Deuter AC Lite 15 Day Pack
LyttleBryan June 10th, 2009
Some time ago I had the opportunity to borrow the Deuter AC lite 15 from fellow group member, and organizer, Nick. I have been unhappy with my current day pack because of it’s tendency to rub on my back and general discomfort when carrying large loads (and equally awkward when carrying a small load like just a first aid kit and water bladder). For those that were there on the Mount LeConte Trip, you probably know what kind of glowing review this piece of gear is going to receive.
Just looking at the outside of the pack you begin to see just how this differs from other ordinary backpacks. All of Deuter’s packs include their air comfort system. Your back is actually resting on a mesh screen with a completely open area behind it for air to flow against your back. This is quite possibly one of the best features of the pack. When you’re hiking up a mountain (Mt. LeConte in this case) having some space between your back really does create the ultimate in “breathability.” Some of the other nice features include several loops and straps on the back to hold whatever you may need to. This actually came in handy on this trip when the air got so cold and wet that I had to collapse my hiking poles so I could put my hands in my pockets. The pack also includes the ever present mesh pockets along the sides. These are great for carrying water bottles of just about any size. In addition to the mesh pockets the pack has a lid pocket that is great for easy to access stuff that you may want zipped up. Now, this is very much a personal preference, but the fact that this pack uses a lid enclosure instead of a zipper or roll/clip enclosure just makes it all the more awesome. It really reminds me of my Gregory Triconi 60 which I am also very happy with. The inside closes with a draw string after you cram as much as you want in it, and then the lid closes over that. All together an “above and beyond” touch for a simple day pack.
The inside of the pack has it’s own unique advantages, but overall isn’t anything above and beyond special. As I mentioned above when you unclip the lid you get a draw string enclosure that you can open to cram your stuff inside. This makes it really nice because you aren’t stuck with the “same size” bag all the time. If you’re carrying just a few items (like I was yesterday) then you can cinch the bag down and it compresses nicely against your back. If you’re carrying a full load (for two people, or a lot of layers), then it simply expands to fit the gear. There’s also a place for your water bladder so it’s not sitting in the same area as the rest of your gear. I can’t stress how nice this is as no matter what you’re carrying, it’s comfortable.
On the topic of comfort, the strap system on the pack is very nice for a day pack. The shoulder straps are a comfortable mesh shoulder strap with an acceptable amount of padding. What I really enjoyed about this pack was how and where it sat against your back. Instead of being a full hip belt that straps around and rests on your iliac crest, it has two larger lower back pads that sits nicely against your rear ilium (Nikki/Jon correct me on this if I’m wrong). I found this very nice for a day pack, especially one of this size. The pack actually uses a mini-internal frame. There are two pieces of steal that keep the pack holding it’s shape so that it rests against your back consistently, and comfortably.
The one downside I would have against this pack would be the size. 15 L was nice, but I just can’t help but think of a few times the pack would be too small. Granted those times and occurrences would probably be rare, but when I purchase a pack for something like this, I want to own one pack for that purpose. However, when I ventured out to find out about purchasing one of these packs I was very surprised to see that the AC Lite 15 has been replaced by the AC Lite 16. Additionally there is an AC Lite 20 that offers all of the same features, but 5 L more space. Another nice surprise was that the new packs come with their own rain cover, a major bonus that would have been very nice yesterday on LeConte!
The prices on these packs are definitely higher than you would pay for an ordinary backpack from Target, but at around $80 for the AC Lite 16 and $90 for the AC Lite 20, it’s definitely a modest price for these features. As someone that does a lot of day hiking (with the most awesome hiking group in the world), I have to say that it would be money VERY WELL spent.
Thanks to Nick for letting me test out this pack.
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- Comments(2)
Nice Web site but how come you don’t have anything on here about rattlesnakes? I hear there are all kinds of them in the Smokies.
I own a Deuter Futura 32 and love it. So comfortable. Ideal for day trips bit it is too small for overnight backpacking.