DD40 Ultralight Backpack Review

Описание: A review of the DD40 Ultralight backpack designed by Dan Durston and sold through Drop. I'm not a sponsored reviewer, I bought this pack in early 2020 because I was looking for a rugged lower-volume pack suitable for a smaller gear loadout that could still handle heavier weights when necessary. Out of all my packs, the DD40 is my most well rounded, and I've come away incredibly impressed.
If you want to see the DD40 in action, I used it on a trip to the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming
Mountaintop Starlight:    • Mountain Top Starlight  
Mountaintop Starlight (Extended Cut):    • Mountain Top Starlight - Extended Cut  

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:44 - Outside Features
01:28 - Putting it On
01:50 - Chest Straps
02:50 - Hip Belt Pockets
03:14 - Side Pockets
03:50 - Floating Map Pocket
05:21 - Internal Frame
05:34 - Things I Can't Comment On
06:13 - Using it on Adventures
06:32 - Performance / Value
07:01 - Dan...You Got Me
07:40 - Conclusion

As I note at 07:01, I realize that with this review, I've acquired each of Dan's products, the XMid2P (   • X-Mid 2P Ultralight Tent - First Impressio...  ), the XMid1P (   • X-Mid 1p Ultralight Tent Review  ) and now the DD40. I want to make it clear, Dan/Drop never contacted me to do reviews, nor paid me to do them. After I published each of my XMid reviews, Dan commented and thanked me for my thoughts. The truth is, the XMid2P is really the shelter that got me down this rabbit-hole of reviewing in the first place. Because I was one of the first people to get it (I was on the pre-order), I thought I should do a review. Since I love photography and have been a video nerd for over 10 years now, it was easy for me to jump into making reviews and I found I loved it. With the DD40, it really was just a high performing and nice to use pack at a great price. I remember laughing when I finally got my backpacking spreadsheet filled out and realized that it was in this unique sweet-spot of most of the features I was looking for. To be clear, I will probably take my Gossamer Gear G4-20 out as often as this pack. Much like comparing The One with the XMid1p, they're different products for different use cases. When I know what conditions I'll be encountering and feel confident in the environment, I'll probably take the G4-20 and my Deschutes Plus (review of that once the ground thaws). If I'm heading into something new and/or gnarly, there's no doubt I'll use the DD40 and XMid 1P.
I digress.
I'm not paid. Dan makes good stuff that fits my use cases. So I bought and reviewed it.

I shot this review using the Sony A7iii with a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lens. For supplemental shots using the a7iii, I used a variety of lenses depending on the trip, mostly the Samyang 24mm f2.8. I shot everything using a custom HLG3 based color profile, and graded using a color space transform in Davinci Resolve, or by hand. I also do all my editing and graphics in Davinci Resolve. Additional supporting shots used the GoPro Hero6 shooting 4:3 4k 30p Flat with Protune on, graded by hand in Davinci Resolve, and stabilized by ReelSteady Go. And there are a few shots captured on the Insta360 OneX.