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Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > ULA AMP Pack > Test Report by Rick Allnutt
ULA Amp Pack
Initial Report - March 12, 2007 Field Report- May 28, 2007 Long Term Report - July 26, 2007 TESTER INFORMATION
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a
three-season base pack weight of about 10 lb (4.5 kg) and skin out weight
of 20 lb (9 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the
Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of
about 1250 miles (2000 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock or tarp camper, and I
make much of my own equipment. PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer:
Ultralight Adventure Equipment INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
TRYING IT OUT
Before the pack
arrived, I knew I would
need to further trim my lightweight pack load to be able to fit my gear
in the small pack. Here is the Gear List I developed: TESTING PLANS I plan to go on a three day hike this week with the light gear. Temperatures will be about freezing. Later in the spring, I plan on two week-long Applachian Trail hikes. Please check back in about two months for my Field Report and the results of these backpacking adventures. What I really Like So Far
- Lightweight
FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS I have used the AMP pack for several trips over the last two months. Backpacking included a two night trip to the Smoky Mountains with temperatures ranging from 27 to 68 F (-3 to 20 C) where elevations were from 600 to 1600 ft (180 to 500 m). I took a two night trip to the Red River Gorge of Kentucky and hiked about 36 mi (58 km). During that trip, the temperatures were about the same as the trip to the Smoky Mountains. In addition, I had a rainy three night trip on the Appalachian Trail near Damascus, Virginia with 32 mi (52 km) covered in temperatures from 50 to 80 F (10 to 27 C). I have carried the pack during rain and on sunny days, in low foot hills mainly along forested paths. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD The AMP pack has been the only pack I have used for the last two months. The pack list I developed above has served me well for the trips taken so far. I lightened my cook kit to a total of 7 oz (200 g) with a canister stove I am testing. In addition, I have replaced the aluminum tent stakes listed previously with six titanium stakes with a total weight of 1.2 oz (34 g). Much of the time, my pack weight including a couple day's worth of food has been very close to 10 lb (4.5 kg). This is a very easy pack to carry and even with the small width straps the AMP sports, it is easy to forget the pack is on my back. Shortly after I posted my Initial Report, ULA sent me a pair of hip belt pockets weighing 1 oz (28 g) each. They came with instructions for attaching to the pack (easy to do) and I have done all my hiking with these pockets on the pack. I have found these to be handy for a small digital camera, and for a zip-lock bag of GORP for lunch/snacking. The pockets are secure and reasonably easy to open and shut with one hand. The left hand pocket is visible in the photo above, just below the side pocket holding a water bottle. The gear list carried in the AMP pack is sufficient for solo camping. I have had the opportunity to sleep through several 8 and 12 hour steady rainstorms. I have carried the pack in all day rain as well. Though the size of the pack allows for very little excess gear or spares, the gear has been comfortable in wet and in cold conditions. I have not felt like I left anything at home that I really wished I had with me. As can be seen in the photo to the left, everything useful in the forest is right at hand. The AMP pack is not inherently waterproof. Few packs are. In the case of the AMP, several of the seams wick water into the pack when it is carried in the rain. Because of this, I chose to use a home-made silnylon pack liner. Without fail, this kept all my gear dry. An alternate solution for wet conditions could have been a pack cover. Using either solution, it is important to be able to cover the top of the pack for rain. When less than a full pack is carried, the top can be rolled so that the drawstring top opening does not leak, but when leaving town with a full pack, or when almost all my clothing is carried in the pack on a muggy afternoon, the pack is sometimes full right to the brim. Sometimes this keeps me from rolling the top of the pack to make the opening more water resistant. SUMMARY I have enjoyed carrying the AMP pack this spring. It has been comfortable to wear the pack for up to 12 hours a day, and the small volume of the pack has pushed me further into ultralight hiking than I had previously gone. This transition has been quite pleasant and I am pleased with the accomplishment. Please check back here in late July for my Long Term report on the pack. I am looking forward to some hot weather camping in southern Texas during this interval, and that may lead to my lightest pack weights ever!
LONG TERM REPORT FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS I've had the opportunity to use the AMP pack in an entirely different sets of conditions during the long term testing period. I used the pack as a day pack while doing trail maintenance near San Antonio, TX, and I used it for a three-day backpacking trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas (Chisos Basin photo to the right below). The altitudes I have carried and used the pack range from about 600 ft (180 m) to a little over 8000 ft (2400 m). The temperatures have been uniformly warm, with temperatures between 60-99 F (16-37 C). The countryside has ranged from Texas Hill Country to the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend. LONG TERM PERFORMANCE The pack has held up very well, serving my needs while moving around in brush as required in trail maintaining activity and carrying the weight I needed for my Chisos Mountains trip.Since my last report, I have continued to carry a cup and any clothing I have shed in the front pocket. I now use the right side (belt) pocket for my poncho and the left for my lunch GORP bag. My gear has not changed much, though I replaced the sleeping pad I was using with a 1/8th inch (3 mm) pad I bought at the Damascus, VA Trail Days Festival. For the summer Texas hiking, I replaced my spring bag with a home-made 15 oz (420 g) down quilt, shedding considerable weight and bulk in the process. I have settled in on carrying a water bottle in each of the side pockets. The photo below shows an Anti-Gravity Gear Poncho-Villa in the left belt pocket and how the water bottle sits in the side pocket. These main bottles are one liter (1 qt) plastic bottles left over from sports drinks. I have gotten quite good at reaching back and removing a bottle with one hand and then being able to return the bottle to its pocket by holding open the pocket's elastic with my fingers as I put the bottle back. I don't have to break stride to do this, the only interruption being my need to hold both hiking poles in one hand while getting my drink. For the multi-day hike in Big Bend, there was little water available, so I added a 3 liter (3 qt) plastic soft drink bottle as my reserve supply. With this bottle, I could carry it full, or when partly full, I was able to crush it until only 2/3 to 1/2 full. That way it took up less space in my pack. My pack weight with 3 day's food and empty water bottles was 11.7 lb (5.3 kg), lighter than my spring weight mainly because of the sleeping bag and pad swap outs. With the two primary bottles filled, this added 4.4 lb (2 kg) and this was still in my "forget to take it off" weight range. But when I added an additional 3 qt (3 L) of water and its weight (6.6 lb or 3 kg) the pack was beginning to be uncomfortable. The total weight was now 22.7 lb (10.3 kg) and about 14 percent above the recommended upper weight load of the pack. None of the stitches broke in the straps at this weight, but the rather thin straps were no longer quite so comfortable as they are at lower weights. I had to be careful to use the thin hip belt to advantage for the 3 miles I carried this weight in the pack after leaving a spring with all bottles full. By the next morning, when I had consumed more than a liter (quart) of water, the pack again felt comfortable. As I walked along the south rim of the Chisos Mountain trail complex I frequently found myself taking photos for several minutes and forgetting that the pack was on my back. I used the key pocket safe inside the front of the pack on this trip, and it did my heart good to be free of the worry of not being able to find my key when I got back to the car. Knowing that the keys are secure in the pack and can not be misplaced when packing up helps me to relax and not be compulsive. At camp, I found that I could easily stuff the empty pack into my clothing bag to make a nice and comfy pillow. With very little extra clothing, I needed the bulk of the pack to keep my head off the ground. But even then, the pack takes up so little bulk that I had to put the clothes bag with pack inside, on top of my cooking pot to sleep well. SUMMARY What I Like: - The pack is light, strong, and packs very easily.- The options (front pocket, belt pockets, inside key pocket) allow me to bring just what I need for a hike. They are all functional and feel like they are built in when they are used. - The strap system is minimalist, but the weight saved is appreciated. The straps are wide enough to be comfortable. What I would change: - It would be very nice to have a flap or top pocket to keep water from getting in the top of the pack. - The front pocket is so remarkably useful, that I would sew it directly to the pack, or optionally make it into a top pocket as mentioned above (preferred). As is, there is slight possibility of stuffing an item between the back of the pocket and the pack. I have had to check carefully to make sure that what I was stuffing in the pocket was actually in the pocket and detected an error on my part several times. - The volume of the pack requires me to pack so tight that I never used the compression straps cords. If the seams to which the compression straps are threaded could be turned inside and made waterproof, this would be a great improvement. To not need a waterproof internal pack liner would save 2.6 oz (74 g) in my packing scheme. I thank ULA
and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to test this pack. It has taught
me a great deal about ultralight-weight packing and will continue to be
a part of my ultralight approach to backpacking. Read more reviews of Ultralight Adventure Equipment gear Read more gear reviews by Rick Allnutt Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > ULA AMP Pack > Test Report by Rick Allnutt |