Happy to be walking in the Utah desert.
This pack is now available for purchase here.
I’ve been on a hell of a pack journey; it has been challenging to say the least to find something that is light and carries a lot of weight well. If you’ve read through some of my other posts you’ll know that I used a large HMG Porter 4400 (46oz) pack for a while, but it destroyed my shoulders. Then switched to a Seek Outside Divide 4500 which I still have and love but is heavy at 57oz. I began using a medium 32oz HMG SW 3400 modified with loadlifters for most of my three-season trips, but it still wasn’t quite cutting it. I tried the Seek Outside Flight One (38oz) briefly but I bought the wrong size (22”) and did not like the hip belt. My next pack was the Hanchor Marl (40oz) which I still have and like, but which may become obsolete with the introduction of the Superior Wilderness Designs Big Wild 70.
I’m just beginning the process of testing the new Superior Wilderness Designs Big Wild 70 (41oz) so I will try and refrain from any sweeping judgements or praise too early in the process. But I will say it’s an extremely compelling pack, something worth getting excited about. Here’s what I know so far:
Features:
150D DCF body, Xpac X42 bottom and pockets (probably other fabric options in the future)
Twin 7075 aluminum stays.
Contoured main body panels for glove-like fit.
Floating hip belt. (similar to Divide, very comfortable)
Roll top closure with plastic stiffener for easy opening/closing.
Big Side pockets make lots of on-the-go access to gear or food.
Stretch mesh pad sleeve made from antimicrobial/wicking mesh keeps moisture off your back and provides easy access to a sit pad while on the go.
Front daisy chains for lashing gear or strapping your pack to a pack raft.
Modular side compression system.
Optional top strap setup.
Optional bottom strap setup.
Specs:
70L
Top Circ 43”
Bottom Circ 38”
Unrolled height 40”
Weight - Pending (I’m guessing 39oz to 45oz depending on features and fabrics)
Load carrying capacity - Pending (50-70lbs?)
This is sort of a Packrafting specific or big wilderness adventure pack. I will be testing it on several multiday packrafting trips this spring and summer and will report back on my experience. All I can say so far, having only worn it around the house and yard is it is VERY comfortable. This prototype has a 26” frame with shoulder straps sewn on at 21” as measured from the bottom of the pack. This may not be the final size for the large version of this pack. I could see SWD moving the shoulder straps up one more inch to 22”. I will say, however, having a 26” frame is pretty awesome for weight transfer.
The Big Wild is about the same weight as the Hanchor Marl and has much more comfortable shoulder straps and hip belt. The Marl uses binding on the edges of the shoulder straps—much like HMG—and it tends to dig into the trapezius a bit. This, along with the fact that the Big Wild is nearly 20L larger than the Marl, means it will probably be kicking the Marl out of the quiver.
More to come…
Update: 2/22/21: I took the pack on a short trip this weekend. I probably only carried about 35lbs with a couple days of food, Alpacka Scout, drysuit, paddle, PFD, and 5 liters of water, in addition to normal backpacking stuff. The 70L size seems perfect for packrafting. With all my normal gear in there there was still plenty of space for another week’s worth of food or even a bear canister. The side pockets are ideal for carrying a paddle and a 2L Playpus. Frame size allows load lifters to work really well, meaning the weight was about 90% on my hips, as I intended it to be. The hanging hip belt effectively articulates to the tilt of my pelvis and the full wrap is very comfortable. I’ll be suggesting some minor tweaks, which I’ll mention later on. Here’s some photos:
55-degree February day.
Wider profile than an HMG 3400. And better PFD attachment in my opinion.
Dry suit and Alpacka Scout fit side by side in the mid-upper pack area.
Top view of hanging hipbelt. This was the first iteration and has now changed. New pics soon.
Update 4/4/21
I took the Big Wild on another packrafting trip in southern Utah, this time carrying A LOT of weight (for me). I had a full packrafting setup plus 10L of water and warm winter clothes. I’m not sure what the final weight was but I’m sure I was in the 40lb vicinity, at least at the start of the hike. The hipbelt wasn’t quite working (slipping, riding down, etc) so I sent it back to SWD for alterations. They came up with an idea for ensuring that the belt won’t slip, while still articulating to your pelvis. The result is REALLY compelling. I’ll post details of that soon.
So far I have only walked three miles up and down some hills with 35lbs in it, but I can already tell the new hip belt shape and attachment are huge improvements. Now to take it on a longer trip…
Update: May 4th, 2021:
After carrying a ton of weight on that second Dirty Devil trip I was experiencing some hipbelt hardware slippage and belt collapse. I sent the pack back to SWD and they redesigned the hipbelt and it is now incredible. Both the shape and attachments have changed. I took it on a 12 mile trip carrying a lot of water and fresh fruit and vegetables because, why not? The new attachment doesn’t slip and the belt no longer collapses at all. This is due in part to the fact that the upper part of the belt is now attached to an adjustable piece of webbing sewn under the removable sit pad. I found that tightening this upper webbing nearly, but not quite all the way resulted in a very supportive, non-collapsing belt that still articulates perfectly to my anterior pelvic tilt.
This pack is now officially as comfortable, if not more comfortable than my Seek Outside Divide 4500. And that’s saying something considering it weighs about a pound less.
New hanging hipbelt shape.
New hanging hipbelt is supported both from below and above and rides incredibly comfortably.
Update 8/24/21: In July I used this pack on a 50-mile hike along the South Coast and North Coast trails in Olympic National Park and loved every minute of it. I carried all the food for two people, a bear canister, our tent, our stove and pot, and all my personal stuff. The pack was exceptionally comfortable the entire time.