Talkback: Berghaus Revamps Bioflex For 2012 And More...

They just need to get rid of that big sheet above the lumbar pad with "FLOW" arrows that, errrr, impedes airflow for not much gain and it would be lighter still, and I'd guess more comfortable too.

If you've got the weight taken at the hips there is nothing for a back pad to do except add weight, cost, and impede ventilation. (Oh, and look a bit more luxurious on the shelf and in pictures, of course). Fair enough if you'll wrap the belt backwards to get a bit more climbing movement, but not many people climb pitches in load-luggers like this... looks like the usual story of do something really good and then have the marketing people bugger it up with unnecessary padding. Grrrr.

Pete.

Oh, I do love that phrase, "the lightest in their class" - where "class" is never defined but always seems to mean "anything that might do roughly the same job as this provided it's heavier". Anything lighter is always disqualified from the "class" on account of lacking some spurious and probably cosmetic feature

Can you tell I'm cynical about marketing too?

I actually like the fact that they've taken down into smaller capacity packs. It seems to me that unless you're in the States or on some Himalayan climbing expedition, you no longer really need massive load-hauling packs, which is nice. That foam pad, fwiw, isn't particularly substantial.

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OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

But it still impedes ventilation and doesn't need to be there!

Nonetheless I think a pack that lets your hips move relatively unloaded is an excellent idea.