Chris2901
Section Hiker
Good evening,
upon request of a certain person with a...buddhistic attitude in his nickname here is my review of my custom Atompacks The Mo.
First of all some data:
Days of use: 9 + 2 flights with Flybe
Volume: 65 l
Max.weight carried: about 17 kgs
Weight : 1070 g all-in size large
Fabrics: VX21 BLUE !!!!!!!!!!! + Cordura 500 + stretch,Dyneema X-Grid
Custom options: extra sizing ,wider shoulder pockets,hip belt pockets,bottom pocket,wider and deeper side pockets to fit a Tarptent SS2 for example, V-strap top
Price: £235
After reading some good reviews about Tom and his cottage on the German UL-Forum and of course trek-lite I made contact with him and asked if he could built me a load-hauler for my longer trips with my wife or with heavier gear than on my local walks (of course BECAUSE of my wife).
Contact was pretty easy: E-mail via his hp,then an appointment for a phone call.I explained to him my ideas and wishes ,we discussed some details and he immediately gave me the price for the pack.Really cool and friendly guy and I don´t understand some people who claim he is uncommunicative.Even when he was building it,I received some pics of it .AND: Since I "needed" the pack for our Cleveland Way trip he made it much quicker than expected. I do apologize if that caused any trouble with other orders,but I´m not sorry.
What did I want? I like my HMG 2440 Southwest and I like many details about ÜLA packs but wanted something between Circuit and Catalyst.It has to be sturdy enough for public transport,the toughest fabric competition on earth.
I didn´t go for the 3400 HMGs because I would want load lifters on a high built pack like these. Also the pricing for Atompacks is far more reasonable and it´s an EU product (well,in a way).
How was it? It performed very well.Since it was boiling hot in the UK I had to carry 5l of water every day and some food,which meant around 15-17 kg total weight.The load transition was perfect but I think the system was brought to its limit.Tom built it with a thinner back sheet since he got a wrong order and will send me another ,stiffer one .Don´t know if this would make a huge difference.I wouldn´t want to carry 20 kg or more with it.The shoulder straps are perfect,the hip belt (of which I thought it could be beefier in the beginning) worked as it should and the load lifters improved the balance enormously.
The pack with a SS2 in a side pocket.Loads of space and ÜLA-like
The side pockets can take 1 1,5l bottle + 1 0,75l bottle
The mesh pocket offers a lot of space for rain gear , food rations etc.
The v-strap has an extra buckle for better adjusting and easier handling.Works better than HMG
Pictures will follow.
The load lifters are excellent
The shoulder pockets are great for filled bottles, empty ones easily fall out.
Dpuble-strap hip belt for good adjustment
The hip belt pockets easily fit an Iphone 6S and muesli bars etc
The hip belt buckle is quite small,but it works.Interesting will be long time experiences.
The bottom pocket is quite sturdy.It´s great for bars,a poncho or extra water.
As I wrote in the original Atompacks thread I would have made some changes.First of all,I would replace the shoulder pockets with elastic cords ÜLA-style..If you have to carry a lot of water,the balance would be better with 4 0,75l bottles in front of you.
I don´t think I´d go for the bottom pocket again on a pack like this.With loads you usually carry with it you´re always happy to take off the pack during breaks and don´t eat that much "on the run".It makes more sense on a SUL-pack like The Atom,when you´re faster and don´t have no hip belt pockets anyway.But of course this is nothing bad at all.
I really like this pack and it will be my standard pack for our longer Northern Europe/Scandinavia hikes with more and/or heavier gear.The workmanship is very good ,the service excellent and the details are well-thought and show Tom´s enormous experience.Even though,he´s very open-minded and respects his customer´s opinions and thoughts.Highly recommendable!!!
Sh...,I think I have to order a The Atom.
upon request of a certain person with a...buddhistic attitude in his nickname here is my review of my custom Atompacks The Mo.
First of all some data:
Days of use: 9 + 2 flights with Flybe
Volume: 65 l
Max.weight carried: about 17 kgs
Weight : 1070 g all-in size large
Fabrics: VX21 BLUE !!!!!!!!!!! + Cordura 500 + stretch,Dyneema X-Grid
Custom options: extra sizing ,wider shoulder pockets,hip belt pockets,bottom pocket,wider and deeper side pockets to fit a Tarptent SS2 for example, V-strap top
Price: £235
After reading some good reviews about Tom and his cottage on the German UL-Forum and of course trek-lite I made contact with him and asked if he could built me a load-hauler for my longer trips with my wife or with heavier gear than on my local walks (of course BECAUSE of my wife).
Contact was pretty easy: E-mail via his hp,then an appointment for a phone call.I explained to him my ideas and wishes ,we discussed some details and he immediately gave me the price for the pack.Really cool and friendly guy and I don´t understand some people who claim he is uncommunicative.Even when he was building it,I received some pics of it .AND: Since I "needed" the pack for our Cleveland Way trip he made it much quicker than expected. I do apologize if that caused any trouble with other orders,but I´m not sorry.
What did I want? I like my HMG 2440 Southwest and I like many details about ÜLA packs but wanted something between Circuit and Catalyst.It has to be sturdy enough for public transport,the toughest fabric competition on earth.
I didn´t go for the 3400 HMGs because I would want load lifters on a high built pack like these. Also the pricing for Atompacks is far more reasonable and it´s an EU product (well,in a way).
How was it? It performed very well.Since it was boiling hot in the UK I had to carry 5l of water every day and some food,which meant around 15-17 kg total weight.The load transition was perfect but I think the system was brought to its limit.Tom built it with a thinner back sheet since he got a wrong order and will send me another ,stiffer one .Don´t know if this would make a huge difference.I wouldn´t want to carry 20 kg or more with it.The shoulder straps are perfect,the hip belt (of which I thought it could be beefier in the beginning) worked as it should and the load lifters improved the balance enormously.
The pack with a SS2 in a side pocket.Loads of space and ÜLA-like
The side pockets can take 1 1,5l bottle + 1 0,75l bottle
The mesh pocket offers a lot of space for rain gear , food rations etc.
The v-strap has an extra buckle for better adjusting and easier handling.Works better than HMG
Pictures will follow.
The load lifters are excellent
The shoulder pockets are great for filled bottles, empty ones easily fall out.
Dpuble-strap hip belt for good adjustment
The hip belt pockets easily fit an Iphone 6S and muesli bars etc
The hip belt buckle is quite small,but it works.Interesting will be long time experiences.
The bottom pocket is quite sturdy.It´s great for bars,a poncho or extra water.
As I wrote in the original Atompacks thread I would have made some changes.First of all,I would replace the shoulder pockets with elastic cords ÜLA-style..If you have to carry a lot of water,the balance would be better with 4 0,75l bottles in front of you.
I don´t think I´d go for the bottom pocket again on a pack like this.With loads you usually carry with it you´re always happy to take off the pack during breaks and don´t eat that much "on the run".It makes more sense on a SUL-pack like The Atom,when you´re faster and don´t have no hip belt pockets anyway.But of course this is nothing bad at all.
I really like this pack and it will be my standard pack for our longer Northern Europe/Scandinavia hikes with more and/or heavier gear.The workmanship is very good ,the service excellent and the details are well-thought and show Tom´s enormous experience.Even though,he´s very open-minded and respects his customer´s opinions and thoughts.Highly recommendable!!!
Sh...,I think I have to order a The Atom.
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