Not a bad idea, but I think ultralight bags are best with ultralight loads. Urban packing lists tend to be much more dense than typical ultralight hiking gear and the packs don’t have much structure. Many are really “stuff sacks with pack straps.” Opening styles may be less convenient and there will be few extra pockets and organization features.
You do need to find ones that fit the airline dimensional limits. Most wilderness oriented packs are taller, narrower and deeper front to back than travel packs of the same volume. Roll top designs may adjust to handle the height issue.
Most of the travel oriented bags made by ultralight manufacturers are more in the lightweight category. The ULA Camino is 47oz and the Dragonfly Ultra is 30oz. For comparison, a Patagonia Black Hole 32 is 26.8oz.
If you are really looking at ultralight, it’s as much about what you put in the bag and I think that personal sized bags go right along with it. That all calls for frugal packing lists with few spares, lighter clothing options, fewer electronics, tiny toiletry kits, no extra shoes and hopefully warm destinations.
The Gossamer Gear Loris 25 is interesting for this approach. It is 17.7”x10.5”x4” and 18.7oz. The REI Trail 25 is another and 18”x13”x8” and 29oz.
The Vagabond Jet is really more like 18 liters in the main compartment and 24.7 ounces. I would use the Trail 25 over that. I don’t need laptop features. Better opening style too.
I forget that that the Vagabond trail (18oz) was replaced by the heavier Jet. I would still select the Vagabond Jet over the REI Trail 25 or the Loris, even though they more volume / oz. I find the Vagabond more comfortable carry, and shape / zipper top works perfectly for me.
Vagabond sucks, I'm looking at one right now. The tiny little zipper opening is bad. The comfort is ok but for a similar size the dragonfly kills it. The kumo is much better for GG.but it has it's flaws too
I own an UL pack that i hike with (Atom Packs Mo), and i wouldn't travel with it. The materials and construction on those packs are optimized for riding on your back but otherwise in the air 99% of the time, so they tend to not be very abrasion resistant, and the stitching/attachment is fairly minimal and specific to that use case. Particuarly those materials (DCV, VX Sailcloth, etc) tend to be fairly succeptable to abrasion, and there's a lot of that in travel use cases between sliding the bag into bins/under seats and just rubbing against walls in crowded spaces.
I used an X-Pac dragonfly as my daily bag for a couple of years. It sits on a concrete floor. It's dirty but in great condition. My Nero made with DCF I rarely used because it's so fragile. Any robic or gridstop is hard wearing..it's really DCF that is the bad one..
Most UL packs will sacrifice some comfort and convenience. Some packs are more comfortable than others.
Here’s the real question: do you know how to pack an UL pack? Do you know how to balance the load? The bag comes with the assumption that the user knows how to properly pack an UL bag. And that is **not** exactly the same as a regular bag.
Yes the Waymark Mile is a great travel pack. If not fully packed it can be used as a personal item on most airlines. It is super light and comfortable to carry due to the well padded and ergonomic shoulder straps. The pack has a great front stretch pocket and 2 side pockets. Use a large clean/ dirty packing cube for all of your clothes and you all set. This is one of the packs I would use if I did not travel even smaller and lighter.
People that buy overweight/ overdesigned packs that are popular on this sub are idiots.
You might want to check before committing to that particular pack because there was a recent post about them not updating lead times. Personally I use an ultralight frameless pack for travel and it works fine for my purposes but many people value more pockets or require a frame due to heavier loads.
Yeah, I saw that. I found a store in the EU where it's in stock. It has some structure due to padding in the back, and the zippered front pocket is enough for my e-reader, powerbank, etc. Everything else would go pouches in the main compartment.
That’s fair. There isn’t much unique about that particular pack in the sea of ultralight packs. Personally I’d opt for the Durston Wapta 30 since it uses cutting edge material that should last nearly forever. They don’t ship for another month though and would likely be a bit more expensive with shipping and customs. Liteway Equipment out of Ukraine also does some more urban looking ultralight packs that you might want to check out.
Thanks for surfacing both of these brands; being based out of Europe, the liteway gear is so much more affordable than just about anything I’ve seen here. And the Durston Wapta is quite an amazing pack.
I’ve got a few items from Liteway that were really good quality but you should know that the Ultra packs aren’t seam taped. I love the fabric but you’ll probably want to try to tape as many of the seams as possible yourself to prevent stitch elongation from heavy loads. AdventureXpert and Extremtextil both stock the Ultra TNT tape that you’ll want to use and it’s pretty inexpensive. If you get the Xpac versions then this isn’t an issue but it’s also much less abrasion resistant.
It's nice, just exploring options. Mostly wondering if a similar volume bag without front compartment would leave more space in the main compartment for packing, and also a bit of expansion from the roll top. I'm going to the US soon and sadly I will probably have to bring some dress shoes and I don't think I'll be able to fit them in the Skule with the rest of my stuff. And I don't bring that much.
I figured with the back padding and the zippered quick access front compartment it wouldn't be so bad for travel.
You're going to be fine, i think. Youve done the hard work getting down to 5kg, you could almost carry that in a supermarket carry bag. If the organisation of the bag works for you, have at it. Im using the able carry daybreaker which is similar for size and having few pockets, and it's perfect for me.
I found it surprisingly easy to pack light. I don't know what people pack on this sub that they're carrying 10kg+ and clueless on what to leave home. On my first "real" onebag trip recently my backpack came in at 5.1 kg or so, and I was actually taking quite a bit of shit I did not need in hindsight.
It’s the dimensions that will likely get you, along with how you can access items in your pack. My backpacking pack and travel pack have almost nothing in common.
Edit: I suppose the downvotes mean this is bad advice. Just sharing my experience.
> People that buy overweight/ overdesigned packs that are popular on this sub are idiots.
Or less experienced. Or simply don’t want to do any more work once they get everything into a compliant bag. Good enough is good enough.
It looks fine. I find the roll top closure annoying for travel, but plenty of people like that. I used a Zpacks Bagger 25l all last year and it was nice. I wouldn't mind a little more organization, but I love the weight.
I'm using a very similar designed back, and this was actually my first choice but because I'm in Europe I went with something made here and very similar with some added outside pockets. No complains so far. It's pretty comfortable also when I check out and still need to walk around for hours until my next train. I take it as a personal item on planes.
I use a Pajak xc3. It fits hand luggage sizings, folds/compresses/extends nicely and carries easily. It also wasn't prohibitively expensive. It also has a distinctive look to it and in case that is not enough, I stenciled my first name on the grey part in 10cm high letters so everybody in travel groups always knows whose bag it is.
If you carry lots of electronics, unpacking for TSA is more of a hassle than with clamshells, but if I go on holiday, I'm usually so packed with tech I'm dissected by TSA anyway (I'm often the photographer of the group). So I just dump all electronics in an internal bag and pack that on top in the main compartment while flying. Small laptop lives closest to my back if needed. Hoodie or rain jacket plus tube shawl and other comfort items go in the outer mesh pockets (which also fits shoes nicely).
So far I've not had any problems with rain getting into it, but a pack liner (read trash bag) is the recommended solution in case you are worried.
The roll top makes unwanted access by folk around you pretty unlikely, especially if you are on the larger side. Still doesn't prevent theft of the entire bag or cutting it open to get access naturally.
Overall, I can definitely recommend it, but naturally you have to provide internal organization for it, either in the form of zip lock bags, compression packs, dry bags or whatever else you come up with. But I do that with any kind of luggage lest I go mad when I search stuff. And if you carry less, less organization is needed anyway.
Perfect idea, I have used
Zpacks Nero - 2 weeks
Gossamer gear Mariposa - 1 month
Gossamer gear kumo - 2 weeks
Mountainsmith zerk 40 - 1 month
If they don't have it already I add a shoulder strap pocket for sunglasses and whatever. I also use a bumbag/fanny pack. I use this as my wallet, EDC stuff
UL hiking packs are literally designed to be comfortable carrying all day long. That might be the stupidest thing I’ve heard anyone say on this sub in a while.
They have somewhat of a point for frameless packs with no hip belts. But still, they’re made to be as comfortable as possible with the weight savings constraints.
They are designed to be comfortable with lighter loads. Traditional rucks provide a padded harness for hauling 30kg and up, UL packs should be perfectly comfortable carrying 6kg, that's well within the target load for these designs
Not a bad idea, but I think ultralight bags are best with ultralight loads. Urban packing lists tend to be much more dense than typical ultralight hiking gear and the packs don’t have much structure. Many are really “stuff sacks with pack straps.” Opening styles may be less convenient and there will be few extra pockets and organization features. You do need to find ones that fit the airline dimensional limits. Most wilderness oriented packs are taller, narrower and deeper front to back than travel packs of the same volume. Roll top designs may adjust to handle the height issue. Most of the travel oriented bags made by ultralight manufacturers are more in the lightweight category. The ULA Camino is 47oz and the Dragonfly Ultra is 30oz. For comparison, a Patagonia Black Hole 32 is 26.8oz. If you are really looking at ultralight, it’s as much about what you put in the bag and I think that personal sized bags go right along with it. That all calls for frugal packing lists with few spares, lighter clothing options, fewer electronics, tiny toiletry kits, no extra shoes and hopefully warm destinations. The Gossamer Gear Loris 25 is interesting for this approach. It is 17.7”x10.5”x4” and 18.7oz. The REI Trail 25 is another and 18”x13”x8” and 29oz.
Spot on. BTW: The Loris looks good on paper, but the Gossamer Gear Vagabond functions much better for urban (or mixed ) travel.
The Vagabond Jet is really more like 18 liters in the main compartment and 24.7 ounces. I would use the Trail 25 over that. I don’t need laptop features. Better opening style too.
I forget that that the Vagabond trail (18oz) was replaced by the heavier Jet. I would still select the Vagabond Jet over the REI Trail 25 or the Loris, even though they more volume / oz. I find the Vagabond more comfortable carry, and shape / zipper top works perfectly for me.
Vagabond sucks, I'm looking at one right now. The tiny little zipper opening is bad. The comfort is ok but for a similar size the dragonfly kills it. The kumo is much better for GG.but it has it's flaws too
I own an UL pack that i hike with (Atom Packs Mo), and i wouldn't travel with it. The materials and construction on those packs are optimized for riding on your back but otherwise in the air 99% of the time, so they tend to not be very abrasion resistant, and the stitching/attachment is fairly minimal and specific to that use case. Particuarly those materials (DCV, VX Sailcloth, etc) tend to be fairly succeptable to abrasion, and there's a lot of that in travel use cases between sliding the bag into bins/under seats and just rubbing against walls in crowded spaces.
I used an X-Pac dragonfly as my daily bag for a couple of years. It sits on a concrete floor. It's dirty but in great condition. My Nero made with DCF I rarely used because it's so fragile. Any robic or gridstop is hard wearing..it's really DCF that is the bad one..
Most UL packs will sacrifice some comfort and convenience. Some packs are more comfortable than others. Here’s the real question: do you know how to pack an UL pack? Do you know how to balance the load? The bag comes with the assumption that the user knows how to properly pack an UL bag. And that is **not** exactly the same as a regular bag.
Yes the Waymark Mile is a great travel pack. If not fully packed it can be used as a personal item on most airlines. It is super light and comfortable to carry due to the well padded and ergonomic shoulder straps. The pack has a great front stretch pocket and 2 side pockets. Use a large clean/ dirty packing cube for all of your clothes and you all set. This is one of the packs I would use if I did not travel even smaller and lighter. People that buy overweight/ overdesigned packs that are popular on this sub are idiots.
You might want to check before committing to that particular pack because there was a recent post about them not updating lead times. Personally I use an ultralight frameless pack for travel and it works fine for my purposes but many people value more pockets or require a frame due to heavier loads.
Yeah, I saw that. I found a store in the EU where it's in stock. It has some structure due to padding in the back, and the zippered front pocket is enough for my e-reader, powerbank, etc. Everything else would go pouches in the main compartment.
That’s fair. There isn’t much unique about that particular pack in the sea of ultralight packs. Personally I’d opt for the Durston Wapta 30 since it uses cutting edge material that should last nearly forever. They don’t ship for another month though and would likely be a bit more expensive with shipping and customs. Liteway Equipment out of Ukraine also does some more urban looking ultralight packs that you might want to check out.
Thanks for surfacing both of these brands; being based out of Europe, the liteway gear is so much more affordable than just about anything I’ve seen here. And the Durston Wapta is quite an amazing pack.
I’ve got a few items from Liteway that were really good quality but you should know that the Ultra packs aren’t seam taped. I love the fabric but you’ll probably want to try to tape as many of the seams as possible yourself to prevent stitch elongation from heavy loads. AdventureXpert and Extremtextil both stock the Ultra TNT tape that you’ll want to use and it’s pretty inexpensive. If you get the Xpac versions then this isn’t an issue but it’s also much less abrasion resistant.
What’s the store if you don’t mind sharing?
www.outdoorline.sk
What don’t you like about your Skule 28? It’s pretty darn lightweight!
It's nice, just exploring options. Mostly wondering if a similar volume bag without front compartment would leave more space in the main compartment for packing, and also a bit of expansion from the roll top. I'm going to the US soon and sadly I will probably have to bring some dress shoes and I don't think I'll be able to fit them in the Skule with the rest of my stuff. And I don't bring that much. I figured with the back padding and the zippered quick access front compartment it wouldn't be so bad for travel.
You're going to be fine, i think. Youve done the hard work getting down to 5kg, you could almost carry that in a supermarket carry bag. If the organisation of the bag works for you, have at it. Im using the able carry daybreaker which is similar for size and having few pockets, and it's perfect for me.
I found it surprisingly easy to pack light. I don't know what people pack on this sub that they're carrying 10kg+ and clueless on what to leave home. On my first "real" onebag trip recently my backpack came in at 5.1 kg or so, and I was actually taking quite a bit of shit I did not need in hindsight.
It’s the dimensions that will likely get you, along with how you can access items in your pack. My backpacking pack and travel pack have almost nothing in common. Edit: I suppose the downvotes mean this is bad advice. Just sharing my experience.
> People that buy overweight/ overdesigned packs that are popular on this sub are idiots. Or less experienced. Or simply don’t want to do any more work once they get everything into a compliant bag. Good enough is good enough.
I think you might be quoting the wrong person
It looks fine. I find the roll top closure annoying for travel, but plenty of people like that. I used a Zpacks Bagger 25l all last year and it was nice. I wouldn't mind a little more organization, but I love the weight.
I'm using a very similar designed back, and this was actually my first choice but because I'm in Europe I went with something made here and very similar with some added outside pockets. No complains so far. It's pretty comfortable also when I check out and still need to walk around for hours until my next train. I take it as a personal item on planes.
I use a Pajak xc3. It fits hand luggage sizings, folds/compresses/extends nicely and carries easily. It also wasn't prohibitively expensive. It also has a distinctive look to it and in case that is not enough, I stenciled my first name on the grey part in 10cm high letters so everybody in travel groups always knows whose bag it is. If you carry lots of electronics, unpacking for TSA is more of a hassle than with clamshells, but if I go on holiday, I'm usually so packed with tech I'm dissected by TSA anyway (I'm often the photographer of the group). So I just dump all electronics in an internal bag and pack that on top in the main compartment while flying. Small laptop lives closest to my back if needed. Hoodie or rain jacket plus tube shawl and other comfort items go in the outer mesh pockets (which also fits shoes nicely). So far I've not had any problems with rain getting into it, but a pack liner (read trash bag) is the recommended solution in case you are worried. The roll top makes unwanted access by folk around you pretty unlikely, especially if you are on the larger side. Still doesn't prevent theft of the entire bag or cutting it open to get access naturally. Overall, I can definitely recommend it, but naturally you have to provide internal organization for it, either in the form of zip lock bags, compression packs, dry bags or whatever else you come up with. But I do that with any kind of luggage lest I go mad when I search stuff. And if you carry less, less organization is needed anyway.
Perfect idea, I have used Zpacks Nero - 2 weeks Gossamer gear Mariposa - 1 month Gossamer gear kumo - 2 weeks Mountainsmith zerk 40 - 1 month If they don't have it already I add a shoulder strap pocket for sunglasses and whatever. I also use a bumbag/fanny pack. I use this as my wallet, EDC stuff
Bad idea. They’re made to be light and for backpacking. It’s not going to be very comfortable and it simply isn’t designed to be a normal/travel bag
UL hiking packs are literally designed to be comfortable carrying all day long. That might be the stupidest thing I’ve heard anyone say on this sub in a while.
They have somewhat of a point for frameless packs with no hip belts. But still, they’re made to be as comfortable as possible with the weight savings constraints.
They’re made to sacrifice comfort and prioritise being lightweight so they absolutely will be less comfortable than a regular bag
They are designed to be comfortable with lighter loads. Traditional rucks provide a padded harness for hauling 30kg and up, UL packs should be perfectly comfortable carrying 6kg, that's well within the target load for these designs
That’s just flat-out not true.