New for 2010, lightweight packs claim to combine lightness with durability and comfort.
We’ve already told you a little about Lowe Alpine’s interesting new lightweight backpacking sacs after we saw them at this year’s OutDoor trade show in Germany, we’ve now had much more up close and personal look at the new Zepton and Nanon HyperLite packs that will be appearing in the shops early in 2010. In fact, we even have one here for ongoing evaluation.
The thinking behind the new packs, says Lowe Alpine, is that they’re intended to combine lightness with more traditional qualities like durability, stability and, in short, carrying well and comfortably even when loaded up with a more than ultralightweight load – 15 kilograms is the target figure.
To achieve that, the company’s pack team headed by industry veteran Martyn Hurn, has made a point of using light but strong Dyneema fabric for the main pack bodies mated to a light but supportive back system.
That back system is at the heart of the way the pack works and it uses a combination of a stiffened plate, a sprung steel internal frame, a proper lumbar pad for improved load transfer, air mesh and an adaptive fit hip-belt that adjusts to suit individual hip contours. In the case of the less minimalist Nanon, the back length is even adjustable in a stripped down version of the TFX system.
Two Versions
The new pack comes in two versions, the Nanon 50-60 is a sort of halfway house, so it gets that adjustable back system, a side entry zip, three stuff pockets, hip-belt pockets and more, so it’s far from minimalist.
Weight is saved with the lightweight but tough Dyneema fabric and special 10mm webbing, though the buckles used are larger, 20mm items to increase durability and make them easier to use.
The Nanon weighs in at a claimed 1300g for a pack with a 50-60 litre carrying capacity and a comfort limit of 15 kilos, though in tests it’s managed more quite happily. Price when it’s available with be 140.
The more stripped-down version of the pack is the Zepton 50 which weighs 200g less at 1100 grammes and is more minimalist. The back system has a fixed back length and there are no external stuff pockets, side entry zip access or hip-belt pockets. Again it’s designed to carry 13-15 kilos in traditional Lowe Alpine comfort and will retail for 120.
Interestingly, though both are designed as pure backpacking sacs, they’ve also attracted attention from the brand’s sponsored guides in the Alps as climbing sacs, which you can see as a big hint at the way Lowe Alpine’s technical packs are likely to be going next year…
Spot On
We have a Nanon 50-60 sitting here next to us right now and we’ll report back, but in theory we reckon Lowe Apine’s theory is spot on. Ultra-lightweight packs are all very well, but many of them need careful packing and minimal loads to carry half comfortably.
The idea behind the HyperLites is to have a pack that’s still lighter than a traditional 60-litre backpacking sac, but will still carry a reasonable load in comfort. If you’ve ever been in the sort of state where you’d happily have carried a kilo more in exchange for a more stable, more comfortable pack, you’ll know exactly where we’re coming from.
More once we’ve used the Nanon for real and also fuller details of Lowe Alpine’s extensively redesigned TFX big packs in the near future.
More Lowe Alpine information at www.lowealpine.com