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Bonfus Framus 48L Ultralight Backpack Review

Bonfus Framus 48L Backpack Review

The Framus 48L is an ultralight backpack made by Bonfus, a Norwegian company, one of a handful of cottage backpacking gear companies in Europe and the UK. It’s set up like most ultralight backpacks with a roll-top closure, two side pockets, and a long mesh pocket in front and comes with removable frame stays and a foam back panel to facilitate carrying heavier loads.

Bonfus offers their packs in three different waterproof fabrics: Ultra 200/400 (which we review below), Dyneema Composite Fabrics, and XPac, which have slightly different gear weights and price points. While their packs are made to order, Bonfus does not offer customizations on the Framus 48L. Bonfus sells and ships the Framus 48L worldwide, but its also available (exclusively) in the United States from Garage Grown Gear.

Specs at a Glance

  • Gender: Unisex
  • Volume: 48L (40L main + 8L exterior pockets)
  • Frame: Frame Stays (2) and Foam Pad (both removable)
  • Type: Roll-top with top Y-strap
  • Hydration compatible: No. No reservoir hook or ports
  • Bear canister compatibility: BV500 (vertical), BV450 (horizontal)
  • Pockets: 3 (open)
  • Hip Belt Pockets: No.
  • Torso Lengths: up to 19.5″ and up to 21.5″ (up to 19.5″ tested)
  • Weight (Tested): Pack incl frame stays and pad (25.2 oz / 714 g) | frame stays each (1.9 oz / 54 g) | foam Pad (1. 3 / 36 g) | Pack without frame stays and foam pad (20.1 oz / 570 g)
  • Materials: Ultra 200/400, 210D Robic, Spandex / nylon mesh
  • Seam-taped: Yes
  • Max recommended load (per mfg): 40 lbs (we recommend 30-35 lbs for comfort)

Backpack Storage

The Framus 48L is a streamlined ultralight backpack that’s well sized for weekend backpacking trips, or longer, for hikers who have a well-dialed and miniaturized kit. It has a roll-top closure which clips to webbing straps on the sides of the pack with a Y-strap on top which can be used to secure a sleeping pad or other bulky objects. The top of the roll top closes with two snaps which is a nice finishing touch.

The Framus 48L has a conventional ultralight roll-top backpack design.
The Framus 48L has a conventional ultralight roll-top backpack design with side bottle pockets and a mesh front pocket.

The pack has two side water bottle pockets which can hold a single SmartWater bottle or a Nalgene. I can reach back and grab a bottle or replace it while wearing the pack. While the side pockets have elastic on top to help retain items, I’ve found that a 32 oz SmartWater bottle can fall out when scrambling, so you might want to use a shoulder water bottle sleeve with this pack or a shorter bottle.

The side pockets are sized for a single water bottle
The side pockets are sized for a single water bottle.

There is also a long front mesh pocket, like most ultralight backpacks, which good for storing frequently accessed or wet items so you don’t have to undo the roll top every time you need a layer, a snack, or a water filter. It provides good visibility into the contents of the pocket, so you can make sure you haven’t lost any important gear. The mesh is quite stretchy, with small holes, and fairly durable but you should still be careful to avoid using it off-trail.

The Frameus 48L uses cord and linelocs for side compression
The Framus 48L uses cord and linelocs for side compression

The Framus 48L uses zigzag cords and lineloc tensioners instead of webbing straps for side compression, which I’m NOT a big fan of, because I don’t think they provide very good compression and because it makes it awkward to secure bulky gear to the side of a backpack. It’s the fashion these days, but if you like to strap bulky gear to the side of your pack like snowshoes or a foam pad, you’d be better off with a backpack that has webbing-based compression straps and buckles.

Backpack Frame and Suspension

The main compartment in the Framus 48L has an internal pocket to hold a foam back pad and two aluminum frame stays, which slot into stay sleeves. Frame stays are a lightweight alternative to a sewn-in backpack frame and are designed to prevent the torso length from shortening when its filled up with gear. They also serve to direct load into a hip belt to make the weight easier to carry, using your large leg muscles rather than your shoulders which aren’t as strong.

The frame consists of two aluminum frame stays and a foam pad.
The frame consists of two aluminum frame stays and a foam pad.

The frame stays in the Framus 48L are pre-curved, which we like because most people aren’t familiar with bending stays. But any back ventilation benefit from the 2″ curvature is pretty negligible and you can expect a sweaty back in warmer temperatures. If you want, you can remove the stays and the foam pad to reduce the pack weight, but they weigh so little, I just keep them in place since they’re harder to misplace that way. You never know when you’re going to need to do an extra water carry and you’ll be grateful for those frame stays when you do.

The Framus 48L’s shoulder straps and the hip belt both have daisy chains on the exterior, which makes the pack easy to customize with accessory pockets. For example, I have the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Shoulder Pocket attached here as well as a Garmin inReach Mini 2. Bonfus sells accessory pockets but you can also get them from many other suppliers (see our list of Recommended Backpack Accessory Pockets).

Shoulder strap daisy chains make it easy to add accessory pockets and gear.
Shoulder strap daisy chains make it easy to add accessory pockets and gear.

The shoulder straps are J-shaped, so they’re not as female friendly as S-shaped straps that curve around well-developed chests. The sternum strap however is easy to move because the two ends loop around the shoulder strap daisy chain and don’t require you to reposition a buckle.

The Framus 48L has load lifters (which many ultralight backpack manufacturers leave off packs of this volume), that are useful for heavier carries to counteract any backward pull that bring the pack closer to your hips and back. They become a lot less effective however, if you remove the frame stays, because then you’re pulling on fabric and not a rigid frame that can reposition the tilt of the bag.

The roll top has snaps which are much better than the velcro used on other packs.
The roll top has snaps which are much better than the velcro used on other packs.

The hip belt is sewn directly to the back of the pack and not held in place with velcro like more modular packs from other manufacturers. The frame stays terminate right behind the hip belt at the base of the pack, so you get a very good load transfer to the hips. While there is a lumbar pad in back of the hip belt it is really not noticeable at all, if such things bother you.

Bonfus claims the Framus 48L can carry up to 40 lbs with the frame stays and back pad inserted, but I think the comfortable limit is closer to 30-35 lbs. If you remove the frame stays and pad, the comfortable limit will fall to 20-25 lbs, which is the maximum you can expect for a frameless backpack.

Sizing

Bonfus offers the Framus 48L in two fixed torso lengths:  a medium size: up to 50cm (19.5″)
and a large size: up to 55cm (21.5″). Most backpacking companies provide a range of torso lengths that a backpack will fit, like “16-18″ which is a good range for women, or 18″-20″ which is usually the sweet spot for men. The problem with the Bonfus torso length specs is that you don’t know what the lower end of the range is, which can make it hard to know what you’re buying. I wear packs with an 18.5″-19” torso, so the Bonfus medium size was fine for me. But without further clarification, I’m not sure they cater to men or women with shorter torso lengths.

The webbing portion of the hip belt is a bit short which can make it hard to close if your on the upper end of the size range.
The webbing portion of the hip belt is a bit short which can make it hard to close if you’re on the upper end of the size range.

Bonfus does not specify their hip belt lengths, something that I recommended they start doing and which they agreed would be useful. Hip belt length is very important because you want your load to rest on the hip bones and you can’t do that though if hip belt is too small. As it was, I could barely close the hip belt around my waist and it would have been impossible if I was wearing a midlayer or a shell jacket. The padded portion of the hip belt is long enough, but the webbing connecting it to the center buckle is quite short and could easily be lengthened. I normally wear a 36″ hip belt, so that’s the upper end you can expect for their medium sized Framus 48L or a bit less, like 32″ or 34″.

When comes to sizing, I think these are just documentation issues with the Bonfus website specs which can be fixed with some editing. However, going forward, I do hope they expand their torso and hip belt sizing range for men and women at both ends of the sizing spectrum. It’d be nice if they at least offered multiple hip belt lengths for all of their torso lengths.

Materials/Fabrics

The main pack body of Framus 48L I review here is made with Ultra 200 and Ultra 400 (bottom), which is the latest, greatest, lightest and most durable fabric adopted by ultralight backpack manufacturers because it is so much more abrasion resistant than Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF). It’s a wonderful material that feels and drapes like a fabric (compared to DCF) and has a waterproof backer. The side pockets of the Framus 48L are made with 210d Robic Nylon, which is reasonably durable, but nothing like Ultra 200 or 400.

The interior of the Frameus 48L is carefully seam-taped.
The interior of the Framus 48L is carefully seam-taped.

While Bonfus seam-tapes the inside of the Framus 48L, I’d still recommend using a pack liner with it because seam tape deteriorates over time, especially with constant folding, and can leak under pressure, like when you fall in a stream and submerge the pack or a portion thereof. A pack liner is also useful for keeping wet gear separate from dry gear and for emergency use as a bivy or poncho.

The construction of the Framus 48L is top notch, particularly for a company that’s this new. While the company is headquartered in Norway, all of its manufacturing occurs in Mexico, overseen by one of the two brothers who founded the company. The sewing is expertly done, the seam taping is very clean, and all of the high stress points are reinforced.

Recommendation

The Bonfus Framus 48L (made with Ultra fabric) is an ultralight backpack that’s well sized for shorter duration backpacking trips or longer ones with frequent resupplies. It’s a roll top pack that’s durable, highly function, and easily customized with accessory pockets. The premium Ultra 200 and 400 fabric used on the pack mean you can use it without a rain cover although we still recommend using a pack liner as discussed above. If there’s one downside to the Bonus Framus 48L, it is the price, while competitive with other Ultra and DCF packs, is expensive at $320. That said, the Framus 48L is a fun pack to carry and is a great choice if you can get one that fits you well.

Disclosure: Bonfus donated a backpack for this review.

About the author

Philip Werner has hiked and backpacked over 8500 miles in the United States and the UK and written over 3000 articles as the founder of SectionHiker.com, noted for its backpacking gear reviews and hiking FAQs. A devotee of New Hampshire and Maine hiking and backpacking, Philip has hiked all 650+ trails in the White Mountains twice and has completed 10 rounds of the 48 peaks on the White Mountains 4000 footer list with over 560 summits in all four seasons. He is also the author of Backpacking the White Mountain 4000 Footers, a free online guidebook of the best backpacking trips in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and Maine. He lives in New Hampshire. Click here to subscribe to the SectionHiker newsletter.
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5 comments

  1. It seems as though there are lots of choices nowadays, for Cottage Gear type packs. But not much seperates them. Other than the short hipbelt, is this pack any different than SWD or Lite AF, etc?

    • There’s not much difference between any of them except fit and availability. I expect some cottages to go under, but demand is so good right now, some companies survive a while longer.

    • Lots of choices but not in Europe, prices are still quite high – for a simple frameless rolltop 40l, vx21 bag I can hardly find something around 150 E/$

  2. While bonfus – by its name, the pictures on their website, etc. – tries to look like a Norwegian company, it is not. It’s based in Bologna, and the owners are Italian. And the majority of the company is, as you write, located in Mexico. I would describe them as a Mexican company with an Italian address.

    The reason is obvious: “Norwegian” sounds like high quality from an expensive country, one of the most wealthiest in the world, and justifies higher prices.

    While one (?) of the founders was indeed living temporarily in Norway when he founded the company. But this is quite some time ago.

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