Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > REI Ridgeline Pack > Test Report by Rebecca Stacy

REI RIDGELINE BACKPACK
TEST SERIES BY BECKI STACY
LONG TERM REPORT
JULY 29, 2007

I got bitten by the backpacking bug in 1994 when I was a volunteer at the Grand Canyon. My first backpacking trip was the same week I arrived, with gear borrowed from trail crew supplies. My husband and I enjoy backpacking (using a double-wall tent), mostly in Michigan. Our trips have run from overnighters to 12 nights on Isle Royale. We've pared down our pack weight a little, and we are continually re-working our gear list to cut weight without giving up the luxury items we enjoy (such as food that involves more than boiling water).

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc)
Year of Manufacture: 2007
Size: Women's Small (fits torso length 16-18 inches/41-46cm, waist/hips 25-46 in/64-117cm)
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.rei.com
MSRP: US$185.00
Colour: Frieze (Light blue and steel grey)
Listed Weight (women's small): 4 lb 2 oz (1.87 kg)
Measured Weight (women's small): 4 lb 3.5 oz (1.91 kg)
Listed Capacity (women's small): 3417 cu inches ( 56 liters)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The REI Ridgeline is a lighter-weight, nearly full-featured backpack. It appears that REI has attempted a pack I've been waiting several years for- one that utilizes materials and technology from ultralight packs but has the comfort and convenience of the heavier internal-frame backpacks. The frame is a type of hybrid; a thin aluminum perimeter frame is used in conjunction with a thick plastic internal board for support, with a foam pad back for ventilation and comfort.

Item Received: March 9, 2007

The REI Ridgeline backpack arrived in good condition, with a hangtag that went over the basic specifications of the pack. No instructions were given on how to adjust the pack for proper fit. Through a little bit of poking and prodding, I've found that I can adjust the hipbelt up and down the frame a little bit, and that the shoulder straps are also adjustable, connecting to the foam back pad via full-surface loop and hook fasteners. The active-motion hipbelt operates by pivoting away from the base of the pack when I bend over. One thing about the setup that is a little confusing is that the lumbar pad is connected to the belt, but there is a 'pocket' behind the lumbar pad that is sealed with a wide band of hook-and loop fastener. There is no apparent reason why this is there (since the lumbar pad is already securely connected to the hipbelt), unless it was put in as an option to 'disengage' the active-motion hipbelt.

The pack has a main compartment that is accessible through the top, or through a J-shaped water resistant zipper. There are two drawstrings on the top opening, allowing for different sized loads. It has a non-removable top storage section that has a map pocket underneath. A large, slightly elastic mesh pocket is on the back, with side water-bottle pockets that are made of the same material. Fully-enclosed (non-water resistant) zippered pockets are beneath the water-bottle pockets. The pulls for these side pockets are made of plastic-tube covered parachute cord, about as long as the width of my palm (see picture below). These combination pockets are attached on the left and right sides of the pocket, but are not attached to the pack at top or bottom.

Two strips of webbing about 18"/46 cm long run from the bottom of the pack to the bottom of the large pocket, to allow me to attach a sleeping pad or tubular stuff sack. Daisy chains (with 5 full and 2 'half' sections) are on either side of the large back pocket. There is a webbing loop at the bottom of each daisy-chain strip. Each side has two compression straps, and another compression strap connects the outside top of the main compartment to the area where the top storage area is connected to the main compartment. There are small loops on either side of the hipbelt, and the shoulder straps both have an elastic band (to tie down the mouthpiece of a hydration bladder, as shown in the photo to the right) with a thick faux-leather strip underneath (possibly to hang glasses off of or something similar). The pack has openings on both the left and right side to allow for the tubing of a water bladder to pass through, and an interior pocket to accommodate a hydration bladder. All of the clips are of a minimalistic design, and apparently use as little plastic as possible to hold the designed tension.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Ridgeline appears to be a well-designed pack. Although I am used to a pack with a significantly larger volume, I was able to stuff in most of my typical gear for a standard overnighter to 6, maybe 7 day trip (depending on how much water I need to carry). Since I always hike with a partner, I stuffed it full of my typical share of the gear: the tent fabric and rainfly portion of our REI Halfdome tent, a 1.5 quart/1.4 L cookpot (with canister stove, matches, bowls, and a couple travel packs of facial tissue all stuffed inside), a MSR Miniworks water filter, our first aide kit (consisting of a backpacker's first aide booklet and various bandages, blister pads, and other assorted necessities in a gallon/3.8 L ziptop bag), my rain jacket, rain pants and pack cover, a 1.5L/48 oz Nalgene bottle, a standard Ursack stuffed about 3/4 of the way full, a microfleece jacket, a spare set of socks and liners, convertible hiking pants and a shirt, 1 change of undies, my toiletry items, silk sleeping bag liner, GPS, a ripstop nylon tarp/groundcloth, and a 0.5 gallon/2L MSR water bladder. In addition, I put a water bottle in each side pocket. I'm one of 'those' hikers, so attached at various points along the daisy chain are our trowel, hand disinfectant, pack towel, clothesline (a handy little contraption, line stuffed inside a film canister with a clip on each end of the line), and my titanium cup. I also usually attach my camp shoes to the outside of my pack, but I couldn't unearth enough carabineers for that at this time.

I had to strap my full length Therma-rest pad and 20 Degree F/-6.7 C sleeping bag (both inside the dark blue stuffsack) to the outside of the pack. The webbing straps provided for this function barely make it around my stuff sack, and were a little difficult to clip into place.

SUMMARY

Overall, I like what I see in the Ridgeline so far. The lighter weight definitely helps with my goal of trimming some weight off my load without cutting back on niceties, but still feels comfortable enough to carry a substantial load. The ActivMotion hipbelt appears to give me a little bit better balance when bending over. I like that the hipbelt is set up so that I tighten it by pulling the straps forward, which makes it easier for me to adjust than the type where I need to pull the straps towards my back. I also like the wide variety of places to attach things, since that's my modus operandi, and having lots of places to attach things came in VERY handy when an unexpected storm came through after we had done the laundry, rained off and on all night, and we had to be human clotheslines the next day.

About the only thing that I see room for improvement now are the short bedroll straps, since I'm maxing them out when I attach my stuffsack with my sleeping bag and pad. I also prefer a pack lid that separates from the backpack and that can be used as a fanny pack, but I understand that to do so would add additional weight.

FIELD TESTING

So far, I have had the pack on for a few hours at the local parks to get the feel of the pack and to make adjustments before the trip, and a Mid-May 2-night trip on the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail in Southeast Michigan. On this trip, I was carrying about 30-35 pounds (13.6-15.9 kg). My gear included: the tent and rainfly portion of a REI half-dome tent, rain jacket and pants, pack cover, a full-length Therm-a-rest Pro-Lite 3 sleeping pad, a 20 degree (-7 C) down sleeping bag, bag liner and stuffable pillow case, first aide and personal hygiene supplies, a 1 quart (0.95 L) pot with frypan lid, a canister stove, 2 steel bowls and titanium mugs, a spare change of clothes, microfleece jacket, headlamp, water filter, 2 liter (2.1 quart) hydration bladder, a 32 oz (1 liter) nalgene bottle, a pack towel, a sheet of ripstop nylon that I use as a tarp or groundcloth on occasion, snacks, camp shoes, and various small accessories that I attached to the back of my pack (clothesline, sunscreen, lip balm, etc).

The first day I hiked 4.5 miles/7.3 km and the temperatures reached a high of about 82 F/28 C (weather information provided by NOAA, from the nearest station to the trail). The second day of the trip I hiked 7 miles/11.3 km and the temperature was much cooler, starting with a low of around 52 F/11 C and reaching a high of only 64 F/18C. The last day I hiked 5 miles/8.1 km with a frigid morning low of 34 F/1 C, and only warming up to a high of 66 F/19 C for the day. I probably made it out before the daily high was achieved.

The terrain throughout all 3 days was varied between hilly areas and fairly level trails. The largest hills were up to about 50 feet/15 m, but we were going up and down quite a bit. Throughout the trip, the pack performed well and was comfortable whether I was going uphill, downhill, or on even terrain.

The first day was a self-imposed forced march, since I had wanted to try some non-deet repellent and forgot to bring my backup 100% deet (which I use to boost deep-woods-strength, or as a last ditch, use it straight- I am a mosquito magnet). The mosquitoes were the worst I had ever encountered, so we ended up hiking 4.5 miles/7.3 km stopping only so my husband could get a drink of water here and there. I really appreciated the hydration bladder capabilities of the Ridgeline that day, and I don't think I'll ever go without a bladder again for just this reason. The bladder I used is a MSR DromLite 2 Liter. Although I didn't anchor the bag using the anchor tabs provided in the Ridgeline (see picture to the right), the bag stayed in place inside the sleeve provided for it and didn't move around inside the pack.

I worked up somewhat of a sweat the first day and my back was a little warm, but not uncomfortable. The remainder of my trip was cool enough that I didn't notice any ventilation issues. As the weather warms up further and I go on more hikes I will be paying close attention to the ventilation of my back, I am a little concerned that the 'pockets' in the Ridgeline's pad for my back don't open up all the way to the edge. So far, this has not been a problem.

At the start of the second day, I noticed that there was a spot on both sides of my body, under the shoulder strap (and a little above where I had kept the sternum strap) that was a little sore when I put the pack on the next day. I only noticed the soreness when I was putting on or taking off the pack over the remaining two days. When I had the pack on and was hiking I didn't notice any soreness at all, nor when I had put the pack down for the day. I think this may be from the forced march from the 1st day, this being the first trip I've gone on with the pack and I'm still breaking it in, and that I might have a little minor tweaking to do.

Otherwise, the Ridgeline was comfortable and fairly easy to move around in. It is hard for me to say if the ActivMotion hipbelt helps or not, since all the packs I've had previously were behemoths and the easier maneuverability may be from the smaller size more than the hipbelt. Either way, it does not hinder me, which is all that really counts.

To my surprise, I did not miss the extra padding offered by heavier packs. The shoulder straps were fairly comfortable, even around my bigger-than-average bust. The hipbelt, while it does not come as far forward around my body as I am used to, does the job well and is comfortable.

When I wrote my Initial Report, I thought that I would have to carry my sleeping bag and pad on the outside of the pack, but on the 2nd day I re-arranged some things and was able to get them on the inside. I can only use the top drawstring of the main compartment with this setup, but the upper compartment still fit over it and snapped down well. I don't miss having a separate compartment for my sleeping bag, mainly since I never really used the spare compartment in the recommended manner anyway. Although my husband carried all the food except for snacks, I have no doubt that the Ridgeline would be big enough for me to take at least a 4 nighter solo if I moved the bag and pad outside again.

During our lunch break on the second day of my trip, I set the Ridgeline on the seat of a wood picnic table, with the mesh pocket leaning on the edge of the top of the table. I thought that I placed it so that the titanium mugs that I stored in the pocket were below the edge of the table, but when I flipped my pack around to get something out of it I found that I had a small hole in the mesh. What happened was that the rim of one of the mugs had scraped against the side of the table, and created a small rip in the fabric. For the remainder of the trip I moved the mugs so that they were below the rip and would not stretch it out. So far, the rip has not gotten any worse. I will repair the tear and provide an update on the matter in my Long Term Report. I have not noticed any other torn or worn spots on the mesh either in the large pocket or in the side pockets.

SUMMARY

Overall, I have enjoyed using the Ridgeline since it is comfortable for me, and has a decent amount of nifty features. Having the elastic mesh pocket is nice since I can store my mugs there without them clanging when I hike. The zippered pockets beneath the mesh side pockets are handy for me to store snacks in, and I'm starting to adapt to the somewhat awkward reach back to get them. I still have to stretch and use my fingertips if I've stuffed something too far back, but overall it works out fine.



This concludes my Field Report.

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > REI Ridgeline Pack > Test Report by Rebecca Stacy