The Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Lengthy Haul 50 Backpack is a light-weight backpack that’s constructed to deal with something, from off-trail bushwhacking and desert journey to common backpacking and thru-hiking. There’s no uncovered mesh on the outside of the pack to tear and there are many exterior attachment factors so as to add accent pockets or lash gear to the skin of the pack. The pack is made with Extremely 400 which is a brand new ultralight waterproof cloth that’s on par with Woven Dyneema and ten instances extra abrasion resistant than the Dyneema DCF materials discovered on different light-weight backs. In order for you one backpack that may actually do all of it, the Rugged Lengthy Haul 50 is a good possibility.
Specs at a Look
- Gender: Unisex
- Quantity: 50L closed storage, 10L open pockets
- Kind: Inner body (stays)
- Common Weight 32.2 oz (Precise examined weight 36.6 oz – weight varies by dimension)
- Pockets: 3, plus the primary compartment. Hip belt pockets are an optionally available add-on.
- Hydration Suitable: No
- Seam Taped: No
- Load lifters: Sure
- Canister Compatibility: BV500 (horizontal)
- Exterior Pocket Drain Holes: Sure
- Max Beneficial Highway: 40 lbs; essentially the most snug max load is 3o lbs
- For detailed specs, go to Superior Wilderness Designs
Backpack Pockets and Group
The Rugged Lengthy Path is a rolltop backpack with two facet pockets and a entrance pocket, all made with strong Extremely 400d, a brand new woven cloth constituted of Extremely Excessive Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers that’s ultralight, waterproof, and simply in regards to the hardest cloth at present out there to make backpacks with, surpassing Cordura, excessive denier Robic, and Dyneema DCF.
The Rugged Lengthy Path’s rolltop has a stiffener which makes it simpler to collect and roll closed. Some pack makes don’t embrace this, however I favor it as a result of I really feel it supplies more practical compression. The rolltop buckles collectively on high or the perimeters of the pack, offered you buy a pair of further straps for that function. I want I had realized that after I ordered the pack and advocate you achieve this, significantly in case you hike off-trail: in any other case the rolltop is simple to get caught in vegetation.
There are two strong facet pockets giant sufficient to carry two water bottles and they’re simply reachable when the pack is worn. Each facet pockets have a thick elastic band alongside the highest to safe gadgets and are deep sufficient to securely maintain a 32 oz Nalgene if that’s your choice. The pockets even have drain holes.
There may be additionally a big entrance pocket, additionally made with strong Extremely 400, which is giant sufficient for me to carry additional layers, snacks, a moist water filter, a gentle squeeze bottle, and my cookpot/range equipment securely and suddenly. It additionally has a thick elastic band on high with drain holes at its base.
Each the BV500 and the Garcia bear canister solely match vertically contained in the pack, whereas the BV475 can match horizontally within the pack’s extension collar. A Y-strap is offered as an add-on possibility, which I’d advocate getting whether or not you carry a bear canister or not, as the bottom pack solely features a single high strap.
The bottom pack additionally doesn’t include any hip belt pockets, however you may add these as an possibility utilizing webbing sewn on the skin of the hip belt. I experimented with two hipbelt pockets from SWD that shut with a high flap and maintain gear by gravity, somewhat than closing with a zipper or velcro. They labored fairly nicely for holding snacks, bug dope, a head internet, compass, map, fishing gloves, and so forth. though I’m nonetheless hesitant to make use of them to carry something that isn’t simply replaceable like a satellite tv for pc messenger, digicam, or smartphone.
Regardless of being made with waterproof Extremely 400, the Rugged Lengthy Haul 50 backpack isn’t seam-taped which is a bit of shocking as a result of it has externalized body stays (mentioned beneath), which ought to make it significantly simpler to tape. I didn’t discover any leakage when mountaineering within the rain, however I nonetheless advocate lining backpacks made with waterproof materials with a pack liner as a result of it has a number of makes use of within the subject.
Backpack Body and Suspension
The Rugged Lengthy Haul is an inside body backpack with two body stays which can be related to the hip belt with thick webbing straps, sewn to the bottom of the pack bag. The webbing straps have daisy chains, which allow you to elongate or cut back the torso size by about an inch to dial in a greater match. I wouldn’t name the Rugged Lengthy Haul an adjustable torso size pack as a result of the diploma of adjustment is so slight, however it’s nonetheless a pleasant function that I took benefit of after figuring out that the torso size was barely too lengthy for me.
The body stays themselves are sewn to the skin of the pack, behind your again, as a substitute of on the inside of the packbag, which is the place most light-weight pack producers put them. This simplifies the within of the pack bag, which doesn’t have a hydration pocket or hydration ports. However I used to be shocked that SWD doesn’t tape the within of the pack as a result of it might be far simpler to take action than a backpack with inside body keep pockets. It might add loads of worth to the Rugged Lengthy Haul, provided that it’s made with a water-proof cloth like Extremely 400, particularly in case you wished to make use of it for packrafting.
Your again is protected against feeling the exterior body stays by a foam pad positioned behind your shoulder, which is well eliminated to be used as a sit pad. Though the froth is on the small facet, it nonetheless makes an excellent seat to maintain your bum heat and dry. Whereas this building permits for some air movement behind your again and above your waist, it’s fairly insignificant.
The Rugged Lengthy Path’s shoulder straps and hip belt are nicely padded and each have daisy chains on the outside for attaching accent pockets. The shoulder straps have load lifters to tug the pack nearer to your shoulders, whereas the hip belt has a pull-forward closure mechanism that makes it simpler to tighten the pack. The hip belt is kind of extensive and contoured to wrap round your hips, with webbing that may tighten the higher half of the hip belt, however not the underside half to any important diploma. This resulted in some slippage with masses above 30 lbs, which may most likely be ameliorated by operating the underside webbing straps the total size of the hip belt wings or by switching to a grippier inside cloth that exerts extra friction on one’s mountaineering pants.
The hip belt is offered in three completely different lengths and might be sewn to the pack or hooked up to its exterior offering a full 360-degree wrap. One factor I actually like about SWD’s sizing is that it’s based mostly on the size you could cowl your hip bones with padding and never on waist dimension. For instance, they provide three hip belt sizes that are 26″, 30″, and 34″. Every measurement refers back to the quantity of padding that the belt could have. By taking this method to hip belt sizing, backpack makers may simplify pack becoming and ship hip belts that truly match as a substitute of being chronically brief.
Exterior Attachments and Compression
The Rugged Lengthy Haul actually excels in the case of exterior attachment factors. There are webbing loops all around the exterior of the pack together with 4 pairs alongside the perimeters to lash gear with, 2 pairs on the entrance and base if you wish to carry a pad or tent underneath the pack, and extra on high of the rolltop if you wish to connect a Y-strap to hold gear on high. I like packs like this! They’re so multi-purpose.
SWD makes use of a particular kind of clip with its compression straps that make them straightforward to maneuver to completely different places or configurations on the pack. I additionally like the truth that the facet straps are webbing and never string or wire, which doesn’t honest nicely when it comes to sturdiness, utility, or safety, significantly once you step off-trail. Two webbing straps are offered on either side of the bottom pack and further straps are additionally out there for buy at a nominal value.
Comparability Desk: Sturdy Light-weight Backpacks
Suggestion
The Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Lengthy Haul 50 is a extremely sturdy rolltop backpack made with Extremely 400 which is an ultralight waterproof cloth that’s quickly changing Dyneema DCF amongst ultralight backpack producers. Designed for sturdiness and extensibility, the Rugged Lengthy Haul might be simply configured for a lot of completely different sorts of journeys by including or eradicating compression and accent pockets to fit your wants. In the event you’re in the marketplace for a sturdy light-weight backpack that may survive on-trail and off-trail use, you’ll have onerous time beating the value and worth that the Rugged Lengthy Path 50 supplies with out designing and paying somebody to make you a customized backpack from scratch. It truly is an superior pack and one which’s straightforward to get hooked up to.
Disclosure: SWD donated a backpack for this assessment.
