One Backpack for Short and Long Adventures? Dueter Aircontact Core 50+10 Backpacking pack Review

The Aircontact Core 50+10 is designed to be a small, comfortable pack that expands for more capacity. It also allows extra equipment to be strapped on the outside of the pack for extra capacity. Can a small pack be a do it all bag? I stuffed it to the brim and put it to the test. My review:

The name AirContact Core comes down to the usage of Dueter’s unique back padding system. They system combines luscious padding, mesh for breathability, a deep “Y” shaped air channel that follows the spine. It even includes a convenient and easy to use torso adjustment. The pack by default holds 50 liters of year, with a 10 liter expansion that sits under the lid. It features two water bottle pockets, a stretchy stash pocket, a lid that doubles as a day pack, a dedicated sleeping bag compartment, and various straps and lashing points on the outside that allow for more gear to be carried. It weighs 4.76 pounds and retails for about $250.

What I liked

The Core 50+10 turned out to be just what I needed for short and longish backpacking trips. The ability for the pack to compress down small and tight allowed me to haul small, ultralight loads with little fuss and and no wobbling or shifting of the pack or it’s contents. Opening up the cinch on the top provided another 10 liters or so of capacity, which allowed me to happily splurge on some less than essentials. Hammocks and a camp chair both surprisingly fit, with my UL solit kit also inside. When I decided push the pack to it’s limit, I found that I was able to use the exterior straps to hold my tent poles, tent body, and trekking poles, allowing me to carry far more than a pack this size should allow for. This makes the pack viable for anything from a quick weekend trip to week-long excursion. The lid can even clip off and double as a daypack, although I haven’t actually tested out the functionality myself.

Durability of the Core has been fantastic. Deuter has always built stout backpacks, and this is no exception. The materials are thick, rugged, and just ooze quality from the top to the bottom. The stitching is pristine and the material choice is on point, with no weak-spot to be found anywhere on the pack. After multiple trips with it packed to the literal brim, and then some, I’m seeing no signs of wear and tear. It cleans up easily, resists briars and sticks with no issues. I have no reservations saying this is the type of pack that can easily last a decade or more.

Organization on the core is fantastic. I really enjoyed having a dedicated sleeping bag (or tent) compartment on the bottom, accessible via an external zipper. All of my smaller items all had a convenient, easy to access location. Light layers in the stretchy pouch on the back, water in the pockets, essentials in the lid, and things I really didn’t want to lose hid away nicely in the hidden pocket in the lid. Everything else of course was just stuffed into the main compartment or strapped to the outside of the pack.

Comfort wise, the Core is mostly very good. The hip pads are thick, luscious and do an excellent job of transferring weight to the hips. The back panel breathes well while offer great back support, and the shoulder straps do a decent job of padding the chest (more on that later). The ventilation is pretty good, but not excellent. Still, I never found myself getting too hot or sweaty as there are plenty of air channels to funnel out the hot air and sweat.

What I didn’t like

Weight wise, the pack is slightly on the heavy side for it’s size. While this is obvious a concession made in part due to the large amount organization and durability, it does weigh more than most packs I’ve tested that hold another 10 liters or so. It’s not a deal breaker consider the build quality and features though. I would happily carry a little more weight if it meant my pack wouldn’t fail or cause me discomfort.

While the pack is overall quick comfortable as a whole, I couldn’t quite get on with the chest straps. I felt like they were narrow, lacking padding, a put too much pressure on my chest. Even after adjusting every aspect of the fit I found them to put more pressure on me than I preferred. I also couldn’t adjust the torso quite a high up as I would have liked. While I wouldn’t say it was uncomfortable, the sensation of the stiff narrow pad took me some getting used to. I did get used to it though. I would prefer pads that were wider and longer to better distribute the weight across my chest with heavier loads. With lighter loads I didn’t really notice it.

The zipper that runs along the horizon of the lid is on the chatty side while on the trail. The zipper tends to bounce up against its own material, making a little jingling sound as I walked. To make situation worse, it tended to sit just to the side of my right ear, which made it hard to ignore. I plan to chop the zipper off and replace it with a piece of silent paracord. It ‘s light, makes no noise and an easy fix that I do to a lot of packs.

Overall

The Core 50+10 by Dueter is a solid backpack. It’s durable, robust, and offers and impressive range of carrying capacity, between the expandable top and exterior connections. It’s a touch on the heavy side and I do wish the pads were both longer and wider, but I can’t complain too much as it never really deterred my enjoyment with it. From quick overnights to epic multi-day treks, with the proper equipment and planning, it makes for a great do it all backpack that will last a very long time.