Description

Designed for the ultralight hiker who needs a great backcountry pack and one that will get them there, no matter what mode of transport. The Traveler has what it takes to make your hiking and traveling fun, simple and convenient.

The Traveler's Panel Loading entry keeps all your gear completely contained and easy to access. A zippered top pocket provide storage for items that you need to quickly access but still need weather protection. A zippered mesh front pocket is great for storing maps, pens, and other travel stuff.

Features

• Panel Loading
• Harness System provides support for shorter torsos
• Multiple Hip Belt Sizes & Styles
• Advanced Suspension System
• Pad Pocket with External Access
• Top Pocket
• Four Exterior Mesh Pockets
• Compression System
• Ice Axe Loop
• Hydration Port
• Contoured Cut
• Daisy Chain Attachment System
• 3800 Cubic Inches
• Adjustable Torso Length
• Load lifter Straps
• Sternum Strap
• Bear Canister Compatible

Additional Info

Hang Tag (PDF)
Data Sheet (PDF)

Specifications

Pad Supported

Pack Volume Breakdown

Materials

Options

1. Multiple Hip Belt Support

The Starlite & Traveler packs are available with a choice of hip belt sizes and styles. Each belt is padded with a stiff 3/8 in thick foam core. The hip belts are available both with and without pockets.

The sizing of hip belt is dependent upon in the length of padding used in each belt. In addition to the padding, each belt has 30 inches of 1.5" webbing. This allows the belt considerable lattitude for waist sizes. Which belt is right for you depends upon how much padding you wish. The table below list the various sizes of hip belts available and their recommended waist sizes.

Hip Belt Pockets Each of the two hip belt pockets measures 3.5" X 6" X 2" and holds 42 cu. in. of easily accessable gear. Together they add and additional 80 plus cubic inches of storage to your pack. They are sized to be large enough to carry a small digital camera, GPS, snacks, sun screen or other items you need quick access too. Still they aren't so large as to get in your way.

Size	Padding	Waist Sizes
Short	26 inches	26 to 34 inches
Medium	30 inches	30 to 38 inches
Long	34 inches	34 to 44 inches

2. Multiple Shoulder Strap Lengths

The Starlite & Traveler are available with a choice of shoulder strap lengths. The standard length is 18" and is s suitible for most people. A shorter 15" set of shoulder straps are available for short torso people.

3. Optional Stays

Sometimes it's nice to have a little additional support. Especially when using an inflatable pad as your primary support. The Starlite & Traveler allow the use of two removable 24" aluminum stays. These provide additional load transfer for heavier loads. They are easily inserted or removed from the pack. So you easily insert them when needed.

Reviews

3 Reviews

Write Your Own

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WORKS WELL WITH BEARIKADE SCOUT WA 10/3/2009

Bob: Panel loading packs are a luxury I thought I'd never find in a sub-3 lb pack. This one fits the bill admirably. The top pocket opens the right way! Yay! And its orientation is such that, when someone else gets into it on the trail, we don't have stuff falling out the way many packs' top pockets do. Our NW Coastal Wilderness is bear *and* raccoon country, hard cans always required. Bearvaults or Garcia cans could be strapped on, but you'll want to use the stays when carrying this much stuff & weight. There is plenty of room inside the pack for the Bearikade Scout or Bearvault Solo. The sleeping-pad pocket has box corners about 1.5" deep at the bottom and 1.3" deep at the top. It's designed for a 3/4 length Z-rest but takes a full length Z-rest with ease by trimming 4x4" triangles off the outer corners and 1x4" triangles off one layer of the folded-over mid-mat corners. With the trimmed full-length Z-rest inserted, the Bearikade Scout fits nicely lying flat on the Z-rest. It won't slide all the way down with that big pad in there, but it's better to carry the heavier barrel a little higher anyway. I pack in the Serenity net tent and extra clothing, then put in the Bearikade, and the lower compression strap goes just barely above the widest point in the barrel, keeping it from sliding up into the rest of the pack opening. The pack, trimmed Z-rest, Gatewood Cape and Serenity tent provide a nice 9 lb base weight (including sleeping bag, water filter, and Jetboil). Not exactly ultralight by today's standards, but a setup that lets me hike fully loaded at 12 lbs plus up to 6 days' food. Mostly, though, we go out in groups of 2-4 for 2-4 days. The panel loader gives me the versatility to carry whatever, and the ease of access to get whatever we need at a stop without emptying half the pack digging around.

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GREAT PACK CA 6/19/2009

Mark: I've had mine for two seasons. I've got it loaded right now for Mt. Shasta. This is the heaviest load so far at 30 lbs with crampons and ice ax. I love the clean look and the panel loading design. As an engineer, I really appreciate the good design that went into this pack. The construction is excellent for its intended purpose. Looks like 6 moons made a couple minor improvements since I bought mine - thicker compression straps and a zippered mesh pocket. I recommend the hip belt pockets. I didn't get stays and haven't needed them yet. I use a 3/4 Z-lite. For Shasta I'm also tucking in a full-sized Prolite3 pad (almost entirely deflated). Seems maxed out at 30 lbs but still comfortable and stable.

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GREAT PACK Oregon 3/30/2009

Bob: We have TWO Traveler packs. Early in 2008, we were shopping for a new pack for my wife, who has a short 14-1/2 inch torso length. We drove out to Ron's house to try the SMD Essence, but it did not have an adjustable harness system so no go. However, Ron had the new Traveler prototype there and he was able to fit it to her perfectly. We placed an immediate order and so got one of the very first made a few months later. She carried it in Yosemite this past summer and dearly loved it. She let me use it for one day and even without re-adjusting the harness system for my torso or changing to a longer hipbelt, it was very comfortable. I was surprised. And it was 24 oz lighter than my big Mountainsmith Auspex. I love panel loaders anyway, so when we bought her Traveler, I also got an extra (larger) hipbelt and harness so I could "borrow" it. Well, it worked so well that I just decided to buy another one for myself for my JMT trek this summer. One advantage to panel loaders is the integral but separate top pocket which provides a large, totally enclosed rectanglar box in which to carry things you'll need during the day, but at a lesser frequency than what you carry in the two hip belt pockets, so the main pack bag remains closed. I use it to carry my lunch, first aid and repair kits, headnet, maps, route pages, 1 liter Platypus bladder, etc. The zipper for the top pocket is on the front side of the pack (like the panel) and so can not be reached while wearing the pack. It sounds wrong, but having had a pack that had the zipper on the rear where I could reach behind my head and access the pocket without removing the pack, I found things fell out easily - often unseen - if I wasn't very careful, and it was both awkward and hard to close the zipper completely. Ron did it right with the Traveler. My 9x14 Bearikade Expedition bear canister will fit in the packbag vertically without straining the seams or zippers. The smaller 9x10 Bearikade Weekender will fit horizontally or vertically with room to spare. The three side mesh pockets are strong with elastic tops to hold things in place. Access to the the front zippered and bellowed mesh pocket is tight because the opening is stitched to the access panel. This limits the size of what you can pass though it, but the pocket itself is big and holds a lot. My Gatewood Cape fits in there perfectly. The two compression straps across the front mesh pocket help secure the load but also limit access to that pocket. The pad pocket is internal to the pack bag, but is accessed from outside. This means your sleeping pad can be removed to serve as a sit-upon without having to open or unload the pack itself. Something won't fit in the main pack bag? There are two daisy chains on the flat top so you can tie it on. Good candidates - a GG NightLight sleeping pad, a 72" Z-Rest pad, or an insulating jacket. Straps are not included. Any negatives? Well, I'm not exactly wild about the purple color, but I'll adapt. Function over form any day. Wandering Bob

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Price: $180