A remarkably light pack

[newfydog]

OK, all my pilgrimages have been on a bike. I do walk and carry a backpack on occasion though, and next year that will be my focus. I want to do one more Himalayan trek before I am too old for those 17,000 foot passes. I hope to walk the Manaslu circuit for my 60th birthday.

In preparation we'll do some backpacking trips in the US, and the French Chemin Robert Louis Stevenson from LePuy to Ales. We will give our respects to our friend St James in LePuy.

Some of my gear is getting old and mangy as well, so I started wading through the wealth of information here on light weight gear, and found a link for ZPacks.

http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks.shtml

They make a pack with a full frame, a ventilated mesh back, taped waterproof seams, and an astonishing weight of 1 pound. The whole thing is carbon fiber and cuben fabric. The version I got with extra pockets etc. is 1. 25 lbs. (568 grams). (arctic blast).

It costs about $300 a pound so unless you are aging and looking to buy some help, it may not be of interest, but I thought I'd post here I that ordered one, it came in a few days, and it looks very good. I would not want to fill it with climbing gear or drag it through a Utah slot canyon, but actually I don't much care to haul those packs around a hiking trail in Europe. This pack is a heck of a good start on a really light load. My current packs weighs 4 times as much.

So far it has been to the pet store, and I hauled 25 lbs of dog food and a green stuffed squeaking snake home. The doggy likes the snake, and the load rode beautifully. It looks like a real specialty item made in a small business by people who actually use the gear.

Now, on to footwear....

 

[grayland]

[quote="newfydog, post: 168329, member: 7445"
.....snip.....and found a link for ZPacks.

http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks.shtml

They make a pack with a full frame, a ventilated mesh back, taped waterproof seams, and an astonishing weight of 1 pound. The whole thing is carbon fiber and cuben fabric. The version I got with extra pockets etc. is 1. 25 lbs. (568 grams). (arctic blast).
.........snip

Which size did you get? Which pockets?
It looks like it one big sack without the optional pockets.

 

[newfydog]

I got the 52 liter size, a bit big for European trails, but big enough for backpacking with a tent and sleeping bag. The side and bottom lashings and roll down top shrink the pack pretty well when not full.

I added one shoulder pouch, and two hip belt pouches, and it came with a big rear mesh pouch as well as two side pockets.

 

[Espero]

I recently purchased a ZPacks Zero backpack specifically for my up coming trip in April. It started out as a 36l frameless pack and I added options I felt I would need, e.g. Cuben Hybrid Fiber for durability; external center and side pockets; haul loop; roll top closure; sleeping pad holster; webbing waist belt; side straps; and taped seams. The roll top closure and taped seams make it a kind of dry bag (I hope). As a back-up, I'll be packing everything in home made cuben fiber stuff sacks. I even had them sew on a forum patch and a Camino patch from Patch Quartermaster. With the back and side pockets the capacity should be around 48l. Total weight, by my scale, is 12.42 oz. The total cost was around $230. Not bad for a semi-custom pack. I worked with Matt Favero of ZPacks and he was very helpful in answering my questions and producing a fine product. If I had to do it again, I would ask about adding some reflective material for walking along roads. On my own, I purchased and attached SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) tape to the front and back. Now, all I'm waiting for is April. Buen Camino

 

[newfydog]

Total weight, by my scale, is 12.42 oz. The total cost was around $230.

Yep. $300 a pound!

When I started digging into this ultralight stuff, I found there is a lot of gear which is light, but made of conventional materials. so by shedding weight something had to go----comfort, durability, design features. I figured if I was to find a true modern wonder, it would have to be made of something other than nylon and aluminum. These packs qualify. Hope they work well. I think they will.

 

[obinjatoo]

I'm an experienced backpacker and Mountaineer. I've guided for a living for many years and I'd love to know how this holds up. I am familiar with the material but I think I would shred it in no time... Keep us posted.

 

[Kialoa3]

Newfy,

I have the same pack and will be testing it out from Le Puy to Santiago next April. My initial assessment is that the pack is well constructed and the polyester coating on the hybrid cuben pack material should go a long way to increase longevity. That being said the caminos we are typically walking are not bushwhacking trails and the pack should do just fine. I loved my Aarn Peak Aspiration (PA), but it was just too much pack for a camino. The Zpack Arc Blast weighs 1 pound, the Aarn Peak Aspiration with balance pockets (which I love) weighs 5 pounds. Just for the record, I walked two CF's with the PA and never gave it a second thought. My pack weight was always around 18 pounds (20 tops). Subtracting 4 pounds from that weight brings my pack weight into previously unimaginable territory. As I prepare to walk in spring and summer, next year, I am confident I can walk with a pack that will weigh between 12-14 pounds, food and water included. Heady stuff!

John

 

[newfydog]

I'm an experienced backpacker and Mountaineer. I've guided for a living for many years and I'd love to know how this holds up. I am familiar with the material but I think I would shred it in no time... Keep us posted.

Well, I've already realized there will be no more picking the pack up by anything you can grab---the side straps and flaps are pretty light. On the other hand, I have a pack which can be dragged up multi-pitch climbs and not blow a part. I don't need that pack on the Camino. You might destroy a Ferrari hauling firewood too, while a 4x4 pickup would be more appropriate. Or for the sake of kialoa3, I don't paddle rocky creeks with my carbon fiber wing paddle!

Is there a 1 lb pack out there for canyoneering? No. For the Camino? Yes.. I don't think even a gnarly dude like obinj could figure out where to shred a pack on a pilgrimage trail.

 

[obinjatoo]

Well, I've already realized there will be no more picking the pack up by anything you can grab---the side straps and flaps are pretty light. On the other hand, I have a pack which can be dragged up multi-pitch climbs and not blow a part. I don't need that pack on the Camino. You might destroy a Ferrari hauling firewood too, while a 4x4 pickup would be more appropriate. Or for the sake of kialoa3, I don't paddle rocky creeks with my carbon fiber wing paddle!

Is there a 1 lb pack out there for canyoneering? No. For the Camino? Yes.. I don't think even a gnarly dude like obinj could figure out where to shred a pack on a pilgrimage trail.

First of all, I'm not a "dude" thank you very much or gnarly (though I have been called ugly by some of the kids I've worked with). And if there is a way to shred or break something, I'll figure it out... LOL... The French Route is the front country that's true but people have died on it and there are always variables one cannot account for before it happens. What seems benign to one person is not so to another. Risk is subjective, hazards are objective and blah blah blah. I'm rough on my gear. I drop it, it gets wet, drags across rocks, falls in the mud, been too close to the fire etc. I've seen backpacks fly off the roof racks of vans on the high way. Some explode and shred, others hold up... I'm just curious to see how that material holds up and how effective the suspension is. My travel/ Camino pack is a tiny Dueter that weighs about 3 pounds and it's tough and I love it. The pack I use for work is stupid heavy but all the above mentioned has happened, and it's held up... Light weight is good but sometimes weight gets traded for durability regardless of what one is doing with it...

 

[newfydog]

obinjatoo@yahoo.com, post: 168945, member: 19616[/EMAIL]] I'm rough on my gear. I drop it, it gets wet, drags across rocks, falls in the mud, been too close to the fire etc. ...

Ok, if you are that creative in finding ways to destroy a pack on an easy trail such as these pilgrimage routes, by all means, carry a tank. This thread was intended for those of us who can actually walk them without dragging our packs across rocks, or getting too close to fires, or even falling in the mud very often and we'll enjoy a nice light load.

 

[grayland]

. .

What color did you order???

 

[newfydog]

I got it in indigo.
I wore it on a hike today, where the November drizzle turned into a ghastly driving cold rain. Water got in through my raingear, and my wife's pack was a soggy mess, but everything in the zpack was dry as can be. The fabric is a bit crackly sounding, but it is totally waterproof. You have to let air out like a dry sack when closing it.

Here's a picture of the pack in use:

 

[newfydog]

I got a pm asking that I write a review when I've done more than carry home the dog food. I certainly will, in the meantime, here are a couple I found:

one from the Camino:

http://www.keithfoskett.com/usa-1-rest-of-the-world-0-the-zpacks-arc-blast-pack-review/

and one done on a free prototype:

http://cleverhiker.com/zpacks-arc-blast-backpack-review/

 

[taozenqi]

I have used Joe' s equipment for several years now and recommend any product zpack produces. They have trail tested them and stand behind them all. Just a great Florida cottage company. I have no experience with this pack ( have too many already!), but you can find many reviews on hammockforum.com.