Review: Aarn Featherlite Freedom Backpack
LyttleBryan September 9th, 2010
Some background
What? You’ve never heard of Aarn Backpacks? Really? Why, that’s absolutely no surprise at all. In fact if you’d asked me 3 months ago if I’d heard of them, I would have said no. If you’d asked me 1 month ago I would have said only vaguely. Now here I am the proud owner of one. Aarn backpacks are a New Zealand based company started by they’re namesake, Aarn Tate. What makes these packs different is that they threw out most of the conventions of backpacks and started from a pure sport science approach. Being the nerd that I am, I have to admire they’re approach to designing backpacks.
You can read on their website all about the company history and what makes them unique. I won’t dive into that because there is a lot of information to be had by perusing their site. I’ll stick to the topic at hand, the Featherlite Freedom model Backpack with Sport and Photo Balance Pockets.
Pack Features
Some of the basic features of the pack, taken directly from the website, include:
- Flow Motion Technology
- Sport Balance Pockets
- clip torso-adjust, 10 cm range
- Waterproof dri-liner for pack
- U-lite frame with 1 vertical stay
- Stretch side pockets
- Cord-loc compression
- Ice axe and trekking pole attachment
Most of that sounds like basic backpack elements, but there are a couple of things that make this pack truly unique that I want to highlight. The Flow Motion technology, and the Sport Balance Pockets. These are two of the traits of the pack that differentiate these packs from competitors. Below are my thoughts on FlowMo, the balance pockets, and more.
First Impression
They say you only get once chance to make a first impression. And my first impression of my Aarn pack was “wow, this thing is solid.” I wasn’t really sure what to expect of the backpack. After all, I broke one of the primary rules of backpacks (try it on before you buy it) in order to get it. Backpacks come in a variety of materials made by a variety of individuals. Everything from big brand packs to packs made in someones garage. I can honestly say that Aarn is among the top when it comes to quality of production, and quality of materials used. When I feel the pack, and when I handle the pack, I have no doubt that this pack will last me a long time.
Along with the the feeling that this was a well made pack, was the sense that I would need a college degree in order to understand everything. Fortunately I have one of those, so I dove right in to all the information that it came with. Everything from adjusting the aluminum frame to how to add and remove balance pockets was covered. After a solid hour, maybe more, I had a pretty good understanding of all of the adjustment points on the pack. From there it was just a matter of getting it out on the trail for it’s trial run.
Trial by Trail
The test for this backpack was a 4 day, 35.5 mile backpack along the Lakeshore Trail in the Southern Smoky Mountains. The terrain was light with 2-3 sharp spikes in elevation change over the 4 days. My pack weight for the weekend was approximately 33 lbs (fully loaded) and included most of the traditional items needed for a backpack (food, clothing, water, shelter, etc.) and one big luxury item, my Canon t2i DSLR camera with 18-200mm zoom lens.
You see, one of the biggest driving factors to getting the Aarn backpack was that it offered a new solution to constant problem I’d been having: how do I carry my DSLR while backpacking? Most people solve the problem by simply not taking it, and still others create their own solutions. After spending a lot of time, energy, and money, I had tried just about everything I could and still wasn’t satisfied. My hope was that the Aarn Backpacks and their unique balance pockets would give me just what I needed to comfortably carry my DSLR while backpacking. Fortunately for me, it did. And it did it well.
As I first took to the trail I was trying to be as objective as possible. I paid precise attention to any pain points, loss of balance, and anything else I would consider problems. After approximately 2 hours on the trail, I was hurting. The pack was biting my left shoulder and I couldn’t go more than 15-20 minutes before needing to stop and take a break. I was disheartened, but after some cooling off I realized that with the number of adjustment options, I would need to try different things to get it to work. So, I did just that. By the end of the first day my comfort had improved greatly, but some minor irritation remained.
The second day I continued adjusting things and had come to a very happy level of comfort. We covered the most miles of the trip on the second day, so I was relieved to be feeling good by the end of it. Unfortunately my comfort didn’t last long.
The third day was a problem for me. I was uncomfortable carrying the pack, and was having a hard time. Something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. It wasn’t until an hour from camp that I was able to determine that my left FlowMO strap at the bottom of the shoulder was caught inside my hip belt resulting in a tighter left shoulder than right. It may seem like something that should be obvious, but it wasn’t until I had time to really look over everything that it realized the problem. It was at this point that Julie, my wonderful girlfriend, said some something that really struck home. She said, “there’s something beautiful and elegant in simplicity.” You know what? She’s right. It was at this point that I realized my first complaint about the Aarn pack. It’s crazy complex. There are so many straps, so many adjustments, and so many moving parts (literally) that it’s easy for something to come out of whack, and when that happens it can throw off comfort and mojo resulting in unpleasant hiking.
The fourth day had me back on track and I felt like I was flying on the trails. I had my mojo and we covered some great miles in great time. Of course the proposition of Anthony’s Italian in Bryson City would have had me hiking barefoot. Regardless I’d had 4 full days of hiking with the new pack and had a lot of thoughts on it.
Lessons Learned
The Aarn line of backpacks offers some pretty interesting changes in the way backpacks are made. The balance pockets allow quick access to large items, and small, without being uncomfortable or cumbersome. The FlowMo technology allows increased range of motion to make hiking easier. These things don’t come without a cost though. The increased complexity of the pack makes for a steep learning curve and a lot of patience and practice is required to get everything just right. This may not be for everyone, as many people just want a pack they can pick up and start using. I can understand and respect that, after all there is something beatiful and elegant in simplicity.
All those things considered though my Aarn backpack is very cool, and I’m very happy with how comfortable it makes hiking with my DSLR. If I were to give this backpack a grade, it would earn a solid B. It’s definitely a cut above the rest, but the complexity of the pack does take it down as well as it’s cost. It was $275 for the pack and an additional $80 for the Photo Balance Pockets. This is pretty steep even for backpacking gear. In the end I’m very happy with it, and look forward to using it some more.
If you want to find out more information I highly recommend contacting Dana from Aarn USA, the US distributor for Aarn Backpacks. He’s a very friendly person and was able to answer all of my questions to a sufficient level of detail.