Ultimate DirectionFastpack 40 Spruce MD/LG

I have a fair number of backpacks, and one frustration thing for me is the inability to have any items hanging from my belt on backpacking trips because most packs have a hip belt.in the never ending search for the ideal pack, the fastpack 40 seemed to fit the bill. It can pack a fair bit, be cinched down fairly tightly when needed, has a long top load for when you have some extra clothes to pack, or extra food for a long leg of a trek, and it has two well placed extra pockets: a front zippered pocket for thin items like maps, and a tiny side pocket for keys or credit cards. The big front mesh pocket is typical of most light backpacks and great for storing wet items.My three wishes for this otherwise perfect backpack are:- in the cottage industry, a lot of backpack makers are adding a mesh on the bottom of the pack with fully open side entry, but also a tiny slit at the corner closest to the left hip. This is AMAZING for storing the wrappers from snacks. It's a little place to store trash. I wish every single backpack, regardless of size or purpose, had that function.- The tiny side zippered pocket could be a little bigger. I would love to store my passport, maybe a ticket folded, and my wallet in there. This stuff normally goes in a jeans or pants pocket, but for summer backpacking, I'm wearing shorts, and moving those valuables to the backpack would be nice. The side hidden pocket is really ideal for that.- Finally, the only real grip I have is the fully length side zipper. It seems pretty tough and all, but I never use it. In fact, I've spoke to several other users of this pack who also say they never use this feature. The concept is great, but the reality is: Anything you need quick access to stores on the outside of the pack. It's one of the things that makes this pack so great. storing water bottles, phone, gps, snacks, other miscellaneous items on the front straps, storing larger quick access items in the front mesh, storing maps and other small items in the front zippered pocket, and if you need quick access to anything in the main bag, you put it at the top. So, you don't need that full length zipper.If Ultimate Direction made a 40L with these three changes, it really would be my #1 bag, probably forever. I'd probably get two or three for long term.

I ran a 250k, self-supported multi-day stage race with UD40. It was great overall and held up pretty good except one disappointment which I'll detail below.Since it was a self-supported race, I had to carry everything I needed from food to bedding for 6 days. I was able to comfortably fit everything and the pack weighed 21lbs all in!I had to carry my pack with me on the plane as cabin baggage and it fit very comfortably in the overhead cabin space (business).The UD35 would have been the perfect size if only it had two holders for water bottles, but it only had one so I went in for the 40L. In the UD40, I was comfortably able to fit in two bottles 750 ml each on the bottle holders which were on the shoulder straps!I also carried gels and supplements in 4 pouches which were on the outside of the bottle holders on the shoulder straps. So they were very easy to retrieve.Outside, on the bottom of the straps there are two large pouches where you can stuff other things like nutrition bars. Because the fabric is stretchy you could easily stuff in at least 4 nutrition bars on each pouch.There are also two zippered compartments behind these pouches where I carried my sunglasses and my phone!I attached a sleeping bag on the outside using bungee cords. There are loops all along the outside and bottom of the pack, so you could find creative ways to attach things to it!I attached my two hiking poles to the large loops on the bottom and secured the with the adjustable loop that comes attached to the bag on the top. Super secure and snug!The bag was very comfortable to carry around and did not cause ANY chafing for the duration of 250k. No back issues etc.The only annoyance was the waist belt that you wrap around and buckle up to hold it secure to the body. There are multiple belts, one near the shoulder, one over the chest area and one on the waist. The belt that was attached to the waist snapped off on the very first day I was running with the weight and it provided no support in the bottom. The loop through which one end of the belt goes through came off and I tried to stitch it back a couple of times but it wouldn't hold up.It's a manufacturing defect and I would love to get a replacement but unfortunately I'm a few days outside the return window. That's the only disappointment. If only that wasn't there this would be a 5/5!!

Was looking for a light versatile pack style fastpack that wasn’t a vest. This didn’t fit the bill for me. It has all the features, adjustments and options that you would want a great fastpack to have but compared to other lightweight options out there I think this feels old school. The buckles also feel cheap and gimmicky. The fit for my frame was way too big and it generally felt bulky. Could be that the 40L was just more than I needed but was looking for an every adventure pack that I can use for one nighters and multi day trips. So maybe fastpack specific isn’t the way to go for me. Depending on what you are looking for it might hit the sweet spot for you but for me it was too off key to keep.

This was pretty close to perfect. But … and it’s a big but ….. with a normal pack you can tighten the tension on your shoulders and relieve the weight on your hips. I constantly adjust back and forth to rest shoulders and load the hips by releasing the shoulder straps - and then I’ll tighten the shoulders to release weight on the hips and transfer to the shoulders. You can’t do this because it is a vest and you can’t loosen the shoulders or tighten them. For this reason it simply won’t work for the long distances I do. Too bad, I love UD products and really wanted to like this.