Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 30
Gender: female
Height: 5'4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Torso length: 17" (43 cm)
Shoulder to shoulder length: 16.5" (42 cm)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana
Date: May 7, 2004

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana where I'm becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I've attempted some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. I've gotten my summer multi-day pack weight down to 13 lb (6 kg), but winter backpacking is still new to me, and my winter pack weight hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Fanatic Fringe
URL: www.fanaticfringe.com
Item: Thompson Peak Backpack
MSRP: US $79 (US $69 without hipbelt)
Year of Manufacturer: 2004
Size tested: Small
Color tested: Hunter Green/Black
Options included: Hipbelt
Listed volume: Body - 2400 cu in (39 L); Pockets - 400 cu in (6.6 L); Extension collar - 800 cu in (13.1 L)
Listed weight: 10.5 oz (298 g)
Measured weight: 10.4 oz (295 g)

Thompson Peak Backpack Description:
The Thompson Peak Backpack is an ultralight pack made by Fanatic Fringe. The pack is made of 1.9 oz (64 g/m²) coated ripstop for the colored portion (main body) and 200 denier coated black Oxford for the bottom and area near my back. Packs have the option of an additional 1 oz (28 g) hipbelt. The pack is available in two colors, which, based on the website, result in different pack weights: the Hunter's green material is advertised as producing a 10.5 oz (298 g) pack while the ultra-violet coated tan material results in an 11.5 oz (326 g) pack (both weighs for packs with hipbelt). All packs have a top drawstring opening with extension sleeve, large front mesh pocket, two side mesh pockets, and side compression straps.

Sizing:
The Fanatic Fringe website indicates two sizes for this pack: medium, fitting 15"-18" (38 cm - 46 cm) torsos, and large, for 17"-22" (43 cm - 56 cm) torsos. I have a 17" (43 cm) torso, so wasn't sure which pack to pick. I wrote to Fanatic Fringe for advice and got a quick reply from Ralph, who also has a 17" (43 cm) torso and wears a medium pack. When I got the medium pack, the shoulder straps were too long for me. Even cinched to their shortest length, I couldn't get the pack flush to my back. The medium is advertised as fitting people with a torso size of 15" (38 cm), and I don't know why the medium didn't fit me. Maybe I have narrow shoulders. Through an e-mail to Fanatic Fringe, I discovered they could deliver a small pack even though this isn't a size listed on their website. The small pack fits me quite well. The pack looks just like the picture on the site. The size differentiation in these packs seems to come from changes in location of the shoulder straps (placement from top of pack and distance apart) instead of changes in the dimensions of the pack body. The small and medium packs, at least, have similar overall pack weights and volume capacities.

Documentation:
The Thompson Peak pack came with a small hang tag declaring the item name, manufacturer information, and care instructions. The tag states this pack is not to be used with loads greater than 20 lb (9 kg). The tag on my pack has a handwritten "S" in the corner, indicating the small size. A Fanatic Fringe logo and website address has been screen printed to both sides of the pack body above the side pockets.

First Impressions:
This pack is big! Since it's so light, I imagined it would be smaller. But 2400 cu in (39 L) is quite a bit of space. The pack is nice and light, and appears to be well-made. The drawstrings open and close smoothly, and the shoulder straps (on the small) fit me nicely with some strap to spare. The waist belt fits well, too.

Features:
Top opening. The pack has a large 41" (104 cm) circumference top opening. A 13" (33 cm) extension collar is attached to the top of the pack, leaving a 1" (2.5 cm) drawstring sleeve. Both the extension collar and the pack body use a drawstring and cord lock closure. I like the drawstring. It is a small and smooth, 1/16" (1.6 mm) cord, solid without being stiff. The cord is an interesting hot pink and blue and doesn't match the rest of the pack, but that's ok. The body of the pack is Hunter's green, while the extension collar is black. Because the opening is so large, I can easily see into the pack while loading. Based on the pack colors, I can tell from the inside if the pack is loaded to the top or if the load is spilling into the extension collar.

Pockets. There are three pockets on this pack: a large 13" x 11.5" (33 cm x 29 cm) front pocket covering almost the entire front of the pack, and two 8" x 9" (20 cm x 23 cm) side pockets. All of the pockets are made out of a stiff, black, open mesh fabric with elastic tops. The mesh fabric itself is not stretchy. The pockets are the same width as the front and side panels, so when the pack is fully loaded, there is not much room in the pockets for additional items. I can easily fit a fuel bottle or 1 L (34 oz) water bottle in the side pocket when the pack has some space in it. I'll see how the pockets work out when the pack is full.

Shoulder straps. The shoulder straps are thinly padded and made of a dense, black cordura on the outside with a soft, tight weave on the side touching my shoulders. The straps are attached to the pack 5.5" (14 cm) down from the top opening and 3.5" (8.9 cm) apart from each other. The straps end in 1" (2.5 cm) nylon webbing that adjusts using ladder lock buckles. The webbing is not folded over at its end, so can easily be removed from the buckle. These straps are narrower (2" [5 cm]) and thinner than I'm used to. They're pretty comfortable when I walk around with the pack semi-loaded. I'll monitor how comfortable they are when I load this pack up.

Hipbelt. The hipbelt is made from 1" (2.5 cm) nylon webbing with a 7" (18 cm) long, thinly padded triangular piece of cordura attaching the webbing to the side of the pack. The hipbelt is not adjustable or removable. The hipbelt is optional on the Thompson Peak pack. I chose to get the hipbelt because I'm new to ultralight hiking and don't want to change too much at once. I'm used to backpacks with a hipbelt. I'll find out how comfortable this hipbelt is, and if I even need it with this pack.

Side compression straps. There are two compression straps, one on each side of the pack, 3.5" (9 cm) above the top of the side pockets. The straps are made from ½" (1 cm) nylon webbing and adjust using ladder lock buckles. Each buckle is sewn to the end of a 3" (8 cm) piece of webbing, so the minimum length of each compression strap is 3" (8 cm). This was surprising to me. I would have placed the buckle closer to the side of the pack so the straps could provide as much compression as possible. I will test the compression straps to see if they provide enough compression for the loads I carry.

Test Plan:
During the coming months, I will test the Thompson Peak backpack for comfort and ease of use. I will pay particular attention to comfort of the shoulder straps and functionality of the waist belt. I will consider the usefulness of the side compressor straps, the overall balance of the pack when the extension collar is extended, and if I can fit what I need into the outside pockets. I will be testing the Thompson Peak pack on the varied terrain in the parks and on the trails of Montana and Wyoming. I will use my summer pack weight, which ranges from 13 - 20 lb (5.9 - 9.1 kg), and will test the pack through as much heat and inclement weather as I can find.

Read more reviews of Fanatic Fringe gear
Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

Initial Report

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