter this summer.  The regular sized Squeeze filter has a faster flow and a built in push pull cap.  I don’t know if the regular has the same gasket issue.  I think that gasket issues can be averted by using the filter with a bag instead of a bottle.

Clearly Sawyer has revolutionized back country water filtering with the squeeze system.  The regular sized squeeze weighs almost nothing compared to a traditional pump filter and the flow is faster.  I have not used the regular sized Sawyer squeeze filter, but I feel that the regular sized Sawyer Squeeze filter is the best option for me.  I just had too many issues with the mini that make it not worth the one ounce of weight saved.

Long Term Review

This post has been move to here:
http://mosswalks.blogspot.com/2013/04/2013-gossamer-gear-gorilla-ultralight.html

Ultralight Adventure Equipment (ULA) Circuit 2014 Review

Update: After 200 miles I have done a longer term review on this pack and you will find it here: http://mosswalks.blogspot.com/2014/07/ultralight-adventure-equipment-ula_27.html








 I ordered this backpack on Thursday and to my surprise it arrived in just two days!   Last summer I used a  pack made by a "mid sized company"  on my overnight trips with my kid.  The pack worked okay for the first few shorter trips.  But by the time we were ready to do longer trips the pack had stretched to the point that it no longer rode comfortably on my hips.  Maybe I tried to carry too much with it.

 Also the pack body was just a little bit too small to hold 3 days worth of food for two people (or six days for one) and then part of the pack broke when I stepped on it and I was not able to obtain original replacement parts from the "mid sized company".   The "mid sized company" told me to contact their third party factory in Mexico(?)  to get my pack repaired.  No thanks.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  So I had to do an ugly homemade repair job on it and without the proper parts. It's a good thing that I know how to sew.

 I did quite a bit of research and decided that the ULA Circuit was probably the way for me to go next.  Most of the folks who through hike the PCT carry this pack and that seems like a very good endorsement to me.

First impressions:  The pack is really pretty, but then purple is my favorite color.  There were four different color options for this pack.   The pack also feels really light in spite of it being a few ounces heavier than I am used to.  This pack comes with a lot of features and  I might not want to use all of them, but that's okay because most of the features that I don't want are made to be removed.

The pack has plenty of volume for the weight and I am certain that I will never need a bigger pack than this for my 13 pound base pack weight, even when I go on multi-day hikes and carry stuff for my kid.




weight with everything included

With all the included stuff the pack weighed  between 2 pounds 4 ounces  and 2 pounds 7 ounces on my scale.  ULA says the pack weighs 39 ounces, so ULA was right on.    My pack is a size small with a large hip belt and original "J" straps.

Back of the pack so purple, so pretty



 

 



Thumb strap, notice how long all of the straps are, I'm going to trim them.

I was able to shave one ounce off this pack right away by removing the thumb straps.  The thumb straps are big loops on the shoulder pads that you can hook your thumbs into so you can elevate your hands and prevent them from swelling up on long trips.  I use trekking poles, so I doubt very much that I will use these straps.  Also they weigh one ounce and they get in the way and bother me.  I'm glad that the straps are made to be removed.

Front Mesh pocket

The pack comes with a nice big front mesh pocket.  The mesh does not stretch but the top opening does stretch.  This pocket will be easiest to load when the pack body is empty since the mesh does not stretch.  The mesh feels very solid and I doubt that it will ever get snagged and ripped on branches and rocks.



There are two ways to close the top of the pack.  You can roll it down and clip it like a dry sack when it is not too full, or you can cinch it down with two  straps when it is fuller.  The  straps are study enough that I am not likely to break them if I try to pick up the pack while I am standing on one of them.   (that is how I broke the string on my last pack)  The same clips work either as a roll top or a strap closure since ULA has very cleverly reversed the male and female clips on each side.   I really like the option of closing it like a dry sack because that cuts back on the amount of fuss.

Side compression strap

The pack comes with a compression strap on each side.  The strap is rather burly, I think it could have been made a little thinner.   I'm not a big fan of compression straps so I might cut these off eventually and then save another ounce.

There is also a big strap that goes over the top of the pack and can be used to hold stuff?  Maybe it's to hold a bear can on the top?  I suppose it could be used to carry snowshoes.  I might cut it off.  I can always sew it back on if I change my mind.


Made in the USA, got to love that!

Hydration bladder pocket

Inside of the main body is a hydration bladder pocket.  When you want to use a hydration bladder having a pocket is really important.   But when you don't want to used a hydration bladder, it's just extra weight.  ULA knows this and they made the pocket removable.  Another half ounce can be saved by removing this.   I normally use water bottles, so I think I will remove this unless I go hiking somewhere that is dryer than my rainforest and requires me to carry lots of water.

zipper pocket

Also inside of the pack body is a zipper pocket for storing things like money and car keys.  I really like this little pocket.  But, if for any reason I don't want to use it, it is made to be taken out.  It could be handy on a through hike to be able to throw your pack down and unclasp the pocket to take with you into a store or restaurant.  I will probably keep this pocket.  I really like having a secure place to keep my wallet and car keys.

The pack comes with two ice axe loops that can also be used to carry trekking poles.  I might remove one of these.  I only carry one ice axe at a time and I can carry my tiny trekking poles in the huge side pockets.

There is a shock cord with a clip that goes over the front mesh pocket.  This might be a good place to hold snowshoes or an extra jacket.  I always like to have at least one shock cord on the outside of my packs.  The cord has a plastic stopper on it to keep the ends from falling out of the clip.  The same result could be achieved by tying knots into the ends of the cord but this clip seems more secure.

The sternum strap is way too long and it is thicker than it needs to be.  I will be cutting the excess off of this and sealing the end before this pack goes anywhere.  This pack has an awful lot of straps on it and most of them are too long.  That's okay though, I can cut them all off to the size I want once I have decided exactly how long I want them all to be.  I know that I can save at least 2 ounces by  trimming the straps.

The pack also comes with water bottle loops on the shoulder straps.  I've never carried water bottles on my shoulder straps, but I know that a lot of hikers do and I'm willing to at least give it a try before I cut the loops off.  Since the side pockets are not as easy to reach into as I would like, I might actually want to carry water bottles on my shoulder straps.



I put all of this stuff into the pack to see how it fit me when loaded

The first test to see how this pack fit on me was to fill it with stuff.  I filled it with all the stuff I would normally take on a backpacking trip and then I added some bottles of liquid to replicate the weight and bulk of my food.  All of the stuff pictured above made my total pack weight about 30 pounds.



Loaded pack.  The top is being held shut with the straps in this picture

I found that the pack fits quite well!  It fits nice and high on my hips just the way I like a pack to fit!  I'm 5'6" and I got the small sized pack body.  I can tell that even if this pack stretches out some it will still fit me well.  So far I'm loving the way this pack fits! 

The pack includes load lifter straps, I really missed not having load lifters on my last pack.   In this next picture I have not yet adjusted the lifter straps.  

I'm going to send a picture to ULA and ask them if they think I got the right sized pack.  The website says that they will provide this as a service and even send you the proper parts for free if it turns out that your pack does not fit correctly the way you ordered it.  

Loaded for a total weigh of 30 pounds including the pack it seems to fit well



Large zipper pocket on hip belt.  I am not wearing the pack in this picture

The hip belt comes with two large zipper pockets, one on each side.  The pockets are larger than I expected them to be and I am happy about that.  I should be able to fit a lot of moss samples into these pockets.



Large Zipper pockets are easy to reach, I got the "J" style shoulder straps

This picture shows where the hip belt pockets line up.  They are off to the side a bit an not really easy to see into when you have the pack on.




I can reach into the side pockets with the pack on

The main pack body has two very large side pockets.  I can reach into the pockets

when I have the pack on but it is not as easy to reach into them as I would like.  The pockets

cinch shut with a shock cord to help keep your stuff from falling out of them.

Included instruction sheet



Cost with shipping

Bottom line:
Good volume, low weight, sturdy pack that fits me perfectly.   I think  this pack is going to serve me quite well for years and years. 

My only real complaint is that it is not as easy as I would like for me to be able to reach into the side pockets.  But at least I can reach into them. Perhaps I won't mind that, if I start to carry water on my shoulder straps instead.

  Also the pack comes with too many straps and the straps are too long, but that is a problem I can easily fix with a pair of scissors.  I will take the pack on at least a couple of backpacking trips before I decide where to cut the strops.

I wish the pack cost less money, but  it is priced competitively so I can't complain too much and it is made in the USA.  Kudos to ULA for keeping jobs in the USA.

Next I would like to get one of these packs for my daughter.  This is the only ultralight pack that I know of that is made in an adjustable kids size.