Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Six Moon Designs Essence Pack > Andre Corterier > Initial 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)
Chest: 100 cm (39.5 in)
Waist: 84 cm (33 in)
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 adopt 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: (coming right up) g ( oz)

Introduction:
The Essence Pack, as shown on the manufacturer's website, appears to be the holy grail of pack design: A pack with the features of a medium weight pack at the weight of an ultralight one. It has a hip belt with integral pockets, 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.

Upon receipt, at first glance it appears to fulfill everything that the manufacturer claims of it, albeit with a few caveats (to which I will get in turn). It is very light (and came in a ridiculously small envelope scarcely worthy of the name "parcel"). It can be folded very small because it does not contain any rigid structures. Load transfer to the hip belt is supposedly effected by some type of pad (supplied by the hiker) which is strapped into the back of the pack in a way which is meant to afford a sufficient degree of rigidity.

Visible on the picture is the unloaded pack, laid out flat. This is the side generally termed the "front" of a pack. Right above the "Six Moon Designs" logo one sees the gray fabric of the "extension collar", which circles the top rim of the pack body proper (the black pack body itself forming a bathtub). This extension collar is cinched shut. In this picture, it is covered by the pack's "Weather Flap". This is a flap made of the same material as the pack which features five snap closures to affix it to the outside rim of the pack body, covering the opening of the extension collar. This "Weather Flap" also features a cord criss-crossing over it which, to my surprise, is not elastic.

The back of the pack shows that the top pocket is accessed by a small zipper, much like most such pockets. It seems amply sized for a map, compass, small to medium-sized first aid kit and maybe even a small journal or book. The shoulder straps are "contoured" (curved) to follow the body and do not feature a sternum strap.

In the picture, I have inserted a largish 1.5 L (51 fl oz) PET-bottle into the bottom one of the two smaller mesh pockets. It extends out of it for slightly more than half of its length and infringes on the top pocket. It appears as though, with a filled pack body, the elastic closure of the pocket exerts enough pressure to keep the bottle there at least for the purposes of a sedentary pace. Nevertheless, I may opt for a slightly shorter bottle.

The pockets on the hip belt can also be seen - they are empty in this picture. They are apparently stuffed to the limit in the picture on the manufacturer's website. I had feared that they might be so big as to make small, hard items (like a cell phone or a small camera) bounce around in them when walking briskly. This does not appear to be a problem. They will (each) fit more than just a cell phone and a small digital camera, though - which I like. I like to chew while I walk, and it appears that a good bit of my raisins-pine nuts-sunflower seeds mix will fit into these.

The hip belt is not padded; it closes with the usual type of buckle.

There is a small slit in the right side of the pack body overlapped by pack body material so as to be nearly invisible (and an unlikely ingress for water) which is meant to allow routing a water bladder's drinking hose through (which is thereby fixed to come down over my right shoulder). Taking an extra picture of it didn't seem worth the bother. These days, I only use that sort of device on intense high-temperature hikes when I wish to hike at speed in high temperatures (and defiance of common sense). Still, it's there.

Fastenings:
This picture shows a detailed view of the snaps used throughout the pack. These snaps close the "Weather Flap" (as in this picture) as well as the straps which hold down the pad. They are very thin and appear borderline flimsy. In packing and unpacking this pack for this report, I have already twice pulled a snap out of its opposite by cinching tight the strap to which the snap was affixed. However, I am not entirely certain that I had properly closed the snaps in either instance.

Still, it seems to me as though this means of a closure will not allow me to go through my occasionally practiced method of "emergency packing" by dumping everything I'm taking into my pack's body and then cinching the compression straps as tight as they'll go. Of course, I've learned to pack my pack with care, making sure that I attain a proper weight distribution (the manufacturer's website offers tips on how to do this). Yet, once I was through with that, I generally still liked to compress the contents of my pack as much as I could, to create a slim, solid piece that would not move around much. While the straps can be pulled tight and the criss-crossing cord used to reduce the pack volume further, it appears to me that more will depend on just how well I pack this pack than it used to with my heavier packs. I consider this a welcome challenge to refine my packing strategy further.

Load Transfer:
Here you see the 3/4 length self-inflating pad my daughter normally uses as her full-length pad, strapped into the Essence pack as load support. Easily visible through the open extension collar (the "Weather Flap" is opened and laid over to the right of the picture) are the three snap-closed straps which hold the pad in place. These straps are of the same design as the Weather Flap ones, giving rise to the same concerns regarding the ability to tighten them. Whether that is actually an issue remains to be seen.

The pad in that position does allow some transfer of weight to the hip belt. Finding out just how well it does that and which pads are best at this is something I'll devote some time to. So far, I've used the pack with that 3/4 length self-inflating pad visible in the picture, an Exped Down Mat 7, and a German army surplus folding closed-cell foam pad. The latter is only about 5 mm (0.2 in) thick and folds into a rectangular shape. It is cheap, heavy compared to Evazote and not particularly durable, but I thought it might be perfect for load transfer because it forms a rather solid package. However, that package is somewhat shorter than the inside length of the Essence's main body, which lets the pack sag a little. My preliminary evaluation (based on one practice carry of 5 km/3.1 mi) is that the sag thus induced more than eliminates whatever benefit the firmness of the folded pad may have engendered. When using the inflatable/self-inflating pads, I have also found that the firmness of the pad itself seems to have less impact on a comfortable carry than I would have thought. Allowing the self-inflating pad to inflate as much as it could after having been strapped in tightly or using the DAM's pump bag to inflate the DAM a little after strapping it in did not appear to improve the "feel" of the carry. I am speculating that whatever benefit it may have engendered may have been offset by it pushing the center of weight away from my back. I guess I will cut my 5 mm (0.2 in) Evazote pad into sections (and tape it together so I can fold it accordion-like) to exactly fit the Essence and see whether that makes an appreciable difference.

Carrying Comfort:
The shoulder straps are comfortable. The padding is thick enough for the low weights I've been carrying around so far (6-8 kg/13-17.5 lb). I generally cinched the hip belt somewhat tight, which resulted in some load transfer, though some load remained on the shoulders (maybe a stiffer pad can change that). As the weight left on my shoulders is low and I do not intend to carry much heavier loads for longer periods, I am satisfied with that. In fact, it appears that the pack is designed with that sort of use in mind. The manufacturer suggests a "Base Weight" for the pack of 12 lb (5.5 kg) or less, which he defines as the weight of gear carried inside the pack (including, I guess, the pack itself) without consumables. The "Max Weight" is given as 30 lb (13.5 kg) "or less". Including the term "or less" in descriptions of limits appears odd (I would have taken for granted that it's okay to stay below a given limit), but what the heck. I am not quite certain how I would go about loading the Essence pack with 30 lb (13.5 kg) of gear. It is likely possible when filling all pockets (six total!) to the limit, but it seems obvious from my current point of view that this would be overloading - if I had to carry such amounts routinely, I would resort to a different pack. But I guess that this is the meaning of "Max" weight - something which can be done in a pinch. I may or may not get around to testing it with that much weight.

The hip belt (though I think it *looks* rather tight in the picture) has been quite comfortable. For load transfer of heavier loads I'd likely wish for a slightly wider and somewhat padded hip belt. But with the weights I'll likely be carrying in this pack and the transfer of most, but not all of that weight to my hips which I am achieving with my pad set-ups so far, it is quite comfortable. Anything added here would be wasted weight.

The hip belt pockets are (just) visible on the sides of my body at about elbow height. I'd apologize for the quality of the picture, but I think for a four-and-a-half year old photographer, it's actually pretty good. They are easily accessible there (I had my digital camera there - when not in use - along with a candy bar, keys and my Leatherman Micra). The size is such that I feel an adequate amount can be fitted into these pockets. Maybe I'll get around to reporting what I end up storing there on my longer hikes. I can already state confidently that they do not get in the way when I use hiking poles. So I like them a lot - as of now, they seem to be "just right".

The top pocket is something in which I stuffed a few things as an afterthought before moving out. I guess I have gotten used to doing without one to a degree that I no longer feel the need for one as urgently as I used to. But even for just that (being able to throw in the one or two items I forgot to pack into the main pack body, after I've closed the pack and tightened it) I am happy to have it. I'm pretty sure that some of the items I used to carry in a belly pouch will wander in there (those that do not go into the hip belt pockets). I'm glad to have seen the last of that belly pouch - it was convenient, but floppy (and additional weight). (sigh of contentment)

Load Distribution:
I believe that this picture shows one of the inherent properties (not necessarily a problem) of the pack's design. For me, in my use (so far), it is a tendency to move away from my body all weight that is not stored just right. This is due in part to the fact that when worn, the "extension collar" actually extends outward - it points behind me. The more of it I use, the further away from my body do I place the Essence pack's center of weight. The dilemma thus encountered is that the pack's carrying comfort changes for the worse when carrying large loads, which is exactly the condition in which I most desire such comfort. The solution to this apparent conundrum, of course, is to use as little of the "extension collar" as possible *and* to make sure that the heavy items are as close to the pad inside the pack body as possible, and to have only high-volume/low-weight items like fleece pullovers etc. in the outer reaches of the extension collar.

In the picture, I have stuffed both my own and my daughter's rain jacket under the cord on top of the Weather Flap, which may exaggerate the appearance of a pack extending *way* behind me. Still, if one ignores for the moment the colourful flags I have flying behind me and pays particular attention to the gray strip of extension collar visible in the picture, one can see where use of this extension collar would tend to be more detrimental to overall weight distribution than with the more common, upward-facing extension collars. I'm still happy to have it - I'll just make sure that I pack in a way that I generally do not need it (which, I guess, is the point of an *extension* collar). In the few circumstances in which I feel the need to carry more things than I can stuff into the body of the pack, the top pocket *and* the mesh pockets, I'm sure using the extension collar will still feel better than carrying the extras in my hands.

It is apparent that I am leaning forward a little in the picture. There were times when I considered this to be the normal posture of people who carried things on their backs. These days, having learned more about proper load distribution, I no longer feel that way. In fact, during my first practice carries, on several occasions my hands drifted up to pull on a non-existent "load lifter" strap. Particularly the top pocket seemed to have a tendency to allow its contents to fall backward. The answer to this is probably also in the packing strategy - not to have heavy items in the top pocket and filling it up most of the way (allowing for a slimmer main pack body) may well eliminate what little problem this item represents.

Initial Summary:
At this point, the pack represents an exciting challenge. In fact, the ever-present challenge to reduce pack weight and volume has finally taken physical form. I am not, at this point, in a position to suggest improvements on the pack, though a number of such occurred to me - slightly broader straps with slightly stronger clasps/buckles, "load lifter" straps, etc. Yet - it may well be that proper packing (and intelligent choice of what to bring and what to leave at home) may overcome every one of these. If so, adding or enlarging the features which came to my mind would be wasted weight. It clearly is a pack designed for those who set a premium on carrying little weight.

I am grateful to backpackgeartest.org and Six Moon Designs for the chance to tackle this challenge.

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