Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

I have had a chance to do a quick test run of my new Swift pack with pocket hipbelt, and no stays. I am really impressed with how this pack rides! I loaded it up with about 20 pounds and took it for an extended day-hike and I was impressed. As usual, Ron has made another well built product. I had to add a thin bungee style cord out side of the pack to hold misc. items like wet clothes, which would be my only suggestion for improvement,to make that standard. The pack arrived very quickly and I had all of my questions answered before placing the order. Nice pack!

Edit - I still think this is a great pack, but I ended up selling it due to the lack of any way to lift the load towards my shoulders. Without my bear can it rode perfect, with it, it pulled away from my shoulders a bit.

Edited by rp3957 on 04/25/2011 15:39:04 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

I purchased a 2011 Swift and am posting my initial impressions. I haven't had a chance to take it out yet.

Customer service from Six Moon Designs was excellent. Their website clearly stated that orders and shipping would be delayed until Tuesday, May 3rd due to the PCT opening weekend jumpoff. I sent an e-mail query about a possible modification to the pack on Monday and received a polite reply Tuesday morning with a clear and reasonable answer.

I ordered the stock pack with the wing belt on Tuesday afternoon and immediately received a confirmation e-mail for the order. By 3:30 I received an e-mail notifying me that the pack had shipped and a link to a tracking system. It was very easy to anticipate delivery and since the package requires a signature I didn't think it would be waiting for me today but the shipping box was small enough that the mail carrier was able to slip it through the security gate at my house.

The pack is a medium with medium belt and looks to be a good fit. Construction quality is very good with only a few loose thread ends here and there. My existing packs are largely from before 2000 and although I have seen several lightweight packs I haven't previously handled one so I am very surprised at how light the fabric is. The wing belt pockets are surprisingly large and they attach to the pack using a type of plastic clip that allows for easy replacement without sewing if there is breakage.

I stuffed a rolled Ridge Rest, compactor bag, Rock Wren and a Garcia bear can into the pack randomly. Everything fits well enough although the barrel shape is not really suitable for carrying. I didn't expect the 3/4 Ridge Rest to fit in the pad pocket and it will not. I will load the pack up over the weekend and try it with a sit pad and appropriately shaped contents to see how it carries.

Rating: 5 / 5

First off, customer service was exceptional. They answered all my questions quickly. The ordering process was also great with an almost immediate email that my order was complete and would ship soon. I think it shipped same day as well without pay any extra.
I have only used this as a weekend Pack so far, but I carried it 14 or so miles with about 16/17lbs and so far I can't find anything that I don't like about it. It's about as light as you will find in this size, it sits well on your hips with the added hip belt (I can fit about 2 to 4lbs of my misc. gear/food in those pockets), the stretch pockets on the sides and back are great for gear that you want to get to fast or wet gear.
Overall, I don't think anyone will be unhappy with this pack.

Rating: 3 / 5

I bought this pack (along with the optional Hoop Stay and Wing Belt) intending to use it for trips that required a bear canister. The light weight, capacity to fit a bear canister and option to add the hoop stay was what attracted me to this pack. My initial impressions were very favorable and I found the pick quite comfortable after loading it up (with about 20-25 lbs.) and walking around the house. The bear canister fit in the pack vertically and I did not feel the bulge against my back as I did with my other, smaller pack (GG Gorilla). I was a little bit concerned that the plastic connectors used to attached the hip belt to the pack would rub against my sides, but this turned out to not be an issue for me.

I ended up using this pack for my JMT thru hike this summer and I had about 32 lbs. in it after resupply at Muir Trail Ranch. With this load in it, I found that it was still fairly comfortable (that is, not uncomfortable), but it was pushing the limits and I wouldn't want to carry that much weight in the pack for too many days.

Some other features I really like are:
- The Wing Belt pockets have a lot of capacity. I like to keep a bunch of items handy in the hip belt pockets and these pockets had more than enough room for my purposes.
- The interior pad pocket fit 6 panels of my Z-Lite perfectly.
- The interior stash pocket was a nice touch and convenient for ID, Credit Card, Money or any other miscellaneous items like that.
- The bigger side mesh pocket was a nice place to put my tarp tent.
- I was able to easily reach my water bottle from the smaller side mesh pocket without having to take my pack off.

One problem was that some of the stitching that connects the main pack to the extension color came undone and there is a small hole in the extension collar where it was pressed against the corner of my bear canister. I do have a tendency to really crank down on the straps when closing the pack, but I was still surprised by this. If not for this, I probably would have given the pack 5 stars.

The other problem with this pack for me is that I think it's a little bit too big. When loaded up near capacity with a bear canister, it gets a little bit too heavy and does not carry as comfortably as some other, heavier packs. But when I don't have a bear canister, then there is too much empty space in the pack and I'd prefer a smaller pack.

All in all, a solid pack with some nice features, but in the future I will likely use something that carries 30+ lbs. better when I need a fully loaded bear canister or other heavy items and I'll use a pack that is a little smaller when I carry lighter loads. But if you're looking for only one pack that can handle a variety of situations, then this just might be it.

Edited by csteutterman on 04/12/2013 14:02:05 MDT.