mountain laurel designs burn (appalachian trail thru-hike)
I've hiked about 1,700 miles with the MLD Burn (2,300 cubic inch (cu in)) frameless pack. This is an extremely durable pack from a great manufacturer. This pack is very small, and excels with hikers using very minimal and compact gear. My gear weight was around 9 lbs or less when I used this pack, and since I used the Burn on the Appalachian Trail (AT) I never had to carry more than 5 days of food and a couple liters of water. Here are my thoughts on this pack.
Likes:
Dislikes:
SUMMARY: Top marks across the board. If you are looking at this pack, then you probably have your gear dialed in fairly well and know the limitations of frameless packs. MLD makes 4 sizes in this pack style - so even if you're gear is more than will fit in this pack, there are other excellent options that would suit your purposes.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PACK SEEN HERE
Likes:
- Very durable material for an 11 oz. backpack
- Small size allows easy maneuvering while bushwacking and traveling
- Comfortable up to 18 lbs for any length trip, and strong enough to carry more
- Well designed bag with user-friendly pockets and clean minimal features
- Washed the bag once by hand after 1,700 miles and it looked like new
Dislikes:
- Webbing hipbelt does not take any weight off the shoulders (could likely customize the pack with that feature if desired)
- Small size forces very thoughtful packing and weight distribution for comfort
- Though worth it, $175 is expensive for a small volume frameless pack.
SUMMARY: Top marks across the board. If you are looking at this pack, then you probably have your gear dialed in fairly well and know the limitations of frameless packs. MLD makes 4 sizes in this pack style - so even if you're gear is more than will fit in this pack, there are other excellent options that would suit your purposes.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PACK SEEN HERE