Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Six Moon Designs Comet > Jamie J. DeBenedetto > Initial Report

Six Moon Designs Comet Backpack
(with optional frame stays)

Initial Report - May 22nd, 2005

Reviewer's Information

Background/Experience

I've pretty much been what my husband refers to as a "tree hugger" since birth but my backpacking life started in earnest about seventeen years ago. These days I spend about 15 days a month in the outdoors either with the Canine Hiking Club of AZ or with my family. My backpacking style is lightweight but not ultralight. I sleep in a hammock most of the time and I keep my pack base weight (less food or water) below 15 lbs (7 kg) for three season outings of two to three days. I tend to gravitate toward multifunctional gear.

Back to top

Product Information

Back to top

Product Description

The Six Moon Designs Comet is a top entry, frameless backpack designed for ultralight backpacking up to 35 lbs (16 kg). For frame support the Comet makes use of the users sleeping pad. Pads are inserted into the pack's integrated "Pad Pocket" located inside the main compartment up against the torso section of the pack body. According to the hangtag, the pocket will accommodate the following pads - Therm-a-Rest [75% to full length], Z-Rest or Link-Rest [up to 75% of length] and closed cell foam [50 in x 3/8 in (127 cm x 1 cm)]. For loads pushing the edge of the 35 lb (16 kg) limit the Comet also has a set of optional Aluminum stays. These can be added to the frame in addition to the pad for extra support and load transfer via compartments running vertically along both sides of the front of the pack.

The pack is made up of three main features; the main compartment, three exterior mesh pockets, and the harness system. The main compartment is made of 70 Denier Silicone Nylon. It utilizes an extension collar constructed of 30 Denier Silicone Nylon and seals with a strip of hook and loop fasteners and a roll top style closure with buckle. Along the middle of the hook and loop strip are two small loops to facilitate opening the bag. Once sealed and rolled down the collar can be further cinched by a compression strap that runs vertically up over the collar and attaches to another small buckle just above the shoulder harness. On the interior of this compartment Six Moon Designs has included the previously mentioned "Pad Pocket", two openings for hydration bladder hoses and a small gear pocket. The pocket measures 7.5 in x 3.5 in (19 cm x 9 cm) and like the extension collar closes via hook and loop fasteners.

					The harness system basically employs a padded removable hip belt, padded removable shoulder straps with load lifter straps, and a padded lumbar cushion. The padding is roughly a ½ in (13 mm) in thickness on each of these pieces. The skin side of the belt, shoulder straps and the lumbar pad is covered in a softer fabric than the exterior, which I'm assuming is the same material as the pack bottom, 420 Denier Pack Cloth. The shoulder straps adjust via what the manufacture refers to as a Tri-Glide system. The Tri-Glide is a set of five short straps that the shoulder straps' webbing passes through. Adjustment up or down requires unbuckling a single buckle and moving the webbing to the desired height then refastening the buckle. The hip belt works in a similar way in that is utilizes four straps with buckles so it can be lengthened or shortened as well as moved up or down a few inches until it's in the preferred position.

The three pockets (one on each side and a larger one in the middle) are located on the outside of the main pack body and are made of stretchy nylon mesh material. They are each top entry and have elastic closures. There are three compression straps along the back of the pack; two run across the middle mesh pocket and the other directly above the pocket. At both top corners of the middle pocket there are hook and loop style straps designed to hold ice axes. At the base of the main pack body and below the mesh pockets are the bottom two ice axe loops and a piece of 420 Denier Pack Cloth to protect the pack bottom.

Back to top

Arrival Condition and Informational Material

Overall the Comet is in good condition despite arriving in a slightly damaged box. All seams, stitching, fabric and padding are in good shape with the exception of a few loose fibers unraveling from the very end of one of the nylon straps on the hip belt. This is not really an issue as far as I'm concerned and it is easy enough to fix. All the buckles work properly and everything appears to be in proportion. No noticeable defects or misalignment.

Accompanying the Comet was an eight-page hangtag. The tag covers the pack features, details about how the suspension works on a frameless pack, a list of the pads with which the Pad Pocket is compatible, details about the harness system and how to adjust the shoulder strap height, how to effectively load the Comet, care instructions and finally the warranty and contact information. I of course eagerly zipped through this pamphlet so I could learn as much as possible about the pack. Most of the information was fairly straightforward and helpful however I was a bit confused by the Pad Pocket section.

A few of the other packs I own have integrated hydration bladder sleeves in the same location as the Comet's Pad Pocket so I wasn't sure if what I was looking at inside the main body of the backpack was the pad compartment or not. Adding to my uncertainty was the information written in the pamphlet about inserting a Therm-a-Rest into the pocket. It reads, "Simply deflate the pad and place in the Pad Pocket so the valve is positioned at the end of the pocket zipper." Well, that's fine except the Pad Pocket on the Comet doesn't have a zipper. After a few seconds of inspecting the rest of the torso section and harness system I realized the compartment inside the main pack body had to be the pocket regardless of the missing zipper and that the hangtag must be wrong. (As is turns out the info. was originally written for the Startlite model, which does have a zippered pad section.)

Since I have never owned a truly frameless backpack before I was very thankful Six Moon Designs had dedicated two sections of the hangtag to describe and illustrate their recommended method for loading the Comet and for using the frame stays. Even though I plan to test the pack with various weights, different load configurations and with and without the frame stays these guidelines will help me ensure I'm using the pack as it was designed and help me perform a fair test of the Comet's abilities.

Back to top

Expectations and First Impressions

The Six Moon Designs website is pretty detailed regarding the features and specifications for the Comet and for the most part it is what I was envisioning when I opened the shipping box. The exceptions to this were the harness system and the Pad Pocket. I'm a very visual person so without pictures of these features I really wasn't sure what I would be getting. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier the Comet is my first frameless pack so I had many questions about these two specialized aspects.

My initial impressions of the Comet are very mixed at the moment. First, I certainly like the idea of having a very lightweight pack but I'm concerned I will be trading comfort for the drop in weight. The harness system is more stripped down and has less padding than I expected. The lumbar pad also looks very slim so I'm very interested to see how well this system will work for me. Secondly, I like the idea of using my pad for some other useful function besides looking pretty strapped to the outside of the pack but since I'm a hammock user I don't always need a pad, this could be an issue. Thirdly, I like the simplicity of the storage compartments. The main pack body appears very roomy and functional. The three exterior pockets look like they will be nice for accessing gear without a lot of fuss but since the pockets extend almost the full length of the pack body I don't know how useful they will be to hold quick grab items. It looks like I will need to take the pack totally off if I need to get something from either of these pockets. Finally, while the idea of the dry bag style closure sounds nice with regards to keeping the contents dry and secure, I'm pretty leery of the long-term durability of the hook and loop strip that seals the extension collar. It looks like it might wear out much faster than the rest of the pack elements. I guess time will tell!

Back to top

Expected Field Test Locations and Conditions

I'm anticipating a majority of the testing to take place in mountainous or riparian areas around AZ, primarily above 6,000 ft (1800 m) and hopefully up to as high as 10,912 ft (3,326 m) if I hit all the peaks I'd like to this summer. Temperatures are likely to be between around 40 F (4 C) up to 90 F (32 C). Summer in Arizona brings our monsoon season. The monsoon is marked by higher humidity and large, fast moving thunderstorms that drop a lot of rain or hail quickly and are usually accompanied by high winds and dust. I'm definitely expecting precipitation and other foul weather during this test series.

Back to top

Proposed Test Strategy for the Next Six Months

Well there is quite a bit to think about regarding this test. The Comet has many options my current pack (the Ultimate Direction Rampage) does not have. My plan of attack is to of course put the Comet and its many fun features through as much use as I can in six months via backpacking trips to hopefully five 9,000 ft (2,700 m) plus peaks as well as other trips I take during the test period and any extended day hikes in which I participate.

For me the backpack is one of those vital pieces of equipment that can really make or break a trip. If it doesn't fit me well and it's causing sore spots, or my load is shifting all over the place then I'm going to be obsessed with fiddling with the straps or belt every step of my journey instead of enjoying the scenery. That's frustrating. Over the course of the test period I will use the Comet with the following questions in mind and any others brought into the picture once I begin using the pack.

Comfort

How well does the Comet fit my body type? Does it work for a tall woman? Is the padding on the harness, belt and lumbar pad sufficient to protect my bony parts? Does it rub anywhere it should not? How's the ventilation? Do I end up with a completely soaked back after only a short time wearing the Comet or does the lumbar pad do the trick?

Balance and Load Capacity

Do the straps adjust properly to stabilize the pack under various loads? How well will a pad work to transfer the pack weight from my shoulders to my hips? How balanced and comfortable does the Comet feel with different load weights? At its max weight? How much difference do the frame stays make?

Durability

The Comet has a fair amount of mesh all around the outside, how well will this hold up in the brush? How much can the Silicone Nylon take from internal and external forces? Do I need to baby the material? Will the straps begin to fray with use? Will the padding on the hip belt, shoulder straps and lumbar pad wear down or loose padding with use? Will the hook and loop fasteners on seal of the extension collar hold up to repeated openings?

Usefulness and User Friendliness

Does the roll top closure on the extension collar really keep out the elements and how convenient is it to use? Is it easy to get to my gear and keep it organized? How easily can the torso length be adjusted? How easily can items be strapped on to the Comet body? Both the hip belt and shoulder straps are removable, how easy is this to do and to reattach? Are the dual hydration ports conveniently placed and can hoses be easily inserted and removed? Are the ice axe loops effective and can they be used in other capacities? Will the elastic closures on the mesh pockets securely keep gear in place?

Thank you BGT and Six Moon Designs for the opportunity to be part of this test series.

Jamie J. DeBenedetto
May 18, 2005

Back to top

Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Six Moon Designs Comet > Jamie J. DeBenedetto > Initial Report