10 Best Ultralight Frameless Backpacks of 2023

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10 Best Ultralight Frameless Backpacks of 2023


As ultralight backpacking gear has gotten lighter weight, so have ultralight backpacks. So a lot so, that many thru-hikers, section-hikers, and long-distance backpackers are turning to frameless ultralight backpacks for his or her adventures. Designed for a great deal of 20-25 kilos or much less (together with meals, water, and gasoline), these backpacks and their producers have confirmed to be wildly progressive of their use of cutting-edge supplies, colours, and options.  While backpacking this mild isn’t for everybody, the elevated availability of ultralight backpacking gear and entry to know-how by means of social media has made it extra achievable than ever.

If your goal is to scale back the load of your backpack to shut to a pound or much less, listed here are some methods of attaining that objective.

  1. Use a frameless backpack, because you don’t want the added assist or weight of a body or perhaps a hip belt for hundreds below 20-25 kilos.
  2. Reduce the quantity of your pack to 40L or much less. which forces you to make use of lighter-weight and extra compact gear.
  3. Pick backpacks made with ultralight materials like Dyneema DCF, Ultra, or EcoPaokay that are waterproof and extremely sturdy.

Here are the ten frameless ultralight backpacks that we advocate that embody these qualities.

Be positive to learn our Frameless Ultralight Backpack Selection Guide beneath which explains these tradeoffs in larger element.

Note: If you need an ultralight backpack that has a body or body stays, a fully-featured hip belt, can comfortably carry 25-40+ kilos, however nonetheless weighs between 2 – 3 lbs, see our article, The 10 Best Ultralight Backpacks (with frames).

1. Nashville Packs Cutaway (42L)

Nashville Cutaway

The Nashville Packs Cutaway is likely one of the most progressive frameless ultralight backpacks we’ve encountered in a very long time. It’s a 42L (whole quantity) roll-top with aspect and entrance pockets, in addition to a backside sleeve for trash or hats, buffs, and snacks, and is designed in order that the entire exterior pockets will be accessed on the transfer whereas sporting the pack. While it’s accessible in a wide range of ultralight materials, the factor that units this pack aside is the optionally available vest-style shoulder strap system which is hands-down probably the most snug, best-fitting, and useful vest-style shoulder strap system we’ve ever used. This is as a result of Nashville has a singular manner of measuring your dimension for the very best match. You may also get the Cutaway with common shoulder straps as a result of the pack is modular and you’ll swap between them. Read the SectionHiker evaluate.

Available from:
Nashville Packs

2. Pa’lante Packs V2 (31-37L)

Palante Packs V2
Pa’lante Packs is likely one of the unique movers amongst second-generation frameless backpack producers and lots of different of their improvements have been copied now by others. Their V2 backpack contains the unique backside pocket for stowing snacks, layers, and trash, shoulder strap pockets, a stashable hipbelt, adjustable aspect pockets, and a chosen stake pocket. The V2 is out there off-the-shelf in two torso lengths: 16″ and 19″ and two colours: sand and black.

Available from:
Pa’lante Packs | Garage Grown Gear

3. LiteAF Ultra Curve 30L (45L)

Ultra-Lime-Green
The LiteAF Ultra Curve 30L has a important physique with 30L of drugs storage, with a further 15L in exterior pockets, totaling 45L. Made with Ultra 200 material and seam-sealed, it’s a roll-top backpack made with giant aspect pockets and the entrance mesh pocket discovered on ultralight-style packs. But the factor that basically units LiteAF aside from different ultralight pack makers is the wide selection of garish colours, patterns, and materials they provide. If you’re sick of white, black, or grey-colored backpacks and need a pack that lets your freak flag fly, try their coloration palette. The max really useful load is 20 kilos.

Available from:
LiteAF

4. Waymark EVLV Ultra (35L)

Waymark EVLV Ultra 38
The Waymark EVLV Ultra is a minimalist frameless pack with a roll-top closure, aspect water bottle pockets, a entrance stretch pocket, and daisy chains on the shoulder straps.  It’s made with Ultra, which is waterproof and extra abrasion resistant than Dyneema DCF. The EVLV ranges in volumes from 35-38 liters relying in your torso dimension and is finest fitted to base weights (minus water, gasoline, and meals) of 10 lbs. The EVLV is out there in a number of colours and torso sizes. We suppose the development and a spotlight to element on Waymark’s packs are top-notch.

Available from:
Waymark Gear Company | Garage Grown Gear

5. Dandee Pack’s The Standard Pack (35L)

Dandee The Standard
Dandee Pack’s “The Standard Pack” is a sleek-looking 35L frameless roll-top backpack accessible with J or S-shaped shoulder straps or Vest-style straps with built-in shoulder pockets on each side, a big stretch entrance pocket, backside pocket with a trash port, ice axe/trekking pole attachment system, aspect compression straps, optionally available hip belt attachment factors, a g-hook high strap and sit pad attachment straps. It’s accessible in three torso lengths: 17″, 19″, and 21″ both as a customized pack from Dandee or off-the-shelf from Garage Grown Gear.

Available from:
Dandee Packs | Garage Grown Gear

6. Superior Wilderness Designs Ultralight Superior (40L)

Ultralight Superior Frameless SWD
The Superior Wilderness Designs Ultralight Superior is an 18.2 ouncesframeless ultralight backpack with 45 liters of capability: 35 liters in the primary compartment and 10 liters on the outside. The pack made is with Ultra, which is a brand new ultralight waterproof materials that’s extra abrasion resistant than Dyneema DCF and XPac. The Ultralight Superior comes with a lycra pad sleeve on the again panel, a foam sit pad that can be utilized as a seat whereas taking breaks, and a 1″ webbing belt. The pack is designed for hundreds as much as 20 lbs. Several low-priced customizations are additionally accessible.

Available from:
Superior Wilderness Designs

7. Mountain Laurel Designs Burn (38L)

Mountain Laurel Designs Burn 38L Backpack
The Mountain Laurel Designs Burn is a 38 liter frameless rolltop backpack that weighs 16.5 oz. Made with 210D Dyneema Gridstop Nylon, it has a padded hipbelt, S-shaped shoulder straps, deep aspect pockets, and a stable stretch entrance pocket for improved sturdiness (not proven right here). With a really useful load vary of 18-25 kilos, the factor that units the Burn aside from different ultralight backpacks is the standard of its building and bomber sturdiness. The pack has over 50 heavy-duty stitching bartacks and may face up to a number of thru-hikes. Minor customizations are additionally accessible.

Available from:
Mountain Laurel Designs

8. Gossamer Gear G4-20 (42L)

Gossamer Gear G4-20 Backpack
The Gossamer Gear G4-20 is a 42L frameless ultralight backpack that weighs 25 ouncesand may carry as much as 25 lbs comfortably. The G4-20 has a entrance stretch mesh pocket, two aspect pockets together with one which’s giant sufficient to hold a shelter, an exterior map pocket, and a roll-top closure. Its inside storage capability is 30L with 12L in its mesh and aspect pockets. The well-padded hip belt, which incorporates pockets, will not be detachable, however you may ditch the molded foam sit pad protecting the pack’s again panel and cut back the pack weight to 21.7 oz. Read the SectionHiker G4-20 Review. 

Available from:
Gossamer Gear 

9. Mountainsmith Zerk (40L)

Mountainsmith Zerk 40
The Mountainsmith Zerk 40 has vest-style shoulder straps impressed by Ultra-running backpacks. It has a roll-top closure, detachable, hip belt strap, a working vest-style shoulder strap system. Numerous open mesh pockets make it simple to retailer continuously accessed gear and meals on the outside of the pack so that you don’t need to open it in the course of the day. The pack comes with bear can straps so you may lash a canister on high and contains quite a few exterior gear loops so you may connect further gear to its exterior. While there’s a foam pad in a pad pocket behind the Zerk’s shoulder straps, its major goal is to guard your again from being poked by the pack’s contents. Read the SectionHiker Review.

Available from:
REI | Backcountry 

10. Atom Packs – The Atom (35L)

Atom EP40

The Atom EP40 is made by Atom Packs, a small backpack producer from the UK that has rapidly established a world fame. The Atom EP40 is frameless, doesn’t have a hip belt, and has a max really useful load of 20 lbs. The important physique holds 35L and the exterior pockets can maintain as much as 10L extra.  It has a roll-top w/high webbing strap, twin shoulder pockets, two aspect pockets, a from mesh pocket, and a backside pocket with a trash port for stuff snack wrappers or hats, buffs, and so on.

Available from:
Atom Packs 

Frameless Ultralight Backpack Selection Guide

Early model of the Gossamer Gear Frameless G4 Backpack - 2011
Early mannequin of the Gossamer Gear Frameless G4 Backpack – Frameless packs have come a good distance since 2011.

Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf Backpacks

Many frameless ultralight backpacks are made by hand by cottage producers and will be custom-made by way of colours, material, or options. Some of the extra established backpack producers or retailers listed above solely supply “stock” backpacks with a hard and fast set of options. The benefit of buying a inventory backpack is that it’s normally accessible instantly and not using a lengthy wait time. If you determined to go the customized route, you’ll want to contact the producer when you’ve got any questions earlier than you order. Most customized backpacks are non-returnable.

Frameless Ultralight Backpack Volume

How a lot quantity do you really want in an ultralight backpack, if you’re actually making an attempt to get your TOTAL pack weight beneath 20 kilos? It’s exhausting to make a blanket suggestion as a result of it finally comes right down to the local weather you propose to hike in and what your clothes, sleep insulation, shelter, vitamin, and water wants will likely be. For basic three-season circumstances, most UL backpackers discover {that a} 40L pack supplies greater than sufficient quantity for a 3-5 day journey, together with gear, meals, gasoline, and water. It will get far more tough to suit all the things you want right into a 30L backpack, nonetheless, until you may resupply extra continuously, you go stoveless, otherwise you don’t want to hold a lot water. However, given the checklist of packs above, there’s not an enormous weight penalty for carrying a better quantity pack than you want, since they’re all so light-weight and you’ll compress them utilizing a roll-top closure or aspect compression.

Massive External Storage

Frameless ultralight backpacks are inclined to have quite a lot of exterior storage which is accessible whilst you’re nonetheless sporting the backpack. This is as a lot a mantra as a design philosophy with the underlying objective of climbing as many miles as attainable (like all day) with out ever having to cease and take your backpack off. Many frameless ultralight packs include pockets sewn onto their shoulder straps, backside stretch pockets so you may attain beneath a pack when worn to tug out snacks or deposit used wrappers, and accessible aspect pockets.

Ultralight Backpack Fabrics

Most ultralight backpacks are made with Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF), XPac, Nylon (Robic, Cordura, Dyneema X, and so on.) In phrases of sturdiness, Ultra is normally probably the most sturdy by way of abrasion resistance, then EcoPaokay, XPac and LiteSkin, then DCF, and at last Nylon, though it depends upon the denier or weight of the fabric used. DCF and XPac revolutionized UL backpack manufacturing as a result of they’re so light-weight, however are being rapidly overtaken by newer waterproof materials like EcoPaokay and Ultra that are much more sturdy and ecologically sustainable merchandise.

The greatest areas of damage and tear on a backpack is the bottom, the place you place it down on the bottom, and the aspect pockets, particularly in the event that they’re made with mesh. Most UL pack makers have switched to extra sturdy mesh, use extra sturdy stretch mesh that has finer holes and is much less vulnerable to snagging, or have switched to creating exterior pockets with stable materials for higher sturdiness.

DCF, XPac, ECOPAK, Ultra, and LiteSkin are all waterproof supplies in order that they gained’t take in water when it rains. DCF has the benefit that it may be seam-taped which drastically will increase the waterproofing of a backpack. While XPac, ECOPAK, and Liteskin will be seam-sealed, most individuals don’t hassle and line their packs with trash compactor luggage or use waterproof stuff sacks. Very little water will get in anyway. It’s a lot the identical with Robic Nylon and different high-tenacity nylons though they’ll soak via, could make your gear moist, and take some time to dry out. See the next FAQs for extra recommendation and reader dialogue:

Hip Belts on Frameless Backpacks

The hip belts discovered on frameless backpacks aren’t load-bearing as a result of there’s no body to switch to load to the hips. This explains why many ultralight packs don’t have them, they’re detachable, or stowable, and solely made with webbing in the event that they’re included in any respect. Their solely actual goal is to supply an anchorage for hip belt pockets or to forestall the pack from bouncing in opposition to your torso when you stroll quick.

Since the hip belts aren’t load-bearing, all the load will relaxation in your shoulders. When selecting packs, you need to contemplate how a lot shoulder strap padding you like and the strap width that you just discover most snug.

Shoulder Straps

An growing variety of frameless pack makers are together with S-shaped backpack straps on their packs, that are extra snug for ladies as a result of they accommodate breasts extra comfortably.  Many males additionally discover them extra snug than the J-shaped shoulder straps that had been used beforehand.

There’s additionally an growing use of vest-style shoulder straps on many backpacks which might take some getting used to when you had been born and bred on extra typical shoulder straps. The added width and pocket storage on vest-style packs makes them a beautiful function and may also help distribute the load throughout your shoulders, particularly in case your pack lacks a hip belt.

Torso Length

Shorter torso lengths are additionally more and more accessible to accommodate girls, who on common, aren’t as tall as males. However, matching your actual torso size is much less crucial on a frameless backpack as a result of the hip belt will not be load-bearing. The becoming course of is definitely extra much like becoming a daypack (and not using a hip belt) than an everyday framed backpack, though matching your torso size remains to be an excellent benchmark to goal for.

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