The Pedroc Pro 22L backpack is an ultra-light, rolltop backpack designed for speed, featuring a unique padding system and breathable, fast drying construction. This is my review:
Salewa produces a few different “Pedroc” backpacks (and shoes and shirts with the same Pedroc name), with varying sizes and features. Today we’re taking a look at the Pedroc Pro 22L, one of the higher capacity, more feature rich Pedroc models. The Pro 22L is built around a lightweight, flexible plastic frame adorned with a ribbed, breathable back panel. It has a unique split chest strap design that combines thin straps with minimalist high density padding that also extends to the stowable hip straps. It features a large primary compartment with a roll top lid, easy access back panel pockets with water resistant zippers, side trekking pole/ water bottle pockets, a padded valuables pocket, and a couple cinch cords to secure the internals. There is also routing for hydration packs inside. It weighs 570 grams (20 ounces), retails for $149, and comes in two color variations.
What I liked
The unique chest strap system of the Pedroc makes for an extremely comfortable, yet lightweight pack. Instead of thick, narrow straps that add additional weight and bulk, the Pedroc instead uses thin, lightly padded, split shoulder straps that spreads the weight across a wider area. Dividing the chest straps into smaller bands not only better distributes the pack weight across the chest, it also improves pack stability and reduces shoulder strain as the straps aren’t pulling back against the shoulders. The weight instead sits against the chest. The molded shape contours around body nicely and circumvents chaffing often associated with bulkier designs. While the padding is thin, it is high density with a smooth texture, which makes it feel nice against the body.
The hip bands, while minimalist, do a good job of adding additional stability to the pack, preventing it from shuffling around on the trail when hopping roots and shuffling up and down banks. The “wings” provide just a touch of padding along the sides where the weight of the pack actually sits against the hip bones, and mostly disappear along the front. This works well as it doesn’t interfere with movement when climbing or stepping up on high banks or rocks. The straps can also be tucked away into the back of the pack, but I don’t really recommend it unless you plan to take the pack on and off very frequently, or just have a distaste for hip straps.
The back padding and frame is also rather comfortable, even if the design is modest. The ribs sit against the plastic back panel and have obvious channels for air to reach through, but also smaller channels behind the ribs themselves for some extra circulation. This helps speed up drying on hot and sweaty days, while also reducing, but not preventing heat buildup. I manage to stay relatively dry when carrying the pack, but did build up more heat and sweat than larger, mesh based panel systems. This seems like a fair tradeoff for the weight savings the design provides. The foam ribs of the pack also feel rather nice and somewhat cushy against the spine, providing more comfort than I expected for a pack that weighs just 570 grams. I never had gear feel like it was pushing through from inside my pack which can be an issue on ultra-light packs.
Organization and pack space is mostly very good. The primary compartment is easily accessed via the roll-down and clip mechanism along the top, which also helps keep out light precipitation. It opens up to provide access to the large interior, with a relatively wide mouth that accommodates layers, water bladders and other larger items without much issue. I also found the top can be closed two ways, by clipping the roll-top to itself for easier access, or by clipping it down onto the pack for better stability. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but I’ve certainly been using it this way. The smaller pockets are great for snacks, headlamps and the like, with two long zippered pockets being conveniently accessible from the sides of the pack that allow items shoved into the bottom of the main compartment to be reached. The side exterior pockets can accommodate bottles, but are better suited for trekking poles or rain jackets as bottles don’t hold very securely and could shift around and potentially fall out if the pack is tipped far enough.
Build quality overall is very good for an ultra-light pack. The fabrics are durable, double ripstop based 70 denier nylon and hold up well to typical use. The cordage for the cinches, despite being thin, are rather robust and hold poles and other items in place well. The zippers and pulls are also sturdy despite their lightweight construction and do not jingle on the trail. The zipper pulls can feel a little cheap to the touch, but actually hold up really well.
What I didn’t like
The zippers are sturdy but are a little difficult to slide at times. They have a stiffness to them that produces a certain level of resistance to overcome. I often find I need two hands, one to stabilize the fabric and another to pull the zipper itself. This is likely due to the inclusion of a robust water resistant tape, which is nice to have when it rains. I’ve also had a pocket zipper snag rather aggressively on the internal fabric. The inner compartment can be pushed up against the interior zipper slide with a full load, which allowed it to dig in. This was rather difficult to remove given the stiffness of the tape but didn’t cause any damage. so far it’s only happened once, thankfully.
The frame of the pack isn’t very robust, being an ultra-light pack. It is basically flexible plastic panel. While it does a fine job for light loads, heavier loads and large, bulbous equipment is probably best avoided with this pack as it can fold and collapse under weight. I recommend keeping the load under 25 pounds or so.
While the foam back panel does breath and circulate air well with the interspersed air channels, the foam itself seems to insulate which can create sweaty spots along the back on hot days. Minor but worth mentioning.
The main compartment/rolltop close is somewhat narrow. Plenty wide enough to shove things in, but digging around isn’t ideal. Thankfully the side compartments mitigate this issue.
Overall
The goal of the Pedroc Pro 22L from Salewa is simple: Be fast, agile, and unencumbered. This is goal is achieved and then some. At just 20 ounces, it’s one of the most comfortable, most stable ultra-light packs I’ve ever tested. The split chest strap design, adjustable hip strap with stabilizers, and the padded back panel all keep the pack secure, and comfortable, without adding any unnecessary weight. It’s durable, has plenty of organization, and aside from a couple snags, is a great pack at a great price.
Highly Recommended
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