Is This Backpack Really Worth It?

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After one year of day hikes, scrambles, multi-pitch ascents, overnight climbs, and one big expedition to Kyrgyzstan, I’ve learned quite a bit about the Samaya Ultra 60 pack. It may very well be the most smartly designed pack I have ever shouldered. But, given that no piece of equipment can be perfect, this one is no exception.

The video goes pretty deep into the pros and cons, the impressive modularity of the pack that allows it to be customized to purpose, but the limits that thin padding and waterproof fabric have when it comes to warm weather climbing. Also, while the buckle and strap system is the best I’ve ever used with gloves, there was a flaw that I needed to fix through a slight modification.

If that all sounds cryptic, well, the point is to get you to watch the video, isn’t it ;)

That all being said, there is a - maybe I would use the term “generalized” - reality that once we start getting into higher-end gear, we start to get into things that are specialized for purpose. It’s hard to have, let’s say, the lightest crampon and have it climb over mixed rock and ice routes. Light weight crampons mean aluminum, and aluminum gives out over prolonged grinding over rocks. That being said, that light weight is incredibly useful for moving over moderate snow and glacial ice, as extra weight on our feet might be the most impactful and energy sapping place we can have added weight (according to multiple studies). So, the light weight, aluminum crampon becomes somewhat specialized.

The same goes for tents and, yes, packs.

By price tag (a major “con” of this pack), the Samaya Ultra 60 pack definitely falls into the “high-end” category, and the specialized materials and features cater to alpine and high-altitude climbing in cool to cold temperatures. Every design item seems thought out for that set of uses, and as such, it performs in those environments at an incredibly high level. For those same reasons, it is missing features that, say, and ultralight backpacker would want, such as external pockets on the hips or shoulder straps.

So, we get back to one of my truisms in climbing: “tradeoffs in all things. The Samaya Ultra 60 pack may just be my new favorite pack, and I am thrilled to have bought it. But it’s still not perfect.