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Golite description: The Lite-Speed is the ultimate pack for expedition adventure racing, lite-weight backpacking and adventure travel thanks to its incredibly durable Velocity fabric and moldable framesheet with two adjustable aluminum stays. The back panel is constructed with spacer mesh for quick drying. Brock� foam padding in the shoulder straps provides maximum support and adjustable load lifter straps help the pack form to your body comfortably. A roomy front mesh pocket accommodates extra gear, and lashes down securely thanks to a bungee cord system. Two side angled mesh pockets and bellowed pockets on the hip belt allow easy access to important items. Complete with the comPACKtor system to reduce �pack flap� when you�ve got extra space inside. Pack SpecsWeight: 1100g Volume: 49 litres Hydration: 3-Litre Hydration Compatible Super durable polyurethane-coated and DWR-treated for extreme water resistance |
My recent purchase and trial of the 1.4kg 72l Golite Quest for our joint trips was a revelation and it changed our approach in a fundamental way. It proved that good supportive backpacks with plenty of useful functionality don't need to be heavy and it reduced my load by well over 1kg, an excellent saving. The first backpacking trips with loads up to 4 days confirmed its comfort and capabilities in the field and were a great success.
I recently did my first solo trip between our joint backpacks and used the Quest, but it is clearly larger than I need for one person, at least outside winter: in cold weather the larger sleeping bag, extra insulation etc. will add considerably to the volume I carry and I will need the capacity of the Quest. In the meantime I looked again at lightweight packs to find one smaller and even lighter, around the 50l mark. Then it struck me that such a pack would serve a dual purpose: Vivien could save some weight by using it in winter instead of her Contour 50.
Note: Many of the comments on the Quest apply equally to the LiteSpeed, hence some of this description is copied from there.
The Golite LiteSpeed turned out to be the best candidate, with a quoted capacity of 49l and weighing 1.1kg, among the lightest of all packs with a supportive framed back system. It has basically the same back support system as the Quest and I took an informed chance by ordering online: all was well and the pack felt great - and very light!.
The most useful feature of the Quest was the large zipped pocket that we use for the tent, but the only other pack that has this feature is the 51l Golite Pursuit which is only 100g lighter. However the LiteSpeed does have a large elasticated pocket which would serve almost as well as a solution for the tent strategy. After many trips and iterations to our methods, we decided a long time ago that there was only one way to guarantee keeping all the kit dry when pitching in rain:- that was to ensure that the tent was fully pitched before the kit in the pack liner ever saw the light of day (and similarly in reverse when packing up in the morning). This meant keeping the tent outside the pack liner and immediately accessible on arrival at the pitch, so that the pack lid could remain closed for the whole operation.
The elasticated pocket can hold a surprising amount of kit: the LaserComp tent only ¾-filled it and I stored the Ezee trowel, gaiters, windshell, rolled up mapcase and a few other small bits and pieces in there as well. Above the pocket is a bungee cord threaded through plastic guide loops for securing additional external items. One of these loops is attached to the centre of the pocket rim, this makes the cord apply some inward tension to the pocket when full.
The back-length of the LiteSpeed is not adjustable but comes in medium and large sizes for different ranges of spine length, see the Golite Sizing Chart. We have a diagram showing the measurement of spine length on our Backpacking Packs page.
The pack body is made of Velocity fabric, which feels pretty tough and has a shiny satin feel. It has no side bellows pockets but is a sleek and pleasing shape, and this can be a practical advantage on rocky climbs and gullies and helps with stability. It has the standard side cinch straps to tighten down the body.
The pack does not have a separate lid: access to the main compartment is via a two-way zip on the back that opens downwards as pictured above. When the top pair of side cinch straps are tightened - and especially when the bungee cord is holding fairly bulky items such as waterproofs or fleeces - the mouth of the pack body is constrained making it awkward to see into the pack and get things in and out. Loosening the straps and cord temporarily solves this very easily.
There is a zipped pocket on the opposite side from the main opening as pictured which is very useful for keeping some items easily accessible and separate from the main pack body. The zips are claimed to be watertight but I still packed the items in polythene bags, and of course I use either a Sea-to-summit Ultrasil or Cascade Designs pack liner for the main compartment as usual. Inside the pack opposite the opening is the hydration system sleeve and a small fixed strap with a clip on it.
The sternum strap can easily be moved up and down to get the most comfortable position across the chest, and has a tiny built-in whistle. If a serious accident should happen, the whistle is right there next to the mouth without fumbling in the pack for it.
The padded hip belt felt very supportive as expected and both wings of the belt have zipped mesh pockets which are incredibly useful, I can't understand why packs were ever made without them. There is an angled mesh pocket on either side of the pack body for easy access of more small items - I carry the tent poles on one side seated in the pocket and held in place by the side cinch straps, and a 500ml water bottle in the other (these side pockets would not be tall enough to hold a 1l bottle securely).
The pack is compatible with hydration bladders but I can't comment on those - I don't use them. The frame sheet is said to be adjustable but the pack feels comfortable as is and I didn't investigate this feature.
The LiteSpeed has a ComPACKtor system pictured left that allows the pack to be folded down to a 25l volume. Looking at the bottom of the pack, there are 2 loops at the base of the lumbar pad and 2 clips at the rear. The pack can be folded to a narrow profile and the loops hooked into the clips to hold it in place, and when combined with the side cinch straps makes a slim daypack. This is a great feature for a base camp situation where the full volume is used to carry the tent and establish the camp and day walks are made with a minimal load.
The first field trial was on a backpack in the North Pennines, 2 days of 14 and 17 miles. This was at the beginning of October when the mornings and evenings had an autumnal chill but it was basically still a summer scenario, with the PHD Minim 300 sleeping bag and no extra insulation layers to eat up the volume. There was certainly space left for more days food.
The feel and support system of the LiteSpeed are much the same as the Quest, and the lumbar region is well padded and very comfortable with the frame supporting the load very well through the cushioned hip belt. It was surprisingly warm on the hills when out of the wind but the pack maintained a venting gap next to my back and I didn't feel any more sweaty than with other packs I've used. Comfort was also excellent around the shoulders and upper chest. Stability was excellent, the pack had no tendency to lurch about and felt very secure. The same Velocity material is used as for the Quest, so water will bead off the shiny pack material very well. In the warm sunshine I was walking in a base layer, and the bungee cord was easily large enough to secure my waterproof and fleece.
I grew to like this pack very quickly. I appreciated the worthwhile 300g weight saving over the Quest of course, but the effect was larger than that figure suggests:- the smaller size made it carry more like a hefty daypack than a backpack, and I could stride out as if doing a day walk. This seems to confirm what I have suspected for a long time: that the effect of varying size and weight of a pack does not work in a linear fashion as perceived by the backpacker, rather it depends on thresholds. When either size or weight crosses a certain personal threshold, you actually notice a significant difference in the feel of the load and the walking style that is possible with it.