Gear Talk - Durston Kakwa 55 backpack (2025 version)

Описание: I have been looking at reducing the weight (while maintaining comfort, robustness, flexibility etc...) of my gear, much of which is over two decades old. I have replaced most stuff, with the back being one of the last pieces of equipment to consider. After a bit of research, I have settled on the Durston Kakwa 55 and this video is just the 'reveal' as I have no real life experience to share about it ... yet. There are many reviews to check out that have done this 'deep dive'.

The Durston Kakwa 55 is an (ultra)light backpack under 2 lbs designed for multi-day hikes, featuring a rigid aluminum frame. I feel it has a good pocket layout for external storage (we will see after real use) include hip pockets, shoulder strap pockets, and a large rear mesh. This particular backpack uses 200X fabric, which has high durability, low weight, but is somewhat more expensive than their UltraGrid version. To be honest, the UltraGrid version would probably have been fine (and saved about 25% of the cost), but I felt the 200X version may be more future proof given the time I typically keep my gear.

Pack arrived within a week of ordering it. Total cost was ~$420 (CDN) including tax and shipping.

UPDATE: Durston released their 2026 version on 08.Oct. Some enhancements from the 2025 version shown here include: Less tapering of the bag and increasing its length to accommodate more internal capacity, more robustness in the waist straps and inclusion of lumbar support. The weight is apparently the same with design efficiencies.

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