Owner Review:  REI Catalyst 35L

 

Date: March 17, 2006

Author: Jon Robbins

Gender: Male

Age: 29

Height: 6’3” (191 cm)

Weight: 195 lb (88 kg)

E-mail: robbinskuma (at) comcast.net

Torso: 21” (53 cm)

Location: Berkeley, CA, USA

 

Personal Info:

   I have always enjoyed the outdoors as far back as I can remember.  My grandparents would rent a cabin in the Sierras for a couple weeks each year and we’d do day hikes to various local lakes and peaks.  Since then, I have been on numerous overnight and week-long trips throughout the Sierras, and the Coastal Ranges of California with a few forays above 14,000 ft (4,267 m).  I generally carry between 30 lb (13.61 kg ) and 50 lb (21.68 kg ) depending on how abundant water is in the area.

 

Product Info:

Manufactured by:  REI: 2005

 www.rei.com

Weight as listed: 3 lb 9 oz (1.6 kg)

Weight Received:  3 lb 9 oz (1.6 kg)

Size: Large

Volume:  35 L ( 2,450 cu in )

Avail. Colors: Fire/Dolphin

MSRP: $90.00 USD

Note:All pictures courtesy of www.rei.com

Catalyst 35L

The Conditions:

Airline flights, Coastal Mountain Ranges, multi day weekend adventures 20+ mi (32+ km) duration in elevation not over 3,000 ft (900 m).  Temps between 50 F (10 C) daytime and 36 F (2 C) nights.   Periods of heavy rain and sporadic snowfall.

 

The Pack:

 The REI Catalyst 35L is a low to medium volume daypack that can easily swallow up a weekend or extended weekend’s worth of gear.  Its nylon construction is very durable and brushes aside water quite well also.  Its HDPE  frame-sheet and single “Y-split” mono stay ride quite comfortable even under sizeable loads.  The “Y-split” mono-stay is a first for me, and is basically a single stay that resembles a very tall letter “Y”.  It is housed inside a zippered pouch in the main compartment along with the HDPE frame-sheet. It may or may not be removable though I have found no need to remove it, so there it stays.  Although it is primarily a top-loader, it has an ever-so-useful vertical zipper that runs top to bottom on one side of the pack for easy access to gear throughout the main storage compartment.  The top flap has two zippered pouches, one on top and one on the underside with a key clip inside to keep even the most adventurous keys in line.  The zippers are all rugged, good quality zips yet they are very easy to operate single-handed.  This might be considered a bad thing, but I like the easy zips.  The top flap pocket is great for keeping quick access treats like jerky or energy bars.  A simple pull of the zip to open, fumble around for the goodies, and quick tug in the opposite direction and I haven’t lost a step. 

            Along the front of the pack, located in the center running vertically, there is a very useful daisy chain which is also used as the attachment point for the plastic carabiner that secures the top flap down via a quick-release buckle on the opposite end.  At first, I was skeptical about the moveable nature of this setup, but given the added adjustability of this feature, I can really carry anything there.  On either side of the daisy-chain, there are two 3” by 11” (8 cm by 28 cm) vertical flaps that have quick-release adjustable buckles that can and will securely hold a tent and sleeping pad placed vertically.  This does negate the functionality of the daisy-chain, so it’s an either/or benefit.  The pack also has two side cinch straps to control unruly loads or other gizmos and widgets.  These straps are actually one of my main concerns in buying any pack because I find I need to attach removable side pouches to hold extra gear from time to time.  These pouches (not sold with this pack but available from many manufacturers) can add up to an extra 800 cu in (13 L) to the capacity.  These cinch straps can also be used to secure the front pack flaps and buckles out of harm’s way if the daisy-chain is being used.

Universal Side Pouches (sold separately)

            Just below the daisy-chain there are two adjustable ice-ax/tool loops and beside each loop is another rubber-hose covered tool hoop/haul loop (though the loops are on the bottom, I don’t think I would want to haul the pack upside down).  The inner main compartment has a massive hydration sleeve that can hold up to a 4 L (4 qt) hydration pack (that is a guesstimate as my 3 L (3 qt) Camelback Unbottle fits with tons of room to spare).  I actually use the extra space for dirty socks.  The Catalyst, being hydration pack compatible, has hose pass-through ports, but that is where this feature looses its functionality.  They are too small to pass the valve and hose through.  I guess one could remove the valve assembly and fit the hose only through, but I even have trouble fitting my finger through.  In fact, I can’t even get my pinky through the opening of which there is one per side.

            The sternum strap with integrated emergency whistle was easily adjustable and comfortable when attached, aside from not having the popular elastic tensioner others packs have incorporated.  While they may offer more comfort, I feel the elastic tensioner lowers the ability of sternum straps to distribute load across the chest.  I liked the fact that this did not have one.  Waist-belt and shoulder straps are very comfy despite being of minimal padding thickness.  They are very quick drying and have good adjustability.  The waist-belt has two great side pouches that will fit a Leatherman, or pocket knife and smaller energy bars like Luna Bars or Gu pouches or whatever else you can fit there.  They have mesh on the outside so in the rain whatever is in there will get wet.  Under a 45 lb (20 kg) pack load sitting on jeans and a belt, the waist-belt didn’t even begin to bite until mile 8 (12.88 km) or so.

            The Catalyst is stated to fit up to 20 in (50 cm) torso but my 21 in (53 cm) torso fit just fine.  The load stabilization straps on the waist-belt and over the shoulders are placed perfectly and transmit the weight seemingly into my body.  I like this as I feel unbalanced if I feel the loads solely on my hips or shoulders.  The weight seems to disappear into my body once I tighten up the stabilization straps.  I truly feel at one with this pack once everything is locked in place making precarious stream crossings over logs and stones just another bit of beautiful scenery along the way.  This feeling of one-ness is derived from the ability of the pack's frame to conform to my back and flex as I move without being overly soft so as not to support the load properly.  This pack has been used for loads up to roughly 45 lb (20 kg).  The Catalyst appears to have a max load of around 35 lb (16 kg) as anything above this gives rise to the shoulder straps loosening ever so slightly when hiking aggressively.  This is hardly a problem as the pack feels just as weightless after mile 10 as it does at mile 0 even when loaded possibly above its designed maximum.

As this pack did not come with a rain-cover, I purchased an aftermarket one from REI.  Though the pack specs out at 35 L (2,100 cu in), it is actually 40 L (2,450 cu in) in the Large size and barely fits into a 40 L rain-cover.  With the extra pouches I was able to attach to the sides and storing the tent and sleeping pad vertically along the daisy-chain area I found that a 60 L (3,700cu in) rain-cover was necessary to fit over everything nicely.

 

Downsides:

1) The unusable hose pass-through.

2)  Daisy-chain and front attachment flaps could extend up farther allowing for

     more gear placement options.  Centering

     long items there now make setting the pack down not as easy.

 

Upsides:

1) Rugged construction

2) Easy zips

3) Comfortable under heavier loads

4) Fits in the overhead storage bin on most airlines (as long as the top flap is not

    fully filled) even with four days worth of clothing.