The Zpacks Tremendous Nero 50 is a high-capacity frameless backpack with a modular and interchangeable shoulder strap system that permits you to swap between fastpack-style vest shoulder straps or typical shoulder straps utilizing the identical pack bag (See this video for directions). We examined the fastpack type shoulder straps, which allow you to preserve water, meals, and necessities shut at hand. Being frameless, the Tremendous Nero 50 has a most advisable load of 20 lbs. It’s optimized for carrying ultralight however cumbersome masses, together with a hammock sleep system or an artificial insulated backpacking quilt. Carry a a lot heavier load, and your shoulders will harm.
- Gender: Unisex
- Weight: 15.8 oz (incl vest straps)
- Quantity: 50L
- Sort: Frameless
- Shoulder Staps: Fastpack Model (vest)
- Pockets: 3 exterior
- Hydration-ready: No
- Load Lifters: No
- Detachable Hip Belt: Sure
- Waterproof: Sure and seam-taped
- Materials: Extremely 100X
- Bear canister compatibility: BV 475 and smaller match horizontally, BV500 vertical
- Execs: Vest sleeves can maintain as much as 20 oz bottles, waterproof backpack
- Cons: Max load restrict of 20 lbs, cord-based aspect compression is awkward to make use of
Backpack Storage and Group
The Tremendous Nero 50 is a high-capacity waterproof backpack made with sturdy Extremely 100x, a woven 100 denier Extremely Excessive Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) face cloth laminated to a water-proof lining and seam-taped to stop leaks. The pack bag is configured as a rolltop with buckles that meet on high of the pack as a substitute of the edges. It has a big mesh entrance pocket and strong aspect pockets in a typical ultralight backpack configuration. The Tremendous Nero shouldn’t be hydration-compatible, nonetheless, and there’s nowhere to hold or retailer a water bladder contained in the pack or run a hose by a hydration port.
The Tremendous Nero 50 has two cord-based aspect compression straps, configured in a z-shape, that are good for attaching lengthy, skinny objects like trekking poles to the edges of the pack however are restricted of their means to use a whole lot of compression. There are a pair of cord-based sleeping pad straps on the base of the pack, that are very helpful and straightforward to make use of, in addition to a high webbing strap, which will also be used to hold a foam pad.
The again of the pack behind the shoulder straps is unpadded, though the pack comes with a foam sit pad and elastic straps to carry it in place. It does a surprisingly good job of padding the again, though it’s worthwhile to watch out in the way you pack so objects like hard-sided bear canisters don’t poke you from behind. If it’s worthwhile to carry a bear canister, my recommendation could be to get your self a backpack with a body for again safety in addition to a heavier load-carrying capability.
Backpack Suspension and Vest-Model Straps
Being frameless, nearly the entire weight carried within the Tremendous Nero 50 rests in your shoulders, limiting its max advisable carry to twenty kilos or no matter your shoulders can tolerate above that. Whereas there’s a hipbelt included with the pack, it’s a easy webbing strap design to maintain the bag near your torso and stop it from bouncing when you determine to run or jog. Whereas it closes with a beefy buckle, it’s straightforward to lose as a result of the ends of the webbing strap usually are not doubled over and sewn to stop it from slipping off. It is a ending error that we weren’t comfortable to see.
Regardless of that, the fastpack-style shoulder straps are fairly cleverly designed. Every strap has three exterior pockets: one massive sufficient to carry a 20-oz water Smartwater bottle, a second sized for gels and snacks, and a 3rd with a zipper sized to carry a smartphone. The pack comes with two sternum straps related to the vest straps alongside daisy chains, which additionally assist preserve the straps from sliding off to the edges of your shoulders.
Mountain climbing with vest-style straps is handy as a result of you may preserve your “workplace” (maps, telephone) and “kitchen” (snack, water) simply accessible with out having to cease to dig stuff out of your backpack. It additionally helps distribute a few of the load, significantly water weight, to the entrance of your torso, bettering your steadiness on rocky scrambles and serving to to keep up your momentum when climbing. However regardless of the load redistribution, you’re nonetheless restricted to a 20-pound most comfy carry because the Tremendous Nero is frameless.
The fastpack straps are padded with spacer mesh and are fairly comfy. Whereas they’re connected to the packbag with tri-glide clips and webbing, the tops of the straps are additionally related with a yoke that runs alongside the highest of your again under your neck when worn. Its function is to maintain the width between the shoulder straps mounted in order that they don’t aspect off the edges of your shoulders – the yoke is absent on packs with Zpack’s typical shoulder straps. Whereas the yoke is innocuous with lighter masses, it turns into extra noticeable and even painful once you more and more overload the backpack (a minimum of for me.)
Whereas there’s a development amongst backpack producers so as to add fastpack-vest type straps to their backpacks, there are nonetheless limits to how a lot gear weight your shoulders can carry, absent a body and load-bearing hipbelt. Whereas the Tremendous Nero 50 is an excellent enjoyable pack to hold lighter masses, I’d warning you about attempting to load it up like extra typical 50L backpack with a body.
Given its carry weight limitations (20 lbs), I nonetheless suppose the Tremendous Nero 50 could be a superb backpack to make use of when you carry a whole lot of sleeping insulation like a chilly climate hammock system with a high quilt and underquilt or an artificial insulated sleeping quilt which might profit from being packed uncompressed to “use” up the pack’s quantity.
Suggestion
The Zpacks Tremendous Nero 50 is a water-proof, ultralight rolltop backpack made with Extremely. It’s obtainable with an interchangeable suspension that makes use of typical shoulder straps or vest-style fastpack straps. Whereas the fastpack-style vest straps are efficient at distributing load throughout the back and front of the pack, they don’t enhance the load that may be comfortably carried by the backpack above 20 lbs. We do really feel that the Tremendous Nero 50 could be appropriate for carrying cumbersome sleep insulation, even in its uncompressed type, supplied that your general load does urged most gear weight carry.
Disclosure: Zpacks donated a backpack for assessment.
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