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Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Deuter SpeedLite 24, SL22 and 24 > Test Report by Christie KimberDeuter Speed Lite 24 SL BackpackInitial Report Feild Report Long Term Report Initial Report  Aug 22, 2019 Background Information: Name: Christie Kimber Age: 28 Gender: Female Height: 6’0" (183 cm) Weight: 145 lb (66 kg) Email address: christiekimber AT yahoo DOT com City, Province, Country: Campbell River, British Columbia (BC), Canada Backpacking Background: I started hiking in 2015 when I moved from Saskatchewan to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I started with day hikes and have eventually pushed myself to weekend and even week-long excursions. I am a three-season hiker. That being said, as I gather new gear and develop skills I am pushing my limits to try out 4-season backpacking and mountaineering. Vancouver Island gets a lot of rain and has a moderate climate. I also spend time in interior British Columbia in the Rocky Mountains. Product Information: Manufacturer: Deuter Year of manufacture: 2019 URL: https://www.deuterusa.com/ Pack style: Speed Lite SL, women's specific Volume: 24 L MSRP: $105 USD ($140 CAD) Color tested: Forest-Alpine Green Other available colors: Maron-Cardinal, Black Listed weight: 790 g (1 lb 12 oz) Measured weight: 750 g (1lb 10 oz) Listed measurements: H x W x D - 23 x 10 x 7 inches (58 x 25 x 18 cm) Actual measurements: As above Material: 90 % Nylon, 10 % Polyester  Product Description: The women's Deuter Speed Lite 24 SL backpack is part of the Deuter Speed Lite line, which is made up of both men's and women's packs ranging from 12 to 30 L. The women's specific design of this pack consists of a shorter torso length than the men's pack. The Speed Lite 24 SL differs from the men's Speed Lite 24 and the smaller women's packs because it is a top loaded backpack with a flip-over lid, as opposed to a clam shell style backpack. This pack is full of features while maintaining an overall light total pack weight. Some of the features include an internal tensioned Delrin U frame, lightly padded and zippered "hip fins", several pockets, two external daisy chains, several compression straps, and an internal hydration pocket. The pockets on the outside consist of two stretchy side pouches that would be good for a small water bottle. There is also a large external compression pocket that takes up most of the front of the backpack. The internal hydration pocket can fit a 2 or 3 L reservoir in an elastic pouched off area inside the main pack. There is an orange attachment loop for the reservoir and midline opening for the hose. There are also several specific attachment points on the pack. These include a safety light loop, sunglasses holder, and a hiking pole or ice ax attachment. The pack includes an instruction manual describing these features and how best to use the pack which is quite helpful, as there are a lot of different attachment points. As previously mentioned, this specific pack is a top loading pack with a drawstring close for the main pouch. It has a lid closure with buckle attachments. The lid cannot be removed. The lid has two large zippered pockets. One is easily accessible from the outside of the pack. The other is on the inside of the lid and requires the lid to be open to access it. Deuter describes this as a valuables pocket. The Speed Lite pack includes many adjustable straps to create a custom fit including the waist belt, a sternum strap, and load adjustment straps. There is also a mesh back. An interesting feature of this pack that I have not seen on other packs I have owned is the SOS label. This is a label that has tips for emergencies including distress signaling. It is permanently printed on the material on the inner lid of the backpack and cannot be removed. The nylon material that the pack is made up of is described as 100D PA High Tenacity material. The website states this is what makes the pack so lightweight yet durable. This pack comes with a lifetime warranty for repair or replacement of the product. This company has something called The Deuter Promise which is a promise to repair any Deuter pack free of charge, no matter its generation or the reason for damage or defect. You are also not required to be the original owner of the pack. Deuter recommends caring for the pack by brushing any soiled areas with soapy water Initial Impressions: This backpack arrived in excellent condition. I was initially struck by the beautiful color of the pack. The green is bright and saturated, and the grey buckles and zippers match well. There was a yellow flower attached to the pack to denote the women's specific version. This was easily removed and works separately as a pony tail holder or band. The seams, zippers, and buckles are all working well. There are no areas of concern so far. I am most impressed with the weight to feature ratio. This pack has all of the features of my full-size alpine backpack, but at a fraction of the weight. The material still feels very durable. I am interested to see if comfort is sacrificed to make this work and I will look for this when I test the pack. However, upon initially trying it on it fits great. The pack is long enough for my torso (one concern I had with the women's specific fit). The internal frame is comfortable. The straps are very long and seem as though they would fit a large array of sizes. This looks like a very versatile pack, and I cannot wait to put it to the test.   Field Report  November 3, 2019 Field Testing:
Field Performance: This backpack is the most versatile backpack I have ever owned. I have been able to use it almost every day, and for every type of activity. The hikes listed above are the types of trails and conditions I used the pack to strictly hike with. The pack was used in a variety of other settings while I used it for climbing, biking, and kayaking. I also managed one overnight with this pack. In addition, I used this backpack every day for work because it is a good size and I wanted to see how it would hold up with long term use, so I tried to maximize the days used during the test period. I think the reason the Deuter Speed Lite is so versatile is because of the combination of features with the light weight. It has enough features to allow me to use it climbing, which requires me to transport my helmet, harness, and rope in addition to the rest of my gear. If some of my gear does not fit in the pack it can easily be attached to the outside daisy chain with carabiners. Hiking poles and water have their own spot to go as well. Alternatively, this bag is also great for a quick hike. The extra features do not feel cumbersome to haul around even if you are not using them.   There are several features about this backpack the I have utilized heavily. First, as I alluded to above, the addition of the daisy chain expands this pack from "just" a hiking daypack, to being able to accommodate almost any activity. It was still a bit tight doing an overnight with only a 24L bag, even with attaching a lot of my gear externally. Personally, I will continue to use my large pack for this purpose, b  ut for all other day trip activities I think this pack is the perfect size. I also really like the outer compression pocket. It is deep and protective, so I can keep my jacket in it. I found even in the rain my jacket did not get wet. The sack is closed with a buckle clasp, so it allows for quick, easy access. The outer lid pocket also worked great for easy access. I usually stored my phone, map, and sunglasses, and a bar in here. I did not find I used the sunglasses holder on the pack strap as I have a sunglasses case I always bring, so ended up putting it in the top lid pocket which worked well for quick access and storage. One feature I haven't used much with large packs but used a lot with this pack is the grab handle at the top of the bag between the two backpack straps. I think the smaller size of the bag made this handle very useful as it is easy to grab with just one hand. The center grab strap gives me a solid and balanced grasp on the bag. I also like the construction of this backpack. This is the first daypack I have had with a built-in frame. I found it much more comfortable to carry weight for a full day. It hugged my body and the bag did not shift around. There are several adjustment straps to find the perfect fit. The shoulder straps are also lightly padded and were very comfortable. The frame felt light, so I did not feel like I was carrying unnecessary weight just to get a framed bag. I also found it very breathable. The material of this bag is surprisingly robust. As I mentioned I have used it almost every day. Despite the light weight, it still looks brand new. I have had it on the ground and snagged on trees and it is not showing any wear or tear so far. My only gripe about this backpack so far is that the waist adjustment straps are very long. In theory this is good to accommodate a variety of waist sizes. However, when I tighten the straps to fit my waist size the straps dangle half way down my thigh. I feel they are much too long. When the test is done I will likely cut them but did not want to modify the product until then. Long Term Report January 13, 2020 Field Testing:
I was using this pack every day for work, which transported my lunch, work books, shoes, and computer. I found the water reservoir area actually worked well as a laptop sleeve. Over the past two months I have also used the pack in colder, winter conditions. The polyester material held up when snowed on and it did not let a lot of moisture in. While it is not waterproof (it was not advertised to be), it does seem water and moisture resistant, and dried quickly. The waist strap length which I moaned a bit about in my previous report actually came in handy to fit over my jacket and snow pants. I will still be cutting the straps down somewhat at the end of the testing period, but not as much as I thought I would. The daisy chain worked great for attaching my snowshoes to the bag. It is always hard to figure out how to transport snowshoes. The bag was also large enough to hold hot chocolate, some spare mitts, and some extra warm clothes. Although I didn't end up getting out for a ski tour, I also tested putting my shovel, probe, and beacon in the bag. It would work well for a day trip. Overall, I would recommend this pack because of how versatile it is. It has a ton of features, which I outlined above. While I didn't end up using some of them, like the sunglasses strap or safety light loop, the fact that Deuter seems to have included every feature in one pack without sacrificing weight, means it has something for everyone. I think it is a great "one pack fits all" because it has worked incredibly well for me throughout a variety of different activities, not just for hiking. Summary: The Deuter Speed Lite 24 L backpack is a lightweight, framed daypack that packs all of the features of any full-size bag and can be used for any activity I can think of! This concludes my Long Term Report. Thanks to Deuter and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this pack. Read more reviews of Deuter gear Read more gear reviews by Christie Kimber Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Deuter SpeedLite 24, SL22 and 24 > Test Report by Christie Kimber | ||||