Lightest Weekend Packs

Lightweight weekend backpacks

The REI Quick UL 45 (*Est. $100) has a capacity of 3,000 cubic inches but weighs just 41 ounces, making it a better buy than The North Face Terra 40 discussed above. Owners reviewing it at REI.com give it high marks as long as the load is kept under 30 pounds. The main complaint is that it doesn't have enough pockets. Nor does it have loops or straps for a sleeping bag, which has to be stowed inside.

Backpacker Magazine ranks the more expensive REI Venturi 40 (*est. $130) the best ultralight weekend backpack, praising its durability and comfort. It weights 44 ounces and has a capacity of just 2,441 cubic inches, but editors say it's still big enough for a weekend trip. (An ultralight backpacker will find it ample for even longer trips.) Testers love the ventilated back panel. Unlike many weekend packs, it has six pockets. It also comes in a women's version.

Outside Magazine's 2007 Gear Guide picks the Osprey Talon 44 (*Est. $160) as the best ultralight backpack. The Osprey Talon 44 is also the top-rated ultralight backpack in owner reviews at REI.com - one of the few backpacks to get a perfect five-star rating. It has both a sleeping-bag compartment and exterior straps, plus four pockets. At 39 ounces it's lighter than the two REI weekend packs above, but has a medium capacity of 2,600 cubic inches. The main drawback, noted both at Outside Magazine and by owners at REI, is that the hardware seems a bit fragile. Osprey rates it for about 25 to 30 pounds.

For ultralight backpacking with a total load of 15 pounds or less, BackpackingLight.com recommends the 6-ounce Mountain Laurel Designs Prophet (*est. $130). That's not a mistake: this backpack really does weigh only six ounces, yet has a capacity of 2,750 cubic inches. That

gives it the best capacity-to-weight ratio of any of the backpacks discussed here. (Two smaller versions weigh even less.) Each pack is made to order, to fit a certain torso length, so it's not adjustable. There's no frame, but testers say this isn't a problem since it's designed only for light loads.

Comparison tests at BackpackingLight.com give this pack top rank among "super-ultralight" backpacks. Editors say it's the most full-featured, with padded shoulder straps with water-bottle holders, a sternum strap, a bungee-cord attachment system and a front mesh pocket. Additional accessories are available.