Gear Review: LiteAF Custom Pack
Since I got bit by the thru-hiking bug, I've had a couple of different packs on my back. They have closely followed the trend of most thru-hikers... heavy to normal weight class to ultralight. My first pack was actually a Christmas present from Santa over a decade ago and was so heavy it contributed to me eventually injuring myself. Once I recovered from my injury, I hit the trail yet again with an OSPREY? and a SLEEPING BAG? to replace my original gear. After finishing the trail and committing to seeking out more ultra-light gear, I got a Lite AF Custom 30 L pack. I've put over 500 miles on this pack so far and weathered my fair share of Colorado thunderstorms and monsoons with it.
The Highlights
The Weight. This pack comes in at a mere 11 oz at it's most basic. With the added customizations, my pack ended up being 14 oz, a very solid ultra-light weight. When you have to carry every ounce over multiple mountains per day, the appeal of finding the lightest pack you can is very high. What's really nice about this pack is that it doesn't sacrifice any important aspects of the pack to lose the weight; it is still durable, comfortable, and water-proof.
The Customizations. The Lite AF pack is fully customizable and has varying models based on capacity. You can add or remove multiple features such as breast pockets, a fanny-pack/hip belt, and a pocket on the bottom of the pack. There's plenty of cool color options too (but the galaxy pink is my favorite).
It's Actually Waterproof. I went through numerous thunderstorms as well as multiple 20+ mild days in the monsoons on the Colorado Trail with this pack; not a thing was wet at the end of the day that was safely tucked away in the pack that morning. If you've done a few hikes in wild weather you know how valuable and rare this is. Most packs that promise "water-resistance" should really be coupled with large trash bag liners or expensive pack covers and that is the expectation. This one truly is waterproof, just make sure you remember to empty out the 10L of space in all the exterior pockets before the rain starts!
The Durability. In the 500 miles I've had this pack I have had zero issues. Not even a tiny rip on a hiking pole strap. I'm not necessarily the most gentle with my gear either, including strapping my dog to every visible part of it when my arms tire of her pulling.
Things to Note
The Space. I have the 30L and that still leaves me plenty of room with 5 days of food. There is also 10L of space in the external pockets which actually makes this a 40L pack.
The "Comfortable" Weight. As with most ultra-light packs, the pack is only comfortable to wear up to a certian weight. Thankfully I never ran into this problem because my base weight is sub 10 lbs and with 5 days of food and 2 L of water on top of that my pack is never more than 20 lbs or so.
Sizing. The Lite AF pack comes with the option to adjust the torso and shoulder strap lengths. When I started my hike everything fit perfectly and I didn't have any issues. Eventually, after I lost an amount of weight on trail, the hip belt was too large which left the weight of the pack on my shoulders which was quite uncomfortable for a few days. This is common problem for women on trail no matter the pack design. Thankfully I was able to problem-solve and connected the hip belt to loops behind my side pockets and then loosened it to reach the additional distance around. It worked like a charm!
The Verdict
The Lite AF Custom pack met and exceeded my expectations, especially in the waterproof department. How often can you brace a monsoon and be confident in your pack that doesn't need a liner or a pack cover? Thankfully now, for me, every time.