The Durston Gear Kakwa 40 Backpack is an ultralight, inside body pack that weighs nicely underneath 2 kilos with a complete quantity of 55L together with 40 liters in its major compartment plus 15 liters of extra exterior storage. It supplies glorious weight switch to the hips with average hundreds and is among the least costly packs in the marketplace made with abrasion-resistant Problem Extremely 200 cloth. SectionHiker was very impressed with Durston’s X-Mid 1P (v2) and we predict there are a whole lot of customers who will discover the Kakwa to be a superb pack for his or her wants. We additionally recommend a few minor enhancements to broaden the pack’s applicability.
Specs at a Look
These specs are for a dimension medium (16.5”-19.5”/ 42-50 cm torso) pack, which we examined. The Kakwa 40 additionally is available in small (14.5″–17.5″ / 37–45 cm torso) and huge (19″–22″/ 46–55 cm torso) sizes.
- Weight (producer): 27.8 ounces (1.75 kilos)/790 grams
- Weight (examined) 26.88 ounces (1.68 kilos)/762 grams
- Gender: Unisex, with S-shaped shoulder straps
- Pockets: 7: 2 asymmetrical facet pockets (1 with additional “QuickPocket” zip pocket), 2 hipbelt pockets, 2 shoulder strap pockets, and a entrance mesh pocket.
- Shade: Grey
- Kind: Inner Body (8 mm hole aluminum inverted U-shaped tubing)
- Hydration suitable: Sure
- Seam-taped: No
- Bear Canister Compatibility: BV500 suits vertically, or strapped to the highest
- Inner Quantity: 41L (2502 cubic inches)
- Exterior Quantity: 15L (915 cubic inches)
- High circumference: 36”/91 cm
- Backside circumference: 31”/78 cm
- Unrolled peak (M): 33”/84 cm
- Supplies: 3.5 oz/ sq. yd. 200D Problem Extremely (Foremost Physique+Aspect and Hipbelt Pockets), Stretch fine-pore mesh (Shoulder Strap Pockets), Heavy-duty polyester knit low-stretch mesh (Entrance Pocket), YKK AquaGuard Zippers
- Most Really useful Load (producer): 45 lbs
- For full specs, see the product web page at Kaviso.com (the distributor)
Backpack Storage and Group
The Kakwa 40 is a clean-looking pack with various basic ultralight pack options in addition to some distinctive design parts. Developed by Durston Gear proprietor Dan Durston, a backpacker, and adventurer with a formidable mountain climbing resume, a whole lot of consideration has gone into options that can help you entry the necessities you want through the day with out having to cease and take away the pack.
The primary pack bag is a single compartment and holds roughly 40 liters, relying on dimension (small is 38 liters, medium is 41 liters, massive is 44 liters). Whereas many massive retail backpack producers embody all of the closed storage of their quantity calculations, it’s extra widespread within the cottage trade (and is the case with Durston’s Kakwa) to call the pack primarily based on the storage capability of the primary bag solely. The primary bag closes with quick-release buckles that connect to themselves, within the model of a dry bag. There aren’t any extra buckles and webbing on the edges to which you’ll join the roll prime.
On the surface of the pack, there are asymmetrical facet pockets, zippered hipbelt pockets, a pleated mesh pocket on the pack’s entrance, and two stretchy shoulder strap pockets. In accordance with the producer, the Kakwa 40 has a further 15 liters of storage between these exterior pockets.
Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at every of those options.
Shoulder strap pockets
I actually just like the shoulder pockets on the Kakwa 40. They’re manufactured from a stretchy, fine-pored Lycra-like mesh with a cordlock and shock wire closure on prime. They’re a really handy and accessible strategy to carry bear spray, cellphone/digital camera, satellite tv for pc messenger, sun shades, or 16-20 oz water bottles (one-liter bottles are too tall or broad for these pockets). The one drawback is deciding which two of those stuff you need to carry right here! The highest elastic cinches closed with one hand for safety when you’re scrambling. Properly accomplished.
Aspect pockets
The facet pockets are asymmetrical, with the right-hand facet pocket lower at a diagonal to facilitate straightforward water bottle entry, and the left-hand pocket taller and lower straight throughout. Each pockets are three-dimensional, with a half-circle of material sewn as the underside panel of the pocket. I choose 3-D pockets like these to pleated pockets, as a result of I prioritize ease of entry and extra capability over the power to fold flat when not in use.
Each facet pockets and the entrance mesh pocket have non-adjustable and non-replaceable elastic that’s captured inside a channel of Extremely cloth. Dan Durston says that capturing the elastic on this method prevents injury and put on, permitting for an extended lifespan than pockets with elastic binding. My expertise agrees with this: though my favourite pockets have user-replaceable wire, I’ve seen elastic-bound pockets go limp in a few years, whereas my outdated Lowe Alpine pack with captured elastic pockets nonetheless had stretch after greater than a decade.
The capturing of the elastic signifies that pocket stress is completely set; the person can’t tighten or loosen the pockets relying on their contents.
Angled pocket
I had no drawback eradicating and changing a single water bottle from this pocket– despite the fact that it’s on my non-dominant hand facet. Nonetheless, after I carried two bottles on this pocket, the match was tight and I needed to ask for assist from my mountain climbing associate to entry and change a bottle.
Tall pocket
The taller left-hand pocket is good for bigger objects like a tent, Tenkara rod, tent poles, or a collapsible water provider like a Platypus that may flop over in a lower-cut pocket. This pocket is uniquely constructed with a double layer and a vertical zip that’s accessible whereas carrying the pack–referred to as the QuickPocket. The inside and outer pocket play a zero-sum recreation with area, so the much less you place within the inside pocket, the extra quantity is out there for the QuickPocket, and vice versa. I discovered that, after I had a water bottle within the inside pocket, my crushable boonie-style hat might match within the QuickPocket, however my rigid-brimmed cap with a solar cape couldn’t.
The perfect use I discovered for this pocket was stashing and accessing a map on the go. I might slide it in horizontally and tuck the highest of the map behind the little strip of material on the facet of the zipper closest to my again, after which zip it closed for safety, all whereas carrying the pack. This was way more handy than utilizing a map holder clipped to my shoulder straps, or maintaining the map within the entrance mesh pocket and having to take the pack off or ask a buddy to get it each time I wished to examine it.
Whereas many packs elevate their facet pockets up an inch or two from the underside of the pack to guard them from abrasion, the pockets on the Kakwa are flush with the underside of the pack and are created from the identical sturdy materials as the underside of the pack–Problem Extremely 200. This design function additionally helps with the accessibility of your water bottle within the diagonal-cut pocket, as a result of it permits the opening to be decrease.
I used to be shocked to see that there aren’t any drain holes on the facet pockets. Extra on this later.
Mesh entrance pocket
The mesh pocket on the entrance is a heavy-duty polyester low-stretch mesh that’s pleated on the backside. This implies it might develop to carry a gas canister, water filter, moist tarp, or rain jacket however isn’t droopy when empty. As described above, the highest elastic for the pocket is captured in a sleeve of Extremely cloth, so it’s protected however its stress can’t be adjusted.
Hip belt pockets
The hipbelt pockets are 6” lengthy x 3” tall x 1.5”-2” broad (2” on the base tapering as much as 1.5” on the zipper) and shut with a YKK AquaGuard water resistant zipper operating excessive. The zippers open from entrance to again (i.e. you open them by pulling the zip in the direction of you) and might be simply opened and closed with one hand. I actually admire this quick access as a result of I’ve used various hipbelt pockets on different packs that require two fingers to open. I principally use these pockets for a headlamp, head-net, and snacks.
Hydration port
There’s a hydration port on the fitting facet of the pack, however no hanging {hardware} (e.g. sleeve, webbing loops, toggles, or mitten hooks) inside. I’m assuming the design considering behind that is to pack all of your gear in a water-resistant liner and set the complete bladder horizontally on prime. Absent a devoted exterior hydration sleeve, this method supplies the simplest entry to your hydration bladder for refilling and places the least quantity of stress on it. My hydration bladder is from 1997 and the tube is simply pressure-fit to the bladder, so it might pop off (I ought to in all probability superglue it). Trendy bladders use quick-release {hardware} that’s much less more likely to pop off and trigger a flood.
Backpack Body and Suspension
The body and suspension of the Kakwa 40 pack embody the next parts: a U-shaped inside body tube, a foam pad, a sewn-on hipbelt with a forward-pull adjustment, shoulder straps on a yoke, and cargo lifters.
Inner Body
The body is a hole aluminum tube bent in an inverted U form with contours to observe the small of the again. It can’t be bent additional by the person however ought to work as-is for many. A skinny piece of froth supplies some safety in your again from hard-edged objects it’s possible you’ll pack, and, whereas each might be eliminated by the person, we don’t advocate it. Eradicating the body and pad saves solely 4 ounces and loses the good weight switch of this design.
Some early purchasers of the Kakwa didn’t understand that there have been 4 complete webbing channels that the body wants to slip into. So after they changed the body after eradicating it, they inserted the body into the highest two channels and missed the underside two, and thus abraded small holes the place the body ends rubbed up in opposition to the material. It’s comprehensible that this occurred as a result of the body channels are hidden behind a ripstop cloth pocket that does double responsibility holding the body underneath stress in addition to holding the froth pad. Thankfully, Durston has been overlaying these packs underneath guarantee till a warning message might be added to the pocket.
The skinny foam is just like what’s utilized in many sewn-in again panels (I’ve taken aside a bunch of backpacks and seen it) however it’s extra like a plastic packing foam than your normal sleeping pad foam. The pocket that homes each body and pad is a really tight match, however this tight match is necessary for locking the body in place with no wiggliness.
Shoulder Straps
The shoulder straps are S-shaped, which is healthier for folks with extra developed chests than J-shaped straps as a result of they curve across the chest as an alternative of operating immediately over it and urgent in opposition to it. There’s a bar-tacked daisy chain operating down the middle of every strap, which continues behind the built-in stretch pockets, that are hooked up on the prime and backside solely. The sternum strap hooks to the daisy chains behind the pockets. Due to the daisy chains, you could possibly add shoulder strap pockets over the stretch pockets for those who choose a special model of shoulder pockets (possibly with a zipper, or with padding for a digital camera) to the built-in stretchy ones. Or, if the pockets ever rip, you could possibly lower them off and have full daisy chains to rig up their alternative.
As an alternative of the shoulder straps being sewn on individually, they’re joined collectively in a yoke. This implies the load is unfold throughout a for much longer seam, which can assist forestall the shoulder straps from ripping out.
Load Lifters
The load lifters are hooked up to a hard and fast level on the shoulder straps, and to the again panel 3 inches above the seam the shoulder straps are sewn into. They share a seam with the highest flap of the body pocket. Sharing this seam supplies a robust connection to the highest of the body, which is held in place by the highest of the body pocket. Tightening the load lifters had a big impact on transferring the highest of the body nearer to my again for extra stability.
Hip Belt
The hipbelt is a sewn-on, wing-style hipbelt with 3D mesh in opposition to the person. Every wing is 10” lengthy, and they’re sewn onto the pack 6”-6.5” aside (the width tapers up a half inch from backside to prime). From end-to-end, the hipbelt wings measure 26”-26.5”. The webbing makes the hipbelt adjustable from 28”-42”, however people on the bigger finish of that spectrum might discover that the hipbelt wings don’t wrap far sufficient across the entrance of their hipbone to offer optimum weight switch. I recommend you employ a tape measure by yourself hips and use the specs we give to see the place the belt would finish for you. Bigger hipbelt (longer wing) sizes could also be launched later by Durston Gear.
Trying contained in the hipbelt pockets, I can see the feel of the hipbelt foam, which isn’t flat, however subtly contoured with small hills and valleys, presumably for a extra versatile wrap. The hipbelt has a forward-pull adjustment to tighten the belt. The webbing is sewn onto both wing in a sideways V form to permit for conical tightening (i.e. wider on the backside, narrower on the prime) however all sides adjusts with a single pull and there’s a single heart buckle to shut.
Max Really useful Load
The ends of the body terminate proper the place the hipbelt attaches to the pack, so the load switch to the hips is great. The carry is superb and comfy with average hundreds.
At 20 kilos, I felt nearly as good as I do when carrying 10 kilos or much less in a frameless pack. Between 30 and 36 kilos, I used to be nonetheless impressed by the carry however famous that, on particularly sizzling, sweaty days, I wanted to actually crank down on the hipbelt to forestall slippage down my again between the 2 hipbelt wings, the place there’s slippery Extremely cloth as an alternative of 3D mesh. I attempted the pack with 40 and 45 pound hundreds too, however for my small body, I would like to modify to a load-hauling pack at these weights. The Kakwa’s candy spot for me is 15 to 30 kilos, however your mileage might differ.
Exterior Attachments and Compression
Exterior attachments and compression on the Kakwa 40 are fairly easy, consisting of a single tier of static wire and lineloc tensioner on both facet of the pack, and a Y-shaped strap of webbing that goes excessive of the pack. There are additionally just a few small loops of grosgrain by way of which extra attachment factors might be rigged up.
Grosgrain Loop
There are two tiny grosgrain loops on the base of the entrance mesh pocket, and 4 grosgrain loops (2 per facet) that the facet compression wire attaches to, which have sufficient room to run a further wire by way of. You may connect trekking poles or an ice ax by rigging up a loop of wire by way of one of many grosgrain loops on the base of the pocket and a loop of shock wire and a cordlock by way of one of many grosgrain loops on the prime of the pocket the place the facet compression attaches. Or you could possibly criss-cross shock wire by way of the 4 items of grosgrain across the pocket to create extra compression for objects within the pocket or a spot to stow moist gear outdoors of the pocket.
Aspect Compression Wire
The static wire is sweet for hanging socks to dry, or stabilizing lengthy objects within the pockets like tent poles or a fishing rod. It’s simply user-replaceable if it breaks or for those who want an extended wire. It’s restricted within the quantity of compression it supplies and isn’t adequate for strapping heavier objects like snowshoes to the edges of the pack. The one method I can see to connect snowshoes is on prime of the pack, underneath the Y strap.
Y Strap
A Y strap is commonly described as having two features: offering compression from the highest down, and strapping massive objects to the highest of a pack. In my expertise, rolling the highest of a roll prime pack is adequate by itself for prime compression, and you’ll clip the highest collectively in a method the place the clipped loop lies flat as an alternative of sticking up and snagging on brush. The highest of the Y strap attaches subsequent to the load lifters, adjusts on one facet with a ladder lock buckle, and is completely hooked up to the opposite. The “leg” of the Y strap attaches on the prime of the mesh pocket on the entrance, and connects to the “arms” of the Y with a fast launch, adjustable buckle. That’s proper–there are two factors of adjustment on the size of the Y strap. That is useful for maximizing the wrap of the 2 arms over no matter you’re strapping on, as two straps are higher than one for safety.
The Y strap can be utilized to hold snowshoes, a tent, a foam sleeping pad, or a bear canister, relying in your wants–however not all on the similar time! It’s a good suggestion, when strapping crucial gear to your pack, to have some type of redundancy to maintain it related to you in case it slips out when you’re strolling. Within the case of a tent, you may use a mini carabiner to clip the stuffsack drawstring to the facet compression wire.
In case you are not utilizing the Y strap to connect extra gear, you actually need to have it clipped closed to maintain its webbing out of the best way, however this creates a further step to moving into your pack.
Bear Canister Compatibility
Durston says a Bear Vault BV500 suits vertically inside the primary compartment or might be strapped to the highest. Many bear canister customers wish to preserve a bear can out of the primary compartment to liberate area, but it surely’s completely acceptable to hold it inside for those who don’t want all of the area in your different gear. It might be useful for Durston Gear to publish a chart of which different canisters in the marketplace might match inside, both horizontally or vertically.
I attempted strapping each a Garcia canister and a Bear Vault BV500 to the highest. Though I hadn’t utterly stuffed the pack to capability, I might simply barely join the strap excessive of a BV500 with the strap utterly maxed out from each adjustment factors. If I had a fuller pack, I wouldn’t have had sufficient strap size to shut it. A Garcia canister match higher, permitting me to cinch the strap down a few inches. However additional strap size right here could be most welcome.
The Y strap held each fashions of bear canister securely by way of dynamic motion, with a slight edge to the Bear Vault, whose a number of ridges allowed the Y strap to take a seat between them. If you happen to resolve to hold a bear canister on prime, one strategy to reduce the top-heaviness of your pack is to maintain your meals in an odor-proof bag inside your pack and run the canister empty strapped to the highest. Then you definately fill it once you get to camp.
I have a tendency to chop off permanently-attached prime straps to stitch on {hardware} to make them detachable, and can seemingly do the identical factor right here. That will permit me to take away it completely when it’s not wanted, making it faster to entry the primary bag, and in addition to customise the size of webbing to no matter I’d strap on prime.
Supplies
The Kakwa 40 makes use of Problem Extremely 200 cloth all through a lot of the pack. The one exceptions are the stretch mesh shoulder pockets, 3D mesh on the within of the hipbelt and shoulder straps, non-stretch polyester mesh for the entrance pocket, and ripstop materials for the interior body pocket.
Extremely, a mix of 67% Extremely Excessive Molecular Weight Polyethylene (branded variations of this fiber are referred to as Dyneema and Spectra) and 33% recycled polyester with a recycled waterproof movie backing, has taken the backpacking world by storm amongst modern cottage producers however has but to be adopted by slower-to-change mainstream firms whose gear is offered at retail retailers. Its declare to fame is gentle weight with excessive water resistance and very excessive abrasion resistance in lab testing (the Taber check), whereas additionally being softer (to the touch) and quieter than many laminate materials. It at the moment is available in 4 deniers (100, 200, 400, and 800), with greater numbers being more and more sturdy but in addition more and more heavy.
Philip wrote extra about Extremely cloth right here, in a comparability with Woven Dyneema.
Water Resistance
Extremely cloth’s fibers don’t take in water, so the pack dries very quick when it will get moist, and it’s backed by a water-resistant movie for extra water resistance. Nonetheless, due to the complexity of the seams across the body meeting, the Kakwa isn’t seam taped or seam sealed–the seam allowance is certain with grosgrain. This implies it’s necessary to make use of a water-resistant liner–a apply that’s a good suggestion with most any backpack that’s not a legit drybag–within the rain or when packrafting, to maintain your gear dry.
Nonetheless, a higher problem by way of water resistance of the Kakwa 40 is the truth that the facet pockets would not have drain holes. I like to check water resistance by bringing gear into the rain near residence (with out utilizing a liner) earlier than taking it on a visit. After bringing it out in a torrential downpour, I seen that the objects within the backside of my pack had been damp, even supposing the roll prime was tightly sealed. The upper objects had been packed within the backpack, the much less moist they had been. This was complicated to me. I appeared into the facet pockets and seen the interiors had been moist however not holding massive quantities of water.
So just a few days later I did a check the place I poured a liter of water into one of many facet pockets whereas the bag was empty. I noticed that, since there aren’t any pocket drain holes, the water seeped out by way of the seams. I seen water dripping out of the seams of the pocket on the alternative facet, despite the fact that I hadn’t put any water into that pocket. Trying into the physique of the pack, I noticed that water was getting into the primary bag by way of the seams, puddling on the backside, after which seeping out by way of the pocket seams on the opposite facet.
Clearly, this was an excessive check–pouring a liter of water right into a pocket is a high-pressure situation, and I all the time use a pack liner with all packs, no matter how well-sealed it’s. Additionally, there’s some additional safety of the pockets in the best way that the Kakwa’s built-in broad elastic tends to curve the highest of the pocket over and across the gear, making a partial “umbrella.” I had this pack out throughout two extra downpours throughout my testing interval the place a small quantity of water entered the primary compartment, and I consider that water entry wouldn’t have been as a lot of a problem if there have been drain holes within the facet pockets that permit the water out quickly earlier than it might seep by way of the seams. If you happen to recreate in an arid setting this can be moot to you.
Comparable Extremely Backpacks
Suggestion
For me, the Durston Gear Kakwa 40 properly fills a distinct segment between my ultralight frameless pack and my monumental framed pack. It lets me carry hundreds that may be uncomfortable for me in a frameless pack however for which a heavy load hauler could be overkill. The low weight is spectacular for a framed pack, particularly contemplating that ours got here in underneath spec! The pocketing is incredible for accessing what you want through the day with out stopping. The design, carry and options could be nice even when a extra standard pack cloth was used, however for those who’ve been interested in making an attempt a pack created from Extremely cloth, the Kakwa 40 is among the least costly Extremely packs in the marketplace immediately.
Likes
- Nice load switch at 20-30 kilos
- Clear, streamlined design with out a whole lot of straps flapping round
- Hipbelt pockets that simply open and shut with one hand
Distinctive QuickPocket is an ideal place to retailer and entry a map on the go
Versatile, safe and straightforward to make use of shoulder strap pockets
Room for enchancment
- Add drain holes to facet pockets
- Make the over-the-top Y strap longer for bear canisters
Disclosure: Durston Gear donated a backpack for this evaluate.
In regards to the creator
Greg Pehrson is an ultralight backpacker who was bitten arduous by the MYOG (make-your-own-gear) bug. He repairs, tinkers, and builds gear, usually in search of to upcycle throwaway objects or repurpose issues from outdoors the backpacking world.
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