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Boreas Lost Coast 60 Backpack Review

The Boreas Gear Lost Coast 60 is a lightweight alpine style backpack suitable for multi-day backpacking and adventure travel.

The Boreas Gear Lost Coast 60 Backpack is an internal-frame backpack suitable for multi-day backpacking trips and adventure travel. With a lively color palette, the Lost Coast is a very comfortable, stylish, and streamlined technical backpack that will appeal to hikers who want one pack for backcountry adventure and more urban endeavors. While the Lost Coast is a bit on the heavy side at 3 pounds 10 ounces fully configured, you can easily remove several optional components to brings its weight well under 3 pounds without having a major impact on its utility or comfort.

Organization and Storage

The Lost Coast 60 provides a rich assortment of storage options for organizing your gear, including open and closed storage.

Open storage:

  • Two deep side pockets made with a durable stretch fabric, capable of storing water bottles or other gear.
  • A large rear pocket that extends the length of the pack, also made using a stretch fabric. This pocket has a top overhang to keep items from falling out when the pack is tipped over or turned upside down during travel.
  • Two very large hip belt pockets, useful for storing all kinds of smaller items or electronics.
Full length rear mesh pocket is handy for stoying frenquently used items, layers, or wet gear.
Full length rear stretch pocket is handy for storing frequently used items, layers, or wet gear.
The main comparment has a large extension collar for extra capacity with a draw string closure.
The main compartment has a large extension collar for extra capacity with a draw string closure.

Closed Storage:

  • An alpine style floating top lid which has three pockets: two zippered pockets on the top exterior and one mesh pocket located under the hood for storing gloves, hats, maps, and other accessories.
  • The main compartment has a draw string closure with a large extension collar for extra capacity.
  • Hydration pocket along the inside back of the pack with a hang loop and a hydration port.

External Attachment Points and Compression System

With two tiers of compression straps, dual daisy chains down the rear of the pack (including two elastic shaft holders), and ice axe loops, there are plenty of options to lash gear to the outside of the Lost Coast 60 for extra carrying capacity.

Daisy chains are recessed under fabric folds to keep them out of the way - a useful feature for plane travel. The lower compression strap can also be routed through the side mesh pocket or over.
Daisy chains are recessed under fabric folds to keep them out-of-the-way – a useful feature for air travel. The lower compression strap can also be routed through the side mesh pocket or over.

One very nice feature on this pack, is the use of recessed or hidden daisy chains, which can be tucked out-of-the-way under fabric flaps when not needed. This is a great feature for adventure travel, particularly on airplanes when you check luggage because the recessed daisy chains won’t get caught in baggage handling machinery. It’s also a nice feature for keeping the exterior of the pack streamlined when on the trail. If you’ve ever owned a pack with too many eternal straps, you’ll understand what a nice feature this is.

The Lost Coast 60 Backpack provides a glove like fit when sized properly,
The Lost Coast 60 Backpack provides a glove-like fit when sized properly,

Backpack Frame and Suspension

The Lost Coast 60 frame is really quite burly for a pack of this capacity, combining a plastic frame sheet with a balloon aluminum stay running around the pack back panel. This provides a nice stiff carry, and excellent load transfer to the hip belt, which is sewn to the body of the pack. The back panel of the pack is also covered with perforated and ridged foam held in place by mesh, providing good back ventilation as well as comfort, with a lumbar rise at the tailbone that helps lock the pre-curved hip belt in place on the wearer’s hips.

A perforated foam backpanel helps dry perspiration while the aggressively precurved hip belt helps lock in load to hip transfer.
A perforated foam back panel helps dry perspiration while the aggressively pre-curved hip belt helps lock in load to hip transfer.

It’s really quite a comfortable suspension if you get the sizing right, which can be a challenge if have a big chest or larger waist size. While the Lost Coast 60 is available in men’s and women’s models, with torso ranges from 14″ – 20″+, the hip belt is only available for waist sizes up to 36″, which limits the people who this pack is going to work for. Keep that in mind if the Lost Coast appeals to you.

“Ultralight” Option

If you like what you see with this pack, but are balking at the gear weight, the aluminum balloon stay and plastic frame sheet can be removed from the pack with the following weight savings, bringing the pack weight down under 3 pounds. Leaving the including rain cover behind further reduces the pack weight another 3.2 ounces.

  • Plastic Frame Sheet: 9.7 ounces
  • Aluminum Balloon Stay: 2.7 ounces
  • Rain cover: 3.2 ounces

If you decide to try this, I’d recommend that you keep the aluminum stay inside the pack because the load lifters become worthless without a frame to anchor them. If you are carrying an ultralight load (20 pounds or less), you really don’t need the plastic frame sheet with this pack and you probably won’t even notice its absence.

The bottom of the side mesh pockets and the base of the pack are made using heavy duty fabric for greater durability.
The bottom of the side mesh pockets and the base of the pack are made using heavy-duty fabric for greater durability.

Recommendation

The Boreas Gear Lost Coast 60 Backpack is a stylish and comfortable multi-day backpack designed for backcountry and adventure travel use. While the Lost Coast is “pretty” with a vibrant color palette, it’s quite a capable technical backpack that marries alpine and ultralight inspired design elements into a streamlined and highly functional whole. While the Lost Coast 60 is substantially heavier than other lighter weight backpacks, the frame and suspension system on this pack are really quite good, providing a very comfortable carry with loads up to 40 pounds. The sizing, however, runs a bit small, so I’d avoid the Lost Coast if your torso and waist measurements don’t match the pack’s spec listed below. I speak from experience. My waist size was a bit larger than it is now when I first received this pack  and the hip belt was way too small. However, I lost some weight this year, so that the hip belt now fits me perfectly, and I can really appreciate the value and comfort of the Lost Coast 60, even if the pack itself weighs a bit more than most of the lightweight packs I review or use.

Likes

  • Recessed daisy chains are there when you need them, but can be hidden when traveling to prevent getting caught or ripped off in transit (super clever!)
  • Elevated side pockets are less prone to abrasion
  • Large hip belt pockets
  • Lumbar pad assists in load to hip transfer
  • Removable plastic frame sheet drop pack weight close to 3 pounds
  • Men’s and Women’s models available

Dislikes

  • Hip belt is not available in larger sizes above 36″
  • Pack weight is on the heavy side, even when
  • Can’t remove or replace water bottles in side pockets when wearing backpack
  • Stretch mesh fabric, while more durable than open mesh, is still prone to tearing on vegetation

Manufacturer Specs

  • Fabrics: 210D ripstop nylon body with UTS impregnated silicone coating and a tough 420D nylon bottom.
  • Suspension:  210D ripstop nylon body with UTS impregnated silicone coating and a tough 420D nylon bottom.
  • Body: Removable top lid, applied PU ribcage construction provides lightweight structure, full-face front stretch-fabric pocket, two stretch-fabric side pockets, dual daisy chains tuck away when not in use, hydration compatible, rain cover included, two hip belt pockets, hidden gear loops on shoulder straps, dual ice axe shaft holders.
  • Max Recommended Load: 35-40 pounds (by SectionHiker)
  • Men’s Sizing:
    • Small: Waist 28”- 30”, Torso 16”- 18” / 40cm – 46cm
    • Medium: Waist 30” – 32”, Torso 18”- 20” / 46cm – 51cm
    • Large: Waist 33” – 36”, Torso > 20” / > 51cm
  • Women’s Sizing
    • Small: Waist 28” – 30”, Torso 14”- 16” / 35cm – 41cm
    • Medium: Waist 30” – 32”, Torso 16”- 18” / 40cm – 46cm
    • Large: Waist 32” – 34”, Torso 18”- 20” / 46cm – 51cm

Disclosure: Philip Werner (SectionHiker.com) received a Lost Coast 60 backpack from Boreas Gear for this review.

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8 comments

  1. Great review. I did the same with my lost coast 45 to reduce weight, the plastic sheet is unnecessary. I slid a piece of webbing over the aluminium stays to prevent squeaking. When I compared this to the 2lbs osprey exos, despite the extra pound, this pack still felt lighter (excellent lumbar support). I’m short and skinny and found this pack to be perfect for me. Never had sore hips or shoulders at <30lbs on the JMT. My major complaint would be the side pockets too, can't access them without stopping and taking off the pack.

    • An impressive pack on several dimensions. I think those recessed daisy chains are pretty cool and really help control the runaway straps issue which can be such a problem on other backpacks. Same goes for the top cover over the rear mesh pocket. These are nuances perhaps, but are interesting since you’d think backpack design was a fine art by now.

      The side bottle pockets are higher than on other packs, to help protect the bottom of the pocket from abrasion. Alas this makes them difficult to reach. If they were lower down, they’d be more accessible without contortions.

  2. I really like my Boreas Buttersmilk 55. I got it in large and it has a big enough hip belt to go around me. I’d probably never get down to a 36″ waist. I’d be buying or crafting an extension!

  3. Thanks for this review! I’m in the market for one, and this is making the short list.

  4. I own this pack and had to stop using it. It was the right size for me but I could never get it quite right.

    It would absolutely kill my shoulders on a backpack trip. I tried various methods to make it fit. It might work better for my wife. I bought the Osprey Atmos 65 and it’s much more comfortable.

  5. Is there any convenient way to attach a foam sleeping pad to the exterior of this pack?

  6. I have added clip together strap setup that fits the removable lid to make a small day pack for side trips while hiking. Works great and gives me two uses for that item. Also use a strap on holder attached to shoulder straps for a smart water bottle to make getting my water bottle a snap. Working on taking out backpack pad out so that i might use it as camping seat pad or even to put under while i sleep. Again trying to get a 2nd use out of everything.

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