Looking for some user experience with the MLD Exodus - fit, finish, and durability and as well, perspective for those that had cross shopped it with the ULA Conduit....thanks,

Hey David,
I own an MLD Super Zip which is the older version of the Exodus and my wife used to have the Conduit. If I were to repurchase right now I would get the Conduit. The packs are very similar in quality and durability but there are a few extra's on the Conduit I like better (internal pad holder and better side pockets). The new lower price on the Conduit is pretty nice too. That said my Super Zip is not going anywhere. It is bomber simplicity at close to its best.

Edited by Jkrew81 on 09/29/2009 12:10:44 MDT.

I received an Exodus not too long ago. Hasn't seen a whole lot of use yet, but I can say the fit is pretty good, and Ron's craftsmanship is probably the best I have seen. I do wish it had some sort of pad straps on the inside though.

Thanks Guys!

I've got the older Zip, and the Conduit.
Both are great sacks, and packing style might be a factor if making a choice. Outwith winter, i tend to use a CCF mat for sleeping, and pack structure. The MLD packs (i mostly use a Prophet for 3 season use now) are more of a tube shape, and take an internal foam mat, loosely rolled, perfectly. My Conduit is more teardrop shaped, and you can have some dead space in the bottom corners if using the unrolled CCF mat for structure. I tend to use a GG torso pad with the Conduit.
Both packs are well made and show no sign of wear, despite regular off trail use.

I've had my Exodus since the spring and agree with the above posters regarding the quality from MLD.

I really like my Exodus but I had to make a few changes to it before getting it to near perfection. I find the Exodus to be in a kind of in-between size range... way too big for a small light weight load but the waist belt was too narrow to comfortably carry a heavier load. I had the belt changed to a wider size and I'm a happy camper.

I also had a strap added to the side down by the bottle pocket to allow me to carry a rolled up pad (or fishing rod) on the outside of the pack. There is only one compression strap on each side of the stock Exodus.

I bought the Exodus for longer trips that require the extra space and this pack handles that very well. The problem is that it carries so well that I want to use it on my short trips as well and I just can't fill the thing up well enough to give it the shape it requires (sounds like I need the Prophet as well ... hmmm).

Since you are hiking largely in the Rockies, you may be able to fill the pack better with your warmer (bulkier) gear, so it may work perfectly for you.

I really like the simple design of this pack and the storage pockets are the best I've ever seen.

Hi Mike W,

Can I presume from your comments that you haven't found the volume reduction feature on the Exodus to be effective? I am trying to decide between a Prophet and an Exodus currently. Although the Exodus is almost 30% larger overall the main compartment is only 20% larger.

Jason -

The volume reduction works very well. I have used both the bottom loops to reduce volume as well as the bungees. The bungees can really compact the load and this feature has allowed me to use the pack with smaller loads.

The only issue for me is that your pack contents need to compress well enough to give the Exodus some shape (stiffness). I've tried using my small sit pad to to make the back rigid but I prefer to fill it up and then pound it into shape to fit my back (carry-over habit from previous packs, the sit pad actually works too but I like it available to sit on when I stop for lunch breaks).

The point I was trying to make is that this pack swallows up a lot of gear. I did buy it for carrying more gear (longer trips) but it's light and comfortable so I want to use it on all my trips but with less food and gear it's tough to fill. I can actually drop my smaller pack (fully packed 2000 ci multi day pack) completely inside the Exodus without any effort (slides right in).

Everybody has different volumes of gear and compresses it differently so others may not have this problem. It's actually not a problem with the pack it's just that I am trying to extend it's use a bit more than I originally intended and it's been working pretty well for me. I haven't used my smaller pack since buying the Exodus.

EDIT - I should have mentioned. I didn't consider the Prophet because I like a proper waist belt and the Prophet only has a thin strap.

Edited by skopeo on 09/30/2009 09:06:27 MDT.

"The only issue for me is that your pack contents need to compress well enough to give the Exodus some shape (stiffness). "

Another good technique is to use your sleeping pad to provide a frame. Line the pack with a garbage bag. Roll up the pad (I'm using the Gossamer Gear foam pad at a scant 8 oz.) and put it in the garbage bag. Slip your fist inside the pad and pound hard back and forth until the the pad expands to fill the backpack. The harder it is to do so and the longer it takes are good things. They mean that the foam is sticking well against the foam and providing the proper rigidity.

Put your sleeping bag on top. No stuff sack is better, but if you use one, use a big one. Allow the sleeping bag to expand to fill the available space, and roll up the garbage bag.

These steps not only protect the sleeping-bag loft, but they also eliminate the need for any kind of compression of the bag, even with small loads.

My pad in my Alpine Ridge (from Fanatic Fringe and only 6.3 oz with sternum strap) perfectly fills the main compartment and goes around almost twice, which provides a good deal of rigidity for its 8 oz.

I'm sure the technique will work just as well with the MLD packs based on what I've seen of them.

Cordially,

Stargazer

Edited by nerdboy52 on 09/30/2009 09:43:30 MDT.

I agree with Mike on this, def had a tough time getting my Super Zip to compress to smaller load at first. But after several months of playing with different bungee config's to the different lashing points I was able to get a system down that works well for day hiking sized loads.

Hi Mike,

Many thanks for the update. You may know this, but the Prophet and the Exodus now have the same hip belt. Making the my decision even tougher now:). How many days trip (and with what base weight) do you find is needed to fill the Exodus so that it is nice and compact?

Cheers,

J

Jason -

I didn't know they had changed the waist belt, I assume that means that the Prophet now has a wider belt? (any links to info regarding the change (ie. weight etc.) would be appreciated). I'd seriously consider buying the Prophet as well if the hip belt was improved.

I hate talking base weight (I find it too subjective) and would rather talk total pack weight but since you asked...
my typical base weight would be about 12 pounds and I tend to over compress my gear so it's a very small load for the weight.

I bought the Exodus for trips that are over 4 days long and it nicely handles a weeks worth of gear. That would put my total pack weight (food, water etc.) in the low 20's for a week long (3 season, down to 0C) trip. The Exodus handles this quite well but I wouldn't want to load it much heavier than this.

From MLD website http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=106&osCsid=6f5abb28b6a39ed4bcc21ee0f1987854

UPDATE: SEP 2009 Padded Waist Belt Wings: Same as the Exodus Pack- see Exodus pack for example.
(Old style Prophet strippable waist belt shown below no longer available)

My son has & uses this excellent pack (in terms of fit, finish, and durability). He is now 15 and has a 7-1/2 lb to 8 lb base weight. With a folded up Z-Rest (cut down) or a GG NightLight it transfers weight very effectively to the hip belt. The quality of construction is outstanding. Ron Bell the owner is great and its refreshing how much he stands behind his products.

Edited by tr-browsing on 03/18/2012 13:39:35 MDT.

I didn't see a thread anywhere else mentioning this, so I thought I'd chime in. I love this pack. It's very comfortable and carries my usual Fall 12 lb base weight extremely well, the most I've had in it is probably 25 lbs when cameling water and extra gear backpacking with my 8 year old and it was still extremely comfortable. Quality is TOP notch, as I think all MLD gear is.

Here's the new update I'd like to add - A few weeks ago a small package showed up from MLD, that I hadn't ordered. It was a minor update to the ends of the carbon fiber rod that's supposed to prevent any premature wear at the point the rod ends sit in the pack, easy enough to do, and I doubt the old setup would have ever caused me a problem. Along with the detailed instructions and parts, Ron also included a silnylon stuff sack as a "thanks" for doing the update. I'm extremely impressed by this, first off, that MLD went to the trouble and expense of proactively sending an improvement, but also something to say "thanks for updating your pack". Way above and beyond what I expect, testament to MLD's outstanding products and attitude toward their customers. MLD is at the very top of my list for anything I need in the future. Thanks Ron!

Edited by arttyszka on 09/21/2012 07:57:02 MDT.

Art,

Was this for the Exodus FS? I own this pack as well but I haven't received anything in the mail in regards to a fix