Seek Outside Flight One

One of the few lightweight packs that can honestly carry 30-40 pounds comfortably. It's a very durable pack to boot.

I own a Seek Outside Divide, which I've reviewed here, and love it. It resides on a frame that was designed for heavier loads and larger loads; it's pretty light, but far from ultralight—enter the Flight.

The Flight is a new offering from SO, smaller volume and a redesigned suspension. Certainly won't replace their heavy haulers, but for your average backpacker, it's worth looking at. At 60 liters (and some roomy pockets) it'll handle a week long "summer" trip without any problem.

While maybe not in the true ultralight range, the Flight is light at 37 oz for its 24-inch frame. It's offered in two fabrics—XPac or Spectra. The XPac is nearly waterproof. The Spectra is more durable in rough environs (think canyons/rock). The XPac is plenty durable and I like a waterproof bag, so that's what I opted for.

The suspension consists of a lightweight, rectangular aluminum frame with load lifters at the top of the frame. The hip belt and shoulder straps are very comfortable and amply padded. Two very large pockets on the hip belt, probably the nicest pockets I've seen on any pack. Two very large side bottle (or other items) pockets—easily carry two one liter bottles in each. One large front pocket.

I've had this pack on numerous outings, including three 100-ish mile outings w/ a LOT of off trail/scrambling involved. It's a great pack that really excels at loads in the 25-35 pound range, even while scrambling.

A couple of digs. I'm a 32-inch waist and I'm at the very end of adjustment for the hip belt (of the smaller belt); any smaller and it's not going to work. They need to add one more belt size, the "small" is really a medium.

I have a long-ish torso (20-21") and opted for the 24-inch frame. With loads of 25 pounds or less, the frame is adequately sized. With heavier loads, the waist belt compresses enough that you lose frame length, and take away the benefits of the load lifter straps. They need to offer a 26-inch frame.

If you have a shorter torso, you're probably golden.

I've owned a lot (lot) of different backpacks and many said they handled 30+ pounds, none have very well—the Flight does AND still remains light, worth a look!

 

Background

I've owned the pack for six months and have racked up about 400 miles with it thus far; it's headed for the Wonderland Trail next week :)