GoLite's 47-litre race / backpacking sac tested, did we manage to destroy the superlightweight fabric?
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GoLite Speed Pack
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Price:
£119.00
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Weight: 730 grammes plus 140
grammes Platypus hydration system
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Features: 47 + 5
litres capacity, 3-litre Platypus hydration bladder, helmet
holder, five external mesh pockets, 'speed suspension',
anatomically-contoured Air-Channel mesh back, contoured
shoulder straps, shoulder straps, SiLite fabric body and
floating lid with pocket, Arrowhead Cordura Ripstop Bottom,
Helmet Holder, Daisy Chain, Tool Retention Strap, Hourglass
Shape for Free Elbow Swing, Haul Loop, hip-belt with
twi-zipped pockets, drainage grommets at bottom of main sac
body.
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Light and more featured than other GoLite sacs
More a lightweight backpacking tool than a race sac, at
least for the UK
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When we first got our paws on the GoLite Speed, we pledged to destroy
it. That may seem cruel - think kittens and threshing machines - but
when something feels so ostentatiously light and flimsy, your first
concern has to be with durability.
In the event, with normal use, we managed a little scuffing. I'm
not saying we couldn't have trashed it, I'm sure some judicious
dragging over gritstone outcrops would have had an effect, but in
normal backacking use, the semi-translucent, SiLite rip-stop fabric
is tougher than it looks. If you want something more durable, look at
some of GoLite's other packs that use tougher Spectra Gridstop nylon
for enhanced abrasion and tear resistance.
Race Pack?
Although the Speed is sold as a race pack, for most UK users, it
makes more sense as a lightweight backpack with adventure race
features, though with a fullish load and fully snugged down and
compressed it's pretty stable if minimalist. I say a 'fullish load'
because the compression system simply won't deal with a half-full
sac. It's a wrap-around thing, but only acts on the front of the
pack, in a better world it would be extended to cover the sides as
well, but that would cost vital grammes. The other down point with a
part-filled pack is that the lid lolls around like a drunken
pigeon...
To be fair you can simply remove the lid and do without, which is
no hardship due to the five roomy mesh stuff pockets, which are ideal
for stowing quick access items like maps, food, gloves, waterproofs
etc. Oh, we'd also like a way of fastening both lid and
rope-compression strap simultaneously. As things stand, both locate
in the same snap connector, so you can have one or the other, but not
both.
The Carry
Like other GoLite packs we've tried, the Speed drags you outside,
puts you up against a wall and demands that you revise your enture
backpacking system. The bottom line is that the minimalist padding,
small unpadded hip fins and lack of any frame system mean that
somewhere around 10-12 kilos is as much as you'll want to carry. It
also means that you need to pack carefully.
The twin strips of padding on the back add a little comfort, but
it's all too easy to miscalculate and end up with a sauce pan playing
cupid with your coccyx. Best solution is careful use of a sleeping
mat to pad things out.
You can lose weight from your kit okay, though it may cost more
than you bargain for, but it's more difficult to find GoLite food, so
any multi-day trip is going to be pushing your comfort zone on the
basis of provisions alone. The pack also comes complete with a
3-liter Big-Zip Platypus Hydration system, which we're going to
feature in a stand-alone test, but remember that 1 liter of water
weighs a kilo, so fill that up and you're looking at an extra 3
kilograms just in fluid...
Bits and Bobs
What can we say, the pockets on the hip-fins seem a bit gestural,
just about big enough for a tube of energy gel and a Malteser, but
the rest of the race gubbins come in useful. Build quality has proved
to be excellent, which along with the high spec materials goes some
way to explaining the high price. Good to see a built-in hydration
facility even if the inclusion of the Platypus means you won't
necessarily have the bladder you want.
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Verdict: We're still a little
undecided on the Speed. On the one hand we're now convinced
that it's definitely tougher than it looks and feels - which
is flimsy - and build quality is excellent, on the other, it
won't be everyone's cup of tea. The minimal design means
that you have to be puritanical about weight and accept that
you need to compromise. You can't expect the same level of
conventional comfort with lightweight kit as with more
conventional backpacking gear, then again carrying a light
sac makes walking itself far easier and more
pleasurable.
We like the race features, even though
the market for multi-day race sacs is limited, and they help
it to work as a lightweight backapcking sac with quick
stowage options. We reckon a more comprehensive compression
system would make the sac more versatile with smaller loads
though, having said that, there are smaller GoLite race
packs on the way. For general use, we think you might be
better off with one of GoLite's other packs, perhaps the
lighter but tougher and larger 60-litre Gust or the heavier,
but larger and tougher Land or Earth. Unless of course you
really are a multi-day adventure racer...
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
Surprisingly tough given the slightly flimsy feel, the
Speed survived normal abuse with aplomb and a few scuffs.
Build quality seems excellent and the adventure race
features work well if you like quick stowage. Back system,
as with all GoLite packs, is minimal with hardly any padding
and no frame, so you need to be zealous over weight saving
and packing techniques. Doesn't work well when only part
full and the lid flops around like a seal pup - a better
compression system would help here. Works okay as a
backpacking sac and the stuff pockets make it versatile, but
unless you really are a multi-day adventure racer, you may
be better off looking at one of GoLite's other
packs.
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