Ultralight Backpack Vetted for You.
Posted March 25, 2023
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ULA X-Pac Circuit
SIMPLE - Single compartment with roll top closure makes for a very simple pack
COMFORTABLE - Padding in all the rights spots and structure of hip belt with removable aluminum hoop frame transfer load from shoulders to hips makes the miles easy.
SPECS - Lightweight but not at the cost of comfort or quality weighing 39-47oz. with an interval volume of 4,300 cu in and max load of 35lbs.
I am by no means a backpacking historian and so I don’t know when internal frames started showing up on the market, but when I was in Boy Scouts I went to Philmont, at that point most people still carried external frame backpacks.
Top of Mt. Baldy (12,441’) in Philmont - July 2001
My Dad bought a backpack from Cabela’s with an aluminum frame that fell apart on him twice on a backpacking trek in the Rockies, and the following year when we went to Philmont he bought the backpack that I (let’s be honest, he) had bought me the year before: A camp Trails Ranger.
This pack had an external frame that was made of plastic, the idea was it would twist and turn with your body easier than a metal frame. I used this pack for a few years and I was very proud of it.
Unfortunately due to how life works, there’s about a ten-year period where i didn’t do any camping or hiking. Then a few years ago I got to go camping and I drug out my Camp Trails Ranger again - Boy is that pack huge and heavy!
Fast Forward a few years, I’ve replaced that backpack twice, I now am totally in love with my newest backpack: ULA X-PAC CIRCUIT. For starters, a huge shout out to Steve Kammeyer (Ki-Ki) at ULA, he was a great help in getting the right size and customizing all the colors!.
For starters, a huge shout out to Steve Kammeyer (Ki-Ki) at ULA, he was a great help in getting the right size and customizing all the colors!
The BIG Reveal!
The Specs: According to ULA’s website, the X-PAC CIRCUIT weighs 39-47oz. (mine, with the shoulder pouches, comes in at 44oz., you can save 2oz. by removing the Aluminum Stay) with an interval volume of 4,200 cu in and a max load of 35lbs.
Vetted Review: Is it the lightest pack on the market, no, but if you want a super light pack that will hold up to abuse hike after hike I would suggest this pack. This pack is a single compartment (all your gear will live in the same area, no dividers) with a roll-top colure, this makes for a very simple pack, which makes your life simple - just remember K.I.S.S.
I bought the Circuit when it still came with a hydration sleeve (never used the sleeve though I do use a water bladder (read my complete hydration system review here) and my pack does have the hose port - the current model doesn’t have the port any longer but does have the internal stash pocket, and hand loops (that I do use occasionally when I’m not using my trekking poles).
I love this pack because while I do subscribe to the lightweight movement, I’m not interested in doing so at the cost of comfort. I want a hip belt and a frame (the one on this pack is a very simple aluminum hoop) to transfer the load from my shoulders to my hips. I’m not interested in giving those up (but like I pointed out earlier, you can remove the aluminum hoop). This pack is very comfortable to load up and carry all day, with it’s padding and structure, it makes the miles easy.
The sides pockets are HUGE and can easily store two Smart Water (or whatever recyclable bottle you carry to save weight) per pocket. I can also shove my water filtration kit into one pocket (with two bottles) and my toilet kit into the other (with two bottles). For those keeping track, yes I do carry a lot of water.
The Front Mesh Pocket easily fits my Z seat, tent poles, tent stakes (Vetted Ultralight Tent Review Here), rain gear (REVIEW HERE) and in cooler seasons my puffer jacket (REVIEW HERE) and wet socks (after the first day on the trail I almost always seem to have one pair of wet socks - Darn Tough no review need JUST BUY THEM - Trust me.
The shoulder pockets are padded, so they are a great place for my phone and sunglasses, beef jerky, snack-size nuts pack, headphones, and just about anything the size of a deck of cards. Honestly, I shove a ton of small things in here I use more than once a day or might want. to grab without taking off the pack while on the move.
My one complaint: The hip belt pockets are not very big, though if they were the belt would have to be bigger and the whole point of switching to this pack is smaller lighter packs so take this complaint with a grain of salt.
Read more Outdoor Gear Reviews Here:
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