It was a couple years ago; I was standing outside the hospital in my hometown with a buddy who had a ton of experience in backpacking.  I had just come off of a backpacking trip where my wife and I had carried very heavy packs up into the Chisos Mountains in South Texas (Big Bend National Park).  I was very interested in the ultralight world and was hammering him with questions.  He named off several names of gear makers that I had never heard of, one being Outdoor Vitals.

I had been to several stores looking at different packs and gear, but the ones that are Ultralight, they do not seem to be in stores.  I am not sure why, but maybe it is because they can’t seem to make the gear fast enough to build up stock.  I don’t know.  Outdoor Vitals doesn’t even put their stuff in any online stores such as www.garagegrowngear.com  They only have their gear available on their own website in order to cut down costs and markups.  I respect that.

Jason told me about the pack that he decided to go with before backpacking the Ouachita Trail in Arkansas.  He chose the 45 L Shadowlight from Outdoor Vitals.  I had to go and check this one out.  It is an ultralight backpack that actually has a frame.  With so many out there that are frameless, this intrigued me as I had always had pack with a frame when hauling significant loads.  The only time I wen without a frame was when I was going to work or school, then the weight was light and truly didn’t matter.

When we left each other, I immediately got on the interwebs and straight to the Outdoor Vitals website.  Many different pics, videos and descriptions were available for the packs and they had 2 different size options.  The weights were pretty close to the same, so I just had to decide how big of a pack I wanted.  I had not updated some of my gear at this point, so bulky and heavy was the way of the BROfessor.  A little at a time.  Money was an issue, as the lighter gear was accompanied by a much higher price tag.  Baby steps.

Here is what I discovered OV to say about their pack…

From the website (www.outdoorvitals.com):

The ShadowLight™ Ultralight backpack brings a new meaning to “ultralight backpacking”. No longer do you have to sacrifice everything to get below a 2 lb. pack weight!

Shadowlight- named for its ultralight weight and how well it rides on your back. Due to its geometry and weight, it feels like an extension of your body.

I can attest to this.  It fit me well.  I ended up going with the 60L as I had a fear of not being able to fit everything inside and having to do without.  I had not, at this time, signed on to the minimalist mindset and wanted to bring the kitchen sink on all the trips.  That should be big enough, plus it will cinch down small and if I did get smaller, lighter, gear, would leave me some extra room for whatever like more food.

It rode just fine on my back and felt good.  I liked the form of the frame.  I liked the “geometry” they talked about.  The problem I had though, was not their fault, it was mine.  I did not measure myself before ordering the pack.  At only 5’9” tall, I thought there was no way that I would be able to wear anything more than medium pack.  It did not fit me well and I never understood why until I actually had someone measure my torso putting me at a 21” which would have me at a Large pack instead of a medium.  The belt kept riding up on me and just didn’t fit right.  But again, that is on me and not them.

What DID make me not very happy was that I bought my wife the 45L so we could match.  She loves being able to match me and us have similar gear.  I love that too.  It makes for cool pics when we have similar pieces of gear.  It came in and she loved it.  She was so excited.  We headed to the UP in Michigan to take on a section of the North Country Trail.  But, once again, we made a mistake, we did not try the pack out before we left home, leaving her old pack at the house.  When we arrived, we packed everything out in the hotel the night before and went on a test run.  For some reason the frame on the 45L was hitting her in the back of the neck.  We could not adjust it where it was comfortable.  Now we were in a pickle.  This was the only pack we brought, and it did not fit her, nor was it comfortable at all for her.  She could not look up, for when she did, the back of her neck hit the frame of the pack.  She measured out for a medium and that was the right pack, yet it did not seem to fit her and I am not sure why.

• Ultralight and Ultra Comfortable: Coming in at under 2 lbs. (including a durable 24 in. frame & wide hip belt,) it comfortably carries up to 35+ lbs. The shoulder straps, hip belt, & removable back panel were all crafted to fit anatomically, making the Shadowlight Backpack feel more like an extension of your body.

Durability is a definite on this pack.  You can tell these are made well.  I am not naïve and know they do not have a couple people putting these together one by one and most likely they are mass produced in some foreign country (Vietnam I think), but it is sewn well and I couldn’t find any flaws anywhere.  I love how the back panel is removeable and all the straps and belts really fit just perfectly and formed to the shape of my body.

• Ultralight With Extra Organization and Access: The Shadowlight Backpack is equipped with side pockets, large hip belt pockets, stretch-mesh pockets, & a full length main panel entry zipper to keep you organized on the trail while keeping your pack weight under 2 lbs. The adjustable roll-top gives you additional access & customizable space for packing.

This pack was great for organization.  I loved how it included a space for a bladder.  With most ultralight packs these days you don’t get that.  My wife and I both still use bladders.  Yes they are hard to get to and hard to refill, but when they are empty, they take up almost zero space and add no weight.  You can fill them up and get a full day of water out of them without having to touch your reserves or use other space for more bottles.  When you are in the dessert for multiple days, you need all the water you can carry and sometimes need the space as well.

I love the upper pockets on this pack.  With most ultralight packs you get 3 outside pockets and two of those are for water. It is easy for gear to get lost, especially small gear.  Having those upper small pockets made it easy to put snacks or lunch or stuff that I wanted to get to without having to dig everything out the pack.

It has a full entry zipper to allow you to get inside the pack without having to unroll the top.  I never used this.  I am not a fan of zippers because zippers tend to fail.  If a zipper fails and your pack is completely open and exposed, what do you do to get to where you are going.  I try and stay organized and not have to dig in the bottom of my pack until I get to camp.

• High Strength Ultralight Fabric: We used our own special Spectra / Robic Ripstop fabric, which gives you the benefits of both a high tenacity nylon & UHMWPE fiber! Enjoy the strength and durability of a much heavier fabric, but now in an ultralight package.

I love the fabric on the pack.  It is only available in one color (one for each size), and so that was not really a choice nor do I care.  But the pack was very strong and seemed as if it would last a long time.  With some ultralight packs, you have to take very good care of them and watch where you sit them down or be especially careful with them because the material is so lightweight and fragile.  It is not that way with this pack.  It is tough and durable.

Embrace a better kind of ultralight exploration that doesn’t sacrifice comfort & organization with the Shadowlight Backpack.

There is only a 1 oz difference in the weights of the two sizes of packs so the weight did not deter me from getting the larger pack.  It is only the amount of material that was difference in how the two sizes were made so that does not add hardly any weight.  I just wanted the larger size because when my wife and I backpack together, I carry most of the food and our tent.  That allows her to carry a smaller pack.

Weight:

45L: 1 lb. 14.5 oz

60L: 1 lb. 15.5 oz

On the website, it also gives you the features of this model of pack.  The features listed for this pack are as follows…

Roll-top enclosure, with front center zip access

Love the roll top enclosure.  This is pretty standard with ultralight packs.  As I said earlier, not a fan of the zipper access, so never used it.

Top cinch strap to further secure roll-top or to strap on pads, tents, etc.

This is a great addition that I loved.  It has a great top cinch strap where you can roll down the top and still be able to strap in jackets, ditty bags, bear cans etc.

Self-compressing bottom curve to keep your load higher & closer to your back

The ergonomics of the pack were made so that when you pack it right, it conforms to the shape of your body.  It does this pretty well.  While backpacking, it rode well on my back and was very comfortable.  I can imagine if it was the right size, it would have been that much better.  I won’t make that mistake again.

Front – 2 stretch fabric pockets to hold extra gear

I love the fact that the front fabric pocket is divided into two instead of one large one.  This is something that is not common on many packs.  With most packs you have a very large front pocket that can easily get stretched so far out of proportion (with use) and can become a hindrance as things can move around making it uncomfortable to carry.  With the large pocket being divided, there is less chance of this happening and items can be stored much more securely.

Hip Belt – 2 hip belt zippered pockets with key clip

Always want hip pockets.  Gotta have the snacks!  These pockets were smaller than what I would like.  My large iPhone would not fit, so I was forced to come up with a chest pack to carry it.  A few snacks in each pocket was nice.  I like the key clip.  Never want to lose the keys to the car so that is a nice addition.

Sides – 2 Water bottle pockets, with a pocket above to hold even more gear

Love the water bottle pockets. They are large enough to hold 2 Smart Water Bottles in each pocket.  They are not too deep to allow things to get lost and just the right size.  The upper pockets are legit awesome for storing small items.

Removable hip belt

This is a nice addition and one that many do not think of.  With all the pressure that comes with a hip belt, there can be wear over time.  You can replace the hip belt if something happens to it without having to have the pack taken apart and resewn.

Removable aluminum frame (We recommend you only remove the frame if you intend to go frameless long-term, it is very difficult to put back in place properly)

This was the back breaker for my wife with this pack.  It just did not fit her properly.  Since the frame is hard to replace properly, we decided to sell the pack and get a frameless that would fit her and be more comfortable.  I have always had a framed pack so it was nice for me and did not bother me.  It carried the load well for me and I truly enjoyed the pack (other than it being a little too small for my torso which again, was my fault).

Removable back pad that also doubles as a sit pad

Great addition and perfect spot.  I am noticing a trend with ultralight packs in this design now.  It is a great placement and genius idea.  Helps with comfort in carrying the pack and also is easily removable when you stop in order to have something to sit on.

Reinforced fabric on underside of pack & pockets

Durability.  You can tell that the Outdoor Vitals crew put this through the tests of being in the field.  I know they go out and test a lot and it is evident.  They do a great job of making sure their gear will last.  Having a heavier duty fabric on the bottom side where it sits a lot is a no brainer.  It works.

 

Final Thoughts

I was very excited when I discovered this pack.  More than likely if this pack had been the right size (can’t say it enough that is a fault of my own), I would have kept it.  Since using this pack on multiple backpacking trips, I have decided to move on and upgrade to the Outdoor Vitals CS40 ULTRA.  If you watch Tayson and the guys from OV on any of the YouTube Videos, that is the pack they are using.  I thought if it was the one they were using, that was the one I should be using.

Nevertheless, this pack, the Shadowlight pack, served me well.  Although the fitting was not right for my wife (she has moved on to a Gossamer Gear pack frameless as her ultralight pack), it felt good for me.  I loved many of the features of this pack, but a few things I did not like as well.

 

Advantages

1. Ultralight pack with a frame is nice.
2. Formed to body well.
3. Carried load easily
4. You can wear this pack all day without any issues.
5. Split front pocket.
6. Nice for organization.
7. Holder for bladder.

 

Disadvantages (in my opinion)

1. Pricewise, you can get a handmade USA pack for the same price from ULA and other similar companies instead of a bulk made foreign pack that was just designed in the US.
2. The hip belt pockets were too small.
3. The frame was off for my wife, not sure why.
4. Zipper access (just a preference for me as a possible future failure point).

 

I was glad to have the opportunity to give this pack a try.  It was what propelled me into the ultralight world.  It gave me so much more pleasure hauling around than the 7 lb pack I had been carrying. It opened my eyes into a whole new world that others were enjoying that I had not yet imagined could be possible.  It was so nice and comfortable.  I would have been just fine replacing it with the same model that fit, but that was just a last-minute split decision that makes me who I am.  Constantly evolving and changing.  I love Outdoor Vitals and have tons of their gear from packs to clothing and everything in between.  They are a great company with great customer service.  I always admire and support that.

 

Til the next adventure…