My teenaged son hikes and backpacks every chance he gets. His trusty companion has always been his Granite Gear Leopard, but for his most recent hike–a 450 mile stint of the Pacific Crest Trail–he wanted to downsize.
No products found.
Knowing he wanted to stick with Granite Gear, he opted for the Lutsen in the 45 liter capacity. In addition to the 45L, the Lutsen comes in 35L and 55L, so options are available.
What he loves about the Lutsen: This pack is highly flexible, with many ways to attach gear to the outside. It has fewer pockets and sleeves than most packs, but he actually likes that fact, because items don’t get lost in various corners of the pack.
No products found.
Instead, there’s one main compartment, with just three streamlined sleeves on the outside: one big one along the back panel and two deep water bottle sleeves.
At the top of the pack, you do get the standard zippered compartment, which is generous in size.
While the 45L is streamlined, my teen was able to fit everything he needed for a 30 day lightweight hike (with food for four days at a time).
Trekking poles are easily attached on the outside along the side (this would be a great spot for an ice axe, too), and there are plenty of compression straps for attaching a tent, sleeping bag, or pad.
Granite Gear packs don’t look as technical as some brands, but looks are deceiving.
They still feature the needed suspension system that allows the weight to rest off your back, and all packs in the Lutsen line are highly adjustable. You can custom fit both the torso length and the waist belt.
The waist belt can be widened or narrowed to exactly the size you need because it utilizes velcro adjustments (instead of a slide scale where it clicks into place along a set track).
We found that this system made the waist belt a bit trickier to adjust on the go, but rewarded with a precise fit once you’d done the job.
The torso fitting also works with a velcro system. We’ve found that once adjustments are made, there’s zero movement of the velcro.
The Lutsen does feature an internal hydration sleeve and hose access, should you need it, and the pack weighs in at three pounds empty.
No products found.
You can pick from a base torso size of S/M or L/XL, and the pack comes in three colors: flint/neolime (gray and yellow), moss/boreal (dark and light green), or basalt/rodin (light and dark blue).
Pick up the 45L in any color option for $199. (The 35L is $179 and the 55L is $219.) We found the 45L for a few bucks less on Amazon.