You do a great job with your unscripted gear reviews! I use the SWD 50 Long Haul for 3 to 5 day trips and the 70 L Big Wild for longer trips and/or using more gear. Outstanding UL packs - well designed and like you said incredibly comfortable. Had mine seam sealed by SWD before they shipped hem and glad I did. How well these packs are designed and still be Ultralight cannot be overstated. Even the side pockets - they are large and designed to allow much easier access with the pack on compared other UL packs that I have owned - you do not have to be a double-jointed Houdini to access and replace your water bottles when using the side pockets to carry them - same goes for food and water filters if you stash those items in the side pockets as well.
Thank you mate! Totally agree with you on the side pockets - they're massive, and very user friendly. Do you use a bear can with either of your packs? I have a BV500 that won't fit horizontally in my LH50, and have been trying to find out if a BV475 would fit horizontally.
@@PaulandaPack I have a B475 and it fits both packs horizontally. The 50L Long Haul is tighter though and can only fit the BV475 horizontally in the top 1/3 of the pack. I prefer using the 70L Big Wild more out of the 2 packs just because it has more room, (and if I may be just a bit nitpicky) feels better on my back and handles more weight and is just 8 oz more than the 50L. Happy to have and use both packs though!~
@craigsmith9541 Brilliant, thank you! I don't like having to carry a canister vertically, so knowing that a 475 will fit horizontally is a great help, many thanks!
Thank you mate, appreciate the comment. Yeah, I've used the Dipole 2 Li on my last few trips and do like it. Whether I keep it or not will depend on what my plans end up being this year - it may be that I'll change to something a little smaller. If I do end up keeping it, I'll certainly do a long term review on it.
Thank you very, very much for this, Paul im about to get a Coffee and sit and watch, i have ordered mine, in Ultra400x with some mods, i asked SWD about the delamination they said if it was really bad on the collar they would cut it off and replace! One of my mods was to add an extension to the collar. Again thanks for the trio of wonderful reviews on this and thanks for doing this like you said you would the other week.
Awesome! Hope the wait time isn't too bad for you! I've been meaning to do this video for a while - your request was the kick up the a## that I needed! Cheers! Hope you enjoy your pack when it arrives.
Great long term review mate. Really detailed and some great honest feedback here. I'll be putting an order in for the Wolverine at some point...when I can afford it. 😬
Packs can now be seam sealed for $75 where fabric allows. I think yours is Ultra 200 (no longer available), as you got yours before mine. Mine is UltraX 200, which should be an improvement. I use shock cord with Line Loks on the bottom, because opening the pack changes the structure and may loosen up the non-stretchy straps, whereas shock cord just lives with it. I carry a folded CCF mat on the bottom.
Thanks for the update on the materials, I hadn't realised that they'd switched. I'm scared to go on the website in case I get tempted to order another pack lol.
@@PaulandaPack I know. Since I got mine, Brandon added tall side pocket option and upper side pocket and seam sealing... all the things I asked for but weren't available at the time. I'm almost tempted to order a new pack myself. 🤣
I have a 2023 wendigo (now Wolverine). I can confirm I have that same issue with the little gatekeepers coming undone. My only complaint is that I wish they used a little wider webbing on the shoulder straps and the hipbelt. Other than that it’s been the best pack I’ve ever owned.
Nic review. I have a Wolverine 70. Same design but bigger packbag, longer stays and thicker hipbelt. My buddy has the same pack you do. Main difference is that everything besides water fits inside my pack and on long water carrys (we do a bit of desert hiking- so a 4L water carry is standard, 6-8L not unusual with an occasional 10L carry) - my pack is a bit more comfortable. I did get mine seam taped and replaced the back pad with a cutdown Zlite pad (the bumpiness aids in ventilation).
Wow, respect to you for those water carries! The thick hipbelt on this pack is something that I love, it's so comfy. Nice little idea about replacing the pad.
@@PaulandaPack Just did a desert backpack with 10L Water carry with an additional 3 pieces of firewood last weekend. 10 mile first day with lots of sand (yuck) and then.... ending with a 1/2 mile slog through a stream. So much for needing that much water. Pack carried great!
Enjoyed all your reviews on this backpack. I just bought a very lightly used Rugged LH 50, made in 2022. Upgrading from a Deuter ACT Zero 50+15. I'm in colder weather a lot and usually pack 6-7 days of food. Any tips for fitting cold weather gear into/outside the bag? Would using a liner help delay delamination? You put a lot of miles on it but still disappointed it delaminated so quickly.
Hello mate, nice purchase! I'm not sure a pack liner would help delay delamination much. I guess it might stop a bit of friction between objects in the bag and the inner of the material. I doubt it would hurt and I'd always recommend using one now anyway. If your pack has the small attachment points on the bottom (some small webbing loops, pretty sure it will have) you can easily lash dry bags and the like to the bottom of the pack. SWD sell some straps for this purpose, or you can probably source some that would work. Generally the bottom exterior of the pack is not a good place for tents, but for clothing or other bulky items suitably protected in a dry bag it would work. You can also do the same on the top of the pack using the top strap. If the top strap isn't there, again, the lashing points should be.
I had a Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60 before I got the same pack as Paul here did. It felt a bit fragile and the fabric showed signs of strain on tension points where the shoulder straps and the top strap were attached. SWD carries heavier load more comfortable compared to lighter Zpacks.
It annoys me how a lot of manufacturers call their products ultralight even though they are relatively heavy. This backpack is lighter than a traditional heavy backpack, but it is far from ultralight. I'm looking for a new backpack, but I want a truly ultralight one with a weight under 600g.
I can see your annoyance with that. For me, the comfort and load carrying ability are more important than a minimal weight, so it didn't bother me so much.
You do a great job with your unscripted gear reviews! I use the SWD 50 Long Haul for 3 to 5 day trips and the 70 L Big Wild for longer trips and/or using more gear. Outstanding UL packs - well designed and like you said incredibly comfortable. Had mine seam sealed by SWD before they shipped hem and glad I did. How well these packs are designed and still be Ultralight cannot be overstated. Even the side pockets - they are large and designed to allow much easier access with the pack on compared other UL packs that I have owned - you do not have to be a double-jointed Houdini to access and replace your water bottles when using the side pockets to carry them - same goes for food and water filters if you stash those items in the side pockets as well.
Thank you mate! Totally agree with you on the side pockets - they're massive, and very user friendly.
Do you use a bear can with either of your packs? I have a BV500 that won't fit horizontally in my LH50, and have been trying to find out if a BV475 would fit horizontally.
@@PaulandaPack I have a B475 and it fits both packs horizontally. The 50L Long Haul is tighter though and can only fit the BV475 horizontally in the top 1/3 of the pack. I prefer using the 70L Big Wild more out of the 2 packs just because it has more room, (and if I may be just a bit nitpicky) feels better on my back and handles more weight and is just 8 oz more than the 50L. Happy to have and use both packs though!~
@craigsmith9541 Brilliant, thank you! I don't like having to carry a canister vertically, so knowing that a 475 will fit horizontally is a great help, many thanks!
Great review. I noticed you have been using a Dipole tent. I hope you can do a follow up video on it as well. Thanks again, great channel.
Thank you mate, appreciate the comment. Yeah, I've used the Dipole 2 Li on my last few trips and do like it. Whether I keep it or not will depend on what my plans end up being this year - it may be that I'll change to something a little smaller. If I do end up keeping it, I'll certainly do a long term review on it.
Same pack, same color. Absolutely love it
You obviously have excellent taste!!
Thank you very, very much for this, Paul im about to get a Coffee and sit and watch, i have ordered mine, in Ultra400x with some mods, i asked SWD about the delamination they said if it was really bad on the collar they would cut it off and replace! One of my mods was to add an extension to the collar. Again thanks for the trio of wonderful reviews on this and thanks for doing this like you said you would the other week.
Awesome! Hope the wait time isn't too bad for you!
I've been meaning to do this video for a while - your request was the kick up the a## that I needed! Cheers!
Hope you enjoy your pack when it arrives.
4 months but that's ok, patience is a good thing.
Great long term review mate. Really detailed and some great honest feedback here. I'll be putting an order in for the Wolverine at some point...when I can afford it. 😬
Thanks mate. Maybe you could ask Santa for one? I hear he can get hold of anything!
@@PaulandaPack I did ask, but the grumpy old sod said I'd been too naughty! 🤷♂
Packs can now be seam sealed for $75 where fabric allows.
I think yours is Ultra 200 (no longer available), as you got yours before mine. Mine is UltraX 200, which should be an improvement.
I use shock cord with Line Loks on the bottom, because opening the pack changes the structure and may loosen up the non-stretchy straps, whereas shock cord just lives with it. I carry a folded CCF mat on the bottom.
Thanks for the update on the materials, I hadn't realised that they'd switched. I'm scared to go on the website in case I get tempted to order another pack lol.
@@PaulandaPack I know. Since I got mine, Brandon added tall side pocket option and upper side pocket and seam sealing... all the things I asked for but weren't available at the time. I'm almost tempted to order a new pack myself. 🤣
@@OddManAndTheSeaUKalso tubular u shaped frame... Stronger, lighter..
I have a 2023 wendigo (now Wolverine). I can confirm I have that same issue with the little gatekeepers coming undone. My only complaint is that I wish they used a little wider webbing on the shoulder straps and the hipbelt. Other than that it’s been the best pack I’ve ever owned.
Aha, it's not just me that's had that happen with the gatekeepers then! Still, it's a small price to pay for what is an excellently constructed pack.
Nic review. I have a Wolverine 70. Same design but bigger packbag, longer stays and thicker hipbelt. My buddy has the same pack you do. Main difference is that everything besides water fits inside my pack and on long water carrys (we do a bit of desert hiking- so a 4L water carry is standard, 6-8L not unusual with an occasional 10L carry) - my pack is a bit more comfortable. I did get mine seam taped and replaced the back pad with a cutdown Zlite pad (the bumpiness aids in ventilation).
Wow, respect to you for those water carries! The thick hipbelt on this pack is something that I love, it's so comfy. Nice little idea about replacing the pad.
@@PaulandaPack Just did a desert backpack with 10L Water carry with an additional 3 pieces of firewood last weekend. 10 mile first day with lots of sand (yuck) and then.... ending with a 1/2 mile slog through a stream. So much for needing that much water. Pack carried great!
@@obchristo Awesome! You can bet that stream would have been dry if you weren't carrying so much water 😆
Enjoyed all your reviews on this backpack. I just bought a very lightly used Rugged LH 50, made in 2022. Upgrading from a Deuter ACT Zero 50+15.
I'm in colder weather a lot and usually pack 6-7 days of food. Any tips for fitting cold weather gear into/outside the bag? Would using a liner help delay delamination? You put a lot of miles on it but still disappointed it delaminated so quickly.
Hello mate, nice purchase! I'm not sure a pack liner would help delay delamination much. I guess it might stop a bit of friction between objects in the bag and the inner of the material. I doubt it would hurt and I'd always recommend using one now anyway. If your pack has the small attachment points on the bottom (some small webbing loops, pretty sure it will have) you can easily lash dry bags and the like to the bottom of the pack. SWD sell some straps for this purpose, or you can probably source some that would work. Generally the bottom exterior of the pack is not a good place for tents, but for clothing or other bulky items suitably protected in a dry bag it would work. You can also do the same on the top of the pack using the top strap. If the top strap isn't there, again, the lashing points should be.
It could be that the black color absorbs UV more easily, so it degrades more quickly. I use the EPLX fabric of the same product too, I love it
Good point, I'd not considered the UV factor, definitely a possibility.
You had also a look at the zpacks?
Sorry, no, I've not used a ZPacks backpack.
I had a Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60 before I got the same pack as Paul here did. It felt a bit fragile and the fabric showed signs of strain on tension points where the shoulder straps and the top strap were attached. SWD carries heavier load more comfortable compared to lighter Zpacks.
@@OddManAndTheSeaUK thx for the answer. I will test the swd.
It annoys me how a lot of manufacturers call their products ultralight even though they are relatively heavy. This backpack is lighter than a traditional heavy backpack, but it is far from ultralight.
I'm looking for a new backpack, but I want a truly ultralight one with a weight under 600g.
Their SL40 comes in slightly under that.
I can see your annoyance with that. For me, the comfort and load carrying ability are more important than a minimal weight, so it didn't bother me so much.
Have you checked out KS Ultralight? Crazy homepage to navigate but very light bags.