BackpackGearTest.org - Fanatic Fringe Thompson Peak Pack Jim Hatch

Initial Report - Thompson Peak Pack

April 21, 2004

Reviewer Information:
Name: Jim Hatch
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9" (1.8 m)
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
Torso: 18" (46 cm)
Chest: 44" (112 cm)
Waist: 36" (91 cm)
Hips: 38" (97 cm)
Email: colonelcorn76@yahoo.com
City/State: Simsbury, Connecticut
Date: April 21, 2004

Backpacking Background:
I've been backpacking and camping for 30 years (ever since I was a Boy Scout). I'm out once a month for a weekend or more and for 5 nights or more, 2 or 3 times during the year. Most of my backpacking is done in the mountains of the East Coast (Appalachians, Whites, Berkshires, Adirondacks) but I will occasionally camp as far south as the Florida Keys or as far west as the Grand Canyon. Having tired of 60 lb (27 kg) loads, I caught the lightweight bug about 5 years ago and am currently carrying a base pack weight of less than 10 lbs (4.5 kg) before food and fuel and rarely venture out with more than 20 lbs (9 kg) anymore. I am now trying to develop a low-volume style to go with the lightweight nature of my gear.

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Fanatic Fringe
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.fanaticfringe.com
Style: Frameless Rucksack with hip belt

Color: Hunter's Green/Black (1 oz/28 g) less than the Tan/Black version

Size: Large (17 to 22 in/43 to 58 cm torso)
Mfg Weight: 9.5 oz (269 g) -- without hip belt, weight with hip belt not listed
Tested Weight: 10.3 oz out of the box (292 gm)
Capacity (pack): 2,400 cu in (39 L)

Tested Capacity (pack): 2,350 cu in (38.5 L)
Capacity (with extension collar & pockets): 3,600 cu in (59 L)
MSRP (pack): $79

Initial Impression:
The Thompson Peak pack arrived via USPS priority mail in a triangular cardboard mailing tube. Attached to the drawcord at the top of the pack was a 2 in X 2.5 in (5 cm X 6 cm) hangtag. The hangtag contains a brief blurb with the Fanatic Fringe marketing tagline & website address on one side and a note on the reverse pointing out that the pack's maximum comfortable carrying capacity is 20 lbs (9 kg). Care instructions are a simple "Wipe clean with a damp cloth and mild detergent." The only other identifying information on the pack is the company name & website address printed on both side panels above the pockets.

My first impression was that this pack is light(!), the construction looks good, and the straps (shoulder, compression, waist) are all thinner than normally found on packs -- but frankly they look sufficient and suggest that other packs have oversized straps. Of course, this is also due to the lightweight nature of the pack and its intended use for smaller than average loads. The 2,400 cu in (39 L) size puts it somewhere near the traditional daypack category. A closer examination reinforced this initial impression.

The pack is light. At just over a half-pound (quarter kg) it cannot be construed as anything but. However, it doesn't appear as if the weight savings were made at the expense of construction, materials, or short-changing any necessary feature. A simple rucksack, it is designed to carry light loads but it includes a waist belt, compression straps, and generously sized side & front pockets. The base and back of the pack (black portion in the picture) is "200 denier coated Oxford". The rest of the pack body is coated ripstop nylon. The seams are all tightly sewn with fine, straight stitching. The top is cinched with a thin drawstring coming through a plastic grommet and a small plastic cordlock closure. Straps are narrower than I normally see on backpacks and the padding thinner but seemingly sufficient. The straps appear to be of similar material to the back of the pack except on the side against my shoulders which is of a soft, somewhat looser weave, potentially wicking material.

The pack is designed to use a closed-cell pad as its "frame" so I stashed a 3/4 length RidgeRest (in a sort of rolled up cylinder) into the bag and popped it on. Shoulder straps and waist belt were easily adjusted using the plastic sliders. It rides high on my back and is almost unnoticeable. There is no real sensation that I'm wearing anything. Way cool!

Pack Features:
Fanatic Fringe's official info about this pack is rather thin (but c'mon, how much is there to say about a nylon bag) on their website but has this to say about the Thompson Peak:

Weighs in at a scant 10.5 ounces/298 grams! (Note: the Hunter's Green model is 9.5 ounces/269 grams) -- the hip belt appears to add only an ounce (28 g)
Compression straps on the upper portion of the pack sides to eliminate top flop
Uses a closed cell foam pad as its main support and padding
The body of the pack is 1.9 ounce (54 g) coated Ripstop and the back and bottom is 200 denier coated Oxford
It has one large mesh pocket to dry gear and two smaller ones on the sides to carry water and fuel
The pack is around 2400 cubic inches (39 L) for the main body with an extra 400 cu in (6.5 L) in mesh pockets and about 800 cu in (13 L) more with the extension collar up
Sized in Medium for torso lengths 15 to 18 inches (38 cm to 46 cm) and Large (17 to 22 inches/43 to 56 cm)
Colors are "UV coated Tan/Black and Hunter's Green/Black" with custom colors available
A hip belt is new in February 2004

I can confirm all of this to be true (with the exception of the additional capacity of the extension collar and pockets -- I ran out of packing peanuts to measure the expanded volume). Additionally, the compression straps are 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) wide nylon spanning about 10.75 inches (27 cm). The padded portion of each shoulder strap is 2 inches (5 cm) wide, 12.75 inches (32 cm) long and 3/8 inches (1 cm) thick. They are adjustable to almost 34 inches (86 cm) from their attachment at the top of the pack to where they attach to the base of the pack with a triangular gusset. The hip belt has a padded section on each side that is 5.5 inches (14 cm) long by 3.25 inches (8 cm) wide (at their widest point) and the same 3/8 inch (1 cm) thickness as the shoulder straps. These padded sections rest comfortably over my hips. They are connected via 1 inch (2.5 cm) nylon straps joined by a plastic buckle. The entire pack-edge to pack-edge length of the hip belt is 36.5 inches (93 cm). Combined with the 11.5 inch (30 cm) width of the pack body, this provides a maximum belt girth of only 48 inches (122 cm). This is not for heavyweights of pack load or body type.

By the way, the pack itself is a simple box-like construction of approximately 11.5 inches (30 cm) wide, 22 inches (56 cm) tall, and 9 inches (23 cm) deep. The extension collar adds an additional 11 inches (28 cm) of height to the pack. The two side pockets span the sides and are 8 inches (20 cm) deep. The center pocket on the back extends across the back of the pack and is 11.5 inches (30 cm) deep.

Although tightly stitched and made with waterproof materials, the seams of the pack are not taped or sealed so I am unsure of its water resistance capabilities. I'll check on that during testing.

Usage:

Obviously, this is pretty simple to use; it's just a bag after all. I slide in my pad which gives support and structure to the bag. However, it's apparent I can't use the full volume of the pack if I'm going to close the top. The drawstring gathers the material at the top which means I can't fill it to the brim. I found that if I pull the extension collar up, twist it a couple of times, and then pull its drawstring tight and through the carry/hang loop on the back and then over the top and through a loop formed by the main bag's drawcord/cordlock I can get a nice tight closure. (See the picture to the right for a close-up of this.) This gives me the full capacity of the pack while keeping the contents enclosed (and dry?). I may have to pack it "higher" and not get to twist the collar closed when it's full of a week's food, but I'll determine that during testing. Even so, that's a self-correcting situation as food is consumed.

My packing plan is to put my gear into it in the following order (bottom to top):

Spare clothes in Space Saver bag (flattened with the air squished out)
Food (dehydrated) in vacuum bags layered flat across the bottom
Nunatak Arc-Alpinist quilt in its stuff sack (a cylinder measuring 7 inch/18 cm diameter by 10 inch/25 cm tall) fitting nicely across the width of the bag
Hennessey Ultralight Backpacker Asym hammock in Snake Skins
First aid kit
Outer clothing layer(s) -- fleece vest/top shirt and wind/rain-proof jacket

This all fits well within the main bag with some room to spare! In the outside pockets I will pack my stove (Brasslite) and fuel (both stashed in a metal 16 oz/454 g cup), spork, lighter, & headlight in one side pocket. The other side will get my spare socks (for quick change enroute) and snacks in Ziplock bags. The center pocket gets my miscellaneous gear including maps & hydration bladder (with the hose routed up over the top through the carry loop and over my shoulder). If I carry fresh food, I'll extend the extension collar and add effectively almost 50% more vertical space. On longer distance "way out boondocks" trips, I'll add the sat phone to the side snack pocket.

First Walk:
I'm loaded up and ready to go on a brief jaunt on the Appalachian Trail (Connecticut & Berkshire area) this weekend. This will be involve both open trail (river edge) and rock-scrambling on trails in the woods. This will be a good shakeout of the pack and validation that my new low-volume packing method will work well in real life. One of the reasons I was interested in testing the Thompson Peak is that its smaller volume will force me to pack smaller & tighter. With extra volume comes the temptation to bring extra gear that almost always does nothing but add weight. The weather is supposed to be dry & in the 70s F (mid 20s C). I'm looking forward to it.

Longer Walks:
Over the test period, I'll be using this pack on a variety of trips ranging from overnights in the central Connecticut River Valley to the Appalachians in Connecticut and Massachusetts, Mt. Katahdin in Maine, and a week traversing the Presidentials in New Hampshire's White Mountains. I'll try a couple of different pads for support/structure (as a hammocker these aren't necessary for sleeping but I find them handy for sitting around camp & keeping my butt dry). I'll also be taking it on canoeing and kayaking trips where its water resistance will be tested. I'll be paying special attention to how well the fabric stands up to water, weight, and abrasion as well as how well it rides with various weights.

So far this looks like a very competent execution of a streamlined design. We'll see what time and travels bring.

Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Fanatic Fringe Thompson Peak Pack > Jim Hatch > Initial Report

Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Fanatic Fringe Thompson Peak Pack > Jim Hatch > Initial Report