Anybody notice that the Revelation has disappeared from MLD's site? What will we drool over now? ;) Perhaps we can expect some sort of revelation in the coming weeks.... (insert sustained pipe organ chords here)

I think Ron took the Revelation off the site because annoying people (like me!) kept messaging him and asking about it.

On October 15th Ron posted this on the MLD Facebook page:

"Stopped making the cuben Revelation- may redesigned for Spring. Too many new things coming out- so we cut the least popular stuff a bit for now."

On October 22nd Ron wrote in regards to the Revelation:

"May have something new sub 10oz by then..."

I asked Ron about the future of this pack on Oct 31st and he said:

"We may redesign it a bit for next year."

and...

"No specific time frame- but we hope to get the slightly updated Dyneema X line) Prophet/Exodus/Ark) up in about a month and the new Revelation in Feb or March- since it's more of a 2" season small load pack."

My impression is that Ron hasn't thought too much about the future of this pack yet because he's so busy with all the new stuff he's releasing right now. It sounds like Ron's future plans are pretty uncertain since his responses range from doing some minor tweaks, to releasing a new sub 10oz pack. I'm guessing we won't know much for a few months. The most that can be said right now is that Ron is planning to offer something in the SUL (sub 10oz) category for next season.

There are a lot of ways MLD could go. This pack could go smaller like the first gen Revelation, it could go tougher (ie. with Dyneema bottom), it could stay mostly unchanged or they could come out with an all new design.

So with all that said, someone please sell me your Revelation.

Edited by dandydan on 11/04/2009 17:52:23 MST.

Thanks for the heads up Dan... I'm sure you will get the next Revelation that shows up in the gear trade ;)

Well, if Joe finishes up his CDT hike in December and gets Zpacks.com up and running again, you could always pick up a Blast This BPL review covers it pretty well.

I have patience ;) Heck, I'd make my own if he was open and selling the heavier duty cuben he carries...

Edited by goldenmeanie on 11/04/2009 19:41:28 MST.

The Blast is a nice pack. I mulled it over for a while but in the end I prefer the Revelation because:

1) The size (2900 cu in is perfect for me)
2) The Revelation looks more professionally made.
3) Price. I would add $59 in options to the Blast to make it comparable to the Revelation, so it would end up costing $184 vs. $170.

I still like the Blast and I may get one if I can't get a Revelation but I'm going to keep trying to get a Revelation for the next few months.

I just came across this thread from the summer where someone gets a hybrid Prophet/Revelation made from Ron which weighs 9oz. I wonder if the future of the Revelation will be something like this?
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=21492

I like the Dyneema bottom, but I don't understand why you need dyneema on the back panel. It seems like this is the most protected part of the pack. Given the choice, I would probably choose a Dyneema on the bottom and sides (to protect against branches etc) and maybe Dyneema straps, but keep the rest like it is.

Dan,
The pack you mention, the Revelation/Prophet hybrid, was made, by Ron, for me. He made exactly what I asked for and I was very pleased with the finished pack.

I wanted the bottom, back and shoulder strap sections of the pack to basically be a Prophet in design with the sides and front panels a slightly modified Revelation design. The custom pack has proved to be very durable, lite and very functional taking IMHO the best from each pack design.

I also will be interested to see the 2010 version of the Revelation if Ron elects to bring it back into the MLD line.

"I also will be interested to see the 2010 version of the Revelation if Ron elects to bring it back into the MLD line."

I hope he does! I've already told him I want one!

One downside if the future Revelation is not entirely cuben is that you won't be able to seam seal it, and thus avoid needed a pack cover or pack liner.

Since Dan asked me some questions about 2009 revelation and it seems I can’t insert photos onto the reader’s review part in this site, I'd like to share some experience and show some pictures here.



Actually my revelation is a customized one. As my request, Ron added load lifter straps and inner pad sleeves for me. Thus, for me this one is an all-featured ul pack rather than a lightest pack.




The reason why I added these features is that I still prefer that my pack and shoulder straps stay close to my body. I just don't want the shoulder strap looks like the picture shown the link below. http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/images/Threepacks2.jpg
For me, if a pack has hip belts, I'd want it to have load lifters as well.


This pack including all compression straps or shock cords without the folded pad is about 8 oz.


Due to this busy year, I still don't have chance to carry this pack for trips longer than two days. For this reason, I can only provide an initial report of this customized 2009 revelation.

The picture below shows the gear I carry for a weekend off-trail bushwhacking trip. I think the base weight is just a little above 4 lbs, but the maximum total pack weight including water and foods during the hike is up to 16 lbs. Thanks to the firm folded pad fixed in the sleeves, hip wings and load lifter straps, I feel very comfortable all the time, and I'm confident that I will still be happy even if the pack weight is raised to 20 to 25 lbs.


Since there are too many thorns which make me a little worry about the abrasion and puncture resistance, I used a rain cover. However, the 1.5 oz./sq. yd. cuben fiber looks very strong. I think it’s quite durable enough for any casual hiking routes.

One thing I would concern about is the seams between the hip wings or shoulder straps and the pack body. However this should not be a problem because Ron did a good job in reinforcing them by pasting black nylon before the sewing.



I like this pack very much, and it’s my go-to pack now, but there are still some shortcomings for me. First of all, the elastic band on the top of mesh pocket is a little too loose to hold stuffs well especially when there is not many stuffs inside the pack. I would like to change it to an adjustable elastic cord. Secondly, I found it lack loops on middle of the pack for shock cord lashing. I think two more loops will make the compression system much better. Furthermore, I don’t like the elastic top compression cord because I think the top strap like the option provided for packs in zpacks.com is easier to use.

Two more pictures.



Thanks Ron for making such a sweet pack for me!

Edited by syoten on 11/13/2009 01:12:58 MST.

What do you use as a pack cover?

I just use a rain cover which came with a Lowe Alpine day pack which is in the side pocket of the pack in the last photo. You can also see it in the photo in which I show all my gear carried. It's not very light but durable, and not so waterproof but water resistant enough. I usually go bushwhacking routes with thorns all the way, so I need a cheep pack cover to protect my pack. I've tried tyvek rain cover, but I found it absorbs water seriously after some use, so I go back to use common PU coated nylon ones.

Edited by syoten on 11/13/2009 02:13:53 MST.

That pad sleeve is awesome! That should be a standard option MLD packs as it would make that far more versatile.

Jang,
Your custom Revelation is very nice, great job.

Ron did a fantastic job on my custom 09 Prophet/Revelation hybrid pack, the finished project was exactly as requested.

I will be very interested to see the 2010 version when Ron has time to bring this out.

Thom

Thom,
I noticed your hybrid pack months ago. It also looks so sexy.

I'm also looking forward to seeing 2010 version.

Syoten

Edited by syoten on 11/13/2009 08:27:30 MST.

Jang,
Using a short TorsoLite Pad as part of my sleep system I will often place my pack under my legs. I wanted the back side of the pack to be made using the stronger/tougher dyneema x material when used in this fashion. The pack, as modified, also provided the stronger dyneema x material at all the critical connection points; shoulder strap connections, hip wings, haul loop... providing greater durability IMHO.

I feel that this hybrid benefited from the best of both packs.

Thom

Edited by thomdarrah on 11/13/2009 08:31:17 MST.

Neat review/write up. The pad sleeve does seem like a nice addition. I'll probably be using a pad in mine since I need one anyways as a sit pad and a foot pad when sleeping. Having those sleeves to keep it in place is nice.

It seems like you never fill up your Revelation. Maybe MLD should make a smaller version.

Dan,
Yes, I've never filled up this pack until now. It may because I haven't used it for any trip longer than two days, and cooler weather.

For summer short trips this 2009 revelation is indeed a little too large for me, so a smaller version would be nice. But I'm planning to get a smaller cuben pack like zpacks zero for ultralight purpose.

Besides, I hope there will be a lumbar pack version in the future.