Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Six Moon Designs Essence Pack > Andre Corterier > Field Report

Six Moon Designs "Essence" Pack

Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 34
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 80 kg (175 lb)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany

Backpacking Background:
I have started out with backpacking slowly – single-day 24 km (15 mi) jaunts by myself or even shorter hikes in the company of my little daughter. I am getting started on longer hikes, as a lightweight packer and hammock-camper. I’ve begun upgrading my old gear and am now shooting for a dry FSO weight (everything carried From the Skin Out except food, fuel and water) of about 10 kg (22 lb) for three-season camping. I am getting there.

Regarding this test of what most people would call an "ultralight" pack, I feel obliged to say that I do *not* consider myself an ultralight hiker. Without wishing to start a flame war, my own feeling on this is that the ultralight hiker is quite willing to sacrifice some (or even a lot of) convenience in the pursuit of a lighter pack (presumably in the interest of higher mileage per days or some other goal). My view as a "lightweight" hiker (some ultralighters might just leave it at "lightweight") is that I wish to reduce my pack weight solely as a means of increasing my comfort. I have carried a hammock instead of a tarp at a weight "penalty" of nearly two pounds not because I am unable to use a tarp, but because I like a comfortable night's sleep. If you are as interested as I am to find out whether I have found it possible to adapt this pack to that kind of an outlook, read on.

Year of manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer: Six Moon Designs
URL: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com
MSRP: 120 USD

Listed Weight: 13 oz (369 g)
Measured Weight: 384 g (13.5 oz)

Introduction:
The Essence Pack is a frameless backpack featuring a hip belt with integral pockets and the usual assortment of outside mesh pockets, is front-loading for easy access and even features a separate top pocket, which the manufacturer mourned as "one of the early casualties in reducing pack weight". As did I. For a more detailed discussion of the pack's features, see my Initial Report.

Field Experience:
So far, I have been wearing this pack mostly dayhiking and for three overnighters. Temperatures were between around or just below 10 C/50 F (not sure exactly, I was asleep some of the time) and 30 C/85 F. Elevations ranged from 100 m/330 ft to 500 m/1640 ft. Weather was sunny except for a small sprinkle of short duration. That is, the pack wasn't exposed to any more than that - I am also testing a rain cape, which took the brunt of rainy weather testing as the pack easily fit under the cape. I have also used the pack as carry-on luggage on two airplane trips.

I have been carrying loads between 6 and 9 kg (13 and 20 lb) in the pack, both for dayhikes (packing a little extra for my daughter) and on a longer overnight excursion (when I was doing what I could to keep the pack weight down).

Load Transfer:
I have continued to experiment with a number of pads to use as a frame sheet for the Essence pack. These were:

3/4-length self-inflating mat:
Using this mat has worked satisfactorily. It cushioned my back against objects in the pack well and gave some structure to the pack so that I did not feel as though I was carrying a fabric sack with straps attached. It also allowed some weight transfer. With the pad entirely deflated, it appears to be too supple to transfer all of the weight added to the backpack to its hip strap. Partial inflation only partially rectified this. The reason for this is the fact that the pad is folded several times. Inflating only one section of it did not work for me - when the pressure added approached the pressure which seemed to be needed to allow for a full transfer of weight, air would get past the folds into the other sections of the pad. Fully inflating all the sections of the folded pad would fill up the pack's main compartment. So while I was able to achieve some weight transfer with the deflated pad and was able to improve this somewhat through partial inflation, the total weight transfer fell short of what I am used to from packs with internal stays. Also, the deflated and folded pad was about 2-3 cm (an inch) thick (more when partially inflated), which moved the center of weight of my equipment away from my back.

Down Air Mat:
My experience with an Exped Down Air Mat was effectively the same as with the self-inflating pad described above.

Evazote pad (folded):
I mentioned in my Initial Report the intention to create my own folding closed-cell foam pad from an Evazote pad of 5 mm (0.2 in) thickness. Having done this, I am quite happy with it. Having cut it myself, I made sure that it fits the Essence pack exactly, which makes folding it and strapping it in easy. It is also quite light. However, the maximum length for a pad section to fit into the pack is shy of 50 cm (20 in) - by how much depends on my willingness to have it extend past what seems to be the point at which the pack's back ends and its "floor" begins. The difference between the two is not exactly delineated as it does not feature a seam, the fabric panel curves around. As I personally dislike sleeping on a 3/4-length pad and the width of the pack requires folding a pad in half sideways as well, this means that I have 8 sections of pad on top of one another, making the strapped-in folded pad 4 cm (1.5 in) thick. Again, this obviously moves the center of weight of my equipment outward from my body. Ultralight campers might be willing to go with fewer pad sections, thereby moving the center of weight in. However, the Evazote foam pad I made my folding pad from is also quite supple. This means that the self-made folded pad, when strapped in, creates a somewhat firm, though not rigid support for weight transfer.

German Army Surplus Folding Pad:
I have had by far the best result - as far as weight transfer is concerned - with a German Army surplus folding foam pad. I had been initially disappointed by the performance of that pad due a perceived shortcoming (literally): namely, that the pad in its folded state was shorter than the pack's body. I have since found that the pad in question is pre-creased to allow either folding it three times or four times (after it's been folded lengthwise once), giving me either four or five (double) sections. When folded once lengthwise and then three times sidewise, I end up with a block of closed cell foam which is eight thicknesses thick (about 5 cm / 2 in) and otherwise corresponding nearly exactly to the dimensions of the pack's main body. As this is a rather stiff type of foam, strapping it tightly into the Essence pack creates a nearly rigid frame which allows transfer of weight to the hips. Specifically, I have been able to put on the filled pack, pull the hip strap tight and then loosen the shoulder straps to a degree that they exerted no pressure on the top of my shoulders at all. Instead, the pack would try to "fall over" away from my back and be held by the shoulder straps against the front of my shoulders. With the other pads, the pack would sag a little so that a varying (though much reduced) degree of pressure remained on my shoulders. This held true for a weight of 9 kg (20 lb). I hope to get around to trying it out with more weight.

Comfort:
As I have mentioned before, I have carried the pack on dayhikes, overnighters and as carry-on luggage. So far, the most strenuous exercise was during a two-day excursion in which I and a few others of the trainers of our Jiu-Jitsu club were put through a 36-hour survival/orienteering exercise by the "kids" (mostly young adults) in our club for whom we had done the same in the past and had decided to return the favour. The first weekend of May had highs of about 26 C (80 F) and a low between 5 and 10 C (40 - 50 F) at night. There was no precipitation. I carried the pack for a total of about 32 km (20 mi) across hilly, sometimes broken terrain (elevations between 100 m and 500 m / 300 ft and 1600 ft). The pack weighed 8400 g (18.5 lb) including 2.5 ltr of water (2/3 of a gallon) when I left. I was made to also carry a brick and a few other things which makes me guess that the weight of the pack oscillated between 7 and 9 kg (15.5 and 20 lb).

As I was also testing a rain gear/tarp combo by the same manufacturer (the Gatewood Cape) I used my Down Air Mattress as a pad. I did not attempt to effect any load transfer to my hips on this trip because I had been told that a minor pain I had felt in the abdominal area before might be a recurring hernia. So I decided to carry the entire weight on my shoulders.

Due to my endeavours to reduce my pack weight in the past and some lightweight alternatives I was testing, I felt that my total pack weight (including as much water as it did) was probably in the weight range which the manufacturer might consider typical. I was able to comfortably carry this pack all day for two days in a row without my shoulders feeling sore in the evening. While they did not feel as though they had carried nothing all day, I did not feel the need to go through stretching exercises for the neck/shoulder region or anything similar and felt fresh the next morning. While the shoulder straps still seem to ride a bit futher out than seems "right" initially - my impulse was to snug a (non-existent) sternum strap a little - this was never actually uncomfortable.

I used the hip strap only to reduce swinging of the pack (not that it seemed to exhibit a tendency to do so). This also kept the very handy hip belt pouches where I could access them easily. I found that this method of carrying the pack had the added benefit that I could easily access things stored in the top mesh pocket on the right hand side of the pack. All I needed to do was to slide my left arm out from under the shoulder strap and let the pack hang to the right off my right shoulder, so I could reach the top pocket with my left arm. Sliding the pack around like that on my back was easily done while walking. I liked this a lot - I kept a water bottle in the lower pocket and a map and a little booklet with hints in the top one.

Pockets:
I am very happy with the storage choices which the pack offers. After just a little bit of getting used to it, every item I carried found a place where it was conveniently stored. With a bit of care (admittedly, a bit more care than with my other packs) it worked beautifully.

The hip belt pouches carried gorp and candy bars, my cell phone, compass, slim digital camera and Leatherman Micra mini-tool. I have also carried a map in there (displacing a few candy bars) when the weather was unsuitable to keep it in the top mesh pocket. A small binocular fit into a belt pouch as well (though with little else). The belt pouches require just a bit of care in packing as well. Their size is perfect as far as I am concerned. While my digital camera or cell phone could bounce around in it a little if I put it into a pouch by itself and ran with the pack on, the pouch was small enough to limit the bounce to a degree which wasn't bothersome. Yet, the pouches were large enough that I could fit a few extra items in there. However, putting a small, sharp-edged item (like a mini-tool) and a small digicam in there (and nothing else) probably isn't a good idea as they might be able to bounce against one another. But with a bit of gorp (or even just candy bar wrappers) for cushioning, there were no problems at all. The pockets were easily accessed and usually required only one hand to open or close (as long as the belt was snug enough).

The lower short mesh pocket is - for my arm and back length - perfectly located so that I can easily access a small water bottle stored there and just as easily replace it while walking. I do not need to even look at what I'm doing. Particularly on that long, warm, dry weekend I enjoyed this a lot because I was reaching for that water bottle *often*. I thus came to appreciate being able to do this without breaking stride. The pocket is large enough to fit two small bottles next to one another, though I preferred to keep the second bottle on the other side for balance.

The top short mesh pocket quickly ended up holding my map (when I was carrying one). I've also stuffed my sun/rain hat in here when I wasn't wearing it.

The long mesh pocket on the left usually carries my trekking poles (which I tend to use only on inclines and the occasional steep decline). As they collapse into only two parts rather than the usual three they stand up like the antenna on Boba Fett's backpack. I have to remember this when I walk underneath low hanging branches or they'll catch on it which will sprawl me on my butt if I don't react fast enough. The pocket elastic seems to have enough elasticity/toughness not to be much perturbed by this. I am able to grab them from there and even to replace them while walking. I have also stuffed a wet T-shirt and other things (like a brick) in here when I just wanted to take it along and not bother with packing it properly.

The lid pocket held things like bandages, more food and rain gear - things I might need underway but wasn't likely to need while walking (on these trips, the rain gear doubled as shelter). I have found that when I keep the hip belt snug, but not tight, I can even access the lid pocket while I walk: First I pull my left arm out of the shoulder strap and hold the right shoulder strap with my left hand while I pull out my right arm. I can then slide the pack towards my right hip and hold it with my right arm while I access the lid pocket with my left. Being able to do all this without having to open snaps or loosen straps was nice. There was very little to break my rhythm when walking.

The main pack body has held the things I need only at rest stops: Pad (obviously) and sleeping bag, stove, towel, food which needs preparation, extra water - and very little else. After all, I was trying out an ultralight pack and saw little need to weigh it down with non-essentials. Still, I found that combined with all the pockets, I was able to fit in everything with enough space that I could snug down the compression straps a good bit.

Weather Flap:
The Weather Flap has protected the contents of the bag well from the few sprinkles it's been exposed to (it has not seen more as I was also testing rain gear which covered the pack as well). The bag may or may not see more rain than this. Obviously, the mesh pockets are open to the elements, which is good to remember before deciding to tough it out in case I carry my map in the top mesh pocket. No water entered the hip pouches or the main bag.

I initially expressed surprise that the cord crisscrossing the Weather Flap wasn't elastic. The reason for this is that snugging the cord closed pulls the anchour points of the little compression straps on the rim of the Weather Flap closer together - in effect, the second stage of pack compression. This was not intuitive to me, especially as the cord, after it's been pulled tight, is held in place by a little cord lock only. However, the fact that the cord experiences friction at every loop it runs through seems to spread the pull on the cord enough so that the cord lock needs only counter a fraction of the pull I initally exerted to snug the pack down. At least at the generally gentle stresses I put on the compression, I did not experience any slackening of the compression while I hiked.

Snaps:
I mentioned in my Initial Report - here - that a snap had twice popped out of its receptacle while I was getting to know the pack. This has not happened to me again. Of course, I was a little wary of it having happened before, so made sure that the snaps had closed properly before pulling on them and have also generally pulled on them with considerably less force than I customarily use with other packs. This has not prevented me from getting a good fit or a good compression. It appears to me that the pack benefits from a "light touch" - and no more appears to be needed when it's been carefully packed.

Summary:
So far, the pack really lives up to its promise of a full-featured pack with an ultralight weight. Carefully packed, it carries just as comfortably as other packs I have used and has more convenient features than most. The trade-off to make this happen appears to have been more care needed with it - not so much babying it (I have not, and it still looks like new) as care taken in packing. I have a pack which I can "emergency pack" by dumping everything I want to take along into is main compartment and pulling all the compression straps as tight as they'll go and still end up with a comfortable carry. Of course, it weighs about two and a half times as much and doesn't have belt pouches. The Essence pack seems to be more susceptible to bad packing than any other pack I have. Yet, having gotten to know the pack a little, packing it right doesn't seem at all difficult, it's just important to do it. Having invested some time and effort (and, yes, expense) into lightening my load so that a trip of two to three nights puts me into the 10 - 12 kg (22 to 25 lb) range of gross pack weight, I am able to pack the Essence pack for a very comfortable ride.

The only thing I still wonder about at this time is how much heavier the pack would be if the straps with the snaps on them which secure the pad and the Weather Flap would be twice as wide. These are the only places at which I am still somewhat wary regarding the lightweight construction of the pack (though I hope I have made it clear that there hasn't been any functional problem to date). I do not actually expect any problems here, either - it's just that I would currently feel more at ease pulling the straps tight if they were a little broader and would be willing to carry a fraction of an ounce more for this peace of mind. This isn't criticism - if they were broader, I'm sure a serious ultralight hiker would remark that the manufacturer could have saved weight there. As they serve their function, I guess they're just right.

Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Six Moon Designs Essence Pack > Andre Corterier > Field Report