GoLite Infinity Pack - First Look

GoLite Infinity Pack - First Impressions

Price: £139.00

Weight: 1,100 grammes

Features: 50 litre capacity, ultra-lightweight frame, SiLite HG main body, composite three-layer fabric in front pockets and base, Unlimited Suspension System, dual-bellowed rear pockets with watertight zippers and stretch mesh gussets, dual ice axe loops with Velcro retention straps, floating lid with zippered security pocket and stretch panel, 3-litre hydration system sleeve, two side mesh water bottle pockets, three small daisy chains, dual compression straps, sternum strap, haul loop.

Mega light for a framed pack and very stable. Some minor glitches that would be easy to fix.

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The Concept It's been interesting watching GoLite move gradually from uncompromised minimalism using frameless packs to slash weight to the bare bones, towards a still light, but more pragmatic mode. The Infinity is the latest step towards more general usability. It's a 50-litre pack that weighs just 1,100 grammes - okay, that's around twice as much as a frameless Gust - but has the major advantage of incorporating a frame and developed hip-belt for extra support and comfort.

With a frameless pack, you're compromised in the overall load you can comfortably carry - often an issue for climbers - and with comfort. To make the pack work properly, as we found with the Gust, you need to pack it carefully so the back section is padded out and hard objects prevented from digging into your soft flesh.

In short then, it aims to do pretty much what other people's framed 50-litre packs do, but without the weight. So think mountaineering, alpinism and four season backpacking using lightweight kit.

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Features That price may look steep for a 50-litre bag, but there's an awful lot of thought, design and technology gone into all that weight saving.

It all starts with the 'Unlimited Suspension System' - or USS as we've decided to call it in subtle Star Trek style. The foam used in the back padding and shoulder straps, for example, isn't just any old foam. Called Brock foam, it uses foam beads fused only at contact points making it very porous and breathable as well as impact absorbing.

Then there are the fabrics. Schoeller Dryskin Extreme no less on the contact points of the harness for good wicking and nylon Lycra on the outside strap surfaces for better flexibility. And of course you get thermoformed, ergonomic hip belt wings and shoulder straps.

The pièce de résistance though, is the mad light internal frame sheet. It's made from pliable corrugated polystyrene with five super light and super strong aluminium dowels incorporated into the plastic. It weighed a daft 155 grammes on the OM digital scales, that's crazy.

The rest of the pack is standard issue GoLite, which is to say ultra-light but still tough silicone elasomer coated polyester fabrics on the main pack body with explosed bits getting hi-tech X-Pac reinforcements.

The X-Pac is a butch looking three layer sandwich incorporating a reinforced core for major tear strength and abrasion resistance. On top of that, think ice axe fittings, a floating lid, hydration pocket for a three-litre bladder and side mesh pockets to boot. All the fun of the outdoor fair in fact.

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In Action Pick up the Infinity empty and it feels stupidly light for a 50-litre sac. Load it up with a couple of ropes, a rack, head torch, rock shoes and some spare clothing plus a load of water and it's a revelation. On your back it feels solid, stable and very comfortable with no hint that all that support is coming from an S-shaped 155-gramme stiffener.

The shoulder straps are good too and the hip-belt, while not as supportive as say, an Osprey one, is still well up to it. During long day walks the initial comfort continues and the breathable foam in the back section and pads wicks as well or better than anything else we've used.

Stability is excellent, which is good for scrambling and climbing use and we found the pack sat high enough to allow access to front gear loops without problems. We liked most of the design touches too. The twin back pockets look a little odd, but are ideal for carrying anything you need easy access to, while the large hydration pocket handles pretty much any size of bladder.

If we were nit-picking, we'd note that: it's hard to get the floating hood to sit neatly unless the pack is completely full, that there are better compression systems around than the twin side straps used here for simplicity and that the side mesh water bottle pockets could do with a more pronounced angled entry for ease of use.

None of these affect the basic qualities of the pack however. We can't really comment on durability, though our experience of the GoLite Race pack last year suggests that the lightweight body fabric is a lot tougher than it might feel, while the X-Pac reinforcements feel like they're going to survive anything short of prolonged, serious mixed abuse.

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Verdict

Two figures - 50 litres and 1,100 grammes, but what really impresses is that you get both of them in a stable, comfortable package that carries as well as heavier packs and saves the packing faffing of frameless GoLite packs.

There are a couple of minor points we might change, but initial impressions are that this is a fantastic combination of lightness, support, comfort and stability that you could use for mountaineering or backpacking.

It's not cheap, but like we said, a lot of design expertise and high tech materials have gone into the Infinity and, if you can afford the asking price, we reckon it's worth it.

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GoLite Web Site

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