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Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Ultimate Direction SpeeDemon > Andrew Mytys > Field ReportUltimate Direction SpeeDemon BackpackField Report
Product Information:
Product Description: The Ultimate Direction SpeeDemon backpack is a 2300 cu/in (37.7 l) pack designed with adventure racers in mind, although it seems suited for dayhiking and ultralight weekend backpacking trips as well. The SpeeDemon incorporates features such as an integrated hydration system, convenient external mesh and hip belt pockets, a waterproof interior, and an adjustable torso sizing system, amongst other attributes. The SpeeDemon received for testing was a sample unit and did not come with any hang tags or owner's manual. Field Conditions: The SpeeDemon has been used extensively as a day pack during winter and early-spring dayhikes. Temperatures have ranged from 22 to 68 F (-6 to 20 C), with hikes ranging anywhere from 12 to 18 miles (20 to 29 km). On one occasion, the day's journey was filled with precipitation, including snow, sleet, and rain. Pack loads have varied from 12 to 18 pounds (5.5 - 8 kg), including the weight of the pack itself. SpeeDemon Features - An Overview of Field Performance Thus Far: Storage:
I found that the SpeeDemon's main storage area provided ample storage capabilities for all of my dayhiking needs. During winter hikes, I was able to pack everything I needed to keep warm during extended breaks. This included an insulating jacket, wool hat, extra gloves, and a foam sit pad lashed under the SpeeDemon's bottom straps. In addition to these items, I was also able to a fit a full, 3-liter hydration bladder (included with the purchase of the SpeeDemon), a hearty lunch, and a laptop computer inside the main pocket. The SpeeDemon also has a small pocket that's sewn directly on top of the pack's main pocket. I carried my first-aid and hygiene items in this pocket, in addition to an Aqua Mira water treatment kit and my Seattle Sports Pocket Bucket. Both the main and top pockets are lined with a waterproof, white hypalon coated interior and have their openings protected by a waterproof zipper. The white-colored interior is supposed to reflect light inside the pack, allowing for improved visibility into the inner recesses of the pack. I found that, due to the its lack of a solid frame, the pack tended to fold in on itself when not completely full, putting items at the bottom of the pack completely out of sight. This simply meant that I needed to use the same amount of "digging" to find items that were stowed near the pack's bottom as I do with any other pack. The SpeeDemon also has two removable zippered pockets connected to its hip belt. Unlike the two pockets mentioned above, the hip belt pockets do not benefit from any sort of waterproof construction. These pockets are great for holding small, frequently used items and, as long as I avoid lofty clothes like fleece hats and gloves, I can really get a lot of gear into them. In these pockets I packed folded up maps, a compass, sunscreen, six spare AA batteries, a small single AA LED flashlight, my Leatherman Micra multi-tool, a micro-cassette recorder, pen and notebook, a bandana, and my Ibex Wool Glove Liners. All of the SpeeDemon's zippers have a loop of cord attached to them that acts as their pull. I found these to be a big help in opening the pack's zippers, especially the waterproof ones as they tended to be a bit stiff. The zipper pulls also allowed me to easily open the pack up without having to take my gloves off, and provided for quite a bit of leverage when opening the pack in general - I have yet to find unzipping the pack to be difficult, even when faced with cold or wet conditions. The SpeeDemon also has three mesh pockets along its exterior - one along each side and a large mesh "flap" at the pack's front. Unlike many packs of similar design, the side pockets do not have strips of elastic sewn at their ends to help secure their contents. Instead, Ultimate Direction has strategically placed a side compression strap at the opening of each pocket. This compression strap, when tightened down, provided an effective closure to the side pockets. Even items that poked out over the edge of the pocket were securely held, and I have yet to loose anything placed into these side pockets. Typically, I keep items such as a hat, neoprene knee brace, plastic trowel, and waterproof socks in these side pockets. The rear pocket is sized for a helmet, though it just as easily can accommodate raingear and a tarp and seems to be a great place to dry wet gear. The sides of this pocket are open, though there's a length of adjustable reflective shock-cord laced along its sides that effectively secures bulkier contents inside. The rear pocket is not be a good place to store small items like car-keys, however. This rear pocket connects to the front of the main pack using an adjustable length of webbing attached to a quick release-buckle. Unfortunately, the quick-release buckle is attached to the rear mesh pocket at about four inches (10 cm) from its top, and, as a result, this top part of the pocket tends to fold down to the spot where the buckle is located. This pocket would hold its shape much better if the connection points on both the mesh pocket and the pack were moved in such a way as to connect the top of the rear pocket to the top of the pack, near where the "Ultimate Directions" logo is currently positioned. The SpeeDemon's storage capabilities are expanded further by its two ice-axe loops, which are designed to work in conjunction with the two adjustable loops of elastic cord to keep items like ice axes and trekking poles secure. Unfortunately, the adjustable loops are connected to the top pocket, rather than to the pack itself, and, as stated above, this area of the pocket tends to fold down. The result is that items stowed using the SpeeDemon's ice-axe loops are free to move about within a limited space. In addition, the cord-locks used to crimp down on the elastic cord are not strong enough to hold when placed under pressure. I tried securing my trekking poles to the pack using this setup and found my adjustment becoming free while moving through a section of overgrown trail. At the very bottom of the pack, there are two accessory straps that can be used to cinch down bulky items like sit pads. These straps double as compression straps when the pack is filled at less than capacity. I used these straps all winter long to hold pads of various sizes without incident. However, I did find myself wishing that the pack's rear mesh pocket had a daisy-chain as part of its design, which would have allowed me to attach my pad vertically to the pack, rather than horizontally. This would actually serve two purposes - by getting the pad away from the bottom of the pack, it would not be subject to abrasion every time I set the pack down. At the same time, the vertically stored pad would be less likely to be caught up in the bushes and prickers that I often have to push through while hiking. Suspension: The SpeeDemon pack has many of the suspension features found on larger, much heavier packs. It has a padded hip belt, delta straps, a sternum strap, a side and bottom compression system, load lifters, and an adjustable shoulder harness that can accommodate a range of torso lengths.
A few features impressed me, namely the design of the yoke, the shape of the shoulder harness, the adjustable "Torso Link" suspension, and the "load balancing" system. The shoulder straps of the SpeeDemon are joined together into a single harness - they basically run up the chest in a slight "S-curve" and join together near the top of the shoulders. The harness attaches to the outside of the pack via a wide Velcro pad, with the loop side of the Velcro on the pack so as not to scratch the wearer's back. There's an additional "tongue" of Velcro hooks coming off the rear of the harness, which goes through the hydration tube port, into the pack, and attaches itself to another pad of Velcro loops providing for a secure adjustment of the pack's torso length. The webbing at the bottom of each shoulder strap weaves through a traditional quick release buckle design, down and around a short pole at the pack's base and then up and through the adjacent shoulder strap's quick release buckle. The webbing glides effortlessly around the short pole, which results in the wearer being able move the shoulders through a full range of motion without having the pack awkwardly lurching to one side or the other. This translates into a pack that's extremely well balanced when carried, at the expense of a little wiggling needed to initially get the pack on. Because the shoulder straps are essentially one piece, it can make putting the pack on a bit awkward if treated as a traditional pack. Trying to put one arm at a time into the shoulder straps doesn't work well - once one arm is positioned under the shoulder strap, the pack hangs in the air and uses up the length of webbing available for the remaining shoulder strap's length. This means that the second shoulder strap is short, and tightly positioned against the pack. To get my second arm into the remaining shoulder strap, I found that I had to really contort my shoulder and wrist. I've since change the way I put this pack on, using a technique not unlike putting on a jacket. I put the pack on the ground in front of me, with the shoulder straps facing me, cross my hands at the forearm, place each hand into a shoulder strap, then lift the pack off the ground, swinging it with my arms behind me and onto my shoulders. Once the pack is on though, I never get that feeling that one shoulder strap is too tight, or putting undue stress on my shoulder. Because the two straps are connected together, I don't even have to adjust each shoulder straps length independently in order to achieve a comfortable fit. I can crank away at whichever one I feel like, and then simply wiggle my shoulders back and forth to even out the load. I found this by mistake one day, as I suddenly realized that I had over a almost two feet (60 cm) of webbing coming off one shoulder strap, and only a few inches (< 10 cm) off the other, without any discomfort in the least.
On a traditional pack, load lifters are used to bring the pack's weight closer to the wearer's body. The design of the SpeeDemon's load-lifters allows for this to occur as well, but only to a point - the SpeeDemon's load-lifters cannot be "cranked down" and pulled in to the same degree as with other packs I've worn. In fact, taking them in completely has proven painful. Instead of bringing the load closer to my back, pulling the load-lifters in simply takes the majority of the pack's weight and transfers it directly onto my shoulders. With the SpeeDemon, I've found it best to let as much slack out of the load-lifters as possible, arching the weight of the pack back. This has the effect of transferring more of the pack's weight onto my hips. The load-lifters can be used to bring the pack closer to my back, but only to a point. Too much tension and the pack's yoke begins to buckle in, the load-lifters sliding off the shoulder straps, onto my shoulders, effectively becoming mini shoulder straps themselves. In addition, I've also found the webbing used in the load-lifter design to be too thin for the job - they tend to slip out of the position I set them in when placed under any real stress. Thankfully, the pack has proven itself to be extremely comfortable for loads up to 18 lbs (8 kg) without a real need for load-lifters of any kind. Hydration: The SpeeDemon's hydration system consists of a roll-top 96 oz (2.8 l) reservoir, an insulated hydration tube with a "Kicker" valve, a "Zig-zag" tube run on the pack's shoulder straps, and a reservoir pocket inside the pack itself. The reservoir is made of a clear plastic, with cleaning instructions printed on one side and fluid measurement marks on the other. The bladder is designed to be filled from its top, which is then rolled closed and secured with a wide Velcro tab. When properly closed, a loop of cord at the bladder's top acts as a carrying handle. The reservoir has a strip of plastic inside of it that connects its two walls. This wall constrains the bladders shape and limits it from expanding outward, giving it a more balanced and predictable shape. The pack has an internal reservoir pocket that's designed to hold the reservoir upright, allowing water to flow through the hydration tube even when there's only a small amount of fluid remaining in the system. During field testing, I found the bladder's carrying handle to be a very welcome addition - small, simple, yet effective in providing a comfortable way to carry around 3-liters of water. The plastic strip on the inside of bladder connecting its two walls lasted all of two hikes, then became detached on one side. It now flops around on the inside of the bladder. In terms of the internal reservoir pocket, it is simply sized too wide for the pack's bladder. When carrying a pack that was less than full, the pocket allowed the bladder to "droop" inside it, at times folding the bladder onto itself and cutting into my ability to draw water from the reservoir - while the bladder still contained in excess of a liter of water, the amount delivered through the hydration tube felt like I was sucking down the last few drops of water from the system. I have yet to notice any evidence of leakage. After one of my hikes, I noticed that the hooks of the bladder's Velcro tab were filled with a blue material. The bladder's Velcro closure system has its hooks facing out, and when filled to capacity and closed some of these hooks are left exposed. In my case, these exposed hooks rubbed against a blue foam pad I had inside the pack and broke off some material. If the loop (soft) side of the Velcro were facing outwards, there would be no chance of this occurring. From a clean-up perspective, I do wish the opening of the bladder were just a bit wider - enough for me to be able to fit my hand inside. If this were the case, I could easily dry the inside of the bladder using a towel. As the bladder does not have a rigid opening, it is difficult to keep the bladder open so that moisture from the inside can evaporate. What I now do is simply toss in a few sheets of paper towel, close the bladder, blow it full of air, and then simply shake the bladder around so that the towel inside can mop up any excess moisture inside. While this works, it would be much easier if the opening were just wide enough for my hand to fit inside. The SpeeDemon's hydration tube extends from the base of the reservoir, near its center, and exits the pack out a port that's shared with the adjustable suspension system. The port is shingled, so rain falling on the outside of the pack can be diverted away. Based on the user's preference, the tube can be positioned to either the right or left side of the pack by using a "Zig-zag" tube run - a series of three elastic straps sewn across each shoulder strap. I was able to use the "Zig-zag" tube run to securely hold the hydration system's bite valve in a position that made it easy and comfortable to use. A tight-fitting sleeve of silver-colored neoprene insulation covers the tube where it's exposed on the outside of the pack. I used the SpeeDemon's hydration system in temperatures down to 22 F (-6 C) and did not experience any freezing of water within the tube - the insulation seemed to be performing its intended task. I did, however, notice a few ice crystals forming between sips within the bite valve itself. Flow of water is controlled in two ways. First, the bite valve itself has an "on" and "off" position. To turn the valve on, one has to pull the rubber nipple out of its plastic housing. Once the nipple has been extended, it's time to regress back to one's childhood years and, for lack of a better term, start suckling. Water flows at a surprisingly high rate and I would even say that, once the technique has been mastered, liquid even surges out of the hydration tube. As mentioned above, the bladder can, at times, fold in on itself and cut off the supply of water being delivered through the hydration tube. The SpeeDemon also comes with a removable water bottle holster on each shoulder strap. The holster is a two-piece design, with a cradle of webbing suspended off the shoulder strap to hold the base of a water bottle, and a loop of elastic positioned above to secure bottles near their tops. I found that the loops of elastic could not be depended on to hold narrow-mouthed bottles. As with the ice-axe loops, the cord locks did not create enough tension to securely hold onto the cord, resulting in the shock-cord slipping through the cord lock and expanding to a size that allowed the tops of bottles to free themselves of the system. I did not experience any issues when the shoulder-mounted system was used with traditional bicycle-sized 16 oz (500 ml) water bottles, but I did have both 16 oz (500 ml) narrow mouth Nalgene and plastic soda bottles falling out of the holsters, onto the trail. I also had numerous instances where the bottom part of the harness would detach itself from the pack's shoulder strap altogether. Waterproof Claims: The SpeedDemon boasts that it is lined with a waterproof, hypalon coated interior and that its main zippers are waterproof. I'm not exactly sure which, if not both, of these systems are failing, but I would say that the pack is better characterized as being "water resistant" than "waterproof." I've noticed a fine "mist" on the inside of both the top and main pockets when I've opened the pack after hiking with it less than an hour into a light drizzle. In the top pocket, I had a flannel shirt that, as a result of the moisture entering the pack, was pretty damp. I initially thought that perhaps the shirt was drawing moisture through the waterproof zipper, but then I found the inside of the top pocket was also wet from moisture, and its contents were wrapped in a non-porous polyurethane coated nylon bucket. Odds and Ends: Miscellaneous features include a haul loop, four drainage holes at the bottom of the main compartment, reflective logos located on the SpeeDemon's top pocket and on each of the water bottle holsters, and "Strap Secure" webbing control on the shoulder strap, hip belt, sternum strap, side compression straps, and bottom accessory strap webbing. The "Strap Secure" system includes an elastic loop sewn near the end of each of these straps that allows the user to roll up and secure excess lengths of webbing. I often use the haul loop to carry the pack into and out of my car, and there has been no wear to its stitching. In inspecting the inside of the pack after hikes, I have yet to notice any moisture or dirt making its way into the pack via the bottom drain holes. I find the "Strap Secure" system to be more of a hassle than its worth. The webbing that the pack's straps are made of is lightweight, and I really don't notice it's excess lengths flapping around, even when running. If I use the "Strap Secure" system to keep excess strap length tucked away, then I just have another system to futz with when I want to adjust strap length. I can't say that I've realized any advantages in using the "Secure Strap" system.
Durability: Outside of the center wall of the hydration bladder coming loose, the pack continues to look as good as new. I'm not sure if the lack of the center wall has impacted the performance of the hydration system or not - perhaps if it were in place, the bladder would not collapse on itself, cutting off water from circulating freely to the hydration tube. On the other hand, a reservoir pocket that cradled the water bladder more tightly might solve this problem as well.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Recommended Changes:
Next Steps: I will continue to use the SpeeDemon throughout the upcoming months, commenting on how comfortable it is to wear in the heat of the summer. Warm summer temperatures also mean that I need to pack less gear, and I will attempt to use the SpeeDemon to support a 2-3 day hike. On extended hikes, I will likely eclipse the upper limits of weight carried in the SpeeDemon thus far, and report on how well the pack handled the increased load. I will continue to analyze the durability of the pack, paying particular attention for hydration system leaks, stitching failures, and the pack's mesh pockets. Personal Biographical Information:
Backpacking Background: I live in Michigan and have been hiking seriously for 15 years, although I've camped since I was 6 years old. I consider myself a lightweight hiker. I carry the lightest gear I can get my hands on which will provide a comfortable wilderness experience and adequately support the goals of my trip. Unless my goals are time/distance oriented, my pace is always slow. I rarely exceed 1.5 miles (2.4 km)/hour. I rest frequently, hike long days, and enjoy whatever nature throws my way. Read more reviews of Ultimate Direction gear Read more gear reviews by Andrew Mytys Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Ultimate Direction SpeeDemon > Andrew Mytys > Field Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The SpeeDemon looks like a traditional top-loading backpack but, in reality, it is more of a panel-load design. Its main zipper starts at the pack's front, near the top of each side pocket, and runs along at an angle around the rear of the pack. Because the zipper does not extend to the bottom of the pack, the main pocket only opens a little more than halfway. This is actually a good thing, as the pack's wide opening allows for easy access to its storage area while remaining partially closed prevents the pack's contents from spilling out.
The level of padding on the shoulder straps, back panel, and hip belt has proved adequate for the loads I've carried thus far - as much as 18 lbs (8 kg). The delta straps work well in pulling in and securing the load next to the hips, and the compression system also seems effective. I particularly liked the degree of elasticity inherent in the sternum strap - it adjusted its length automatically as I breathed in and out, allowing me to take full, deep breaths without my lungs feeling constrained.
As much as I find myself impressed with some aspects of the SpeeDemon's suspension, I am disappointed by the design of the pack's load lifters. The problem is that the load lifters do not follow the existing angles of the shoulder straps and instead cut across the curve of the straps, along the wearer's back. Their attachment point on the pack also sits lower than the level of my shoulders, so I am effectively pulling the pack's load up and onto my shoulders when I use them. This results in a "bunching-up" of the shoulder harness at its base while, at the same time, pressing the webbing from the load lifter directly against my back, essentially turning the narrow piece of webbing into a an unpadded shoulder strap. This effect is illustrated in the image to the right.