At first glance, the Swift is not all that dissimilar to any of the many ultralight frameless packs on the market. After all, by definition, an ultralight frameless pack is little more than a grocery sack with shoulder straps. Or so I've been told by more than one person. However, unlike traditional packs, they are designed to be light and to carry minimal loads. The best case is for this class of packs to contain your gear and not get in the way.
If one can keep their base gear to 10 to 12 pounds or less and their overall weight to under 20 pounds, the primary role of the pack is to simply contain the gear and make it available as conveniently as possible. When pushing the weight north of that 20 pound barrier, typically more structure is needed to offset the strain on your shoulders. To do this the pack needs to be able to effectively transfer some or most of the load from your shoulders to your hips.
We've designed the Swift to carry comfortably up to 20 pounds and well beyond. While most ultralighters strive to keep their gear weight low, there are occasions where we must push well beyond 20 pounds. This is especially true when packing lots of water for long dry sections of trail or carrying the extra food needed to cover the distance between long resupply points. So having a pack that handles the extra weight can make a significant difference in trail comfort.
The Swift is designed with our True Suspension system. This system maximizes the value of your sleeping pad to create a virtual frame. The Pad Pocket inside of the Swift completely encapsulates your pad thus allowing it maintain its natural rigidity. This in turn allows the pack to effectively transfer much of the weight off your shoulders and on to your hips. When carrying heavier loads, this can make the pack considerably more comfortable.
The Six Moon Designs, True Suspension is the only one that has been independently tested (Backpacking Light) to comfortably carry loads up to 35 pounds. It was first introduced on our original Moonlite pack in 2002, and has been carried through to the new model Swift.
To ensure that the extra weight is carried comfortably on your hips, we've incorporated a wide hip belt. The fabric portion of the hip belt is 5" wide and we use 1 ½" webbing. Most similar UL packs use narrow 3" wide wings with ¾" webbing. While this is good to stabilize the pack to keep it from swinging side to side, it does little to help with the load transfer. As pack weight increases, narrow hip belts tend to bite into your waist. With a wider hip belt the load is spread across a larger surface.
Another unique feature of the Swift is its No-Sweat back panel. You don't need to read too many forum post on the Internet to come across complaints of "clammy back" by owners of ultralight frameless packs. Unlike traditional packs with back panels composed of layers of mesh and foam padding, UL packs have a single layer of fabric. Typically this is the same waterproof fabric used to construct the pack.
Because the back panel is waterproof, it's not designed to handle the excess moisture from sweat. Since the pack lays directly against your back the moisture is trapped. Eventually it soaks your back, making you very uncomfortable. The back panel on the Swift is constructed from our exclusive Driglide TM fabric. This fabric has been engineered to wick away and dissipate moisture and to reduce friction. The combination of moisture and friction can lead to painful back sores on long hikes.
In addition to its moisture and friction properties, Driglide easily handles abrasion and is color fast. Driglide is also used on the underside of the Swift shoulder straps.
Pockets, pockets and more pockets. Pockets do add to the weight and complexity of ultralight packs. So trying to achieve the right balance of pockets can be tricky. With the Swift, we've tried to add enough pockets to be functional and not so many as to be confusing.
On the outside of the Swift, you'll find 5 pockets. Three of the pockets are constucted with mesh while the other two use fabric. Mesh pockets provide two main benefits. First they breath better, so wet gear placed inside can dry easier. Second you can easily see the contents of the pocket. Making finding stuff easier. The downside of mesh is that it's more prone to abrasion. We use a very stiff mesh with a small diameter hole to minimize the tendency of mesh to snag and tear.
The long left side pocket on the Swift is sized large enough to carry a tent. A tent carried on the outside is quickly accessible. Plus when it's wet, it's safely stored away from the dry gear inside of the pack.
The short right side mesh pocket is large enough to hold two 1 quart bottles. The mesh easily expands so as not to interfere with the contents of the pack. A large mesh panel in the front of the pack is perfect for storing those items needed during the day.
The hip belt pockets on the Swift are constructed from Dyneema Diamond fabric. Because the hip belt pockets typically carry cameras, GPS and other sensitive gear, they are made from a waterproof fabric to keep them safe from rain and dirt.
The dual hip belt pockets on the Swift are incorporated in the pack and not add-ons. Plus with each pocket having 50 cubic inch capacity, they can carry a lot of stuff. I'll typically carry camera, snacks, TP, sun screen, bug juice, notepad, pen in my hip belt pockets with room to spare.
Inside of the pack are two pockets. The Pad Pocket, used to create the virtual frame, and a stash pocket. The stash pocket is perfectly sized to hold your wallet, keys and other items you don't need frequently but can't afford to lose.
Even the best combination of features and weight is useless if the pack falls apart on the first trip. So the Swift has been designed for the long haul. The body of our pack uses our tough 210 Denier Dyneema Diamond fabric. This fabric combines a strong nylon fabric with a Dyneema rip-stop thread. Pound for pound the Dyneema is 15 times stronger than steal. To add additional strength, a heavier nylon thread is woven into the fabric in the form a diamond pattern.
Our bottom panel is constructed from 420 Denier Pack cloth for extra wear protection. The extension collar is made from 70 Denier Silicone coated nylon.
All of these feature but at what cost? At $135 the Swift is by far the most feature rich low cost ultralight frameless pack on the market today.
But how does it compare to the competition? I'm sure you'll do your own homework on the numerous ultralight packs available. Here's a quick comparison to a few of popular packs currently available.
Mountain Laurel Designs - Exodus
At 3500 CI for the Swift and 3600 CI for the Exodus they are similar sized packs. The main pack body is constructed from the same fabric and have multiple mesh exterior pockets. The Exodus uses ¾" webbing hip belt with narrow wing belt. Hip belt pockets are optional and much smaller. The Exodus also lacks the No-Sweat back panel and the Pad Pocket for a virtual frame. Load ratings are 30 pound plus for the Swift and 25 pounds max for the Exodus.
With the same configuration (pack plus hip belt pockets and internal stash pocket) the Exodus weighs in a 20 ounces while the Swift is 18 ounces. Just as important a similarly configured Exodus will set you back $227 while at $135 the Swift will save you $92.
Golite - Jam
At 3500 CI for the Swift and 3100 CI for the Jam, the Jam is slightly smaller. Again both packs use similar fabric for the pack body. The exterior pockets on the Jam are fabric instead of mesh and are smaller in capacity. The Jam also lacks an internal stash pocket. The rated load capacity for both packs is the same 30 pounds, however the Jam doesn't utilize your sleeping pad as a virtual frame. Again the back panel for the Jam is the same pack cloth.
Weight wise the latest incorporation of the Jam is 31 ounces compared to the Swift's 18 ounces. That's 13 ounces more or the weight of our Gatewood Cape, and change. So for 31 ounces you can have pack, shelter and rain gear. Price wise the Jam is $150 and compares favorably to the $135 Swift.
ULA - Conduit
At 3500 CI for the Swift and 3260 CI for the Conduit, the Conduit is slightly smaller. As with the other packs in this comparison, the Swift and Conduit use the same pack fabric. Both packs have three exterior mesh pockets and two hip belt pockets. The hip belt pockets on the Conduit are smaller but are removable. The Conduit also uses the ¾" webbing for its hip belt. The Conduit does have an "Internal Pad Holster" to create a virtual frame, but its rated load capacity is 25 pounds. Like the Exodus and Jam, the Conduit uses the same fabric on the back panel as the rest of the pack.
With similar configurations, the Conduit weighs 20.5 ounce or 2.5 ounces more than the Swift. At $115 it is $20 less than the Swift. Kudos to ULA for the low cost.
Last Updated on Friday, 18 June 2010 13:54
