After years and many miles with my indestructible but heavy Lowe Alpine Frontier backpack, I finally found a lightweight candidate for replacement - the Golite Quest.
At a quoted 72l this is bigger than most ultralight solo backpackers need, but I carry around 75% to 80% of the weight for two people so this volume is not really too large, and at 1.4kg this is over 1kg lighter.
The empty Quest felt really light compared to the Frontier: I must get a reasonably accurate spring balance to weigh awkward things like backpacks, it’s nigh on impossible using consumer scales. When packed it had a sleeker and more minimalist appearance but was very comfortable and supportive. I tried it for the first time on the recent Lower Eskdale #2 backpack, an undemanding 2-day trip that made a good introductory test.
I’ve put together a review and first field trial report with pictures on the main website in the Equipment subsection.
