Location(s) of test:

The Starlite was taken on two backpacking trips, a five-day trip through Kanab Creek in the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona and a three-day trip in Aravaipa Canyon in central Arizona.

Terrain:

Both trips consisted of off trail hiking through canyons with running water. In the Grand Canyon, the footing ranged from good trail to rocky stream beds covered with stones which ranged from pea gravel to boulders, and included wading and multiple stream crossings. Aravaipa is a level canyon in which the stream bed is the main route of travel. Travel consisted of a considerable amount of wading along with short stretches of use trail. Elevations ranged from 4000 to 7000 feet (1200 to 2100 meters) above sea level.

Weather Conditions:

Weather conditions were sunny and warm with day time temperatures in the 100's F (38 C) and night time temperatures in the mid 50's F (10 C). A few sprinkles were encountered in the Grand Canyon, but no significant downpours.

With the pack loaded, I set off on the hike and immediately found the pack to be well balanced and comfortable to carry. With the hip belt firmly cinched around my waist or just above my waist (which is 32 inches or 81 cm in circumference), there was only about 2 inches left in the strap, which confirms my suspicion that hikers with a 29 inch (74 cm) waist or smaller will have a hard time getting the waist strap of the pack tight enough. The pack transferred the load of the contents directly to my hips and the upper load lifters kept the top of the pack sufficiently close to my body that the weight did not sit on top of, or pull back on, my shoulders. All straps to adjust the pack (waist belt, shoulder straps and load lifters) were easy to adjust, and I found that once I found a comfortable fit, I rarely had to make adjustments to the straps while I hiked. I did not use the chest strap at all.

The mesh pockets on the outside of the pack provided easy access to commonly used items like: maps, camera, permit, water filter, spare batteries and snacks. The right hand mesh pocket is considerably shorter than the other two which enabled me to grab items out of it without removing the pack. I did find that I had to contort a bit to get my hand high enough to reach into the pocket, but with a little practice this motion became second nature. I like to take a lot of photos as I hike, so I kept my camera in this pocket and found having quick access to it to be extremely convenient (as opposed to dropping the pack and rummaging around inside every time I want to take a photo). I did find that the side pockets, which contain pleats, hang somewhat loosely on the sides of the pack. This causes everything placed in the pockets to fall to the bottom and form a large bulge. While not inherently annoying, the bulging mesh made it a bit more difficult to dig out items and also created the opportunity for trees and plants to snag the mesh when bushwhacking. The mesh pocket on the back of the pack, on the other hand, is criss-crossed with an elastic strap which held items in the pocket securely.

The pack features a hydration port in the upper right corner of the pack, just below this extension collar, through which you can feed a drinking tube. I found that the port is a little small and I had to remove the clip to the drinking tube and fiddle with the tube a bit to get it to feed through the hole, a minor inconvenience. I was a bit more disappointed though to discover that the pack lacked a water bladder pocket. Hiking in desert areas, water is typically the single heaviest item in my pack. All packs carry best with the heaviest items located in the upper part of the pack, as close to the body as possible. Since a water bladder is flexible, it is difficult to get it to stay in one place without such a pocket since it tends to slosh around and work its way down into the pack, particularly as you drink and it becomes more flexible. I think the reason the manufacturer did not include a water bladder pocket is that the back pad of the pack (where the pocket is usually located) is complicated by the stitching required for the integrated pad pocket. Without a bladder pocket I placed my water bladder in the location where I wanted it to sit in the pack and placed other items around it to hold it in place. This technique was reasonably successful.

Overall I was very pleased with the way the pack performed on the trip and found it to be comfortable and easy to pack and carry.

Without the extra gear required for the Grand Canyon trip and only three days of food, I found that I didn't have enough equipment to load the pack fully. As a result, the extension collar was not used at all (as can be seen in the photo at left). The first thing I noticed about the pack in this configuration is that it pulled back on my shoulders slightly and was somewhat less comfortable than on my previous trip despite the fact that I was carrying less weight. I attribute this to the fact that the load lifters are attached right at the top of the pack where the aluminum stays end and 4 inches (10 cm) above the point where the pad pocket ends. Without the aluminum stays, and without enough gear in the pack to provide support in this upper region of the pack, the material to which the load lifters were attached did not have enough support to provide the needed tension to lift the weight. The result was that the pack pulled back slightly on my shoulders, though this wasn't terribly uncomfortable since my overall pack weight was so light. For future hikes I will be sure to use the aluminum stays for trips where I am not carrying enough gear to fill the pack sufficiently to provide support where the load lifters connect (in fact, since the stays only add 4.7 oz or 134 g, I'll probably use the pack with the stays in at all times).

The 3/4 length Z-Rest that I used as a back pad provided comfortable padding against my back and fit perfectly inside the pad pocket. With day time highs above 100 F (38 C) I found that the DriGlide material that the pad pocket is made from absorbed sweat, and dried quickly when the pack was removed for any extended period of time. Though the material was damp against my back as I hiked, it was considerably more comfortable than it would have been had I had the waterproof fabric of the Z-Rest mattress directly against my back (as is the case with the GVP G4 pack that I own).

The top of the pack is secured in the following manner. First, the mouth of the pack, which is lined with hook and loop fastener, is closed. Then the extension collar is rolled like a dry bag and the ends clipped together using a side-release buckle. A cinch strap is then brought across the top of the pack and secured with another side-release buckle. Seems a bit excessive, but between the three means of securing the mouth of the pack, I'll bet nothing accidentally jumps out of the top. The only real complaint I have with the closure is that the side-release buckle which secures the roll top closure only clips together when oriented in a particular direction. Fifty percent of the time after rolling the top, I push the buckles together only to realize that they don't clip together and have to flip one side or the other. While not a major inconvenience, this problem could easily be fixed by the manufacturer through a change in selection of hardware.

• Light weight
• Comfortable to carry
• Suspension transfers the load of the pack to the hikers hips
• External mesh pockets allow easy access to frequently used items

• I'd like to have a dedicated water bladder pocket which keeps the contents of the bladder close to the hikers back
• Mesh side pockets are a bit too loose, all items fall to the bottom of the pocket in a heap
• The roll top closure system should have an omni-directional side release buckle

• You have to be a bit of a contortionist to be able to reach into the right side mesh side pocket

Long Term Test Plan:
Over the next 4 months, I plan to conduct additional tests on the Starlite. I have several backpacking and camping trips planned in Arizona and Utah and plan to use the Starlite exclusively during this time. I am hoping to further test: comfort in the heat of the AZ summer, rain and wind resistance during the summer monsoons and the durability over the longer term.

I'd like to thank BackpackGearTest and Six Moon Designs for allowing me to participate in this test.