The growing use of ultralight, abrasion-resistant, and waterproof pack materials like Ultra, Woven Dyneema, EcoPak, and Liteskin has ushered in a new era of durable lightweight, sub-3-pound backpacks that can withstand the abuse of multiple thru-hikes, bushwhacking, packrafting, canyoneering, and winter hiking and still come back for more. In the past, increased durability was larger achieved by using thicker and heavier fabrics to make backpacks. The reason these new backpack materials are such a game changer is that they are many times stronger than conventional materials such as Robic Nylon, Cordura, Dyneema DCF, or XPac resulting in far better durability without an increase in weight. While you may pay a premium for a backpack that is both lightweight and durable, it’s worth the investment since your backpack is the one piece of gear that can’t fail.
Make / Model | Weight | Material |
---|---|---|
Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60L | 19.6 oz / 556g | Ultra 200 |
Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Long Haul 50L | 30.7 oz / 870g | Ultra 400 |
ULA Ultra 24 Circuit 68L | 36.7 oz / 1040g | Ultra 400, Ultra 200 |
Hyperlite Mountain Gear NorthRim 3400 | 34.4 oz / 975g | Woven Dyneema, DCH150 |
Seek Outside Gila 3500 | 43 oz / 1219g | Ultra 400 |
LiteAF Ultra Curve 46L | 31 oz / 879g | Ultra 200 |
Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L | 18 oz / 510g | Ultra 400, Ultra 200 |
Waymark Gear Lite 50 | 39 oz / 1106g | EPX200 |
Atom Packs The Mo EP60 | 33 oz / 936g | EPX200 |
Six Moon Designs Swift X | 36 oz /1021g | Liteskin LS07 |
Here’s my go-to list of the most durable lightweight backpacks available today in the 50-70L volume range used by most multi-day backpacker and thru-hikers, Go ahead, run these packs through your favorite backpack torture test. I’m pretty sure you’ll be impressed with their durability under fire. Be sure to check out our selection guide below for answers to commonly asked questions about backpack durability
1. Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60L Backpack
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Zpacks.com
2. Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Long Haul 50
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Superior Wilderness Designs
3. ULA Ultra 24 Circuit Backpack
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ULA.com
4. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Northrim 3400
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Hyperlite Mountain Gear
5. Seek Outside Gila 3500 Backpack
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Seek Outside
6. LiteAF Ultra Curve 46L
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LiteAF
7. Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L
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Mountain Laurel Designs
8. Waymark Gear LITE 50 Backpack
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Waymark Gear
9. Atom Packs The Mo EP60
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Atom Packs
10. Six Moon Designs Swift X
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Six Moon Designs
What Makes a Lightweight Backpack Durable?
I’ve always been a bit obsessed with the durability of lightweight and ultralight backpacks because I destroyed so many of them back in the days when they were made with less durable fabrics like Silnylon, Robic (nylon), Dyneema Grid (nylon reinforced with Dyneema threads) and Dyneema Composite Fabrics or DCF, which is a Dyneema/Polyester laminate.
Abrasion Resistance
One of the key areas of backpack failure is due to abrasion, which occurs whenever you set the pack down on the ground, scrape against rock, or bushwhack through dense vegetation. Abrasion wears down the fabric of a backpack, eventually causing holes to form and allowing water and moisture to wet the contents. With continued use, the material will eventually fail.
In terms of durability, Ultra 400 and Woven Dyneema are top dogs in terms of abrasion resistance. Woven Dyneema, which is used on the high wear areas of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear NorthRim backpack has been field proven. It’s also been proven on custom-made mountaineering packs. Ultra 400 has less of a field track record but has been demonstrated to have a very high abrasion resistance on a standardized laboratory test, called the Taber Abrasion Test. Ultra 200 and Ultra 100 have comparatively less abrasion resistance than Ultra 400, which is used for the most demanding applications, like the bottom of backpacks. The different grades of Ultra are also referred to commercially as EcoPack EPL Ultra.
Some pack makers, including Waymark Gear and Atom Packs, also use a new material called EcoPak EPX400 and EcoPak EPX200 which is not as abrasion resistant as EPL Ultra and is less expensive, but still quite durable. It’s also made entirely with recycled content and available in a wide variety of colors. Finally, Liteskin is slightly less abrasion resistant than EcoPak EPX400, but considerably more than EcoPak EPX200. (Sources: Dimension Polyant Outdoor Material Guide 2017, EcoPak Outdoor fabric 2022 Guide). We list packs made with all of these materials above.
Backpack Failure Points
If you do a careful analysis of backpack failure points, you’ll find that they fail in a number of common areas, in addition to fabric abrasion on the bottom of backpacks and along the sides.
- Ripped side and front mesh pockets
- Torn shoulder strap or hip belt anchors
- Broken buckles
- Zipper failure
- Torn attachment points, including compression strap anchors
- Worn-out frame stay slots
If you want a lightweight (sub 3 pound) backpack that is going to last for a long time without a lot of pampering, it’s best to aim for packs that are:
- Overbuilt with bigger buckles and wide webbing straps
- Reinforced shoulder straps and hip belt wings
- No external mesh
- Have streamlined roll-top style designs
- Minimize their use of zippers
- Use standard hardware that owners can replace without sewing.
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How do these newer lightweight fabrics compare to the heavier fabrics (330d Robic, 330d Cordura, 500d Cordua, 200d Spectra, etc.) used by companies like Mystery Ranch and Mountainsmith? I name those two companies because for the last 5 years I’ve almost exclusively used their packs for tough day hike/bushwhacks and love their durability. Are Ultra 400 or Woven Dyneema in the same ballpark?
Ultra 400 is 15 times more abrasion resistant than 500D Cordura. Like I said, an order of magnitude more durable. Woven Dyneema is in the same ballpark. And they don’t absorb water, either.
It sounds like the only benefit is cost savings and in the future even that could be marginal
Yep. I expect that we’ll see widespread adoption of Ultra and EPX in the lightweight backpacking and hunting market segments in the next year. Robic and Cordura will probably stick around as lower-cost options, but even now, the difference in price, at least among manufacturers who sell direct to consumers, is relatively small.
I’m so glad to see Seek Outside get some love! I bought a Seek Outside Unaweep based solely on the reviews I read in Section Hiker, and I can testify from several great trips on the AT that it’s the most comfortable carry ever made. Thank you Philip!
I still have my Unaweep too!
What weight of wool socks do you use?
A bizarre question. Hiker Boot.