|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Ultimate Direction SpeeDemon > Andrew Mytys > Long Term ReportUltimate Direction SpeeDemon BackpackLong Term 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, early-spring, and summer dayhikes, in addition to overnight outings. Temperatures have ranged from 22 to 92 F (-6 to 33 C), with hikes ranging anywhere from 12 to 18 miles (20 to 29 km). In terms of weather, I experienced both snow, sleet, rain, high winds, and, hot, sunny days. The pack was used both on and off trail, where "off trail" meant pushing my way though heavy brush, at times pack first. Loads have varied from 12 to 25 pounds (5.5 - 11.3kg), including the weight of the pack itself. SpeeDemon Features - An Overview of Field Performance: 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 a bulky insulating jacket, wool hat, extra gloves, and a foam sit pad lashed under the SpeeDemon's bottom accessory 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. For spring and summertime hiking, I found I only needed to use a fraction of the SpeeDemon's storage capacity, using the top pocket for my 1st-aid kit and other small, miscellaneous items, the rear mesh pocket for raingear, and the main pocket for the water bladder and food. This meant that over half of the pack remained empty and, due to the lack of a sophisticated compression system, the pack tended to fold in half and slump away from my body. Thankfully, the items I packed didn't weigh much so, outside of not being able to compress and control the load, there were no other issues, comfort related or otherwise. I was surprised to find that my ultralight overnight load fit inside the SpeeDemon. I was able to leave the trailhead on a Saturday morning with enough supplies to last through Sunday evening. In addition to food and three-liters of water inside the SpeeDemon's bladder, the pack's main pocket held a self-inflating full-length sleeping mattress, extra clothing, a no-frills lightweight down jacket, and a warm enough sleeping system to keep me comfortable down to the upper 30's F (3 C). My water treatment, hygiene and 1st-aid kits were kept in the pack's top pocket. The side pockets held tent stakes, guy lines, ground cloth, and denatured alcohol for my stove. Yes, I also took along a cook kit, stored in my 1.3-liter pot, which was packed away in the rear mesh pocket above my raingear and shelter (tarp). In the pack's two hip belt pockets, I stored trail snacks, my hat and gloves, mosquito headnet, compass, and micro-recorder. While the pack was pretty much filled to capacity, I could have easily gained more space in the main pocket by taking less water. Alternatively, I could have removed the bladder from the main pocket altogether, and simply strapped on a 1-liter bicycle water bottle to each of the pack's removable shoulder bottle harnesses. Additionally, I could have strapped my sleeping pad to the bottom of the pack, using the packs two adjustable lash straps. I could definitely see an experienced ultralight hiker using the SpeeDemon on even a three-day outing. 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 - while these zippers were always stiff to open, I never found unzipping them to be what one might call "difficult," even when faced with cold or wet conditions. 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 or a stuff sack vertically to the pack, rather than horizontally along the pack's bottom. Vertically stored items would be less likely to be caught up in the bushes and prickers that I often have to push through while hiking. I also longed for a key-clip in the pack's top pocket - a few years ago, I hiked 25-miles (40 km) in a single day with a group of friends, only to stagger off the trail, exhausted, and find that the car-keys had been lost. Ever since, I've always appreciated packs with integrated key-clips. I found that all of the pack's elastic shock-cord, used to aid in load compression and holding gear securely to the pack, slips out of the cord lock's grasp when even a small amount of resistance is applied. As soon as the test period is over, I plan to replace the stock shock-cord with one of a thicker gauge, and also replace the cord locks, if necessary. I'd also like to mention that the SpeeDemon's two hip belt pockets are removable, and I found them to be compatible with many of the larger-volume packs that I own. It was great to be able to port this wonderful feature onto packs of less thoughtful design. Suspension: The SpeeDemon pack has many of the suspension features found on larger, 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. The level of padding on the shoulder straps, back panel, and hip belt has proved adequate, even comfortable, for the loads I've carried thus far - as much as 25 lbs (11.3 kg). The delta straps work well in pulling in and securing the load next to the hips, and the compression system was also effective. A few suspension features stood out, 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 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, taking 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 changed 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 down on 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 almost two feet (60 cm) of webbing coming off one shoulder strap, and only a few inches (< 10 cm) off the other.
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 causes the pack's yoke to buckle in, forcing the straps of the load-lifters off of the shoulder straps, onto my shoulders, effectively becoming mini shoulder straps themselves. 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, at the expense of having the pack leaning away from my body at an angle from the small of my back upwards. The rear-leaning pack does force the shoulder straps outwards, however, so use of the sternum strap was a requirement. There's an elastic strap that holds one half of the sternum strap's buckle system onto the pack, allowing it to automatically adjust its size while breathing - even when the sternum strap is really pulled tight, I could take full, deep breaths without my lungs feeling constrained. 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 comfortable for loads up to 25 lbs (11.3 kg) without a real need for load-lifters of any kind. While the load does arch away from my body, I only really notice it when moving quickly down the trail. 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 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 were left exposed. In my case, these exposed hooks rubbed against a blue foam pad I had inside the pack, breaking 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 through the hydration tube, and then 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 is 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 hydration tube against the shoulder strap, and trapped the bite valve in the small elastic loop designed to hold the top of water bottles that are stored in the pack's shoulder-mounted water bottle harnesses. Using this method, I was able to adjust the hydration system into a position where it was easy and comfortable to use. A tight-fitting sleeve of silver-colored neoprene insulation covers the hydration tube where it's exposed on the outside of the pack. In the winter, 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. In warm, summer temperatures the water held inside the tube remained cool between drinks. 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. 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 main 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 it's worth. The webbing that the pack's straps are made of is lightweight, and I really don't notice its excess length 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. The pack held up to the abuse of off trail hiking particularly well - in many instances, I "made" a trail by walking backwards, pack first, into heavy brush filled with branches, thorns, and prickers - the SpeeDemon's nylon has a slickness to it, and it tended to slide through obstructions without suffering any snags, cuts, or tears. The same cannot be said for its shock-cord, which caused the pack to get stuck on a few occasions.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Recommended Changes:
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 > Long Term Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.