Ultimate Direction Fastpack 35

First Ultimate Direction product I've purchased that was a miss. I wanted to love it. First the good: it's lightweight, well made, the features are generally well thought out and it might be the perfect fastpack for some.The problem is in the fit, and layout. I ordered the size they specify on their website; SM/MD. That's the size they specify for my chest size with clothing on. The problem is geometry; this size pack - when the chest/vest straps are positioned properly for me, puts the "hip belt" above my navel near my rib cage, meaning it's completely useless. This means the entire load is on your shoulders and chest. Which doesn't make for a very "fast" fastpack. The other problem is the layout of the shoulder straps puts the UD water bottle spout up near your face. So you basically cannot look left without hitting it.The hip belt is more of a gimmick on this pack anyway, as there's no way it's going to bear much of the load, maybe 10%. That means your shoulders and chest bear the load. That's fine on a running vest (which UD absolutely hit out of the park) but it's a no-go for a fast pack. Ideally you'd bear over 50% of the load on the waist/hips, but this belt won't let you get near that.Who knows, you may have the one-in-a-million physique that this pack will fit. I'm pretty average sized, 5'-10" 145 lbs with a 40" chest.Overall the materials are top-notch, the pack is well-thought-out. If they got the geometry and sizing right I would consider giving this another try. But for now, it's going back.

Great pack! I used it for a 3 day/night “fastpack,” jogging/hiking 20-27 miles a day on part of the Washington PCT, carrying that much food, sleep stuff, tent, and clothes, and I didn’t have much of a complaint about it the bag. It Carried so well. Flush to the body, not too much bouncing. Pockets on the straps a’plenty for the Gu & all that stuff. I wish All packs fit and carried like this.

Great pack. The adjustment straps allow for a comfortable wear. I used up to 25lbs in this pack with no issues on pressure points on the shoulders. The side compression straps with the roll down top allow for a compact pack with no shifting.The location of straps pockets are ideally placed. Left pocket large enough to hold iphone Xmax . Right strap pocket water bottle is able to hold 20oz Camelbak insulated water bottle. I'm not a fan of the form shaped water bottles that come with the pack. Seems clunky to hold given the idea is for ergonomics.Waist strap is wide enough to hold lower pack to your lower back. Although removable, the pack would be sloppy if waist strap was taken off for hikes and/or fastpacking.Overall, well thought out pack.

Ive been using the UD line for 6 years now. They are by far to most comfortable pack for ultra events where you need to carry lots of gear and food. I have various packs and they fastback 35 does not disappoint.

This bag is awesome! I took this on a 100 mile multi-day race through the deserts of Utah. The light weight design and comfortable vest-like build made this my first choice. I am hooked on Ultimate Direction packs now. This is my second bag by the company and I’ll be looking at getting their larger bag next. You can’t go wrong with this bag.

This is the Goldilocks size. Not to big so it’s sloppy but big enough you can carry all the ultra light kit you need.

PErfect for long or short hikes. I love the fit. Good for running, too.