The Rooster Tramper Ultralight Gear 50 Liter Backpack (CTUG-50) is a custom-made ultralight roll-top backpack made with XPAC VX21, a extremely sturdy and light-weight waterproof material generally used earlier than Dyneema DCF and Extremely appeared on the ultralight backpacking scene. The pack is exclusive in that it has an inner body constituted of carbon fiber arrow shafts, an exterior sit pad pocket, and a sewn-on hip belt that provides it a really helpful most snug load of 30-35 kilos. The pack additionally has daisy chains sewn to the hipbelt letting you cling a fanny pack from it as an alternative of looping it round your waist. That is rather more snug and handy when climbing, on the town, or touring.
Specs at a Look
- Precise Weight: 34 oz
- Quantity: a big 50L
- Inner body: Sure
- Prime closure: Roll-top
- Pockets: 3
- Gender: Unisex with female-friendly shoulder straps and hipbelt
- Shade: A variety of colour choices.
- Hip belt pockets: No
- Load lifters: Sure
- Hydration Suitable: No
- Sleeping Pad Straps: Sure
- Canister compatibility: BV475 suits horizontally, BV500 Vertically
- Prime Y Strap: Sure. Lengthy sufficient to carry a BV500 on high of the pack
- Waist: Customized to your dimensions.
- Torso and Hipbelt Size: Customized to your dimensions
- Materials: XPAC VX21
- Professionals: Large capability, sturdy, nice exterior pockets, many attachment factors
- Cons: Hip belt slips (request a much bigger lumber pad)
The CTUG-50 reviewed right here is similar to the CTUG-45 I reviewed 4 years in the past, with just a few minor variations. In the mean time, Rooster Tramper determined to extend the amount by 5 liters and supply a second smaller 40L backpack, however moreover that, the backpack has undergone few modifications. Notably, Rooster Tramper has not used Extremely material to make this backpack and continues making it with Xpack VX21 when so many ultralight backpack producers have switched to that material.
Backpack Storage and Group
The CTUG-50 is a roll-top with a big most important compartment, aspect mesh pockets, and a entrance mesh pocket. Whereas it’s labeled as a 50-liter backpack, it feels a lot bigger in quantity, presumably as a result of the pack bag has a boxy form with proper angles on the corners as an alternative of curves. When computing pack quantity, Rooster Tramper contains the pack’s open pockets, the primary compartment as much as the load lifters, and the extension collar minus 3 material turns. Whereas this can be a conservative method to measure pack quantity amongst ultralight pack producers, it means you’ve much more quantity above the load lifters to pack gear or meals.
The roll-top has strips of velcro sewn alongside the hem however doesn’t have a stiffener. Whereas the pack’s XPac VX21 is waterproof, the pack’s seams will not be seam taped so that you’ll wish to use a water-proof liner and/or drybags for gear and clothes in moist climates. The roll-top buckles on the highest of the pack solely clip to themselves however don’t clip down alongside the perimeters. An extended Y-strap on the highest can maintain the roll-top closed or safe a pad or bear canister to the highest of the pack. The Y strap is lengthy sufficient to carry a BV500 canister on high.
The mesh pockets on the entrance and sides of the pack are made with the dive mesh used to make scuba gear baggage, which has a big weave however could be very robust stuff and arduous to tear. Even in the event you do, you’ll be able to simply run twine by way of the massive holes within the weave to seal the pocket up once more and forestall gadgets from falling out, an old style trick.
The entire mesh pockets might be cinched tight on the highest with line locks and elastic twine to stop gadgets from coming out. The aspect mesh pockets can maintain two Smartwater bottles and are reachable & replaceable when the pack is worn, whereas the entrance pocket is giant sufficient to carry many smaller gadgets or a moist tent fly simply.
The pack doesn’t have an inner hydration sleeve or hydration ports to run a hydration hose. There isn’t even an inside cling loop or hook to hold a reservoir.
The bottom pack doesn’t include sewn-on hipbelts pockets however they are often simply added to daisy chains sewn to the hipbelt’s exterior. Rooster Tramper’s major enterprise is promoting accent backpack pockets and so they supply a big choice which you could add to simply about any backpack, not simply those they make.
Backpack Body and Suspension
Body
The CTUG-50 has a body constituted of carbon-fiber arrow shafts. Whereas this sounds very “cottage,” it’s value noting that my first Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus, circa 2007, (now referred to as the Mariposa 60), additionally had body stays constituted of carbon-fiber arrow shafts. Gossamer Gear has since switched to an aluminum keep.
Rooster Tramper provides a crosspiece alongside the highest, making a U-shaped keep that creates good stiffness within the body and holds the primary compartment open, making it simpler to pack. The underside of the vertical stays terminate on the perimeters of the hipbelt, which is sewn onto the pack and never hooked up with Velcro, like so many different ultralight backpacks. I’ve at all times discovered that you just get a greater load-to-hip switch if a pack has a sewn-on hipbelt like this as a result of there’s much less buckling of the hip belt wings and lumbar space when loaded.
The U-shaped body nonetheless has a number of torsional flex because it doesn’t have a crosspiece on the underside, though it’s dampened significantly while you pack the primary compartment full of drugs. The general impact is a reasonably full of life pack that maintains its form nicely with completely different masses, doesn’t collapse, and tracks the hips nicely. There’s nonetheless a modest quantity of barrelling when the pack is packed full, however you can also make it much less noticeable with somewhat gear shifting.
Sit Pad
The CTUG-50 additionally has a sit-pad pocket behind the shoulder straps on the pack’s entrance. Rooster Tramper ships the pack with an egg carton pad, truly two cut-down panels of a Therm-a-rest ZLite foam pad (1.4 oz). The included sit pad is considerably shorter than a daily Zlite pad, and a daily ZLite won’t match vertically within the pack’s pad pocket.
The sit pad is simply used as padding and doesn’t present any structural profit, however it’s very simple to take away and change, so you should utilize it as a sit pad to maintain your bum dry or the chiggers off you while you wish to sit down and take a break. Should you’ve by no means used a backpack with a detachable sit-pad earlier than you’ll shortly uncover 1,000,000 makes use of for it, comparable to a hammock porch or tent vestibule ground.
Shoulder Straps
The CTUG-50 has 3″ vast shoulder straps with daisy chains sewn on the surface, making it simple to hold accent pockets. They’re frivolously padded inside with wicking mesh and made in a female-friendly S-shape. The tops of the shoulder straps will not be sewn to the pack bag however hooked up with webbing in order that they rotate extra freely, offering extra consolation for folks with “curvier” chests. Zpacks makes use of an identical development approach of their backpacks, and it adapts nicely to completely different shoulder geometries.
The CTUG-50 additionally comes with load lifter straps anchored to the pack bag simply in entrance of the body. A metallic buckle situated on the high of the strap permits for adjustment of the strap’s angle, a premium characteristic normally discovered solely on higher-end packs.
Hipbelt
The hipbelt doesn’t include pockets and is roofed with two traces of daisy chain webbing so you’ll be able to connect accent pockets or a fanny pack to them. The hipbelt closes with a central buckle and pull ahead straps, with a separate strap adjustment on the highest webbing strap so you’ll be able to tighten the highest of the hip belt tighter than the underside. Ladies are prone to discover this extra helpful than males, who are likely to have squarish hips.
Sadly, the hipbelt constantly slipped down my hips when worn. The final model of this pack that I reviewed 4 years in the past did the very same factor: it slips as a result of there may be too little lumbar padding behind the hipbelt to stop it. I can’t be the one individual experiencing this, so I hope CTUG considers including an choice when ordering the pack to make the rear of the hipbelt thicker.
Fanny Pack Entrance Pocket
Rooster Tramper has a nifty characteristic not discovered on comparable multi-day backpacks: the flexibility to connect a Rooster Tramper fanny pack to daisy chains on the hipbelt. The fanny pack clips to the hipbelt webbing with small clips and hangs excessive sufficient that it doesn’t hit your unmentionables or intrude with tightening the hipbelt. That is a lot better than carrying a separate fanny pack as a result of there may be one much less webbing strap round your waist. The fanny pack additionally stays hooked up to the pack while you unbuckle one aspect and could be very simple to reattach while you’re able to roll.
Exterior Attachment System and Compression
The CTUG-50 has aspect compression straps made with linelocks and elastic twine routed in a determine 8 sample. You’re not compelled to make use of them on this configuration, nonetheless, and you may reroute the cords in no matter sample you need or take away them completely.
Along with the highest Y-strap talked about above, the pack comes with a pair of cord-based sleep bag attachment straps situated under the entrance pocket and a rudimentary ice ax loop. These are detachable in the event you don’t wish to use them.
Comparable Ultralight Framed Backpacks
Advice
The Rooster Tramper Ultralight Backpack 50-Liter is a {custom} backpack that’s enjoyable to hold, sturdy, and well-made. It’s arrange like a typical ultralight backpack (a rolltop and three open pockets), which is straightforward to get used to in the event you’ve by no means had a pack with such giant open pockets earlier than. Whereas I did encounter a problem with hipbelt slippage, including an choice to extend the thickness of the rear of the hipbelt looks like it’d be a straightforward modification to request while you order a {custom} backpack.
The CT-50, priced at $400, is analogous in value to the ULA’s XPac backpacks and on par with equally sized ultralight backpacks made with Dyneema DCF and Extremely from different producers. Whereas XPAC is considerably much less sturdy than these different supplies (however rather more sturdy than Robic Nylon), a part of what you’re paying for with Rooster Tramper is the flexibility to have a backpack in {custom} colours. That issues to many individuals.
Disclosure: CTUG donated a pack for evaluate.
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