How about the Osprey Levity 60? 15.2 ounces.... lighter than most of what you just listed.

Glad you enjoyed it. I was surprised at how tall each pack was when “full” I don’t think you could actually hike with them that tall.

@@MyLifeOutdoors that was always my hunch. I’d be curious to see a breakdown on capacity with the top closed and what percentage of nominal capacity that is.

I second this notion.

yes, excellent way of testing the pack's capacity.

​@MyLifeOutdoors you haven't tried the flextrek whipsnake 37 trillion!?

What pack do you carry?

But the more lightweight my pack is, the more comfortable I am while hiking lmao. Im a 100% different hiker when my pack weighs around 25lbs vs 15 lbs.

After a career in the Marines light is comfort. I almost quit backpacking due to the wear and tear. While I’m not ultralight, the ultralight options changed the game for me.

It is possible to have both 😎

@@zakkmiller8242But are you a 100% different hiker when the only difference is a 2lb pack vs a 4lb pack?

I really appreciate that! Thank you

HMG is the facade of UL backpacks. They are all too heavy and over-priced for what functionality orfeatures they have. That’s why they’re called Meh packs.

That’s high praise! Thanks so much

I’ve had the regular Exos 58 for a few years now. Still under 3 pounds, carries weight nicely, and the trampoline back saves me from a lot of sweat. I think eventually I’ll move up to the exos pro, it looks great!

I've never known anybody with an Exos 5x that regretted getting it.

I have the Osprey Exos 55 and I keep it in my trunk in case I want to hike somewhere that I'll need extra gear that my Targus day pack can't carry. I think it's a classic.

Thats a real backpack with an MSRP of $300. 2 of those packs are $400.

AWSOME pack and I have a bad L5 disk. I own the 55 the weight stays on my hips and the pack is super stable and the pockets are the best I have ever used.

And yet there’s almost no way to try any of these packs on before we buy them.

@@Chase3141 Yep, if you can’t borrow one or find a used one for a steal it could be a very expensive disappointment.

Same here! I have the 40 and the 55. I wish I could fit everything into my 40 because it feels like part of my body. The 55 is really close but somehow not quite the same.

That's intersting the 55 is not the same fit. I literally forget I have my Kakwa 40 pack on most of the time I am hiking. I just can't say that for any of my other packs.

Thanks for pointing that out. Used to have an Osprey daypack and it was so "shallow" that once I put in my water bladder, I had a hard time putting anything else in there...plus I wish the 70L would have more padding on hip/shoulder straps than the smaller version since they carry more. It still would be an ultralight pack anyway

@@kevinstarski1598 Sounds like my Stratos 24. Once I mostly stopped using bladders it became more useful, but the hip belt is still too short. I’m not “one size” like the pack LOL.

Trust me…lots went wrong on this one…each pack was about 120 lbs once full. Very hard to keep up right And when you dump it there was no controlling the water…

I should have gone looking for this info. Based on my test it all sounds pretty accurate except the Minimalist and the Mariposa can both hold much more than they claim. But they might start getting top heavy.

@@MyLifeOutdoors Re-reading my comment, I meant to say the measurement standards are all over the place. 😃

Should have added the load carrying capability. It matters especially on water carry. Not everyone can go from water source to another two times a day.

@ Yes! Weight capacity is very important, too. As a frequent desert hiker, I can relate.

@@jpriddle Just filling 15 litres of water bottles for a 3-day desert hike. That’s 33 lb + gear. 🤜🤛 Edited: with only gear I could make it work with 38L pack but for load carrying capacity, I’m taking a 75L one.

Man, I hate this. I know people like pockets, but they drive me nuts. I don't like to spread my stuff into multiple places and the size of the pocket is always wrong so what you want to put there just doesn't fit. This totally kicks this pack off my list

not from uk but second for this, can't wait to get it delivered so I can put it to test. After long thorough research for a budget friendly, framed, adjustable and ultralight pack i bumped into the montane 44, from that point couldn't find anything which could justify the extra price for what it offers, less than 120E, what could i ask more for. I'm aware of certain downsides presented by others but willing to take them. How is the overall durability of that pack though, sewn failures or ripped material (excluding the mesh thing, that's kinda obvious for any pack). What about the frame, is it holding well? Padding comfy enough (we talking about ul, so a total weight of 10-12kg)?

Decathlon's Men's Trekking Backpack 70 L - MT100 EASYFIT is a possible contener@@antoniolaza736

Yes I have the montane 44L backpack too and it’s SO comfy!! I wore someone’s Hyperlite Unbound 40L pack for a section of the hike and was immediately in pain on my shoulders. The montane is actually a very similar weight to the Unbound 40 but with way more comfortable features

Very likely. I copy and paste the conversion titles and then change the values. It’s possible I forgot to change one or got them switched

I totally wasn’t but some others did mention you in the comments. Haha. I need to try Mystery Ranch too. Maybe we can trade

I used one on my PCT thru, last year. Mine started to delaminate, badly, after 6 weeks of use. Did you have a similar experience?

Yes, the Bridger series.

I've been looking at the Bridger 45 but the 4.4 lbs is a bit too much for me.

@@richbanister I hear, from other male hikers that the comfort of that pack makes the extra weight not even noticeable. I have been strongly looking at the woman’s version.

mystery ranch is on the other side of the spektrum. Ultra heavy

For that kind of backpack 45 doesn't make sense, in my opinion. @@richbanister

By pure coincidence

Check out the Gregory Focal 48L. It's the twin brother of Exos, but better designed. The only thing it lacks is quick attachment of poles. while walking. I use it and I'm very happy that I don't look towards UL

Magic bag without magic straps lol

Yes, my Crown2 38, Crown2 60, and Nimbus Trace Access 70 have me about ready to send my Ospreys to new homes. All I need now is a NTA 85.

Yes, but part of the blame lies with HMG for stating that the Southwest 40, for example, can carry up to 40lb. Physically, yes, but in anything resembling comfort for the hiker? Probably not.

@@philsmith2444 the tensile strength of the materials far exceed the stated pack load capacity, so it's designed, if properly fitted and worn, to carry up to 40lbs comfortably. First, you have to define comfort, which many people in this ultralight world means that if it feels heavy it's uncomfortable. Heavy isn't uncomfortable, it's just heavy. Second, I could on and on about how many videos and pix of ultralight hikers I've seen not wearing packs correctly or wearing improperly sized packs. If you aren't properly wearing a pack and/or it's not fitted properly, of course it's not going to be comfortable. With that said, if a pack isn't comfortable up to the max load, then you probably ought to try a pack from some other brand if the target load is up to the max load. HMG's design isn't going to fit properly thus comfortably for everyone, just as another brand's pack won't.

Now I’m curious how you do it? Someone said I could have just weighed it. I didn’t think of that.

@@MyLifeOutdoors The classic DIY method is to fill the pack with some type of non-compressible item like beans, golf balls, etc and then pour those items into a box and measure the L x W x H to calculate volume. I recently did this using gravel. Prior to that I just measured the full pack to get the height and top/bottom circumference and calculated from there. Calculating it is problematic because packs aren't totally round cylinders but more of a blob so you overestimate some. I think the gravel is more accurate but still could get error from the multiple steps. I like the water method. It would be good to verify if the gauge is accurate (e.g. flow a gallon and see if it really fills a gallon). If the gauge is accurate it seems great. A bathroom scale would work pretty well, but you might fry the scale if you spill water on it, and some packs might not balance on it very nice. Could also use a 1L scoop to see how many fit but that sound tedious. While the water methods can give a precise measurements, there is the caveat that water is massively heavy so it could actually be stretching the pack by a meaningful amount. Fabrics like DCF and Ultra aren't going to stretch much because UHMWPE won't stretch more than about 2-3%, but a nylon pack (e.g. Mariposa) might actually stretch larger by 5-10% with >100 lbs in it. Ideally the liquid used for the test would approximate the weight of a full pack (e.g. 35 lbs). Liquid methane is about the right density - could be a fun video trying to do that without it turning into gas and stinking out the neighbourhood ;)