Gossamer Gear Skala 38 Backpack Review | Tested and Rated

The Gossamer Gear Skala 38 is a frameless backpack weighing 20.4 oz, that is perfectly sized for technical day hikes, fast packing, and adventure travel. It’s a roll top pack with eight external pockets and a foam sit pad. While it’s very similar to another one of Gossamer Gear’s packs, the G4-20, the Skala is a few ounces lighter and has more of a “fastpack” personality, with strippable components and shoulder strap pockets, while the G4-20 is more of a backpacking pack with a non-removable hipbelt. Both have roll-top closures.

• Gender: Unisex
• Volume: 38L (Pack Body 30L to horizontal seam, 8L in pockets)
• Weight: 20.4 oz
• Component Breakdown: Pack body 14.5 oz / 411 g, Fast belt 3.6 oz / 102 g, Sitlight pad 2.3 oz / 64 g
• Pockets: 8
• Torso range: 18″-21″ (one size) 
• Closure: Roll-top
• Hydration Compatible: Yes
• Load lifters: No
• Ice Axe Loop and Shaft Holder: Yes
• Max recommended load: 25 lbs, Max load comfort: 20 lbs.
• Materials: Riptide Ripstop, 100D Recycled Robic Nylon, UHMWPE Stretch Mesh
• Pros: Ultralight, strippable features, deep side pockets, excellent shoulder strap pockets
• Cons: Bottles are difficult to reach in the side pockets, hip belt pockets are positioned too far back

Pack Pockets Galore

The Skala 38 is set up like a standard ultralight backpack with a large main compartment, an open front mesh pocket, and two deep side pockets made with solid fabric with elastic cords along the top seam so you can secure bottles inside.  It’s a roll top with buckles that connect to straps along the sides of the pack or to one another on top. There’s also a zippered pocket on the front of the pack over the front mesh pocket, which is handy for holding personal items, a map, or travel documents.

The main compartment has a capacity of 30L. There is a very small webbing loop inside it behind the shoulder straps where you can hang a hydration reservoir, and two hydration ports above it that come out between the shoulder straps. There’s also a triangular drain hole cut into the bottom of the main compartment in case your hydration system springs a leak. Living in wet New England, I’d rather have a non-perforated bottom to prevent moisture from wicking up through that hole. Still, it’s a non-issue if you line your pack with a plastic bag or waterproof packliner.

The Skala 38 has two stretch mesh pockets on the shoulder straps, which are really nice for holding a Smartphone, an inReach Mini 2, or snack bars, without fear of losing the contents if you drop the pack and it tips over. There are two additional pockets on the fast hip belt, which are made with the same durable mesh,  but are very small.

Backpack Suspension

The Skala 38 is a frameless pack, so its structure is primarily defined by what you pack inside it. While it comes with a sit pad sleeve and a foam sit pad, the pad is very soft, and its primary function is to pad your back, not to add load-bearing structure. The sit pad is also not firm enough to prevent the pack from barrelling if you overstuff the main compartment, but that’s just the nature of frameless packs. You can mitigate that to a certain extent by replacing the Skala sit pad with a less flexible foam pad, like a cut-down Thermarest Zlite, which should help stiffen things up. A Zlite will also keep your bum drier if you use it to sit on a wet surface because it doesn’t have holes poked through it.

The shoulder straps are a cross between a fastpack strap and a regular J-strap, which helps distribute the load over your shoulders and upper chest. I felt they were spaced a little farther apart than I like, and that I had to crank down on the sternum strap to get the fit I prefer. The inside edge of the straps has a foam strip so they still remain comfortable. You’ll note that there’s only one sternum strap on the Skala, instead of the two or three sternum strap configurations you see on the running-inspired fastpacks that other cottage manufacturers are making.

The hip belt is just a webbing strap with some zippered and padded pockets attached. The pockets are spaced close to the pack bag and rest on the back of my hips, which is “inconvenient.” But the hip belt is easily removable since it’s attached using gatekeeper buckles that are easy to open, remove, or reattach.

External Attachment Points

The Skala is very versatile when it comes to external attachment points. A webbing strap runs from front to back over the roll top that you can use to lash a jacket, a rope, or a foam pad. There are two cord-based side compression straps over the side pockets that are great for securing long items like an umbrella, trekking poles, or Tenkara fishing rods, and eight gear loops around the perimeter of the front mesh pocket, which you can run cord through to attach other gear. Gossamer Gear sells a great shock cord compression set that’s worth getting for this purpose, even if you don’t buy one of their packs!.

Comparable ultralight frameless backpacks

Recommendation

The Gossamer Gear Skala 38 is a frameless ultralight backpack with strippable features that can be used for a wide range of trip types and loadouts from day hiking to ultralight overnights and air travel. It carries very nicely as long as your load is relatively light and you don’t try to jam too much gear into it. The shoulder strap pockets are excellent, and the pack has a good balance between closed internal storage and open external storage to keep your daytime gear easily accessible. If you’re looking for more of a multi-day backpack in this volume range, I’d recommend going with the Gossamer Gear G4-20 (see our review) instead of the Skala 38, despite the overlap in their appearance.

Disclosure: Gossamer Gear donated a backpack for review.