Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 30
Gender: female
Height: 5'4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Torso length: 17" (43 cm)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana
Date: October 29, 2004

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana where spring comes late and leaves early. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. I've gotten my non-winter pack weight down to 19 lb (9 kg), but my winter pack weight hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Fanatic Fringe
URL: www.fanaticfringe.com
MSRP: US $79 with hip belt
Size tested: Small
Color tested: Hunter Green/Black
Listed weight: 10.5 oz (298 g)
Measured weight: 10.4 oz (295 g)

Pack Description:
The Thompson Peak is a frameless ultralight backpack made by Fanatic Fringe. The pack has a main body of 1.9 oz (64 g/m²) coated ripstop nylon and uses 200 denier coated black cloth for the bottom and back. There is a top drawstring opening with extension sleeve, large front mesh pocket, two side mesh pockets, and two side compression straps.

Test Locations:
I tested the Thompson Peak Backpack at elevations from 4500 to 8000 ft (1400 to 2400 m) in Montana and Wyoming. Temperatures went from 30 to 80 F (-1 to 27 C) and pack weights ranged from 19 to 25 lb(8.6 to 11 kg). The pack was tested in sun, rain, snow and hail.

Ultralight Backpacking Experience:
As my first ultralight backpacking experience, using the Thompson Peak was very enjoyable. This was the first time I used a frameless backpack, and after I got the hang of packing it, it worked great. Although some of my trips were in weather a little too cold for my pack weight to remain ultralight, the pack was able to hold all of my extra gear and still remained comfortable.

Pack Weight:
The manufacturer recommends the Thompson Peak not hold weights over 20 lb (9 kg). It has been a particularly cold summer in Montana. Instead of using another backpack on colder trips, I used the Thompson Peak. On two trips I exceeded the maximum pack weight and carried 25 lb (11 kg). After the second cold-weather trip, I noticed some stitching had come undone where the left compression strap attaches to the pack body. On this pack, there is a main, load bearing seam and a second seam 1/4" (6 mm) over to cover the main seam and make it look pretty. The open stitching is only in the second, non-load bearing seam. The main seam is still intact and looks strong. There is no hole. The compression strap is solidly attached. After I noticed the secondary stitching was coming undone, I made sure the left compression strap remained loose so it didn't add extra stress to the area. The seam has come apart for about 2" (5 cm) of its length, and it seems to have stopped unraveling.

Packing:
I used an inflatable sleeping pad as the frame in the Thompson Peak. Originally I used a full-length pad, but for the past three months I've used a torso-length pad. Both pads provided sufficient support to maintain the structure of the Thompson Peak and both pads provided adequate cushioning to protect my back from items in the pack. From these experiences, inflatable pads work really well for me as the frame of the Thompson Peak.

Closing the Pack:
On all of my trips, even those where I carried less weight, I somehow managed to fill the Thompson Peak quite full. There was plenty of room in this 2400 cu in (39 L) pack to fit everything I needed on any trip, but sometimes bulky items overflowed into the top extension collar. Then this happened, I had a hard time getting the pack closed. The way I closed the pack was to cinch the extension collar drawstring, roll up the extension collar, then cinch the pack drawstring. Using this method, the pack drawstring takes the bulk of the stress. It was usually a jacket or something very compressible that was on the top of the pack and overflowing into the extension collar. When I was able to compress the item, the pack could close. Unfortunately, the pack drawstring doesn't do a good job of compressing. If there was a compression strap that went over the top of the pack, I could compress the contents of the pack and take stress off of the pack drawstring.

I don't like putting so much stress on the pack drawstring because the hole where the drawstring exits its sleeve is fraying. The pack came with a plastic grommet to reinforce this exit, but the grommet came apart fairly soon after getting the pack. Underneath the grommet, the pack material is not reinforced and has frayed quite a bit. The material has not ripped, but it does get stretched to the limit each time I close the pack. The hole for the extension sleeve drawstring doesn't have a grommet but is reinforced with stitching and looks like a button hole. I think it would be better if the pack drawstring also used a button hole reinforcement instead of the grommet.

Side Compression Straps:
The side compression straps have not been useful for me. I normally stuffed the pack pretty full, so there was no need to gather the sides of the pack with the compression straps. The compression straps put a lot of stress on the pack where they ware joined, possibly too much stress, since some stitching has come undone at one of the joining points. The straps are useful for hanging things like a thermometer, but for the way I pack the Thompson Peak, I don't really need them.

Pockets:
I continued to put my 2 L (68 oz) hydration bladder in the large front pocket of the pack, my fuel bottle in one side pocket, and maps on the other side. On a couple of trips I put the hydration bladder inside the pack near my back, between the sleeping pad frame and the pack wall. Since I put the hydration bladder in last and had the pack pretty full, it was sometimes a challenge to fit the bladder in. I prefer to have the bladder in the front pocket, and this works well for me. I don't feel that having the bladder so far back affects the center of balance too much or adds too much stress to my shoulders.

In my field report, I mentioned that the elastic on the tops of the pockets stretched to their maximum when the pack was full, and it was difficult to get items in and out. I haven't had that problem as much during long-term testing. I was always able to get items in and out of the pockets. Maybe having the elastic a little longer would be helpful, but at this point I don't feel that it's that big of a deal.

Hip Belt:
The hip belt is definitely an optional item. More than once I put the pack on and hiked a ways before I realized I hadn't buckled the belt. Obviously, I didn't need to use the belt to carry the pack comfortably. Still, I like the hip belt because it makes me feel secure. I'm used to having a hip belt on my backpacks, and, like a seat belt, I feel more at ease when I'm buckled in. I believe my enjoyment of the hip belt is much more mental than physical. The hip belt does take some of the pressure off my shoulders, but not as much as on my internal frame pack. The hip belt stabilizes the load some and prevents the pack from swinging, but it's not necessary for the function of the pack.

In the Rain:
I didn't use a pack liner or rain cover with this pack. It's been a pretty dry summer, but I did run into some rain, snow, and hail while hiking. Each time there was precipitation I just put on my plastic emergency poncho, and the pack and I were both nicely covered. The pack is small enough to fit under the poncho very well. I didn't have any problems with the pack getting wet or with water leaking into the pack.

Wear:
There are a couple of scuff marks and some dirt on the bottom of the pack. Where the shoulder straps attach there is no sign of wear, and the hip belt is still securely attached with no loose threads. Exceeding the manufacturer's specs on this ultralight pack by 25% seems to have done little damage. The one seam mentioned above is loose, but no other seams have come undone. After testing is complete, I will re-sew the undone stitching and add some top stitching over the compression strap insertion points to prevent the seam from coming undone again.

Overall:
It has been difficult for me to be an ultralight backpacker in Montana. I need to make some adjustments in my gear to get my pack weight down and reduce its bulk before I can carry less than 20 lb (9 kg) on every trip and still stay warm. When I have an ultralight pack weight, I will definitely use the Thompson Peak pack. This pack has worked really well. It is extremely light, has a narrow profile, and is comfortable for me to use. I have had a few minor problems with the grommet on the pack's drawstring and with some superficial stitching coming undone, but these have not affected the pack's performance. The Thompson Peak has been a pleasure to use.

Like:
Nice and light.
Big enough for all my stuff.
Comfortable.

Would Like:
Button hole instead of grommet for pack drawstring.
Compression strap over top of pack to hold in bulky items.
Stronger stitching over side compression straps.

Thanks to Fanatic Fringe for having this test and to BackpackGearTest.org for letting me be a part.

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

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