TreeLineBackpacker

Attempting to balance the scales of weight and comfort, the Shadowlight Carbon 60 backpack from Outdoor Vitals utilizes high end carbon stays and cushy padded shoulders, hip pads and back panel to produce a rigid yet cozy pack. My review:

Let’s start out with the basics. The Shadowlight Carbon 60 is an ultralight backpack that weighs in at just under 2 lbs. It features two vertical carbon stays that act as the frame of the pack and provide structure and rigidity. There are two padded shoulder straps, a padded hip belt with a zippered pocket on each side, and a soft yet resilient padded back panel with small cut-outs for ventilation and weight reduction. The pack features a rolltop enclosure opening up to a 60 liter main compartment within an internal (removeable) hydration sleeve tucked away inside. There are also two water bottle pockets, two accessory pockets above those, double zippered exterior access to the main compartment, and two meshy outer pockets for quick access. The pack is constructed mostly from 210 denier Robic Nylon and 400D Spectra Ripstop to prevent runaway tears. It’s water resistant, comes in various sizes, and retails for about $265 with a recommended weight limit of 40 pounds.

The pack is designed to ride the line between ultralight and ultra convenient, balancing a wide array of features while cutting weight everywhere it makes sense. The target audience for this one would be those who want to pack ultra-light, or even long distance trail hiking.

Let’s start with construction. The Shadowlight Carbon 60 is wonderfully constructed from modern, high end materials. The fabric choice is superb here, with the main body using a soft yet rugged 100D Robic Nylon w/ 200D Spectra Ripstop. The bottom bottom panels are built a bit tough as they often need to absorb more abuse. These utilize a more rugged 210D Robic Nylon w/ 400D Spectra Ripstop. The fabrics handle abrasion and tension rather well, with the internalized ripstop fibers providing reinforcement in the event of a tear or puncture. The industry standard YKK zippers are robust and slide easily, even after lots of use and the pulls feel great in the hand. All of the straps and cinches are sturdy and well secured despite being relative thin and lightweight. I haven’t noticed any fraying or pulling seams in my use, and the water-resistant coating is holding up wonderfully. Internally, the carbon stays feel surprisingly rigid and hold up well under weight. They provide a touch of flex yet hold the recommend weight of 40 pounds rather well.

Comfort wise, the Shadowlight really surprised me. A typical trade off with ultralight packs is confort, but I didn’t find that to be the case here. Despite the sub two pounds weight, it handles a relatively heavy pack load impressively well. The carbon stays help to transfer the weight of the pack to the hip bones, as they should, which takes the weight off the shoulders and back. The stays extend up far the height of the pack and properly lift the load of the pack off the shoulders, which many packs in this weight class fail to do. The adjustable load lifters pull the pack in close to the spine without creating tension along the chest or neck. The padding for the shoulders is fair, providing a no-nonsense cushioning that handles the suggested load weight just fine. The hips pads feel a bit better, with a thicker, molded, more plush feeling to them that handles bumps and shuffling on the trail really well. They hold in place well on the trail, with minimal on the fly adjustment being needed. The back panel feels fine. It’s nothing too special as it really is just a foam pad. It’s thin, not very reinforced (by design) and functions fine with a properly packed load inside. It’s basically just a foam panel with some carefully place cutout. Large, lumpy items if packed inside poorly can be felt through it in some situations. Careful packing avoids the situation thankfully. The pad can build up a touch of heat and doesn’t ventilate that well, but one can’t have everything in a pack this light-weight. I found that the pack feels great under 30 pounds, good at 35, but higher weights than that start feel less ideal. Those who can pack light will benefit the most from this pack, which is the point anyway.

On trail stability has proven to be top notch. The pack has various cinches all around, such as the “Y” top enclosure which allows the pack to be compressed down tight and close. A big benefit of the simple foam back panel is that the pack sits close the spine, keeping the weight of the pack close and easy to manipulate on the trail. The pack doesn’t shift or squirm on rough terrain, and generally just moves when I move, which is ideal. It feels more like an extension of my body, and less like something I have strapped to my back. A cost / benefit that is rarely talked about with backpacks is how they can impact how much fatigue they add by simply shifting away and being hard to manipulate (a pack that is far above the shoulders or away from the spine is essentially a weighted lever that pulls on the hiker). Here, this pack will save the hiker a lot of energy and fatigue over the course of an expedition.

When it comes to access and convenience, this pack performs great. Everything is easily accessible at all times with this pack. The rolltop enclosure provides top access, while the full vertical zip allows easy access for the innards and even the very bottom of the pack. So, anything that I shoved in first can still be accessed without pulling everything else out. Great for those who enjoy packing a hammock low in the pack, yet often want it on the trail for break time. Large, convenient pockets line the outside of the pack. These are handy for packing snacks, compass, maps, water bottles, and even lightweight jackets and layers. The pockets sinch closed so smaller items shouldn’t pop out. The hip belt pockets are also larger than most, surprising for a pack that weighs so little. This is where I like to pack trail mix, tissues, an emergency tissue or two, and things like bug spray that I may need to grab at a moments notice.

Overall

The Shadowlight Carbon 60 is a fantastic pack. It’s lightweight, comfortable, agile on the trail, and is built extremely well, especially for the weight class. It is a convenient to use pack with lots of pockets and attachments, and sacrifices very little to achieve that sub 2 pound weight. The back panel is just O.K. and it doesn’t ventilate that well, but those are minor quibbles and hardly a deal breaker when looking at the package as a whole. At under $300, it’s a pack that is easy to recommend for anyone hoping to pack fast and light.

Highly Recommended.

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