The pack I used on Coast2Coast Sweden was new to me. It is part of a series of tests of European lightweight packs done for Backpackinglight.com a k a BPL. This one was a Montane Ultra Tour 55 (55 stands for volume in litres).
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By Jörgen Johansson
The Ultra Tour 55 weighs 850 grams and is a framless pack with plenty of nifty details, some working better than others. I will be more detailed in my article, likely to be published on BPL this fall.
I have used framless packs quite a bit, and my old Golite Jam2 (605 grams) is still a favorite. In spite of this there are a number of packs suitable for multiday trips with light frames weighing less than one kilo on the market today. In my opinion framless packs have no weight advantage and thus should be history, since they put greater demands on the user.
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I have used framless packs quite a bit, and my old Golite Jam2 (605 grams) is still a favorite. In spite of this there are a number of packs suitable for multiday trips with light frames weighing less than one kilo on the market today. In my opinion framless packs have no weight advantage and thus should be history, since they put greater demands on the user.
The idea behind a framless pack is that gear inside in combination with compression straps on the pack serve as a "frame", transferring weight to the hipbelt. So packing it takes some thought and a bit of care, you do not just dump things into the pack and close it.
Without going into more detail right now I can only say that the Ultra Tour 55 would have been a lot better with some sort of frame. It is possible that its little brother/sister (trying for PC here, not my best subject...) the Ultra Tour 40, would work better without a frame.
Without going into more detail right now I can only say that the Ultra Tour 55 would have been a lot better with some sort of frame. It is possible that its little brother/sister (trying for PC here, not my best subject...) the Ultra Tour 40, would work better without a frame.