I wish they would add new fabric options. More and more companies are changing to Ultra fabrics (Ultraweave, Ultragrid) which are lighter and tougher than the fabrics used by Atomspacks.
I agree it might be nice to have some Ultra options from Atom packs, but I wonder if the advantages are always that meaningful (and there are potential downsides). Atom Packs did post very positively about Ultra 200 some time ago but haven’t introduced it – presumably there is a reason.
I don’t have a strong view one way or the other: obviously there is a weight advantage (though often that doesn’t make too much difference on a pack), but the value of the toughness could be debated.
Firstly, I suspect the standard fabrics used by Atom packs will have more than adequate toughness for the average user. I have a heavily used 2019 Atom+ in X-Pac VX21, and the fabric shows no signs of wear; very impressive, just a little bit of surface ‘furring/fuzziness’ on the bottom panel. I suspect my Gossamer Gear packs would have been severely worn under the same conditions.
Secondly, while strength and abrasion resistance of Ultraweave are particularly valuable for some uses, they are not the only determinants of how durable / tough a pack will be. The strength of seams is probably at least as important for pack longevity. Early versions of Ultra 200 had reports of delamination; and since the film backer has a role in stabilising the woven ultra with its slippery UHMWPE fibres, this could allow separation of fibres and some loss of seam integrity. Hopefully this has largely been addressed by improvements in the fabric and experience in construction of packs using the material
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/17skk5f
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/pfh1ol
Personally I’d be happy to use an Ultraweave pack but I don’t feel I
need the extra fabric strength to justify any additional cost. I can see why Atom Packs have kept their fabric selection as a balanced choice with plenty of options for customisation.