The Mountainsmith Zerk 25 is a backpack with vest-style shoulder straps for day climbing and fastpacking. Quite a few open mesh pockets on the shoulder straps and backpack exterior make it straightforward to retailer ceaselessly accessed gear and meals, so that you don’t need to cease and open the pack to entry them. Whereas it’s much like the higher-volume Mountainsmith Zerk 40, a number of notable variations exist. The Zerk 25 has a prime lid pocket as an alternative of the roll-top closure on the Zerk 40; it has two entrance sternum straps as an alternative of 1, and is solely frameless with out extra again panel padding.
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- Weight: 1 lb 7.5 oz (666g)
- Quantity: 25L
- Kind: Frameless
- Entry: Prime
- Gender: Unisex
- Hydration suitable: Sure, heart port
- Pockets: 11 (2 closed)
- Removable hip belt: Sure
- Torso Vary: 16-24″
- Consists of extras: Stretch bungee twine for the entrance pocket
- Supplies: 210-denier recycled Robic nylon ripstop (UHMPE)
- Max beneficial load: 20-25 lbs
- Execs: Quite a few and extremely purposeful pockets, comfy vest straps
- Cons: Shoulder straps are too lengthy for shorter torso lengths, carries greatest when principally full
Backpack Suspension
The Mountainsmith Zerk 25 is a frameless, top-loading daypack/fastpack with vest-style shoulder straps, quite a few exterior and closed pockets, and an optionally detachable hipbelt made with a large webbing belt with a stable heart buckle. Being frameless, the aim of the hip belt is to maintain the pack from bouncing when working or climbing. Relying in your torso size, it should loop round your hips or greater up in your torso: it doesn’t actually matter which for the reason that weight of the pack rests solely in your shoulders and higher chest.
Every shoulder strap has two stacked mesh pockets on the entrance with tensioners and equipment loops alongside the facet so you possibly can safe objects like an inReach Mini 2 to forestall it from getting misplaced even when it falls out of a pocket. The pockets are massive sufficient to securely retailer a smartphone or a 500 ml mushy bottle with ease and actually make the pack handy to make use of. They’re the most effective pockets I’ve discovered on any fastpack all yr, and I’ve examined practically a dozen, together with the Osprey Talon Velocity 30, Gossamer Gear Quick Kumo 36, and the Out of doors Vitals Skyline 30, to call just a few.
Whereas the Zerk’s shoulder straps aren’t closely padded, they’re additionally not gossamer skinny. They’re 3″ vast on the prime and sewn straight into the highest of the pack bag, widening to 4.5″ on the backside, with two sliding sternum straps between them. The straps themselves are J-shaped, which can be a consideration in the event you’re feminine or have a well-developed chest the place S-shaped straps could be extra comfy. The jury continues to be out on whether or not ladies discover fast-pack shoulder straps and sternum straps comfy or not.
Backpack Storage and Group
Aside from its prime lid pocket, the Zerk 25 is laid out like a typical ultralight pack with a roll-top, entrance mesh pocket, and facet water bottle pockets. The highest lid has two zippered pockets: a big pocket on prime with a key fob and a mesh pocket beneath the lid. I desire having a prime lid or clamshell opening on a daypack over a roll-top as a result of I entry the contents of my pack extra ceaselessly than once I’m backpacking, and my solely aim is to crush miles all day. Looking for objects packed in a roll prime is a ache within the butt because you usually need to take away all the pieces and repack it once more. That will get previous quick.
There’s a entrance stretch mesh pocket, which is sweet for holding unfastened layers like rain gear, your lunch, or a moist water filter. It has a prime webbing strap to carry it shut and preserve contents from falling out. There are additionally two stacked pockets on both sides of the Zerk: the internal one is stable material with an elastic tensioner on prime, whereas the outer pocket is made with stretch mesh, which I liken to “hamster cheeks. These are good for storing additional snacks, fruit, and even trash wrappers so that you don’t need to cease and open your pack to entry/stow them. I a lot desire these “hamster cheek” pockets to the mesh pockets that many ultralight backpack makers have began placing on the bottom of their backpacks. The latter is unnecessary from a sturdiness perspective for the reason that highest abrasion on a pack happens on the underside if you put it on the bottom.
The remainder of the Zerk 25 is pretty typical. The pack is hydration-compatible with a middle hose port between the shoulder straps, hose keeper loops on each shoulder straps, and a hook inside to hold your bladder and a hydration pocket.
Backpack Compression and Attachment Factors
The Zerk 25 has a single tier of facet compression straps which are good for holding longer objects towards the facet of the pack, like a Smartwater bottle with a Sawyer Squeeze filter on prime. However they don’t present excellent compression until the principle compartment is tightly stuffed as a result of the ends are sewn to material and never a inflexible structural assist like a body. Nonetheless, they’re fairly helpful when carrying longer objects like a Tenkara fishing rod.
There’s a webbing strap that loops over the drawstring closure on the prime of the pack bag to supply top-down compression. Daisy chains encompass the exterior mesh pockets and supply a handy place to clip objects like a hat or microspikes with a ‘biner. The pack additionally comes with an elastic bungie twine that you would be able to loop throughout the facet daisy chains if you wish to grasp moist clothes on the surface of the pack to dry. Lastly, there are two ice axe loops, that may be used to strap trekking poles to the pack utilizing the facet compression straps to carry the shafts.
Suggestion
The Mountainsmith Zerk 25 is a multi-purpose daypack/fastpack with a vest-style shoulder harness and a non-load-bearing hip belt. It’s remarkably comfy and has a plethora of pockets that make it straightforward to prepare and entry your gear on the transfer. There may be additionally loads of safe closed storage to hold additional clothes and tools. Whereas switching from a traditional daypack to at least one with vest-style straps and storage takes some getting used to, I believe you’ll discover that the hybrid mixture of daypack and fastpack options on the Mountainsmith Zerk 25 makes this pack a keeper for adventures close to and much.
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