The Atom Packs Notch is a 40L ultralight backpack with EcoPack (EP40) weighing 29.6 oz. It’s a trendy pack with an inside body that’s nice for fast-and-light in a single day journeys or day mountaineering. The Notch is a roll-top pack with the everyday structure of an ultralight backpack consisting of two aspect bottle pockets, a entrance mesh pocket, and a backside mesh pocket for storing snacks, hats, gloves, or snack wrappers. Whereas the pack is unisex, it comes with female-friendly S-shaped shoulder straps with stretch pockets to carry small bottles, electronics, a smartphone, or sun shades. A detachable hipbelt can also be offered.
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- Weight: 29.6 oz (840g)
- Quantity: 40 liters whole: 35L predominant, 5L exterior pockets
- Sort: Inner Body (Plastic Sheet and 1 body keep)
- Gender: Unisex
- S-shaped Shoulder Straps: Sure
- Entry: Roll-top
- Hip belt: Detachable
- Load-lifters: No
- Pockets: 6 (2 open shoulder strap pockets, 2 aspect, 1 entrance, 1 on backside)
- Hip-Belt Pockets: No add-on accessible)
- Seam-taped: No
- Bear Canister Compatibility: BV450 matches horizontally, BV475 and BV500 are finest carried on prime
- Supplies: Ecopak EPX200, 210d Robic Extreema, Dyneema Mesh, 500D Textured Nylon
- most advisable load: 15 kg (33 lbs)
- Worth: $270
Atom Packs is a British ultralight backpack producer positioned within the UK’s Lake District Nationwide Park, shortly turning into a premier cottage backpack producer in Europe. They make reasonably priced customized and ready-made ultralight backpacks with EcoPak, a extremely sturdy, waterproof, and PFC-free material produced from recycled polyester. I reviewed their “Mo” backpack, since renamed the Prospector, a number of years in the past and was impressed then by the standard and thoughtfulness of the design and manufacture. They ship packs internationally, so you should buy them in case you reside within the USA or different international locations.
Notch Backpack Storage and Group
The Atom Packs Notch 40 (ready-made mannequin) is a trendy roll-top pack that appears actually cool in black Ecopak with mild blue and orange highlights. (Atom gives this pack in a variety of customized colours, too.) Nevertheless, the inside is white, so you may see what’s inside.
Whereas the pack material is waterproof, the seams should not sealed, so I’d nonetheless advocate lining the within with a plastic bag. The primary compartment is just not hydration-compatible, and there’s no place to hold a hydration system inside.
The Notch has two aspect water bottle pockets that may match two SmartWater bottles or one 1L Nalgene bottle. The bottles are reachable when sporting the pack. The aspect pockets have an elastic wire/cordlock combo to safe the bottles alongside the highest and drain holes within the backside to take away moisture. The pockets are made with “Robic Extrema”, simply Robic nylon with Excessive-Density Polyethylene Fibers (HDPE) fibers operating by means of it and straightforward to patch with Tenacious Tape in case you gap it.
The ends of the roll-top might be buckled to the edges of the pack with lengthy webbing straps or collectively on prime of the primary compartment. If buckled on prime, you may loop the aspect webbing straps across the entrance of the pack for added compression or to connect gear like snowshoes or a foam pad. The highest of the roll-top has two plastic snaps to carry the highest closed earlier than rolling. I’m stunned extra backpack producers don’t use these snaps. They don’t catch on clothes like velcro, and so they present an excellent “roll” with out having to insert a stiffener.
The Notch additionally has a backside stretch pocket on the bottom of the pack, which has grow to be fashionable on decrease quantity thru-hiking packs previously two years. Many individuals use it to stash a day’s price of snacks and meals or hats and gloves to allow them to be reached whilst you’re strolling with out having to cease. One finish of the pocket is open, whereas the opposite has a small trash gap the place you may stuff sweet and snack wrappers for later disposal. The underside pocket is made with Dyneema Mesh and nylon 6.6, which is fairly sturdy, however I’d nonetheless count on this to be a put on level in the long run. For those who hike in Bear Nation, I’d assume twice about stuffing meals into it except you propose to retailer the pack subsequent to your bear canister at a ways out of your shelter at night time.
The entrance stretch pocket can maintain 5L of things however is just not included within the 40L quantity of the remainder of the backpack. There are additionally seven material loops sewn into the seams of the entrance pocket which Atom has threaded with elastic wire. I’ve left it in place for illustration, however I normally take away cords like them as quickly as I get a pack that has them. I hike off-trail lots, and also you don’t need elastic cords hanging off a pack for that form of factor.
Backpack Body and Suspension
The factor that makes The Notch backpack a fantastic carry are the inner body, the hip belt, and the truth that the pack is barely slim (10.5″ broad on the base), like a climbing backpack. All that makes it tremendous snug to hold, with a hipbelt that doesn’t slip.
The Notch body is a formed plastic sheet with a middle aluminum keep which comes pre-bent however might be modified in case you want one thing somewhat totally different. Each terminate within the middle of the pack, behind a modest lumbar pad on the hip belt. Each body parts are detachable, however there’s little cause to. As well as, the again of the pack behind the shoulder straps is padded with 8mm closed cell foam and coated with 500D textured nylon, which has a softshell look and feels good towards your again.
The hip belt has a single middle buckle with two tiers of webbing straps so you may tighten it to match the form of your hips, enabling a custom-made match for each women and men. The hip belt is 4″ broad, backed with spacer mesh, and evenly padded, with a modest lumbar pad within the again which helps hold the pack in place on the hip girdle. The hip belt is replaceable in case you want a unique measurement and is held in place by velcro behind the lumbar pad. The Notch doesn’t include hip belt pockets, however Atom Packs sells them as an elective add-on. They slip over the hip belt and are held in place by back and front webbing loops.
The shoulder straps are S-shaped, in order that they’ll work for women and men, curving across the delicate bits They’re additionally evenly padded and backed with spacer mesh. Each straps have daisy chains sewn on the entrance, however they’re each coated with sewn-on and non-removable stretch mesh pockets sized for a Smartphone or snack bar. Regardless of this, you may nonetheless entry the daisy chains underneath them and transfer the sternum strap up or down. The elastic mesh of the pockets will maintain onto your cellphone even in case you bend over however doesn’t present any moisture safety within the rain. The pockets are too small to carry water bottles nonetheless.
Exterior Attachment Factors and Compression
I’ve already touched on a number of exterior attachment factors, together with the webbing loops and elastic wire surrounding the entrance stretch pocket and the shoulder strap daisy chains. The Notch additionally has a prime Y strap which is appropriate for securing a foam pad or bear canister to the highest of the primary compartment. An ice axe loop and a bungee wire additionally safe the shaft.
Along with the highest compression offered by the roll prime’s aspect straps, The Notch with a single tier of aspect compression straps made with webbing as an alternative of the ridiculous cords offered by different pack producers. They supply a lot better compression and are good for securing lengthy objects alongside the aspect of the pack. Whereas the webbing straps are lengthy sufficient to safe a NEMO Switchback foam pad towards the aspect of the pack, they’re adjusted utilizing slide buckles fairly than side-release (squeeze) buckles, which might be my choice as a result of it’s simpler to safe cumbersome objects with them.
Suggestion
Atom Pack’s Notch 40 is accessible as a inventory mannequin with a set of normal options or as a customized construct together with your selection of colours and different choices. I believe the inventory all-black mannequin reviewed right here is beautiful in its look and performance. The pack carries splendidly due primarily to its stiff body and slim dimensions, extremely adjustable hip belt, and simply accessible pockets, that are reachable whilst you’re in movement.
Disclosure: Atom packs donated a backpack for evaluate.
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