BackpackGearTest.org Review - /reviews/Packs/Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs/Six Moon Designs Comet/George Griffin/Long Term Report

Six Moon Designs Comet Backpack
Long Term Report
November 2005

Personal Bio

Name: George Griffin
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 7" (1.7 m)
Weight: 223 lb (101 kg)
Email: griffin42 (at) tiscali (dot) co (dot) uk
City: London U.K
Date: 22 November 2005

Backpacking Background

I have been backpacking since 1986, mainly in the Peak District, Lake District, Wales and Southern England. I am also the London liaison member for the Backpackers Club. In recent years I have backpacked with two friends. Most of my trips are from September through to May, I normally get four 4+ day trips in that time, plus the occasional weekend.

Terrain and elevation on these trips can be anything from coastal paths to mountains, sea level to 3,000 ft (900 m). Temperatures range from -5 C to 23 C (23 F to 75 F).

Additional Information

Torso: 53 cm (21 in)
Waist: 99 cm (39 in)

Other lightweight packs owned

Home-made GVP G4
GoLite Gust
GoLite Trek

Product Information

Manufacturer: Six Moon Designs
Website:www.sixmoondesigns.com
Year of manufacture: 2005
MSRP: $ 170
Optional stays $10

Listed weight (with stays): 765 gm (27 oz)
Listed weight (without stays): 624 gm (22 oz)

Measured weight (with stays): 780 gm (27.5 oz)
Measured weight (without stays): 652 gm (23 oz)

Capacity: 61 litres (3700 cubic inches)
Size: adjustable to fit torso length from 38 cm to 51 cm (15 to 20 in)
Colour: Gold/Black

Main Features

Advanced Suspension System
Two full length side mesh pockets
Large rear mesh pocket
Padded shoulder straps
Padded hip belt
Dual ice axe loops
Dual hydration ports
Lumbar pad
Aluminium stays (optional)

Materials used in construction

Body: 70 denier silicone nylon
High wear area: 420 denier pack cloth
Extension collar: 30 denier silicone nylon

Long Term Report

The main usage of the Comet has been through the Summer months but I did do two 2-day backpacking trips in Autumn/early Winter (September and November). On both these trips, I was carrying slightly heavier equipment; namely a Hilleberg Nallo2 tent and although not much heavier than the Terra Nova Solar it is a lot bulkier.

The Comet coped well with the increase of bulk and weight and this was the only time that the extension collar was really called into play. The increase in weight took the Comet up to about 12 kg (27 lb) which is close to the recommended weight of 15 kg (30 lb). The Comet had no problems carrying this weight.

My regular sleeping pad is an Insul Max-Thermo and doesn't really work as a pad in the Comet. On the trip in September I took my full length ultralight Therm-a-rest and used this as the main support in the pack (I did remove the aluminium stays).

This worked fine, I did find that the pack was more floppy without the aluminium stays, also apart from my tent the last thing to be put in my pack is my sleeping pad. This entailed a certain amount of pulling and pushing to get the pad down the back with most of my equipment already in the pack. Personally I prefer the pack with the stays in as this helps to keep it more rigid when packing.

The removable padded hipbelt has worked well and because the actual padding extends quite a bit around my body, I find this to be a lot more comfortable than some other packs which only have small 'wings' and the majority of that belt is webbing. The extended padding also means that I don't have the problem of the webbing rolling up on me.

Although the hipbelt can be removed I found this to be fiddly and the same for replacing it. The main problem for me was pulling the webbing through the ladder locks.

I'm happy to leave the hipbelt on mainly because of the weights I'm carrying but also it gives me a handy place to carry my camera in its pouch.

The two items I found to work really well, were the aluminium stays and the lumbar pad. The stays help to give the pack stability and rigidity and with the stays being pre-bent this helps to mould the pack around my back. The lumbar pad helps to push the pack away from my lower back and it gives a reasonable gap for air to circulate between my back and the pack. It doesn't stop me from getting sweaty there but it does help to cut down the sweating especially in the Summer months.

Nearly all of the material that the pack is made up of has held up quite well.

All three of the mesh pockets have been useful and easily swallow up waterproofs, cooking kit and any knick-knacks that I need during the day. Apart from the tear that I reported on in the field report, the pockets have held up well.

The main bulk of the pack; the 70 denier silicone nylon, 30 denier silicone nylon and the 420 denier pack cloth look in good condition with very few marks on them. Most of my backpacking is on reasonable trails and not much bushwhacking so the pack hasn't had a great deal of rough treatment.

One item on the pack that has deteriorated is the webbing. Mainly it's the ends of the webbing where a lot of the fraying has occurred. On nearly all pieces of webbing there has been some sort of fraying. The ends of the webbing seem to have been heat sealed but not particularly well.

One other piece of the pack that has started to cause more concern is the tri-glide system. Apart from the problem I mentioned in the field report, a new problem has arose.

The new problem first appeared on the trip in September. The webbing end that 'locks' into the ladder lock, would not stay in place, this meant that the pack was slipping down and away from my back.

This problem also occurred on the trip in November but more so. Everytime I took the pack off the webbing had slipped. It never slipped out completely but I did worry that it would and as such, it was always at the back of my mind.

The problem with the slipping webbing never happened when I used the pack as a day pack or on the 5-day trip back in July. I don't know if it's that extra weight added for the later trips that caused this. As when I put a pack on I normally give it a little jiggle to make it comfortable and this also caused the webbing to slip.

Overall Performance

Overall this pack has performed how I would expect, it carried the weights I expected it to. I managed to get all of my equipment easily into the pack and still have room, if I needed it.

All the silicone nylon and pack cloth have held together and there has been no problems with the stitching apart for the one tear on the front pocket.

The webbing has been a different matter. The fraying was an annoyance as there were always threads getting caught on things like the hook & loop fasteners.

The two biggest problems/annoyances were the tri-glide lock system, the first part being the webbing digging into my back, although I never really felt it. It did leave a red mark and could have ended up being a lot worse. The second part was the webbing not locking in the ladder lock and then slipping.

I'd like to say that this is a great pack but I can't. The aluminium stays help to give a nice rigid and stable feel to the pack without adding too much weight, the three large pockets are ideal for carrying waterproofs and cooking kit plus the bits I need during the day. The large inside easily swallows all my equipment including my bulky Winter stuff.

The thing I feel lets this pack down is the tri-glide system, I see this as a major part of what holds the shoulder straps to the pack and if it doesn't work correctly then the whole pack is let down.

Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Six Moon Designs Comet > George Griffin > Long Term Report

Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Six Moon Designs Comet > George Griffin > Long Term Report